also: ゆめおち
it was all a dream ending
A narrative device where the story concludes by revealing that the preceding events were only a dream. Common in manga, anime, and light novels.
The ending of that movie was an 'it was all a dream' twist.
夢オチは読者にがっかりされることが多い。
An 'it was all a dream' ending often disappoints readers.
Alternate spelling with 落ち in hiragana; less common but still used.
Compound of 夢 (yume, 'dream') and オチ (ochi, 'punchline' or 'ending'), from the storytelling term 落ち (ochi).