Shaman King. The End.
I liked how the Japanese anime series, Shaman King ended its run last night. The producers used Yoh, the protagonist and hero of the anime, to pose questions like if Hao, the villain everybody loved to hate, really did obtain the Great Spirits.
I think the producers wanted its viewers to take home a message and mull over it. The final battle between Yoh and Hao had appeared like a foregone conclusion that was in favour of Hao with the disparity in their powers. Furthermore, Hao’s battle spirit, Spirit of Fire, seemed vastly formidable upon assimilating some immense energy. Hao had seemed poised to be crowned the Shaman King.
But Yoh never gave up and fought on tirelessly despite his disadvantage. And at the very last minute, the rest of the Shamans consisting of his teammates, friends, fiancé and everybody else lent their strength to Yoh and he finally defeated Hao.
The familiar theme of good prevailing over evil was distinct and expected. It was the questions which revolved around Yoh’s mind that gave the ending much punch. In my opinion, Hao did not obtain the Great Spirits. We must bear in mind that the Great Spirits were intelligent entities and could grant the Shaman King powers beyond imagination. And there was no explicit evidence that Hao had indeed obtained the Great Spirits. Besides, he was defeated, an unimaginable fate if he had been the rightful Shaman King.
The power of the Great Spirits was thus nothing more than having the support of everybody around you and having them stand behind you in times of difficulty. And if you had that, you’ll overcome any obstacles, no matter how impossible it may seem. That is the point the Great Spirits were trying to get across and what the power of the Great Spirits is really about.
And I think that mirrors life. If you had your loved ones rally around you in times of need, the kind of muscle you attain to tackle obstacles would be incredible and there’d be really nothing you can’t overcome. Yoh and his teammates reunited in his home at the last scene and the series ended happily, like most cartoons do. I guess if we have all our loved ones beside us, we’d all end happily too.
When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
-Fix You, Coldplay