intiharr said:@zeyrox1109
First of all there is nothing really indicating that Satou doesn't like his job and there is the fact that Satou also helped himself by helping Misaki to get over her nihilistic worldview that revolves around self-hatred and self-harm. The new pact they made at the end further shows both of them left the suicidal thoughts behind and now have a more positive outlook, Satou and Misaki, both deeply flawed and emotionally scarred, don’t magically overcome their problems. But they do choose to live. I don't know what else this could be called other than an optimistic outcome.
And unlike what you seem to believe it's never shown or implied that Satou has an obligation to teach Misaki anything, Misaki is very much capable of studying by herself, and there is no harm if Satou helps her from time to time. The important thing is Satou is no longer a hikikomori by the end. He’s working, trying to support himself. Misaki is studying, aiming to re-enter society. Their growth is incremental, not dramatic—but that’s what makes it believable.
As for Satou's poverty situation, it's nowhere as dire as you picture it to be, he still has the option to move back with his parents and find a job there, as he did in the manga ending, or he could ask the senpai, who has a rich boyfriend/husband, to lend him some money if he becomes really desperate. Unlike what you believe the senpai, and Yamazaki, still count as Satou's friends at the end.
Last but not least, since this is a realistic kind of ending it would be unfitting to expect a happy ending for Satou where all his problems are resolved for good, which seems to be your understanding of optimistic ending.
For another perspective about the ending of anime being optimistic you could check out this article
https://bateszi.me/2006/12/24/welcome-to-the-nhk-end-and-so-dies-the-neet/
Look at his face man, the visuals clearly say bro is only doing that job just to eat, he looked traumatized as hell while working, not even a single smile and no where it said that he dream to work that job. Misaki can learn by herself yeah, but that would be hard, they swear to be together and satou was willing to help her with her studies. People already struggle to learn in general already, skipping school that long from trauma ain't make that easy. Their relationship is still not that clean anyway because if misaki feeds him again satou will just think he is worthless again.
Satou have like social anxiety, doesn't want to disappoint his parents as clearly shown in the fake dating arc and have the tendency to think that everyone would insult him for being a loser. So no way he would borrow money off his friends, move in to his parents again cuz that will destroy his independence pride and im talking about anime, no manga ending here. Even if he did all of the solutions you say, his low self-esteem would crush him anyway. Yamazaki and senpai counted as his friends yeah, but what i meant by no friends is they are not present anymore to spoon feed him, they have their own lives now
So i would say the optimistic is about 10%, the other 90% of the ending pretty much just say cope with life. If you want actual bad endings then watch school days, end of evangelion.
