Newman’s Nook: Every Story Has an End

So, there I was in early December, minding my own business, when an announcement that Boys Over Flowers Season 2 was coming to an end showed up on my Twitter feed. Right before Christmas, the last chapter of a series I grew fond of would drop.

Hang on tight, what follows is a dramatic retelling of my emotions following this revelation.

Shock and Denial

I have never closely followed news about manga releases, so the revelation of the ending of Boys Over Flowers Season 2 came as a total shock to me. I could hardly believe it. I had only gotten into the series in the middle of 2019 and now it was ending?

What about the characters?

Where did their story go after this ending?

What would happen next?

Would I need new manga to fill the void?

Will the Boys Over Flowers sized-hole in my heart ever close?

Pain and Guilt

2019 was a big manga year for me. I read both Boys Over Flowers and the sequel series last year, loving every minute of it.

Over the course of 2019, I completed 39 different manga series. Yes, a handful were one chapter or one volume manga; however, most were not. The Boys Over Flowers franchise was a huge part of my 2019 manga reading.

My love for this romantic manga series opened me to other series I may not have tried otherwise. Knowing I would no longer have new stories with characters I had grown fond of hurt. It felt as though I lost a new friend as suddenly as I had made one.

Anger and Bargaining

For a moment, I was genuinely angry. Why would they just end the series? It had felt abrupt, to me. I wanted to know what I could do for it to continue. I looked for other, alternative stories. Maybe, somewhere, there was a chance it could continue.

But, alas, the story had an ending. Nothing would change this fact.

Depression

That was when the sorrow kicked in. For a moment, I felt genuine sadness that one of my favorite series of 2019 was ending. The series inspired blog entries, tweets, and a passion for romantic manga I never had before. I was genuinely saddened by this loss.

Acceptance and Hope

These feelings led to an eventual sense of acceptance. I knew that before Christmas, this story would end, and I understood that all good stories need an end.

The more I thought it over, the ending wasn’t abrupt. at all—it was a logical conclusion to the main character’s story arc. It tied up loose ends, but left the reader with a feeling of hope for the future of the main couple. In many ways, it ended on the same hopeful note of the original series. While saddened for it to end, I was content with the manner in which it was done.

All Things Must End

All things inevitably come to an end. The Bible reminds us over and over of the ending of all things. The world is passing away, is temporary. All our lives come to an end—it is the natural order of things.

There is no shame in accepting an ending. While it may hurt when something we love is finished, we can be hopeful in the knowledge that there is more yet to come.

The ending of Boys Over Flowers Season 2 allowed the creator, Yōko Kamio, an opportunity to rest and her finish her story on her own terms. It also allowed her new opportunities to create anew.

The ending of the series allowed manga magazines an opportunity to give new series a shot to fill the slot that opened.

The ending of the series also provided me with an opportunity to discuss my emotions as I dealt with the end of the series.

Discussions

What was a series you never wanted to end? Were there series you were saddened by the ending? Join me in discussing this in the comments!

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BENEATH THE TANGLES RECOMMENDS BOYS OVER FLOWERS SEASONS ONE AND TWO. IN ADDITION TO PURCHASING, IT CAN BE READ DIGITALLY AT SHONEN JUMP.

mdmrn
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One thought on “Newman’s Nook: Every Story Has an End”

  1. I remember when I had completed all one-hundred and forty-eight episodes of Hunter X Hunter 2011 and the similar heartbreak I felt. More than anything, I had an anime void that needed to be filled, which was met through Fullmetal Alchemist. I wish you the best of luck as you recover from the end of the show! As they say, “time heals all wounds”.

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