A very traditional Japanese ending. Manga and anime of today are huge jokes right now (well, at least they're good for escaping reality), but sometimes mangakas create rare gems like this one.

The initial plot really softened the reader up while leaving clues for the eventual ending of the story. In retrospect it was a little obvious, but the build-up was pretty enjoyable and the art was very well-drawn.

If I had to compare the ending with some other manga, I would compare it to "Velvet Kiss" (totally recommend it, but it's low-key softcore). Both had very succinct and bittersweet endings that leaves things open for the readers' interpretations while juxtaposing the two very Japanese concepts of "duty" and "personal desire."

Personally, I think that bittersweet stories like these reflect life very well: it sucks, but people endure and move on.