We Never Learn - Ending Explained

The major plot twist of the "We Never Learn" TV series is its definitive, anime-original ending in the final episode of Season 2. Throughout the series, Nariyuki Yuiga grows close to all five main heroines: Fumino Furuhashi, Rizu Ogata, Uruka Takemoto, Mafuyu Kirisu, and Asumi Kominami. The narrative carefully builds romantic potential between Nariyuki and each girl, leaving the final outcome ambiguous as is typical for the harem genre.

However, the finale breaks from this convention. During the school festival's final fireworks display—a moment tied to a school legend about fated couples—Uruka Takemoto musters the courage to confess her long-held love for Nariyuki before she is set to leave to study swimming abroad. In a surprising turn, Nariyuki fully reciprocates her feelings, admitting he has also fallen for her. The episode concludes with a time-skip showing Nariyuki seeing Uruka off at the airport, solidifying their relationship and giving the anime a conclusive romantic pairing. This ending was controversial because it diverged from the still-ongoing manga and felt abrupt to many viewers who saw stronger development with other characters, especially Fumino.

This contrasts sharply with the manga's resolution. The author, Taishi Tsutsui, acknowledged the fan support for all characters by creating a unique 'parallel story' structure. After concluding the Uruka route (which was the first official ending), the manga went back to the pivotal fireworks scene and created four additional, alternate-universe endings. In these routes, Nariyuki ends up with Rizu, Fumino, Asumi, and Mafuyu, respectively. Each route is a detailed arc exploring how their relationship would have blossomed, giving every main heroine a canonical happy ending. Therefore, the hidden meaning that only becomes clear after engaging with the entire franchise (both anime and manga) is that the anime presents just one of several possible futures, while the manga posits that all potential romantic outcomes are equally valid.

The most significant area for alternative interpretations lies in the anime's ending versus the manga's. One perspective is that the anime creators, needing to provide a conclusive finale, chose Uruka because her arc as the long-suffering childhood friend offered the most traditional and straightforward romantic resolution. From this viewpoint, her confession and departure for overseas provided a dramatic climax that was suitable for a final episode.

Another interpretation, favored by those who disliked the anime's conclusion, is that the ending was rushed and ignored the significant development given to other characters, particularly Fumino, throughout the two seasons. They argue that the emotional weight of the series had shifted towards Fumino or even Mafuyu, and the sudden pivot to Uruka felt unearned. This view is supported by the manga's multiple endings, which suggest that any of the girls could have been a valid and well-supported choice. The manga's structure itself presents the ultimate alternative interpretation: that there is no single "correct" outcome, but rather multiple parallel realities where Nariyuki's path diverges based on a key moment, with each path being equally valid.