Should film and television adaptations follow the original work? Japanese manga artist Hiroshi Endo suggests that ‘it’s not that we can’t change, but we need to firmly adhere to the central idea’!

When a manga or novel is adapted into a film or television work, fans of the original work often criticize the work for not being able toLoyal to the original work. However, this’Loyal to the original workTo what extent is it considered qualified? Japanese manga artist Kaisei Endo has expressed his views on this matter. He believes that the so-called ‘Loyal to the original workIt’s not about faithfully remaking word for word or absolutely not changing any settings, but about understanding and preserving the core idea of the work.

Adapt while maintaining the original characters and story core, in order to gain recognition from fans. Next, let’s take a look at the detailed explanation of this topic by Hiroshi Endo.

In January of this year (2024), Japanese manga artist Fujiko Kawahara accused her work “SEXY Miss Tanaka” of unauthorized changes to multiple settings by the production team during the process of adapting it into a television drama.

In the absence of effective communication, Empress Dowager Ashigahara even declared her intention to die, causing a public outcry in Japanese society.

The Japanese television station responsible for adapting the drama released an investigation report on the incident last week.However, due to the report being filled with protective language towards the crew and not respecting the opinions of Empress Ashigahara, it once again sparked heated discussions.

In this trend, the insights put forward by manga artist Hiroshi Endo have particularly attracted the attention of netizens.

The so-called ‘loyalty to the original work’ does not mean that no changes can be made to the work, but rather that the core meaning of the story and the core characteristics of the characters should be maintained

This sentence appeared in the investigation report of the “SEXY Miss Tanaka” incident. The report repeatedly mentions how difficult it is to adapt Japanese dramas to be completely faithful to the original work.

Endo Haicheng pointed out that the core issue of the “SEXY Miss Tanaka” incident is not that the crew made changes, but that these changes directly affected the “meaning of the story” and “the core ideas of the characters”.

This not only reflects the crew’s insufficient understanding of the work, but also distorts the essence of the work. As a result, it has sparked strong resentment from the original author and fans.

Endo Haicheng is famous for his works “Maria Mania” and “Unprecedented Game”.

This statement quickly gained support from netizens. They listed those adapted but still highly acclaimed film and television works, highlighting that fans are not unwilling to accept changes, but hope that the changes can be reasonable and convincing.

As long as the character’s characteristics remain intact, the story structure can also be maintained

Many netizens have mentioned Netflix’s “City Hunter” movies and animated adaptations of “Blade of the Dead”, believing that although these works have original storylines, they have never changed the core of the story and are therefore accepted as extensions of the original works.

In addition, the live action movie ‘Death Note’ is also a good example. Although there were new characters like Shiori and significant changes to the ending, they received high praise from fans of the original work due to the consistent character characteristics of L and Yue.

To put it simply, ‘If you want to change it, please make it like’ Beside the Shore, Lu Ban Doesn’t Move ‘.’

Netizens have summarized that their expectation for adapted works is not a constant reproduction, but loyalty to the core charm of the original work.

This explains why some adapted dramas can still gain widespread recognition by following the main storyline of the original work while incorporating original plot elements.

In summary, fans of the original work are not pursuing what the original work is aboutComplete reproductionBut ratherFully reproduce the charm of the original work. Fully understanding and respecting the core ideas of the original work is the key to achieving successful adaptation. As long as the production team can understand and respect the essence of the original work, the audience will naturally buy it.