Yes. A TV ad.
Just like other manga adaptations such as D.Gray-man and Pandora Hearts, Konjiki no Gash Bell is, actually, an huge TV ad for the manga. That means the end of the anime is not the end of the manga. It's just an end for the anime. An wrapped up end that is always awful, because even gift wrappers don't look as good as a sealed gift box.
Ok, I will be fair, D.Gray-Man and Pandora Hearts? They were bad... I mean, the wrapped up ending. I liked those anime. Pandora Hearts ending is just obviously "ended but not finished". But that's ok because that anime is only about 20 episodes. But D.Gray-Man is 100 episode long! I mean, that is a lot of episodes. And it means a lot of time. 100 episodes, that is more than 2 years running. And the end is wrapped up awful. It's awrappedful.
But that's still little, because Konjiki no Gash Bell is 150 episodes long! That's like another entire year compared to D.Gray-Man. And the anime wrapped up ending is apparently very near the manga ending, that only makes me want to ask this question even more: Why? Just why?
I don't know how the people behind anime decide what goes on air what not, but if you wasted 3 years of airtime to show an anime, why would you stop doing so right before the ending? Couldn't you have dragged it on for another half year until it ends?
If it were just an wrapped up ending, that would be ok. I would understand. I mean they have their "circumstances" whatever they were. Also, Zatch Bell isn't that much of a story driven anime. I watched it more because of the silly style of comedy than the old "shounen" storyline. It was a good anime, funny and entertaining until the end. I mean, a little before the end. Because, damn. That ending sucked.
I don't know how many hearts are crushed or how many people have to go out seeking new jobs when an anime has to end for whatever reason. But that is no excuse to screw up at this level.
About episode 140 or something. A seiyuu changed. For those who don't know jack about anime, seiyuu is the person voicing a character lines.
But that wasn't just any seiyuu. It was the protagonist seiyuu. Gash's seiyuu. That means for about 10 episodes, that is, some four hours or so, the character who I had spent 140 episodes had a completely different voice.
It didn't only sound different, it felt different. The retorts didn't weren't funny anymore. The "I'm going to protect you all" and the kind didn't sound as convincing anymore. He didn't even sound like the protagonist anymore. It was like someone replaced him with a villain's sidekick minion watchdog that injured the shoulder and can't roar correctly anymore.
From a point of view, that was good. Because it gave a clear disction between what was the real anime part, and what was the wrapped up ending part. But even so, that wasn't all of the ending bad things.
On the episode before the final episode, they lose to the villain. And then a second villain kicks the first villain ass out of the human world. And then they, who had lost to the first villain who lost to the second villain, win. Just like that, with a reaction so empty that it made me skip through the rest of the episode so that I didn't have to see anymore of this saddening display of an ending.
And on the final episode, they do something that they simply put should never be able to. Because if they were the whole last arc would have no point.
You probably can't figure out what I am talking about, since I'm not spoiling anything. But I'm going to spoil it for you. Because I believe the anime ending should be skipped since it's not funny, and it doesn't conclude the story either. It's just a TV ad.
Gash's book turns yellow. He becomes super-man-modo. Epic win ftw. That is it.
Ok. In a shounen storyline that can be anticipated. It's so obvious it allows me to do this.
Gohan's hair turns yellow. He becomes the great saiyaman. Epic win ftw. That is it.
See the pattern? It's all about the how yellow you can get! But the thing is, in Konjiki no Gash Bell he turned too yellow, too quick, without any emotional anticipation for it. He didn't even do the usual GAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH or anything. He just BAM, became yellow and ended the anime.
But that is no reason not to watch, or read, Konjiki no Gash Bell. Because it is a great anime, until before the end of it. Konjiki no Gash Bell is, more or less, Onmyou Taisenki minus the cry baby protagonist.
Actually nevermind that. Konjiki no Gash Bell is exactly Onmyou Taisenki minus the cry baby protagonist. Riku should have just shut up and do his protagonist job!
Maybe I will watch the movies... I only hope they aren't just ads for other movies.
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