User blog comment:IamJakuhoRaikoben/Chapter 333: Man and Man, Dragon and Dragon, Man and Dragon, Review./@comment-5580383-20130605185931/@comment-4829046-20130606034715

Very nice, where'd you get that from?

And no that would feel empty, all the girls and best friend would still be alive but with emptiness. This is the moment when a deus ex machina happens and the dead come back to life, or they show a epilogue where the characters meet in death. I mean seriously? How can you look at an ending where the surviving character(usually one from the pair) simply looks depressed at the end and then the series closes with images with the entire cast living their daily lives. No, a good story ALWAYS puts in a happy ending for the surviving protagonists. Usually its subtle and sometimes its left up to the fans since the ending statement is something like "We will meet again" or "So, you're back." Sadly this ending happens YEARS OR MONTHS OR LIFETIMES after the climax of the story.

That kind of thing makes my heart wretch in such a painful manner. Oh do I love good plots.

Well your scenario fits as long as the survivors get a good compensation in the last 4 chapters. If its something like "We no longer feel sorrowful" then it would be terrible. There has to be concrete build-up to show that the survivors truly got over the trauma and are looking towards the future like "As much as it saddens us that our comrades are gone, we must keep moving forward in order to honor their sacrifices"

The ending is decided by the epilogue. If the epilogue is disappointing then its a failure. HAPPY ENDINGS FTW!!!!