The meaning behind the ending, What does it mean to you? (SPOILERS)

Jun 15, 2021 6:07 AM

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Jul 2020

I just finished the final episode and it seems like the ending is clear in a broad sense (the city is not real, the world has been re-set) but the extent to these points may be up to interpretation, is it a digital reality or robots playing on a stage? (we see some robotic people and a vison of roger-bots). Then there is the control room scene with angel and "roger the negotiator", is that outside of the stage or is it an interpretation of Roger accepting himself as he currently is and steadying angel? (and I just don't get why angels name is on the book in that control room). On the whole I don't think their are supposed to be solid answers to those questions, but I feel that the themes of what is reality?, do your memory's make you? and the like are supposed to be the focus, not weather or not its a happy ending like in many other shows. it seems more of a philosophical ending than a resolution, like it played out that way specifically to make us ask questions and ponder the interpreted meaning instead of a solid resolution.

So basically I think the ending is confusing and slightly unsatisfying from an objective standpoint as a televised serial, but is fantastic and meaningful as a story for the viewer to discuss philosophy and to enjoy it along the way (Much like the Truman show) and I have to say I miss complex storytelling in "kids shows" nowadays (this aired on toonami back in the day). (I just want more detentionaire)

So that is how I see the ending, and I believe you could gain valuable insight from how others interoperate it, so I dare ask, what does the ending mean to you? How do you interoperate it as part of the story and what do you think its trying to say outside of the show?

Jun 17, 2021 10:38 AM

Recynon

Offline

Dec 2019

407

I wouldn't think about it too much if I were you. From reading old forums, no one has been able to come up with a solid interpretation that fits everything. I tend to know when a show is being pretentious and when it's trying to say something specific using a storytelling method that illuminates the point when deciphered rather than obfuscates it. In this case, considering that it's Chiaki Konaka writing it, he's mostly likely just messing with the audience and being pretentious. The show is not written in a way to propagate specific points but rather to ask general ontological questions to psyche out the viewer.

There's some stuff about memories but it's tackled with a broad approach to raise, as you said, questions like what is reality?, do your memory's make you? and this isn't really insightful in any way because of how general it is. These are basic starting point questions that you can think about for hours and hours and you still wouldn't find an answer. How do I know the world wasn't created last Thursday? How do I know my perceived reality isn't just a simulation? I don't know for sure and it's impossible for me to prove otherwise, but I don't care. It's a waste of time and there's little to be gleaned from it. If you ask me these questions I'll just eat a snickers.

What's more, Chiaki Konaka asked these same questions in Serial Experiments Lain. He's not interested in using the unique noir setting of The Big O to say something that is appropriate to the setting so all that thick atmosphere and gorgeous music is wasted. You can take pretty much any random mech show or magical girl show and inject this "what is reality" questioning. You can watch an episode of Black Mirror and find yourself doing the same pondering.

How do I know he's not trying to say anything specific? Because we don't know anything about the characters. The characters don't have internal struggles that are unique to them. Their internal struggles are basically all defined by the broad overall theme of "what is reality/what is memory" rather than the other way around. Any character could be swapped out to still have this internal struggle. And a show is only as deep as its characters. You can't glean any insight into the human condition from a show whose characters are empty.

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The meaning behind the ending, What does it mean to you? (SPOILERS)

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