Giving a new definition to "double post", I give you one post with two different topics. I decided to do this as one post because of the idleness of this board, and because both topics deal with (big surprise) Mahoromatic's ending(s). So, first up:
Why I Prefer the Anime's Ending
The anime's ending didn't fit all that well with the rest of the series, nosiree. The problems have already been endlessly discussed. However, though the manga's ending is much better written and explains much more, I actually prefer the anime's ending, as it truly presents a happier conclusion. Well, it does if you don't hop on the "they're both dead" boat. Don't get on that boat; it's sinking.
So, why is the anime's ending happier? In both versions, Suguru has lost twenty years of his life to grief, basically a time in which he wasn't really "alive" (much like Mahoro). And, as we all know, the human life span is quite limited. However, it is revealed near the end that Suguru is part Saint. Saints live much longer than regular Terrans, but we never really got to see the extent half-Saints live because Yuichiro's only daughter was killed before she would have shown any elderly signs. Suguru, however, has the possibility of living as long as a Saint, and as Mahoro is implied to still be a robot, they could continue to live together happily for untold lengths of time. Shikijou comments that Suguru seems to have "gone downhill", but that is probably because of his quality of life and not because of his age. Just look at Shikijou... she's, uh... she doesn't look that much older...
However, in the manga, they both end up human. Suguru's already thirty-five, the prime of his life arguably already gone, and Saints appear to age at rates similar to those of humans. The sacrifice seems to have been much greater. Though it's also of note that Shikijou ages more realistically.
Come to think of it, Shikijou's apparent youth in Na-Geanna irritates me because it makes so little sense. I can't tell if it's trying to imply something or if it's just a brief joke in an otherwise relentlessly bleak episode. I wish I had thought to ask Yamaga when I had the chance, but I had completely forgotten about it.
Na-Geanna vs. Spielberg's A.I.
I do not recommend reading any further if you haven't seen A.I., the sci-fi movie started by Stanley Kubrick and finished afer Kubrick's death by Stephen Spielberg. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
Still here? Okay, I'm assuming you've seen A.I....
Alright, the ending to A.I. takes place 2,000 years after the rest of the movie (Na-Geanna x100). David and Teddy were rescued from their frozen captivity by highly advanced mecha, who want to help David fulfill his wish of being with his mother, Monica again. This has been his mission since he was abandoned at the beginning of the film, but now Monica is long dead, along with the rest of the human race. All that is left are the mecha. However, Teddy still has a lock of Monica's hair from when David cut it much earlier in the movie. So, the mecha are able to temporarily "revive" Monica and give David one last perfect, joyful day of fun with his mother before he shuts down forever.
This, of course, is a fairly dark ending, yet strangely beautiful and satisfying. I loved A.I., its ending and all, though I may have felt differently if I had seen Mahoromatic first. So, what gives A.I. a good sad ending, while Mahoromatic's is bad? I think it's because David's mission from the beginning was to find his mother and get her to love him again, and he devoted absolutely everything to that cause. Finally, after so long, he was able to accomplish his mission before shutting down. In this way, it was a bittersweet ending.
Mahoromatic, on the other hand, took two multi-faceted people who for each other with great lives and great friends, and completely destroyed that balance. That, in its bare essence, is why I think Mahoromatic's ending failed so miserably.
Auteur
Sujet: Why I (Sadly) Prefer the Anime's Ending + Na-Geanna vs. Spielberg's A.I. (Lu 750 fois)