They Criticize Mangas That Do Not Resolve Their Loose Ends

In the age of social media, opinions and narrative techniques that capture public interest spread rapidly. One of these techniques that has gained relevance in creative debate is the management of “foreshadowing” or narrative clues, commonly known as “Chekhov's gun“. This concept, based on the premise that Every element introduced in a story must be relevant and resolved, it has become a clear and objective indicator to evaluate the quality of a work.

The importance of closing narrative tracks

One of the most frequent criticisms of modern manga lies in the lack of resolution of its plots or narrative tracks. Comments like “the author introduced great mysteries but did not solve them and ended abruptly” usually accompany negative reviews and directly affect the sales of the works.

In contrast to other subjective aspects, such as whether a character is “lovable” or not, failing to resolve key plot elements is a more obvious and less debatable flaw. This type of criticism generates a bad reputation for the work and the author, damaging its reception in the market.

The “Chekhov's Gun” principle states that if an element (such as a gun on a wall) is introduced in the first act of a story, it must have a purpose and be resolved before the end. However, this rule is not strict nor should it be misinterpreted as prohibiting irrelevant elements.

In modern manga, the interpretation of “Chekhov's Gun” adapts to the readers' expectations: the elements that capture their interest become indispensable for the development of the plot. If an intriguing element is not resolved, the audience perceives it as a narrative flaw, even if it does not directly affect the logic of the story.

The challenge of managing narrative clues

Proper use of narrative clues requires not only closing them, but also introducing them in a way that maintains the reader's interest. For example, an opening scene showing a boy in a laboratory destroying his captors raises multiple questions: Why is he so strong? What are you doing there? What motivates you? Each of these questions becomes a “Chekhov's Weapon” that must be answered over the course of the story.

By offering intriguing or unexpected answers, such as supernatural abilities, monstrous transformations, or magic in a modern context, the author is able to maintain the reader's interest throughout the narrative. On the other hand, leaving these questions unresolved generates frustration, especially in weekly publication works, where the public's interest must be constantly captured and maintained.

Using narrative clues, like “Chekhov's Gun,” can be a powerful but also dangerous weapon. Introducing overly intriguing elements can raise audience expectations, and failing to meet these expectations can lead to severe criticism.

In the modern manga landscape, the challenge lies in finding a balance between capturing the reader's attention and adequately closing the proposed plots. In a market saturated with stories, narrative clues become a determining factor for the success or failure of a work, and their correct resolution continues to be one of the greatest creative challenges for today's authors.

«In Oshi no Ko it was not about the loose ends not being resolved, but rather the poor quality of the final chapter, with a forced development and lack of resolution. That's what causes dissatisfaction».
«You don't need a certification to be critical, just call yourself as such. But I, personally, don't give so much importance to resolving loose ends or closing the story in series. I guess I wouldn't reach an agreement with those who highly value those aspects.».
«In Oshi no Ko I don't think it's so much because it didn't resolve the loose ends, but simply because the ending was less interesting compared to the rest of the series.».
«These types of people should have their smartphone taken away and locked in a dark room so they can watch 'Evangelion' from the beginning to the end.».
«I think that in many works that gain popularity in the middle of their development, the problem is that the authors cannot finish in the originally planned number of chapters. This leads them to extend the story, add loose ends, and then have problems resolving them.».
«In fact, obsessing over a series ending 'properly' or 'satisfyingly' is something that only a small group of people care about. Most people don't give it that much importance.».
«Regarding 'Oshi no Ko', I don't think it's about the loose ends. Rather, it's a matter of whether or not the public can accept that kind of ending.».
«No, I think this is already too forced a defense».
«If someone says, 'I liked it to a point, but the ending not so much' or 'I enjoyed it until the end,' let them express their opinions however they want. Don't mess with other people's comments.».
«It is possible to learn about how to create successful stories based on popular works. But it is also true that if the ending is sloppy, it is normal for the manga to receive criticism.».
«It doesn't make any sense to say that the series was successful because they threw away the loose ends at the end. The success was due to the expectation they generated about how they would solve them.».
«This piece aside, the reason the open endings of some series sell is because they throw out shocking ideas one after another, leading the audience to wait for how they'll develop them. However, if this becomes a strategy to follow, it will only lead to a decline in the industry.».
«It is a series where the public's reactions became more interesting than the manga itself».
«I've read many light and narou novels that start out as masterpieces, but rarely maintain that quality until the end.».
«The ending of 'Oshi no Ko' or 'Jujutsu Kaisen' had a mixed reception on social networks, but when you read everything in one go in the compilation volumes, the general opinion improves a lot».
«Opinions on the internet have no value, really.».
«The end of the 'Kaguya-sama' manga left a big loose end and, although they hinted that they would resolve it at the best time, they have not done so yet, which provokes even more criticism. 'Oshi no Ko', in the end, is nothing more than a lower quality version of 'Perfect Blue'».
«They should have at least resolved why the protagonist was reborn as Ruby's son. That is a basic question that was left unanswered.».
«'Oshi no Ko' has 16 volumes. If you bought them all at full price, you spent at least 10,000 yen. That should give you the right to complain if you didn't like it.».
«Are there really that many people who call themselves critics? I would say they are fans who enjoyed the series to a certain extent.».