Just saw the ending, and now I'm spoiling for a fight. And by "fight" I of course mean "civilized, thoughtful discussion."
First, for the sake of establishing which side of the No Man's Land I'll be standing on during the conflict which will surely tear the entire world asunder, I should mention that I'm a staunch proponent of the "both alive" theory.
Secondly, I should also mention that my initial reaction to the ending--and here "initial" deserves emphasis which italics alone cannot provide--was borderline ecstasy. Seriously. Roaring furiously at the heavens, trying to make lightning arc between my outstretched fists, the whole nine yards (I have odd ways of expressing delight).
This reaction was due in large part to the fact that I'm a total junkie for happy endings, tempered by the other fact that the ending of Nu. . .er. . .another anime which, for the sake of spoiler avoidance, I will not name unless asked directly, left a smoldering hole through my chest. In other words, I went into Mahoromatic running on fumes, and holding happy endings in roughly the same regard that a zombie does living brains.
In the interim, my enthusiasm has cooled somewhat, as I've had a chance to mull over some of the flaws. Or rather, primarily, flaw singular. Namely, the galling and thoroughly arbitrary 20 year gap.
To wit, I think I can offer some insight regarding the issues surrounding the aforementioned, which I will present in the form of a contrived FAQ! Woo-hoo! Contrived FAQ!
How could Mahoro--sweet, demure, pleasant-smelling Mahoro--watch Suguru squirm in abject misery for 20 years, and do nothing?
Short answer: She couldn't, and didn't. Long answer: This question presupposes that Mahoro is a bastion of Jesus Plagiarism; that is, that she and Matthew are one in the same. This was not the impression that I took away. Mahoro is just Mahoro, and I don't think she had anything to say about the timing of her resurrection.
But they look and sound exactly the same!
Yeah, well, I look and sound like a bridge troll, but you don't see me demanding tribute from passers-by under threat of consumption.
Well then, how could Matthew etc. etc. ditto?
Taking into consideration that Matthew is, for all apparent intents and purposes, a deity, allow me to present my likely-unsatisfying rationalization:
Often in popular media, deities, when not labeled as expressly benevolent or malevolent, are generally portrayed as detached and indifferent. This is even more likely to be the case when the deity in question is not given much time in the spotlight (as was the case with Matthew).
For those who don't find an uncaring Matthew a match for their tastes, feel free to sink your chops into my alternate explanation, which is somewhat more palatable and also incredibly lame. Yes friends, I'm playing the Time-Perception card! In a nutshell, this theory excused Matthew's apparent callousness by drawing attention to the fact that a mere double decade is less than nothing when weighed against eternity, and that Matthew can be absolved from leaving Suguru hanging for 20 years on account of that's how long it takes him/her to brush his/her teeth in the morning. Figuratively speaking.
How about you explain the 20 year Suguru-shaft by some means that fall outside of the story itself?
Okay then, I will. Suguru was made to stew for all those years because the two things anime writers love more than anything else are time-jump epilogues and character abuse. How's that?
Bonus Questions!
You mentioned earlier being a junkie for happy endings, but the ending of Mahoromatic doesn't even qualify! It isn't happy! It's crap! Or, as the Scottish say, c-r-r-rap!
Driz--may I call you Driz?--I sort of pictured you asking this question. I hope you don't mind.
The precedent for the ending's potential unhappiness is based more or less solely around Suguru's screwed-over-ness, which doesn't provide as big of an impediment for me, considering that, as far as I'm concerned, Suguru can take a flying leap.
Okay, that may have been a bit harsh. But also kind of. . .true. I mean, it isn't that I don't care at all for Suguru, it's just that said caring is limited almost exclusively to the context of his relationship with Mahoro. Aside from that, my contract only stipulates her safe return--fulfilled--and makes no mention of secondary objectives.
Whoops. Sorry. Mercenary fantasies are slipping out again.
Anyway, the over-arcing philosophy that I carry with me everywhere is that, as long as the cute anime girl makes it out okay, I'm as happy as a Labrador on a planet populated entirely by tummy-rubbing hand-creatures.
Speaking of Mahoro's return; I don't think you've made a convincing enough argument that said return actually happened in the physical sense.
Hey, I got five compelling arguments right here, punk.
Oh, er, I mean. . .ahem. Yes, well, there are a bunch of little indicators hither and thither, but I think the most telling is her behavior upon her reappearance. And I'll explain what I mean by that, right after I go off on another little tangent:
For obvious reasons, one cannot set any hard and fast rules in regards to the behavior of the spirit after it leaves the body. However, in the medium of fiction--and some real-life schools of thought as well--it is generally accepted that release from this mortal shell brings with it a certain clarity. Nothing quite so fancy as omniscience, but more a. . .knowing of all that needs to be known.
What I'm getting at with all this babble is that, had Mahoro been returned in spirit form, she would've homed in on Suguru like a Sidewinder to a MiG, rather than wandering around for a bit and ultimately saying, "Hey raggedy dude! Could you tell me where Suguru is since I haven't yet realized that you are him?"
Okay, fine. Now it's time for the real burning question: What becomes of Guri?
It's quite obvious, really. Following the attack on the Keepers, Slash--freed of all other obligations, and having already looked after Guri for some time--takes the young pup under his tutelage, teaching him the ways of the Deadly Panther Bot kata. Guri goes on to open a dojo in Hiryu, and is remembered by history as not only being the discipline's only canine initiate, but also the only proselyte ever to achieve the rank of Grand Master.
