Kannagi: Why I (Sorta) Liked the Ending

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A few days ago, I finished watching Kannagi. And I think I’m going to be the minority here and defend the relatively serious concluding episodes.

Kannagi was similar to Toradora in that it took me somewhat by surprise in how amusing it was. The premise is, again, not particularly original, and in this show’s case the plot situations a lot more typical for anime romance than the friendship-oriented stories of Toradora. Kannagi was much more focused on the humor side of the equation than Toradora was, however, with few “character moments” of note.

That’s why I understand the critique many had, that the serious parts were boring and didn’t work. I agree up to a point; it easily could have been one of the many examples of anime being almost pure comedy and then suddenly veering into seriousness at the end in a really unearned and unreasonable manner. And yes, the sadness and rain aspects were played up a bit much; the director certainly wasn’t being subtle. Jin was being overly “emo” like the typical anime hero. However, the ending plotline raised questions that really do need answering and will be, presumably, in future seasons (which I’m sure are coming): who exactly is Nagi? What kind of powers does she really have? Why doesn’t she remember everything? Kudos to Jin for actually raising some questions and demanding answers, which isn’t typical for a harem hero.

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In fact, since we are talking about gods and goddesses here, the issues are downright theological, though not in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic sense. (As Zenge says, it’s unfair to judge Japanese deities by Western theological categories.) Nagi and Zenge are both goddesses whose power depends on that of others’ devotion and belief, and it is when in says that he “believes” in her that she is able to be restored. That makes Nagi pretty human actually, and it makes even more sense when we consider the other way we understand what it means to “believe” in someone–to trust and to love someone.* That’s what she is looking for, and what Jin is beginning to realize that he can give her more than anyone else can. And no, the scenes of her crying didn’t make me melt at the moe. 🙂

I actually also liked the story the grandmother told about Nagi rescuing her and others from hanging themselves, though; not only was it a quiet answer to the questions surrounding Nagi’s identity, it was probably the most genuinely emotional moment in the ending arc, particularly when her ghost/spirit comes to testify to Nagi’s goodness. Certainly I felt this was more effective than the Jin emo, which I agree was overdone though not ruinous. I think that my starting fandom with Evangelion has given me a certain inoculation to high amounts of it, so I could be letting it go a bit too easily.

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The episode ends on a rather cliche note, the sitcom “reset” where the status quo gets restored: obviously paving the way for future seasons. Since this show, with all of its meta-referencing to Lucky Star and otaku jokes, is meant primarily to be otaku comfort food–it’s an appropriate way to close for now. The “School Days” eyes that flashed in Tsugumi for a moment really had me going there for a second, too–I had to laugh.

I think relatively serious moments like the final arc help solidify one’s attachment to the characters. Humor works really well when you introduce characters, because it tends to make them more sympathetic; and for the sake of variety, at least, a little bit of seriousness can introduce necessary conflict and forward movement that otherwise wouldn’t be there. Which is, in my view, what happens in the Kannagi ending.

Or, it could simply be that I love seriousness in general and I’m a sucker for sadness. Which would explain the high reviews I’ve given for lots of otherwise dubious shows. Bias strikes again!

Author: gendomike

Michael lives in the Los Angeles area, and has been into anime since he saw Neon Genesis Evangelion in 1999. Some of his favorite shows include Full Metal Alchemist, Honey and Clover, and Welcome to the NHK!. Since 2003 he has gone to at least one anime convention every year. A public radio junkie, which naturally led to podcasting, he now holds a seminary degree and is looking to become Dr. Rev. Otaku Bible Man any day now. Michael can be reached at mike.huang@animediet.net. You can also find his Twitter account at @gendomike.

6 thoughts on “Kannagi: Why I (Sorta) Liked the Ending

  1. I agree – I didn’t feel like the seriousness of Kannagi’s last few episodes were out of place; although the show was mostly comedy, there were a few serious moments even before the final arc, so I knew that it was going to have more than just humor. Seeing the emotional rather than just the comical sides of the characters can only help make them more sympathetic and developed. Some anime comedies make the mistake of trying to be serious at times but not following through with it, thus the seriousness loses its impact. However, in my opinion I think Kannagi did a great job of showing that while it’s primarily a comedy, it also wants us to take it seriously when the right time comes.

  2. I had been really afraid that the serious stuff would be a put-off for me, but in the end, I didn’t have a problem with it. As I noted in my own blog, it wasn’t as if the humor were completely abandoned in the end. I laughed out loud when the old lady startled Jin by suddenly talking (I thought she might be dead then).

    The “reset” at the end where where the comedy elements are also re-introduced full-force made me just want to watch a sequel series should one come out (and I hope one does). 

    Anyway, this is a title I’m hoping FUNimation will grab.

  3. I agree. I also liked the ending and I hope for another season of Kannagi. The emotional side of Kannagi was done pretty well and to my liking.  It was a high contrast to previous episodes full of funny moments.
    Tsugumi’s look made me laugh too.  It really resembled School Days.

  4. Yumeka: I agree. It’s important to have some balance. And in typical storytelling, you start with the humor because that helps to earn the serious moments later on, and I felt both Jin and Nagi were developed enough to have them.

    AstroNerdBoy: it’s like Toradora except to a lesser degree–the “serious”/emotional moments were more prominent and even more powerful in that one but the idea is the same. I noted in my reivew of that show that it never abandons the humor either, and that this is one of its strengths.

    Matteas: now taking bets on Tsugumi turning yandere with a bloody knife in season 2!

  5. I also agree, particularly with your citation of the Shige story as the emotional high-point of the arc.

    I think Nagi’s “amnesia” about her past comes at least partly from the fact that all of the people who remember or believe in her past form are dead or senile.  Her current self really has very little continuity with her past self — she’s a creation of those around her.  I suppose the “Nagi as Vengeful Goddess” we witnessed that stormy night with Daitetsu is a product of Daitetsu’s belief about her.  She sometimes displays multiple personalities because of the different kinds of beliefs about her.

    Kannagi surprised me, as well — I had not expected to watch it, really, but the sheer competence of the production values won me over to enjoying what, in lesser hands, I’d consider pretty cliched material.

  6. dm: That’s a plausible theory. These are the kinds of gods who are very dependent on their followers and that would make a lot of sense. In a way they are gods made in the images of their worshipers.

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