(Given the way series go I've actually seen very few manga/ anime endings: series never finish or series just stop (YYH) or series get final eps tacked on as a terminus, which isn't my notion of an *ending*. The ones I /have/ seen have largely been disappointing. Utena had the perfect ending: 'I can't believe that happened and I couldn't have thought of it for myself and I wouldn't want it any other way.' Gankutsuou isn't Utena if only because there *are* things I would have liked different. But it's probably in second place.)
And now to the Gankutsuou lj to see what everyone else had to say about this a month ago.
(ETA: and the first thing they tell me is that ep 23 isn't the last one. Oh well. Emotionally it sounds like it is.)
(ETA2: This quote from the lj, Lux'd for even remote spoilers:
"we were watching 23, and during that part my mom goes ".....AND EDMOND'S HEART GREW THREE SIZES THAT DAY"
snrk snrk snrk... )