r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Morr4Seiya • 8d ago

Hated Tropes An adaptation completely botches the original theme and message

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Mulan(2020)-They give Mulan superpowers which is not only lame it goes against the message of the original about equality and struggle,plus they removes Shang because apparently having Mulan date her superior was "problematic" even though Shang genuienely respected Mulan and their rank was never brought up

I am Legend(2007)-You know why the story is called "I am legend"? SPOILER ALERT the protagonist is the actual monster,humanity is gone and the vampires have a actual society and the protagonist kills and terrorize them

Animal Farm(2026)-On the very slim chance that Andy Serkis ever sees this,here's the thing Andy,Animal Farm was not a children work it was not supposed to have a happy ending,you never heard of cautionary tales before?

6.0k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

604

u/Bro-Im-Done 8d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/rkN5bmihUWu7gopYGO
Netflix Devil May Cry

There’s a consistent theme throughout the games that while demons are inherently evil, theyre able to grow, change, and develop compassion and emotion through the experience of human compassion, hence the title “DEVIL MAY CRY.”

In Netflix DMC, not only are humans distinctly related to demons, but are called “Makaiins” (which in Japanese is related to the underworld) and used as an allegory for genocide.

114

u/JellonSunning_InLife 8d ago edited 8d ago

And hell turned into a middle eastern style hovel invaded by us army with demons dressed as arabs.

75

u/Nicklesnout 8d ago

Average Adi Shankar adaptation. Throws Easter eggs in and then does nothing with the source material that makes sense.

48

u/JellonSunning_InLife 8d ago edited 7d ago

Not to mention the incredible unintentional racism - middle easterners are literal demons and their home is literal hell lol.

38

u/DropoutRedMage 8d ago

"We can't open the portal to the demon realm because the bad demons might get in and hurt people" reads very uncomfortably when used in a immigration allegory.

The "demons" are both poor wittle woobies and people eating monsters. At the same time. It just doesn't work for either message. This is the second time DMC got screwed over by overtly political messaging.

6

u/TexasJedi-705 8d ago

I assume the first was the Ninja Theory reboot?

4

u/DropoutRedMage 8d ago

My buddy is the expert, but yes. I learned about the situation against my will. As God intended.

9

u/Nicklesnout 8d ago

Oh no, the parallels were very much intentional. Shankar wanted to inject what it was like living as a brown person in America after 9/11 and wanted to criticize the military industrial complex and demonizing the opposition.

Meanwhile this same guy in the first season of Castlevania completely glossed over the fact that both the Belnades and Belmont clans were associates of the Church because of course Christianity is a monolith.

18

u/JellonSunning_InLife 8d ago

Nah Christianity is evil dude. /s

9/11 parallel or not, making the literal denizens of hell, aka demons, into middle easterns was not the smartest move.

14

u/Nicklesnout 8d ago

Oh no, fully agreed. They also used American Idiot for it which was about as subtle as a fart in an oxygen tank and twice as acrid.

-1

u/[deleted] 8d ago edited 8d ago

[deleted]

6

u/Nicklesnout 8d ago

Lisa Țepeș is literally crucified in the games.

The anime changed it to being burned at the stake because it was a more visceral and well known means of execution. Especially in regards to being guilty of heresy and witchcraft, which she was accused of.

1

u/Slightly_Default 8d ago

I'm trying to back up your point about how the show seems to treat Christianity as a monolith. It's not like they made being accurate to the games a priority, either (which is not a complaint).

I'll accept rule of cool (rule of horror?) as a good excuse though.

1

u/JellonSunning_InLife 7d ago

That's the other funny part. The burning at stake was very few. Most were hanged. the female led series of the original Charmed was more accurate about this.

2

u/Scared-Jacket-6965 7d ago

I never thought of this lmao, NOW I CAN'T UNSEE IT!!

20

u/AzraelTheMage 8d ago

Castlevania was good overall, but it feels like a fluke now.

25

u/Sensitive-Hotel-9871 8d ago

Shankar was just involved in the boring stuff that makes shows happen with Castlevania, he wasn't involved creativily.

8

u/JellonSunning_InLife 8d ago

That was probably warren ellis

5

u/iwantdatpuss 8d ago

Iirc that's because there are actual writers fighting against Adi's nonsense.

DMC(Netflix) was all him, and so suffers hard because of it. 

2

u/Scared-Jacket-6965 7d ago

I swear he's like Jared Leto in movies, a anti writer. You want a series to flop? Hire him. You know how much I hated DMC Season 1? I VOTED FOR LAST OF US SEASON 2 AT THE GAME AWARDS LAST YEAR! aka "iM goNnA bE a daD?!" - girl who wanna slaughter everyone of her adopted father's murderers.

I got ecstatic when it won! I STOPPED WATCHING THE SEASON AFTER EPISODE 4! I have the same hatred for DMC animation as Vergil has for paying child support.

1

u/JellonSunning_InLife 7d ago

Was he responsible for nocturne too?

1

u/iwantdatpuss 7d ago

Iirc he's one of the four producers of it. 

1

u/JellonSunning_InLife 7d ago

Well it was far worse than the original. Story, entertainment and animation.

1

u/ArcaneMadman 7d ago

Actually he sued the people working on it because he was excluded from it and was given a producer title to stop his tantrum.

4

u/DWA824 8d ago

That's honestly most adaptations these days

3

u/Icy-Acanthisitta8192 8d ago

With American idiot  Playing in the background 

238

u/neroselene 8d ago

Oh don't get me started on this show.

Making all the demon designs (Devil May Cry has some of the most unique and awesome designs for demons) utterly BORING and lifeless was definitely a choice.

Having the titular demon hunter do basically no demon hunting and just be stuck working for the government.

Oh, and the power consistency is all over the place (Loathe to use the word power scaling, but the lead character for example went from dodging automatic gunfire to basically forgetting he can dodge bullets within the space of a single scene).

104

u/Bro-Im-Done 8d ago

Worst part for me was how unfunny Dante

As soon as that clip of Dante’s “pretend I shot those guys” I just knew this was gonna be abysmal ass cheeks

Dante makes stupid jokes that don’t make sense plenty of times, but he doesn’t care because he can back up his trash talk anyways while being charismatic and cool about it. Nante’s based on TikTok attention span’s version of a badass

34

u/neroselene 8d ago

Initially when the series was first revealed I was under the impression that this was Dante pre-DMC 3 (aka. Tony Redgrave) given the White Rabbit and lack of Ebony and Ivory. So, I was willing to faintly give him benefit of the doubt as it being at his most inexperienced. But, well...it just got worse as time went on.

Thing is though, the series itself is kinda weird as it feels like it tried to merge Pre-DMC 3 dante with DMC 3 Dante in terms of his development for some reason which is probably why Dante feels so inconsistent.

3

u/ithinkther41am 7d ago

I’d seen Corridor Digital react to the clip where the show copied their Tacticool Reload videos, and it looks deeply uncool for some reason?

Like, Tacticool Reload was a deliberately over-the-top and ridiculous comedy exercise in style over substance. Also, Dante pulling all those moves in a firing range instead of in combat made it look even lamer.

74

u/Yharnam_Hunter25 8d ago

Man, that whole allegory gets messier the more you look at it. What was Shankar thinking? Was he even thinking when he did the series?

60

u/TheWorclown 8d ago

That he’d be the one to revive the franchise (and reportedly disliked DMC5 doing it before him) and that he is a hack who needs to have people rein him in instead of letting him do whatever the fuck he wants.

44

u/sadistica23 8d ago

Of note, the franchise was not dead. He just thought it was, and was angry when he found out a new game was getting released.

4

u/shrub706 8d ago

a lot of people thought the franchise was over after dmc reboot came out

18

u/Yharnam_Hunter25 8d ago

His tantrum over DMC5’s announcement is hilarious; a grown man throwing a fit like a little, spoiled child all because he didn’t get the attention he wanted is both insanely hilarious and ridiculously embarrassing. It’s not like the game wasn’t known prior to 2018, Dan Southworth accidentally leaked the game back in like 2015 at a con, I believe. So the game had been known for quite a while, but Shankar still threw a fit over it because his narcissism wasn’t satisfied LOL.

2

u/ArcaneMadman 7d ago

Not "reportedly", he admitted himself, without prompting, in a podcast HE WAS HOSTING.

https://reddit.com/link/peerx1n/video/23hw0jmc71uh1/player

2

u/Yharnam_Hunter25 7d ago

I would not be surprised if he’s convinced himself Street Fighter is dead. He’d totally say repeatedly that an ongoing and still heavily praised and played series is dead just so he can inflate his ego if he tries to do a show for it. The new movie probably has him throwing tantrums too lol.

44

u/xanderfloyd001 8d ago

I'm starting to think he took too much credit for Castlevania's success. Though I question if Warren Ellis's style would've worked for Devil May Cry's usual tone.

29

u/Sensitive-Hotel-9871 8d ago

All the evidence I hear is that Shankar was involved in producing Castlevania, but didn't contribute to the storytelling.

18

u/Bloodb0red 8d ago

Yeah, seems like he and his circle have been retroactively trying to make it seem like he was part of the creative team for Castlevania. It’s easier for them now after Warren Ellis’ own controversies.

7

u/xanderfloyd001 8d ago

He was one of six executive producers, a group that included Warren Ellis. Who knows how much he contributed on his own, but it feels like what he did contribute has gone to his head.

7

u/No_Prize9794 8d ago

Adi didn’t really help Castlevania for almost anything. The series was almost completed, but ran out of money and was left abandoned. Adi just came along and gave it the last bit of money the series needed to be released on Netflix on the condition that Adi’s name gets slapped onto the series, despite essentially contributing barely anything to the series. Executive producer role is one of the most vague positions there is, it’s mainly there for people to build up their resume, whether or not they actually contributed in the work creatively

2

u/xanderfloyd001 8d ago

The more I learn about this dude, the more concerned I become for any property that he sets his eyes on.

6

u/Yharnam_Hunter25 8d ago

Same, I’ve heard good things about Castlevania, but nothing good about Netflix Will Swear. I really don’t think he’s this big “visionary” he likes to think he is.

44

u/RevBladeZ 8d ago

Too busy sucking his own dick to think.

30

u/JellonSunning_InLife 8d ago

Damn the sheer narcissism oozing off this is ridiculous

15

u/Yharnam_Hunter25 8d ago

Turned himself into the most rancid Ouroboros with that comment, yikes💀

He might stain the reputation of Dante’s Divine Comedy if he keeps that crap up. And him talking about “rearranging the body” is crazy, you can’t rearrange something you took apart with a chainsaw and then a wood chipper.

We’re witnessing levels of narcissism I didn’t think were possible.

10

u/actonpant 8d ago

Even this is written badly

6

u/Pegussu 8d ago

Jesus fucking wept, that's the most narcissistic thing I've ever read.

3

u/Scared-Jacket-6965 7d ago

Bro is glazing himself so hard, I'm pretty sure he just made an entire monotheism religion about himself. Dude is glazing himself so hard, donuts are telling him to chill out. Someone call the Rock, there is a new self glazing king. Adi unironically has such an ego, I wouldn't be shocked if in the center of his house is a golden statue of himself standing over the world with every country reaching up trying to grab him.

1

u/Yharnam_Hunter25 7d ago

I cannot believe we got to witness a competitor to the Rock’s ego. It sounds too absurd to be true, but just… look at it. It’s there and we can’t ignore it now, it’s awful.

I would not be surprised if that statue did exist. Throw in some sort of fountain around it filled with statues of the “haters” that has them so angry they’re crying and their tears fill the fountain since he’s so obsessed with them.

2

u/Scared-Jacket-6965 7d ago

A fountain that has him in a pose that's akin to pissing and it's some liquid gold or something valuable. LIKE, dude is so obsessed with his haters; I'm pretty sure they are living rent-free in his brain. WONDER if it's in his contract? like how the Rock can't lose a fight; Adi's contract makes it so he can't go without mentioning his haters every other day,

1

u/Yharnam_Hunter25 7d ago

It’s gotta be something with the contract, no way a human being is actual like that, right? Right???

1

u/Scared-Jacket-6965 7d ago

I don't know, there is people I met who are obsessed with the people who wronged them. BRO is obsessed with his haters.

1

u/Yharnam_Hunter25 7d ago

Yeah, a family member was like that with someone they used to be friends with, we just kept telling them to let it go and try to move on instead of being so miserable and bitter constantly. Whatever Shankar has going on is, like, 1000x worse than the average person.

2

u/Scared-Jacket-6965 6d ago

sad part about people obsessed with Revenge, 99% of the time once they get it, they realize how it was kind of pointless in the end.

Shankar is WAY worst though, Mate lives with his haters in the back of his mind 24/7.

→ More replies (0)

3

u/Starfox6664 7d ago

"trigger its purists" dated 2016 talk aside how is upsetting the people who actually care about the source material something to be proud of

35

u/Bro-Im-Done 8d ago

Same guy attended Trump’s inauguration for the vibes btw

Make an allegory to criticize politicians and then do this shit

7

u/Yharnam_Hunter25 8d ago

Ugh, yeah. I always see his fans say it’s a criticism of how awful America is, and yet he went to Trump’s inauguration for funsies as if that doesn’t send the direct opposite message. The man literally can’t make up a story and stick with it because he gets lost in all of his own lies.

4

u/Foostini 8d ago

If you know anything about the rest of his "work" and or seen an interview then no. He's never thought a day in his life.

3

u/Yharnam_Hunter25 8d ago

I’ve seen a few interviews he’s done for the show, and it’s just—there’s nothing going on up top for him. You can just tell the reason he threw out the original series’s lessons about humanity is solely because he couldn’t comprehend them. He certainly doesn’t understand the characters if he’s writing Vergil the way he did, for example. Really hurt seeing what he did to Vergil after already seeing the disaster of Dante and Lady in the series.

2

u/JellonSunning_InLife 7d ago

He wanted to depict Muslim suffering post 9/11 apparently. By making them literal demons in hell lmao! 🤣

2

u/Yharnam_Hunter25 7d ago

When I first found that out, I literally thought it was a joke; a bad joke, but a joke nonetheless. Unfortunately, it isn’t. I really don’t think this guy comprehends anything he sees or tries to think.

54

u/Mr_W0osh 8d ago

Worth mentioning that the show runner, Adi Shankar, fucking hates the games because DMC5 stole the thunder he never had.

15

u/1lluusio 8d ago

Specifically because he wanted to be the savior of the franchise who'd be credited for reviving DMC

31

u/Drabberlime_047 8d ago

This sounds awfully similar to how tarkatans in mortal kombat went from being straight up demon hybrids and savages to an allagory for genocide

15

u/Bro-Im-Done 8d ago

And then you get MK1 where it’s just a disease.

Someone in the MK reddit once said “imagine if Chinese people got sick and the started to develop melanin” 😭

3

u/Beacon_0805 8d ago

at least they were tasteful with the changes, its a disease that can affect literally anyone. Baraka was a rich merchant, Mileena is literally a princess

9

u/TheTooDarkLord 8d ago

Where did they become an allegory for genocide?

7

u/Drabberlime_047 8d ago

In 11 when suddenly theyre treated as a legit race who are victims and Kotal is about to genocide them but his abusive partner beats on him and convinces him to spare the poor demon savages

And kind of again in thr new timeline where its a disease now so theyre literally victims being marginilsed (and possibly killed?) again

Keep in mind that in the OG timeline they are literally demon hybrids who are so savage that they eat people and basically only Shao could tame them cause they respect what a beast he is. Hence the sword arms and knife teeth.

-1

u/DuelaDent52 8d ago

I mean, in 11 they’re still demon savages, but genocide is still genocide.

3

u/Drabberlime_047 8d ago

Theyre significanltly less savage and portrayed as being victimised by Kotal

16

u/_HalfBaked_ 8d ago

That show is so weird.

If I want to sit down and watch something reasonably entertaining, or have something on in the background while I'm working out or doing meal prep, it's great. The characters feel compelling, the world is fleshed out. It's fine.

If I look at it as adapting the source material, it's barely a fan-fic. What happened.

It's like that first season of The Witcher. I love it, but I'm also deeply confused by where they were going.

15

u/SteakJesus 8d ago

Makaiins could be pronounced makah-ins and that means to eat in tagalog lol

17

u/TheTooDarkLord 8d ago

Wait, Makai? That's where the demons are from in Darkstalkers wich Is also made by capcom, so if they count too that's even more fucked up considering the message of that game tok

1

u/ArcaneMadman 7d ago

No, it's just japanese for "Demon world" that they left untranslated in the show because the writers are idiots.

1

u/AwesomeGamer101 1d ago

That makes it the third Makai in Capcom history, the original being from Ghosts 'n Goblins.

5

u/Ulq2525 8d ago

The Patty anime was superior.

4

u/FilthyCasual01 8d ago

The original Anime had an episode about a demon falling in love with a girl, and her father worried it was trying to steal her soul (rightfully so in DMC). Dante is hired to kill him, and only later realize the demon’s felling are real, and reminds him of his parents. He also doesn’t get paid because he didn’t complete the job lol.

2

u/Scared-Jacket-6965 7d ago

You know what I hate about Season 2? The fact Lady, Dante and Vergil DON'T COMMUNICATE THEIR FUCKING PLAN. I SWEAR TO GOD, ENTIRETY OF SEASON 2 COULD BE SOLVED EASIER IF THE 3 OF THEM SAT THE FUCK DOWN AND TALKED.

Dante and Vergil I get not seeing eye to eye but my god, one minute working together, next trying to fight, next working together, oh they finally beat agros or whatever now they can handle mundus, sike Vergil actually STILL worships Mundus. I never being more frustrated at a show then this!

5

u/LooneyBurger 8d ago edited 8d ago

I'll never forgive this show. It's good on its own, but it's a terrible adaptation.

10

u/Bro-Im-Done 8d ago

I’m sorry but it’s bad even as it’s own thing for the simple fact the director doesn’t even care about his own distasteful allegory

3

u/JellonSunning_InLife 8d ago

Nope it was terrible wholesale

3

u/mcc9902 8d ago

Yeah, outside of the portrayal of the president and vice president which I still can't decide on what they were actually trying to say with the show isn't bad as a standalone but, as a devil may cry story it's absolutely, awful too many things just spit on the established lore.

1

u/Arnahunas 8d ago edited 6d ago

This show would be a lot more tolerable if it wasn’t so far up its own ass. It thinks it’s this deep, avant-garde epic with thought provoking and groundbreaking social commentary when it just isn’t.

I’m not opposed to the demons being explored kinda like the exs in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off but them being an allegory for racism/refugees is weird AF to put it lightly, not helped by Dante barely having any agency in it

1

u/Lun4r6543 8d ago

I only watched the show because the animation was cool.

But goddamn did everything else suck sooooooo much.

1

u/DrWilli 7d ago

Hate me, but I actually like this adaptation. Not as an adaptation, but as a story. As an adaptation I really really really hate it. This Lady/Mary Dante dynamic started of so good and faithful, but then it turned into highschool drama romance. I do like the story and think it's a clever way to use the general idea of the devil may cry uinverse, but as an adaptation it's so bad. I know the point of an adaptation is to adapt and change the source material, a lot of times even for the better, but this just changed it into something so different it made me question "why call it an adaptation in the first place?". It's like: we have this lovely recipe for a yummy roast, but we changed it while cooking so much we now have a cake, that kinda looks like a roast. Still yummy, but I wanted to eat a roast, not this.

1

u/DrAstralis 7d ago

9.9/10 I don't mind changes and alterations in adaptations of media. I get it, they need to be made to fit the new format. But I hated almost everything about this show despite wanting to enjoy it. I found everything grating and obnoxious from the story beats and personalities to the music choices.