#like Howl definitely has some textual changes but they're more indicative of the subtler tone shift imo

[dragimal]

Types of Adaptations

--according to me <3

I've recently been reading the original books for a lot of movies/shows I've previously enjoyed, and it's got me thinking a lot abt adaptations, and what works or doesn't for me. I think there's more to adaptation than just being "good/bad" or even just being "faithful" to the original content or not, and I kinda wanna throw my thoughts out to see what ppl think

anyways, adaptation types:

extremely faithful adaptations that skillfully utilize a new medium to share and even enhance the original content: Mob Psycho 100 anime

adaptations that actively improve/fix the original story. the fans behind these projects clearly understand the original, and know exactly what needs to be changed to complete the original work: Death Note the Musical

adaptations that unfortunately had to cut a lot, but what's there is very faithful. you can tell they did their best within the set time/money limit: Watership Down '78

adaptations that are largely textually faithful (for the most part), but approach the tones/themes in slightly different ways from the original. it's like hearing the same story from a new narrator-- the beats are the same, but what/how the narrator chooses to emphasize changes how it hits: Howl's Moving Castle movie

adaptations that aren't necessarily textually faithful, but maintain a similar thematic tone to the original, despite taking it in a new direction. some ppl may not appreciate an "unfaithful" adaption strategy no matter the quality, while others may appreciate these adaptations as familiar but ultimately new stories: Haunting of Hill House tv show, Annihilation movie

adaptations that went completely off the rails from the original. they're so different that it's difficult to grade their quality as anything but their own stand-alone story-- "faithful" is no longer a useful critique strategy here (though fans of the originals may have appreciated a different title, at the very least): FMA '03, HTTYD movies

adaptations that are largely textually faithful on some level, but change enough small details that shift the underlying context/themes in irrevocable, adverse ways: Fried Green Tomatoes movie

adaptations that attempt to "modernize" the original for the present audience, but end up sanitizing/simplifying the characters/themes into flattened, overused tropes instead: Trigun Stampede, Devilman Crybaby

adaptations that add unnecessary, unwanted content that actively degrades the original story: Arrival movie (adapted from Ted Chiang's "The Story of Your Life"), The Lorax movie