Featured image: (Pacer Graphic / Darby Self)
Manga, anime, movies and regular run-of-the-mill TV shows have been leaving viewers with cliffhangers for years.
Today, we’re going to talk about ongoing manga series that have been keeping viewers on the edge of their seats and waiting for updates, as well as how this waiting affects fandom culture and reading experiences.
There isn’t much to say in terms of what I have read over the years, but there have been plenty of manga that I have gotten to the end of and asked, “Where is the rest of this?” It is entirely normal for people to find manga and catch up with it while it is still actively being updated—even older series that should have already been done by the year 2026.
The prime example of one of these older manga that should have been finished but is still ongoing is “One Piece.” This beloved pirate adventure has kept readers wondering for years what awaits at the end, with one kid even requesting the ending on his deathbed as a final wish years ago and allegedly receiving it. The manga has been going since the ’90s, and all that we, as the audience, know about what awaits is the great treasure.
The fandom has thrived for decades now, waiting for that grand ending to come in finding Gol D. Roger’s great treasure, the One Piece. It leads many to wonder if the treasure is something more symbolic or literal, like an actual pirate’s treasure. Some people even speculate that it is something like a great weapon left behind or power in some form.
There is nothing wrong with any of these guesses; everyone is allowed to speculate an ending. In fact, most mangakas (authors) encourage their audiences to create theories and keep the manga and fandom alive. Interest in this one, in particular, as well as others, leaves anime fans clamoring for what to do when they encounter these cliffhangers.
As someone who has watched fandoms from a distance and been mixed in with some, the best thing for you as a viewer to do is to talk to others engaged in the same fandoms. Make theories, role-play and write out what you think is going to happen at the end of these manga if you cannot wait for something to happen or for that grand ending that you are dying for.
Fandoms are dying without this kind of engagement, and if you want this year to feel more like 2016, bring out the ancient texts. Find sites (safe ones) and fandom spaces like conventions to meet people with the same interests instead of heckling the mangakas of the series that you like.
In your lifetime, the story will hopefully be finished, but why live with the uncertainty of not knowing the end? Spaces like AO3, Quotev and Wattpad welcome these written endings with open arms.
When manga leaves you on a cliffhanger, don’t let the passion for it die out because there is no active standing ending yet. Make your own and explore your creativity.
