The hero doesn't get the girl

[Elvis]

Are there any anime series out there in which the hero doesn't get the girl at the end of the show? Let me know if you've seen an anime series of this type.

 

[Sindar]

You have to be a little more precise =) What do you mean by "get"? There are plenty of anime where two people have relations that don't progress, do you count them? If you do, then almost all the anime with romantic subplot will fall into this category, it is very typical for anime. Good examples are Evangelion, Melancholy of Haruhi. 
If you want a series where it wasn't just "nothing is going on", something where relations didn't work out, then try 5 centimeters per second, by Makoto Shinkai. It is an amazing movie, definitely worth watching.

 

[Elvis]

There are plenty of anime where two people have relations that don't progress

But you see, I was not referring to 'two people'. The title of this thread clearly states that I'm talking about the protagonist, the main character of the anime.

 

[Sindar]

There are plenty of anime where two people have relations that don't progress

But you see, I was not referring to 'two people'. The title of this thread clearly states that I'm talking about the protagonist, the main character of the anime.

Yeah, I know, what I said still holds though =) I can rewrite it as "two people, where the guy is the protagonist of the series" if you want me to

 

[Elvis]

almost all the anime with romantic subplot will fall into this category, it is very typical for anime.

Very typical for anime, eh? Well, let's think about it. Edward Elric married Winry at the end of the series. Goku married Chi Chi, Naruto married Hinata, Usagi married Mamoru etc. It doesn't seem very typical, does it?

 

[Sindar]

almost all the anime with romantic subplot will fall into this category, it is very typical for anime.

Very typical for anime, eh? Well, let's think about it. Edward Elric married Winry at the end of the series. Goku married Chi Chi, Naruto married Hinata, Usagi married Mamoru etc. It doesn't seem very typical, does it?

Of course there is a bunch of anime where people get married What I meant was that a lot of shows aren't interested in showing you the progression of the relations the couple has. In many cases you don't need to do this to get your point across. Good example is The Wings of Honneamise. The story ended in such a way that you can only speculate about the main character relations. Also there are shows where they decide that it would be better to only have hints at characters' feelings. I've mentioned one of those, Melancholy of Haruhi. There are even more anime where relations don't play such a big role, so they lack development and don't go anywhere. Like it was in Akira, Vampire Hunter D, Redline, Summer wars. And there are anime where they decide that this couple should fall apart as a part of the story - like in Otaku no Video. Or anime where it is a part of the plot that the couple won't end up being together, like it was in Angel Beats and Cowboy Bebop.

All I'm saying is that while there are plenty of anime that won't show you the "they go married!" ending, most of them would not be dramatic romance stories =) You'll probably find more of that kind of stories in shoujo anime, I think. And please don't take it as if I am fighting you over this thing ^^/

 

[Elvis]

Thanks for the recommendations. I will try to see which of them I am going to watch first.