It's not something you'd realize unless someone pointed it out, but when you consider the possibility that the post-credits ending of as might be a fake ending, it starts to make a lot of sense:
"It really is a bit forced. And after reincarnation, without any memories of their past lives, it would be incredibly difficult for them to meet again, no matter what."
"Exactly! Even if they did manage to meet again, they've already been reincarnated. Can they still be considered Otonashi Yuzuru and Kanade Tachibana? At the end of the day, it's just the Old Thief Lin trying to avoid criticism by throwing in that kind of ending."
"It feels more likely that the Male Lead was left alone in the Afterlife World. Aside from his special status and whether he could even leave, even if he could, didn't he develop a new resolve to stay behind and guide future arrivals to the Afterlife? Once he had that realization, he probably couldn't leave anymore, right?"
"Could it be... that the 'Mastermind' behind the scenes is actually the Male Lead himself? All the clues point to him, and the name of the software, 'Rebirth', is just too coincidental. If it's not him, where do all these coincidences come from?"
"If the Mastermind is the Male Lead, then could what we're seeing be a second playthrough? In the first playthrough, everyone left, leaving him alone. So he created 'Rebirth', turned himself into an NPC, and then for some reason, the Afterlife World was reset, and all the previous characters were summoned back one by one."
"Regardless, the true ending can't possibly be as happy as the one in the post-credits ending."
Because the story couldn't be said to be entirely free of logical flaws, the Fake Ending Theory gained considerable acceptance among viewers when it was proposed.
However, even more people chose to believe the ending Lin Zhiyan had provided. Their response to the Fake Ending Theory was typically along these lines:
"Come on, it's just an animation, not a documentary. Who says coincidences can't happen in the ending? As long as it's entertaining, what's wrong with a little coincidence?"
"What 'trapped in the Afterlife World' nonsense? That plot point never existed in the first place! Who knows why that programmer couldn't leave? Maybe he wasn't trapped at all, but just waiting for the person he loved in the afterlife?"
"The programmer and the Male Lead do share some similarities, but that's just a coincidence. There's no way it's the Male Lead. Saying they're the same person and that we're seeing a Second Playthrough... you guys are just overthinking it."
"Lord Hayashi worked so hard to give us a happy ending. Can't you stop stirring up nonsense? There's no such thing as a 'Fake Ending'!"
"Are you that upset that as isn't a depressing anime? Everyone loves this ending and finds it moving. Why are you trying to ruin it by calling it fake? What grudge do you have?"
"Who cares if it's a Fake Ending? That Post-credits Ending is the only ending I accept. No other ending will do."
It's true that the post-credits ending could be a fake ending, but everyone loves happy endings. To suddenly jump in and tell people that the so-called happy ending doesn't exist, that it's completely fake, just feels... tone-deaf.
However, this leaves those who believe in the Fake Ending Theory feeling wronged. After all, they genuinely feel that the ending feels a bit off, and that the Male Lead being left alone in the Afterlife World is the true ending.
They're just expressing their opinions.
You can't silence them just because everyone else likes the ending provided in the post-credits scene.
That's simply not fair.
So instead of backing down, they've only become more vocal in promoting the Fake Ending Theory.
The result? The two sides quickly devolved into an irreconcilable argument.
As the Animation Director, Lin Zhiyan never imagined such a trivial matter could ignite such fervent debate among viewers.
But he knew the truth: the original as did indeed have another ending.
An ending where the Male Lead remains alone in the Afterlife World, becoming the Student Council President and guiding those who follow him into the Afterlife.
This alternate ending was included as bonus content on the as Blu-ray, never broadcast on television.
Having seen that ending, Lin Zhiyan could naturally produce it as well, following the example of the original as production team from another timeline and stuffing it into the Blu-ray release.
However, although he could, he had no intention of doing so. Since he was already planning to whitewash his image, there was no need to create such a depressing ending.
Creating such a depressing ending might please some viewers who seek authenticity, but the majority would be unhappy. It would be impossible to boost the sales of the animation disc that way.
Since it wouldn't boost sales, why go through the trouble?
There was simply no need.
It would be better to make his old fans happy.
Besides, because as ended with a happy conclusion, his old fans were jubilant and deeply moved. If he released a depressing ending after some time, wouldn't that be a heavy betrayal to those fans who are currently rejoicing?
Even though he had relentlessly made depressing anime before, it didn't matter. After all, those who had followed him all this way had developed a certain resilience to depression. True, many people constantly criticized him, but that was actually a twisted form of love.
No one would be disappointed by his continued production of depressing anime, as long as the quality remained consistently high above average. That was never a problem.
However, stabbing his loyal fans in the back at this point would undoubtedly lead to a loss of support.
He would never do such a thing.
Let the fake ending remain a fake ending. After all, there's no rule that says anime can't have a fake ending.
Everyone's so happy and satisfied—this is perfect. There's no need to be the bad guy.
Not only did he not create that depressing ending, but when interviewed by an animation magazine, Lin Zhiyan refused to even mention it.
When asked about the online "fake ending theory," he replied, "Although there's still one more OVA episode, as the Supervising Director, my mission is essentially complete. The ending is exactly as it aired on TV. Whether it's 'fake' or not is up to the viewers' interpretation. As someone who can speak for the animation's official stance, I don't believe there's anything further to say."
In plain terms, he allowed some viewers to believe it was a fake ending without dismissing their perspective. However, the officially sanctioned ending was the post-credits ending.
He managed to offend no one.
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