Audience Alienating Ending misuse(?)

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Ferot_Dreadnaught Since: Mar, 2015

20th Mar, 2022 11:33:15 AM

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Audience Alienating Ending misuse(?)

Audience-Alienating Ending:

Examples

Pokémon Adventures the last chapter of the Black & White arc has the hero Black sealed away in the Light Stone alongside Reshiram thanks to a Last Breath Bullet from Ghetsis who then proceeds to escape and the Light Stone vanishes with Black inside. This caused many people to turn on the arc for the Cruel Twist Ending. While the intention was for the cliffhanger to be resolved in the Black & White 2 adaptation, that arc fell under the infamous Schedule Slip as a result of newer Pokemon games being given priority for publishing. What was supposed to be a small arc that started in 2013 didn't reach its conclusion till 2020. That meant for SEVEN YEARS one of the most liked protagonists of the series was suffering a Fate Worse than Death and the villain who caused it was unpunished. Misuse as not the end of series. That the work was popular enough last 7 years after means audiences were objectively not put off. This is just Arc Fatigue.
Pokémon: The Series a common criticism lobbied towards the anime is Ash's inability to win a Pokémon League. As each individual series builds up to the Pokemon League throughout its run, some fans walk away feeling like they wasted their time watching and retroactively makes the series worse. While considered tolerable in earlier series due to Ash's lack of experience and immaturity, by the time Ash lost his FOURTH League many were crying foul, due to Ash's immense growth in Sinnoh. This trend would persist with the next two generations where Ash's losses would be lambasted for a variety of reasons. Possibly in response to these criticisms, Gen VII would FINALLY allow Ash to finally win a league. However, this would prove to be controversial as the Alola League lacked any of the build-up or prerequisites prior series had, causing the legitimacy of the League and validity of Ash's win to become a heated topic. Misuse as the series being a successful Long Runner despite these repeated controversies means they were overall not turned off. The XY series might count as it caused such backlash the series finally did away with it.
The Last of Us Part II: The game was already fairly bleak starting on a Downer Beginning with Joel being brutally killed by Abby for the revenge of her father which already didn't sit well with the fanbase. But after going through all the trials tribulations of the leads. It ends with Ellie having nothing at the end of the game. She foregoes her revenge on Abby at the last minute and lets her live, but comes home to find Dina and the baby they raised together having left which Dina had threaten to do if she went through with going after Abby one more time. Two of her fingers bitten off in the final fight meaning she can no longer play guitar, the last remnant of Joel she had left and wandering off into an unknown future. One can argue that Abby lost all of her friends due to her revenge, but she at least had Lev and the hope of finding a firefly base by the end of her story. Sure no one was expecting a major happy ending given the game's setting, but the ending utterly soured what goodwill most players were willing to give the game, who felt like nothing was accomplished at the end of the day and topped off a pretty miserable story. Misuse as AAE is when the ending overshadows everything else including other complaints, not this if the rest is reviled. Might count if the lack of payoff caused the rest of the complaints, but it sounds like it would be just as contentious regardless of the ending.

I'll remove these for the cited reasons unless I here anything. Should I add notes to Audience-Alienating Ending saying not to add examples where the series continues after the ending (unless it's an Author's Saving Throw to it) and the rest of the works is contentious? AAE cleanup has been inactive for a month so I'm asking here first.

Edited by Ferot_Dreadnaught

miraculous (Apprentice)

20th Mar, 2022 12:39:00 PM

Huh arent adventures and the pokemon anime still ongoing? Those arent the end and I dont think anyone got actually alienated by them

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."

Amonimus (Sergeant)

20th Mar, 2022 12:41:53 PM

These are about the endings of Story Arcs, but I don't think the trope works like that. Also I don't see "Audience-Alienating" in the examples.

Edited by Amonimus TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup

Mariofan99 Since: Jun, 2021

29th Mar, 2022 07:47:39 AM

Should I make a entry for just XYZ in that case or does the fact the franchise continue mean it doenst count at all?

Ferot_Dreadnaught Since: Mar, 2015

29th Mar, 2022 01:44:41 PM

I'm asking here.

If it does it does not apply to XYZ but all XY as AAE by definition is more backlash than can be compartmentalized to the episode/installment ending it, instead spilling out to effect the entire work.

GastonRabbit MOD (General of TV Troops)

29th Mar, 2022 09:31:56 PM

Audience-Alienating Ending still has an open TRS thread here. Please discuss examples there instead of here.

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.

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Audience Alienating Ending misuse(?)