Board Thread:Anime/Game Discussion/@comment-28920940-20170710055810/@comment-38952966-20200511142113

Part 1: The fact that this ending is as sad as it is kind of threw me for a loop the first time I saw it, considering how the rest of Phantom Blood is a pretty traditional story, and it's one of the reasons I ended up liking this Part as much as I do.

Part 2: This one is probably my least favorite overall. In a series where the main allure of the fights was how clever the protagonist was and how many cool plans Joseph could come up with, it was a real shame to see it end with Joseph beating the bad guy by almost complete chance. Joseph wins through luck, when every other fight in Battle Tendency is about careful planning or quick thinking. I'm definitely not a fan.

Part 3: Another solid contender for one of the worst endings. If there was ever any indicating that Jotaro would learn to stop time, then it was done really poorly. It seems like it comes out of nowhere, and while the final fight between Star Platinum and The World is legendary, the circumstances around it seem contrived. If there had been more prominent foreshadowing this could've been well done, but in execution it feels lazy.

Part 4: Not a bad ending, even if it's nite spectacular. Again, it's got an incredible final battle but it does ultimately fall into a generic happy ending. That said, it's a well deserved happy ending. Watching how ultimately every member of Part 4's main cast contributes to the final battle against Kira is really satisfying and fits very well with Diamond is Unbreakable's themes.

Part 5: Ultimately, a pretty solid ending. I like to think of Vento Aureo as Stardust Crusaders but better, and that's especially true with the ending. I feel like people don't really appreciate this ending enough. The protagonist does get a power up, sure, but unlike in Stardust Crusaders, it's actually well-elaborated as to how and why. Giorno got Requiem because they all fought against Diavolo and Bucciaratti sacrificed himself to get the arrow to his team. It's logical and explained from pretty early on the the arrow gives power, enough ti defeat even Diavolo. We see Polnareff use it to confirm this. It's certainly not a Deus ex machina. It's s satisfying culmination of Vento Aureo's themes. That said, the Chariot Requiem arc (which effectively serves as this Part's final battle) is pretty weak compared to the previous parts, so it's not a perfect ending.

Part 6: Probably my favorite ending, and this is coming from someone who really doesn't like Part 6. It's gutsy, it's unique, and concludes not only the major themes of Stone Ocean but also every part before it. It hits you with that perfect mix of bittersweet emotions that all endings should have, and marks a wonderful final goodbye to the continuity we've enjoyed so far.

Part 7: Not quite as good as Stone Ocean's ending, but certainly close. A truly satisfying journey from start to finish, Steel Ball Run ends with a perfect capstone, not only satisfying the arcs of all our characters but also the story's overall themes, even if it's a little more toned down that Stone Ocean. What brings this down for me personally is how last-minute Another World Diego feels. The fight is excellent, one of my favorites in fact, but the introduction of the character feels like a poor replacement for a final challenge. Granted, I respect that such a character was needed, because both Valentine and Scary Monsters Diego have too much good/nobility to fill the role that AW Diego does, a being of pure evil to challenge Johnny's change. But the way the character was introduced could've been far better.