Endings

Another person that's read Monster! I loved the ending because it lets you think about what actually happened while still providing enough of a resolution for the characters, while I didn't like this ending type as much in A Series of Unfortunate Events because there was far too many questions that needed answering and there wasn't much substance to go by.

I agree, ambiguous conclusions don't work for every story. It's another reason I have so much respect for Urasawa's writing - he manages to pack so much detail and suspense into his stories and yet still resolve all the conflicts by the end. In Monster's, I feel like he left us with an open-ended question for each of us to answer individually. There were so many richly developed characters with so many of their own motivations, strengths, and weaknesses - so it makes sense that each reader would have a different opinion of who deserved what and whether Tenma's actions were, in the end, justified.

20th Century Boys and PLUTO were also equally compelling, I'd have to say. ;>