[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

It's called "cute girls sell more light novels".

On the cover, yes.

In the actual content, where visuals obviously are less important? I don't buy it. There's a content-based reason why Itsuki isn't getting more screen time...

It wouldn't surprise me in the least to see Itsuki do a heel turn. He came across very suspicious to me in the last Sighs episode...

Heroes don't get happy endings.

... I've seen quite a lot of fiction that contradicts that.
This is hardly an universal rule, Kaisos.

Heroes give up their happy endings so that everyone else can have a happy ending. That's the point.

No, that's not the point, imo.

The point of TTGL is that with enough effort and application of free will you can overcome any obstacle. This is the point, Kaisos, that the anime clearly kept going back to time and time again.

Spoiler for TTGL:

His girlfriend being in danger was obviously once such obstacle for Simon. So, it would have been more keeping with the inspirational theme of TTGL if Simon had successfully saved her... permanently, of course.

Gainax just refuses to do happy endings. That's all there is to it, sadly.

And TTGL was not generally upbeat. In fact, it was mostly sad. Inspiring, but sad.

TTGL was extremely upbeat. It's popularity is based, to large degree, on how upbeat it is. It's main characters are all relentlessly upbeat. It's a glass half-full anime if ever there was one.