Well, you’re about to get your wish. * cracks knuckles*
This is actually closely related to what I was talking about when I mentioned the “happy endings are unrealistic” thing– it reflects this inherent belief that reality is “miserable” that I don’t think is true. I mean, relatively.
Yes, a lot of bad things happen in the world every day, and some days (or years…or whole decades) in particular take that to extremes. But that means all the happiness humanity has ever experienced has happened right alongside those bad things. To act as if it’s less valid or worth consideration simply because it’s not universal (which is impossible) is just negativity bias in action.
After all, “misery” isn’t universal either; there are plenty of people who live through terrible events completely unscathed, simply because they were in the right place at the right time. Or at the right age…for example, I was alive during the 2008 financial crisis, but since I was a literal child and our family was never well off to begin with, I noticed absolutely nothing, and was honestly kinda surprised to hear how bad it was when I became old enough to learn about it.
And yet, I’d definitely get the side eye for calling it a ‘good’ year simply because “not everyone was affected”...that same inaccuracy applies to calling the whole world bad and hopeless, people just don’t realize it.
All that is to say, fiction can be a reflection of the world whether it’s happy or sad, because the world is a giant mixture of happiness AND sadness. And just like success can still exist in our miserable world, success for the protagonists at the end of a story doesn’t necessarily imply that the world of the story is perfect at that point. It just happens to be what we’re focusing on.
Unpopular opinion, maybe, but I don’t think dealing with trauma and consequences is incompatible with a happy ending. I’ve written a couple stories where a character’s entire arc is just burying trauma or punishing themselves for it, but by the end they’re finally able to face it and become stronger for it.
The emotional release; the crying, the admission to being in pain and needing help– that’s all a vital part of the happy ending. The emotions may be “negative”, but the overall character growth is positive, because it shows them finally choosing to become vulnerable and open to healing.
…I admit, I’m nitpicking (with both of these replies). But in my defense, these are very interesting nits to pick. ^^;
I'm very sorry; I know exactly how that feels...only in my case, it led me to stop watching new anime. I was so infuriated by Yuuki Yuuna's "happy ending" I couldn't even emote
But anyway...I really hope the new story doesn't disappoint ^^
