GE - Good Ending



GE - Good Ending (GEグッドエンディング) (no, not the trope) begins with high school student Utsumi spying on the captain of the tennis club, Iketani Shou. Fortunately, Utsumi is noticed by Yuki Kurokawa, who confronts him about it and decides to help get him together with Shou. From there, the story takes off with Yuki teaching Utsumi the ins and out of girls, going on dates, and love.

GE - Good Ending is an ongoing shonen manga by Sasuga Kei, currently running in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Good Ending began in August 2009.

Caution: spoilers ahead, some untagged. Read at your own risk!

"Mai: "Shou, what's wrong? Your face is red." Shou: "Nothing! I wasn't thinking anything" Mai: "So you obviously were thinking of something. The kind of thing that makes you turn red.""
 * Above the Influence -- Arguably, Utsumi. It's seen that he struggles internally and frequently with Yuki, but really controls his impulses due to Yuki's issues. . Should be noted that he also had this happen with Shou and Oonuma, but rejected their advances as he was interested in Yuki when this happened.
 * And he is not interested in Yuasa at all, even though she keeps coming at him.
 * Lampshaded in the X-mas extra chapter, where a drunken Eri and Kouno imagine Utsumi getting into interesting situations with Yuki, Shou and Oonuma during the x-mas break, but then realizing that Utsumi would not react like they think he should.
 * Abuse Is Okay When It Is Female On Male -- Arguably, the first time Utsumi was at Yuasa's apartment. She was trying to make a point that sex is an important part of a healthy relationship, and thus Yuki's issues could end their relationship -- of course, she got her point across by forcing his hand on her breasts and then forcing her hand into his pants.
 * A-Cup Angst: Shou. Really.
 * Accidental Pervert -- Utsumi. Yuki doesn't like it.
 * A Friend in Need -- Kurokawa to Utsumi at first, later all of Utsumi friends. Poor guy can't catch a break.
 * And lately, Izumi to Utsumi. Heck, Izumi is this to everyone.
 * All Love Is Unrequited -- Utsumi at first. Oonuma.
 * Anguished Declaration of Love -- Utsumi to Yuki, thrice at one point. Shou to Utsumi in a latter arc as well.
 * Armor-Piercing Slap -- Yuki gets two in a row, at the hands of Oonuma.
 * Art Evolution -- Noticeable in that Yuki gets progressively drawn to seem more girly and vulnerable as her character becomes less guarded. For example, her lips were consistently drawn out at the beginning, giving her a voluptuous, mature look, whereas now it's usually just a single line. Her eyes have also gotten bigger and rounder. Compare 1 to 71.
 * Author Appeal -- Seems Sasuga Kei loves to draw the girls in various states of undress for the chapter covers.
 * Balcony Escape -- Yuki jumps off and falls into Utsumi's arms because she wants to escape her family's x-mas dinner. Bonus points for doing so in a formal dress.
 * Barbie Doll Anatomy -- Used in place of Censor Steam.
 * Baseball Episode -- They even tried to invoke The Casey Effect but averted at the last minute.
 * Bastard Boyfriend -- Kento and Touru. Specially Touru.
 * Beautiful Dreamer -- Yuki
 * Berserk Button -- Arguably,
 * In a minor side, Izumi doesn't take it kindly when his height is questioned by a woman.
 * Beta Couple -- Kouno and Eri.
 * Betty and Veronica -- Shou and Yuki.
 * Big Damn Hero --
 * Boy Meets Girl -- Girl tries to get boy together with another girl. You can guess how that turns out. Or not.
 * Break His Heart to Save Him / Shoo the Dog -- During the breakup arc, Yuki dumps Utsumi because she can't deal with her Broken Bird issues, specially with him continuing to be nice to her, despite everything, so her logic is to dump him so he can find someone better.
 * Break the Cutie -- Shou, Oonuma and Yuki..
 * Broken Bird -- Yuki.
 * Brilliant but Lazy -- Izumi.
 * Butt Monkey -- Utsumi and Kouno
 * Cannot Spit It Out -- Averted, Subverted, then taken out to the woods shot and left for dead.
 * Can't Hold Her Liquor -- Yuki
 * The Casey Effect -- Averted twice. Once in the baseball chapter; the 2nd time in the tennis tournament, where the only one able to get a single victory was Shou, and Yuki even lost to lower ranked opponents.
 * Censor Box -- Used for laughs when Yuasa was trying to cheer up Utsumi.
 * Character Development -- One of the things that draws you into the series. Specially with Utsumi.
 * The Chikan -- In Chap.80, Oonuma gets groped by a pervy convenience store clerk, and quite possibly would've been raped in the store's back room if Yuki hadn't shown up and threatened to call the cops and testify as to the groping.
 * Corner of Woe --
 * Covert Pervert -- Utsumi can have some interesting thoughts. The same goes for Shou. And then you have a drunken Eri and Kouno imagining Utsumi getting into interesting situations with Yuki, Shou and Oonuma during the x-mas break.
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass -- Izumi, and while clearly not a moron (see Hidden Depths), no one expected him to be good in physical fights as well.
 * Cry Into Chest -- Utsumi! Into three different girls, no less. Yuki, Yuasa and Shou.
 * Curtains Match the Window -- Yuki and Oonuma.
 * Cute Sports Club Manager -- Eri becomes one for Kouno's baseball team.
 * Daddy's Girl / Overprotective Dad -- Shou's Dad. Played for Laughs.
 * Dandere -- Oonuma. She got better, kinda.
 * Darker and Edgier: The story, gradually. Goes hand-in-hand with Art Evolution above. Earlier, the characters are cartoony and overblown, and the story more often than not causes laugh, chuckle, and light mood. Now, though, as the characters are shaped more realistically, the story is definitely somber.
 * Date Peepers -- Utsumi and the gang on Yuki, when she dated a random guy from school. Shou's family on Utsumi and Shou, the first time she brought him to her house.
 * Dead Older Cousin --.
 * Defrosting Ice Queen --
 * Did I Just Say That Out Loud?
 * Dogged Nice Guy -- Utsumi. Originally a Type 1, but quickly grew out of it, became a Type 2, thanks to all the misunderstandings with Yuki. He's get better tho.
 * Dope Slap -- Utsumi to Yuki, with an ice cream spoon, when Ok, so it was a gently tap, but the intent is the same.
 * Doppelganger Replacement Love Interest -- In a twisted way.
 * Dress Hits Floor --
 * Drowning Our Romantic Sorrows -- With karaoke.
 * Epiphany Therapy -- Utsumi should seriously become a therapist; he has a real talent of fixing others problems by giving a short speech about how they should deal with their problems instead of going down more self-destructive routes. Then again, he has his own problems...
 * Exact Eavesdropping --
 * Failed a Spot Check -- Shou.
 * False Start
 * Fan Service -- Some scenes in the manga, some of the chapter covers, and the "interesting thoughts" some characters have.
 * The First Cut Is the Deepest -- Yuki. It's the reason why she's a Broken Bird.
 * First Girl Wins -- Sorta. Kurokawa asserts that's the reason why she didn't reciprocate Utsumi's feelings. And lampshaded by Eri in chapter 32, but with the gender roles reversed for Utsumi and Oonuma.
 * First-Name Basis -- It takes 70 chapters for Yuki to call Utsumi by his first name, Seiji. Utsumi tries to call her Yuki, and he stutters it somehow.
 * First-Person Snapshooter -- Utsumi. People have started to notice that he's actually really good at it.
 * Foreshadowing -- Izumi commenting that Oonuma reminds him of someone.
 * Gag Boobs -- Oonuma
 * Genre Savvy -- Eri. Yuki as well, when she's not holding the Idiot Ball. Izumi takes the cake as being the most Genre Savvy character in the series; he quickly picks up on Oonuma's darker personality issues, is the only one that didn't judge Utsumi after the breakup,
 * Girl of the Week -- Yuasa, who is Utsumi's sempai at the photography academy.
 * Goofy Print Underwear -- Shou.
 * Green-Eyed Monster --
 * Handsome Lech -- Izumi.
 * Harsh Word Impact -- Close enough. Utsumi got hammered so bad by Yuki's words that Ryou actually took pity of him. He even remarked that he thought Utsumi was going to die of sadness.
 * Yuki got this from both Izumi and Oonuma, although Oonuma's came with an Armor-Piercing Slap bonus.
 * Heroic BSOD --.
 * Hidden Depths -- Izumi. While he comes off as a Handsome Lech and a jerkass, he really cares for his friends and will help them out whenever they're in need, and will often give some of the most sensible advice depending on the situation. It's also hard to notice at first but he's the smartest of the trio, and knows karate as well.
 * Eri as well. An energetic Tsundere, who tried to pass herself as a Good Bad Girl, while always caring for her friends, and providing comfort to them.
 * Home Porn Movie --.
 * Hot Mom -- Yuu Iketani, Shou's mom. Crosses with Absurdly Youthful Mother. If not by looks alone, supplemental data included in Volume 8 states that she's currently 37 years old and had Shou when she was a 19-year-old college student.
 * Idiot Ball -- If someone is holding one at one point in the story, it will be either Utsumi and Yuki. Sometimes they take turns, sometimes they hold onto it together.
 * Oonuma on at least one occasion,.
 * I Have to Wash My Hair -- She isn't.
 * Ice Queen -- Oonuma at first appears to be this, but really turns out to be a serious Shrinking Violet.
 * The Ingenue -- Arguably, Utsumi. Possibly the reason why he's too dense on why being an overly Nice Guy is not a good idea.
 * Lampshaded in chapter 70.
 * Inner Monologue -- Utsumi does this somewhat often.
 * It's All About Me --.
 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy -- At times, it will be the reason someone will end up carrying an Idiot Ball.
 * Yeah. Doesn't make any sense to me, either.
 * Jerkass -- Kento.
 * Jerkass Facade -- Ryou. He is just overly protective of Yuki. Izumi too, at times -- specially with Risa.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold -- Izumi
 * Kissing Cousins -- Ryou wants to marry Yuki, she disagrees.
 * The Klutz -- Utsumi, Oonuma and Shou.
 * Kuudere --  No, really..
 * If You Know What I Mean - "Are those skillful fingers of yours only for fish?"
 * Lethal Chef -- Yuki and Shou.
 * Maybe a new form of the trope, as Shou is only lethal to herself (through assorted burns and cuts). Nobody else seems to complain about her cooking. More of a Lethal Chef of Iron?
 * Played more straight later on, with Shou's own family gasping at her cooking.
 * Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone -- Shou's family, much to her embarrassment.
 * Although, on prior occasions, they were eavesdropping on them instead, also, much to her embarrassment.
 * Love Hotels --
 * Love Hurts -- All over the place..
 * Luminescent Blush -- Characters in this manga can blush intensely.
 * A Man Is Not a Virgin -- Averted.
 * Kouno is still a virgin however.
 * Master of the Mixed Message -- Yuki for Utsumi when he starts liking her, due to her issues and his inexperience with girls. Utsumi for the girls who become attracted to him because of his excessive niceness inadvertently sending mixed signals.
 * Yuki's been sending a different kind of mixed messages to Utsumi recently, making him feel that while they do love each other, they won't end up together, and that Yuki actually wants Utsumi to move on and date someone else.
 * -- Most notably in the one-shot/pilot.
 * Nice Guy -- Utsumi. Way too nice actually, which often leads to him holding an Idiot Ball because he just can't bring himself to hurt anyone, just making things worse. Eri even tells him that being excessively nice and tip-toeing around as to not hurt people's feelings will get him in trouble, and he admits as much. . The whole thing is lampshaded again by Yuasa.
 * The Nicknamer -- Eri.
 * Nosebleed -- Utsumi ends up with one after a dream involving Yuki.
 * Not Distracted by the Sexy -- A variant in that Yuasa flashes before Utsumi to get a reaction out of him during . No dice.
 * Not What It Looks Like -- Several instances.
 * Subverted at one point with rather interesting consequences, when . The resulting behavior was actually a result of inferring completely accurate conclusions. The one that happened as a result of that, meanwhile, was a straight version, except that.
 * Happens again when Utsumi is helping Shou with her exercises.
 * Yet again with Utsumi and Oonuma at the festival.
 * Happened in Chapter 60, with arguably bigger implications:
 * Happens again in Chapter 90, when all his friends, including Yuki, force into Yuasa's apartment and find them . Just the sight of Utsumi and Yuasa together is enough to make Yuki run away and in tears  . Lampshaded by Izumi later and lets the others know that they really don't know Utsumi's side of the story and thus shouldn't pass judgement so hastily. However, should be noted that.
 * In fact, several misunderstandings could be cleared if Utsumi and Yuki had both been honest with their friends and mention that Yuki dumped Utsumi, rather than it being a mutual break-up, which for the readers it's obvious it was not.
 * Oblivious to Hints -- Utsumi, bar none. He gets called out on it by Izumi, Eri and Yuki.
 * Lampshaded in chapter 70.
 * Panty Shot -- Oonuma, oh god. Also, Shou and Yuki, Hilarity Ensues.
 * Pet the Dog --
 * Pilot Episode -- The oneshot special.
 * The Pollyanna -- Yuasa.
 * Rape as Drama -- Yuki. The sex was consensual, the Home Porn Movie, and it being passed around the school, were not.
 * The Reveal -- What Touru did . Although it had been hinted earlier in the story.
 * The Runaway -- Yuki. While it was hinted this was the case early in the story, and confirmed later on, we don't find out the reasons behind it till chapter 66.
 * Utsumi ran away after the breakup, he holed up himself in Yuasa's apartment while recovering.
 * Running Gag -- Utsumi tends to run away from everyone... for just about everything.
 * Satchel Switcheroo -- Happens with film negatives.
 * Sex as Rite-Of-Passage -- A female version with Eri. She gets better before she can do something she will regret.
 * School Festival
 * Shipper on Deck -- Yuki plays one between Utsumi and Shou,
 * Ship Sinking -- At this stage, the UxO ship is pretty much dead in the water.
 * An in-universe example when Eri is distraught, and verbally lashing at Utsumi, when he states that he's dating Shou.
 * Shōnen manga -- Despite being a romance/comedy, it's pretty obvious it's a shonen manga. The Fan Service / Fetish Fuel, and being published in Weekly Shonen Magazine being dead giveaways.
 * Single Woman Seeks Good Man -- Why the girls, at one point or another, seem to have set their eyes on Utsumi.
 * Skinship Grope -- Shou to Yuki, during the bath house scene. This was actually triggered by Shou's A-Cup Angst.
 * Stalker with a Crush -- Utsumi starts as one, until he gets caught.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial
 * Satchel Switcheroo -- Happens with film negatives.
 * Sex as Rite-Of-Passage -- A female version with Eri. She gets better before she can do something she will regret.
 * School Festival
 * Shipper on Deck -- Yuki plays one between Utsumi and Shou,
 * Ship Sinking -- At this stage, the UxO ship is pretty much dead in the water.
 * An in-universe example when Eri is distraught, and verbally lashing at Utsumi, when he states that he's dating Shou.
 * Shōnen manga -- Despite being a romance/comedy, it's pretty obvious it's a shonen manga. The Fan Service / Fetish Fuel, and being published in Weekly Shonen Magazine being dead giveaways.
 * Single Woman Seeks Good Man -- Why the girls, at one point or another, seem to have set their eyes on Utsumi.
 * Skinship Grope -- Shou to Yuki, during the bath house scene. This was actually triggered by Shou's A-Cup Angst.
 * Stalker with a Crush -- Utsumi starts as one, until he gets caught.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial
 * Stalker with a Crush -- Utsumi starts as one, until he gets caught.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial


 * Thanks for the Mammary -- Utsumi to Shou, when trying to keep her from falling from the second floor of her house.
 * The Confidant -- Eri is this to Yuki, who is the only one that knows that Yuki still likes Utsumi, even after dumping him.
 * There Are No Therapists -- This series took its Darker and Edgier turn based on this. Almost every main character has its share of psychological issues.
 * Utsumi
 * Yuki
 * Shou
 * Oonuma
 * Other characters have issues that, though not as big as the already mentioned, nevertheless need professional help.
 * Utsumi was this for all his friends in the beginning of the series, now it's Eri and Izumi, although Utsumi tried to act like one to Yuki,.
 * "The Reason You Suck" Speech --
 * There Is Only One Bed -- The first time, there was a couch in the room. The second time, well...
 * They Do --
 * Tiger Versus Dragon -- Izumi and Yuki at first.
 * Title Drop: From Kouno to Utsumi in the first chapter: "Remember that girl character game that you got hooked on in Jr High? You had to have the right responses and interaction in order to get a good ending."
 * Triang Relations -- Would be a Love Dodecahedron, but there are never more than two girls involved with Utsumi, at a given time.
 * Tsundere -- Eri. Yuki seems to display some tsundere tendencies when other people observe how open and friendly she is with Utsumi. In fact, Utsumi calls Yuki a Tsundere at one point.
 * The Unfair Sex -- Arguably averted. Although Utsumi gets called out when he messes up, it should be noted that most of the time they are aware he's not doing things out of maliciousness. The times he actually does things with malice, he does get called out, appropriately, and has to work hard to deal with the consequences.
 * And subverted when Yuki gets called out as well by Eri, Izumi and Oonuma.
 * But sadly played straight in the . Eri apologizes to Utsumi for this a day after though.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend --.
 * Unlucky Everydude -- Utsumi pretty much embodies this trope.
 * Unrequited Love Switcheroo -- Shou..
 * Unwanted Harem -- Arguably. Utsumi at one point developed this. The misunderstandings come from trying to deflect the attention, and affection, of those he's not interested while trying to not hurt their feelings, which leads to others getting the wrong idea, which is really his fault because he can't figure out his actions can be misconstrued in the first place.
 * What Beautiful Eyes! -- Sasuga Kei puts a lot of effort in the eyes of the girls, specially for the covers.
 * What the Hell, Hero? --
 * When They Smile -- Shou, Oonuma, Eri, even Utsumi, but specially, Yuki.
 * Wrong Guy First: Shou initially chose Kento over Utsumi.
 * Yank the Dog's Chain -- Happens to Utsumi way more then he deserves.
 * Oonuma is a heartbreaking example.
 * Your Cheating Heart -- Utsumi with Shou, at least a couple of times.
 * You Would Make a Great Model --
 * Zettai Ryouiki -- Not very often tho.
 * Oonuma is a heartbreaking example.
 * Your Cheating Heart -- Utsumi with Shou, at least a couple of times.
 * You Would Make a Great Model --
 * Zettai Ryouiki -- Not very often tho.
 * Zettai Ryouiki -- Not very often tho.