Bad Plot Escapes

**Yash** · 10-04-2003, 12:53 PM

In every Animation series, there's always bad plot escapes. What are some of the ones you hate?

Here's mine: Where the character just... dies. If they're so lazy to not be able to think of something for the character to do, then they suck as writers. This one was done on CatDog (numerous times), Spongebob, Ren and Stimpy, Tom & Jerry, etc...

**MJC** · 10-04-2003, 01:04 PM

The ending to Mighty Max. Apparently the writers didn't want to write a REAL ending, so they did the "time warp to the beginning of the series" thing.

The ending to Trigun gets on my nerves, too. It seems like they couldn't think of a way to resolve the issues between Vash and Knives, so they just had Vash kick Knives' ass. (It was a good fight, though)

**Pepperidge** · 10-04-2003, 01:06 PM

That's because the Trigun manga still hasn't ended in Japan.

**Yash** · 10-04-2003, 01:17 PM

Originally Posted by MJC

The ending to Mighty Max. Apparently the writers didn't want to write a REAL ending, so they did the "time warp to the beginning of the series" thing.

That must've sucked

Dragon Ball Z always has the typical "I think I'll let you go because I don't want to kill you!" ending.

- Son-kun tells Kuririn to let Vegeta go so they can have a rematch someday (Which by the way, NEVER HAPPENS).

- Son gives Freeza some of his own chi so that he can live on through Namek's explosion.

- Gohan decides that he'll let Cell "suffer for a while", which leads into Son's second death. (Of course, Gohan kills him afterword)

- Son lets Majin Buu, whom had killed 4/5 the world's population go (as well as his wife, both his sons, his Martial Arts partner(s), his rival, various other people he knew...).

**Obi** · 10-04-2003, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by Pepperidge

That's because the Trigun manga still hasn't ended in Japan.

What?!!?

Then why did they only make the show 26 episodes long???

**Mackenzie Rainelle** · 10-04-2003, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by Obi

Then why did they only make the show 26 episodes long???

It's tradition.

Anyway, in terms of crappy plot resolution, I hated some of the stuff they pulled in Magic Knights Rayearth (anime, not manga).

**Artemis** · 10-04-2003, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by Mackenzie Rainelle

It's tradition.

That, and I hear the show didn't do all that well in Japan otherwise it'd have Inu-Yasha's episode count.

**HellCat** · 10-04-2003, 04:57 PM

I don't see what's so bad about Mighty Max's ending. It would have been nice to have seen a definite conclusion, but the way they did it was pretty unique and works well if the show was ever in repeats. Maybe the fact that the show was based on a toyline was the reason it never ended the conflict.

**Sir T. Ghostal** · 10-04-2003, 06:00 PM

Agreed...DBZ is the worst way of ending things. Then there's Sealab 2021's plot escapes...where Sealab simple explodes.

**Nin-Nin69** · 10-04-2003, 06:07 PM

Son-kun tells Kuririn to let Vegeta go so they can have a rematch someday (Which by the way, NEVER HAPPENS).

Don't forget the Buu Saga.

**Blue Priestess** · 10-04-2003, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by Mackenzie Rainelle

Anyway, in terms of crappy plot resolution, I hated some of the stuff they pulled in Magic Knights Rayearth (anime, not manga).

I don't know if the translators here changed the ending for those of us who can't read kanji, but the ending of the Rayearth manga was pretty much a cop-out, too.

**Yash** · 10-04-2003, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by Nin-Nin69

Don't forget the Buu Saga.

Hehe, forget about Buu (Probably because of its major suckage)...

Anyway, like the Mighty Max thing, at the end of "The Thirteen Ghosts of Scooby-Doo", the gang (Shaggy, Scooby, Daphne, and *shudders* Scrappy), whom had to collect the thirteen ghosts who escaped from something (BTW, that's the only Scooby series with a real continuity), had finally gathered them all, but due to Scooby and Shaggy's idiocy the series ends with them releasing the thirteen ghosts again.

After that episode, they reran the first episode and pulled the plug. Shows how much of a success _that_ was

EDIT: To avoid double-posting...

Whenever they have a pointless background character, they simply kill him off so that they create "dramatic moments" in hopes that everyone is like "OMGOMGOMG DIDJA SEE ___ LAST NIGHT? OMG THAT WAS LIKE _THE_ BEST EPISODE EVA!!!" "YEAH, I WAS LIKE, CRYING WHEN ___ DIED!!!" Everytime this happens it just pisses me off. It's unexpected, and it's usually after somebody tells the dead person something negative and leaves.

Dear god, is it so bad to have a little plot development? It speaks volumes when they do this about the laziness of the writers. If they just simply can't resolve the matter using *gasp* CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, then they may as well write a plot about the protogonist turning into a peach and growing legs and running around the world within 22 days. I mean, if it's well-timed or something...

If the character outlives their use, then they can die, but if there's still worlds of development available for them, then what's the point?

**DianaGohan** · 10-04-2003, 07:33 PM

Anytime an episode ends with a dream or something that seriously stretches out continuity, that is bare ended plot escape (Williams Street shows ((like Sealab 2021, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Space Ghost Coast To Coast and the Brak Show)) are all guilty of this).

**sag_2002** · 10-04-2003, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by DianaGohan

Anytime an episode ends with a dream or something that seriously stretches out continuity, that is bare ended plot escape (Williams Street shows ((like Sealab 2021, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Space Ghost Coast To Coast and the Brak Show)) are all guilty of this).

Ah, yes. The tried and true "It was all just a dream" copout. Man, I hate that.

I've never noticed DBZ's plot escapes, so I can't comment on that.

**Rover_Wow** · 10-04-2003, 08:38 PM

Originally Posted by Loser

Hehe, forget about Buu (Probably because of its major suckage)...

Anyway, like the Mighty Max thing, at the end of "The Thirteen Ghosts of Scooby-Doo", the gang (Shaggy, Scooby, Daphne, and *shudders* Scrappy), whom had to collect the thirteen ghosts who escaped from something (BTW, that's the only Scooby series with a real continuity), had finally gathered them all, but due to Scooby and Shaggy's idiocy the series ends with them releasing the thirteen ghosts again.

After that episode, they reran the first episode and pulled the plug. Shows how much of a success _that_ was

Shows the problems with premise-based toons. All the rage in the 80s, but the only one I know of that actually finished what they'd started, if you know what I mean, is from the 90s: the series based on the Jumanji film. The clearest examples of such premises revolves around numbers, like Darkwater, where Ren and his gang had to get 13 treasures (the plug was pulled when they had 8, and unlike the first 7 which were gems, the 8th was a living animal). With Samurai Jack being based on a premise, one is tempted to wonder if the CN will let it live long enough to resolve everything.

Originally Posted by Loser

Whenever they have a pointless background character, they simply kill him off so that they create "dramatic moments" in hopes that everyone is like "OMGOMGOMG DIDJA SEE ___ LAST NIGHT? OMG THAT WAS LIKE _THE_ BEST EPISODE EVA!!!" "YEAH, I WAS LIKE, CRYING WHEN ___ DIED!!!" Everytime this happens it just pisses me off. It's unexpected, and it's usually after somebody tells the dead person something negative and leaves.

Dear god, is it so bad to have a little plot development? It speaks volumes when they do this about the laziness of the writers. If they just simply can't resolve the matter using *gasp* CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, then they may as well write a plot about the protogonist turning into a peach and growing legs and running around the world within 22 days. I mean, if it's well-timed or something...

If the character outlives their use, then they can die, but if there's still worlds of development available for them, then what's the point?

A fairly recent example actually had an excuse. Ms. Gordon was killed off on As Told By Ginger because of the death of the character's voice actress Kathleen Freeman. But you're right about "it's usually after somebody tells the dead person something negative and leaves"... Gordon had retired due to a student's repeated antics (Carl's). Also, the ep in question was shown rather unexpectedly, without any real advance announcement.
Meanwhile, what's wrong with the lack of character development? Sure, Ginger might be doing well with it, but Hey Arnold!, The Simpsons, and Futurama all have next to nothing in the character development department... and yet they've done so well...

**Pepperidge** · 10-04-2003, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by Artemis

That, and I hear the show didn't do all that well in Japan otherwise it'd have Inu-Yasha's episode count.

Well, anime based off of manga are only given year-round contracts if the original manga is REALLY popular.

Trigun's manga was popular enough to get it a series, but not popular enough to get more than 26 episodes.

**Dee** · 10-04-2003, 09:12 PM

I thought the ending to MIB the series stunk...

...and the ending to Cowboy Bebop was depressing (I wasnt expecting to just turn the TV on and SEE it) but it was bittersweet.

Was there an ending to the Real and or Extreme Ghostbusters or did they just stop making episodes?

**Wounded_Dragon** · 10-04-2003, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by Artemis

That, and I hear the show didn't do all that well in Japan otherwise it'd have Inu-Yasha's episode count.

Well, it's a western. Not exactly a favorite genre in Japan. And considering how poorly Firefly did on FOX, not that favored in the US either...

Besides, from what I've heard, Trigun's manga is a whole lot different. No Millie or Meryl. Different background to Wolfwood. Etc.