To paraphrase comics author Kurt Busiek, the whole point of
taking something apart is to put it back together better than it was before.
Reconstruction is possibly best defined in terms of the
deconstruction that almost always precedes it. If deconstruction is the tearing down of a genre, then reconstruction is, naturally, an attempt to raise it from the ashes. If deconstruction is the firm, merciless hand of reality smashing down on the illusions we build to escape it, then reconstruction is the process of creating a newer, better dream in its place. While deconstruction seeks out the flaws in a theme or genre with malicious intent, reconstruction is a non-ironic celebration of what captured our interest in the first place.
Compare the
George Lucas Throw Back, which usually involves quite a bit of Reconstruction, and
Troperiffic works.
Examples:
- In comics, after the Dark Age of the 1990s, the best parts of the Silver Age were resurrected and celebrated in works like Astro City and Marvels.
- Kingdom Come was a particularly famous comics reconstruction that delivered a rather heavy-handed denouncement of the Nineties Anti Hero. Though it should be noted that the story ended up with all the super-heroes realizing they were flawed, removing their masks, and joining normal human society.
- For that reason, Kingdom Come might be more aptly termed a deconstruction of the Age of Deconstruction itself than a reconstruction proper.
- Justice is more a reconstruction proper, as it is essentially Super Friends without the camp, token characters, and low-budget visuals.
- Mark Waid's Justice League of America Year One attempted to retcon the immature absurd early days of DC comic adventures into a coherent storyline.
- Alan Moore's Tom Strong was part of his attempt (along with most of the rest of the ABC line) to create super-hero comics that were purely entertaining and celebrated his favorite aspects of the genre.
- In The Canterbury Tales, the Franklin's Tale is a reconstruction of the courtly love genre, in that it maintains the pursuit of justice which was positive in the genre while jettisoning its role as a support for adultery and other unethical behaviors.
- The Dark Tower series began as a reconstruction of the Westerns the author enjoyed.
- Yuusha-Oh Gao Gai Gar was a direct, deliberate reaction to Neon Genesis Evangelion. Maybe Gainax' release of Gurren Lagann is saying they got the message...
- Koutetsushin Jeeg likewise appears to be an attempt to make an old cartoon like Mazinger Z and Getter Robo in its entirety (and specifically, of course, to remake Steel Jeeg), but with modern production values and techniques.
- This is a Cyclic Trope, especially in the Humungous Mecha genre: every decade or so when the genre is reaching the point of seriousness. Pre-EVA, there was also Giant Robo (though this was at least partially due to the manga being made in the 60's).
- Skies Of Arcadia was stock full of Heroic Fantasy clichés at a time when most console RPGs between that and Final Fantasy VII were trying to subvert/deconstruct them. It was arguably a success, and is generally regarded as one of the best games in the too-short-lived Sega Dreamcast's library.
- After becoming famous for making the dark Real Robot game series, Metal Gear Solid, Hideo Kojima went on to produce the much more unironic mecha game series, Zone Of The Enders.
- Sufjan Stevens' album Songs For Christmas was a personal reconstruction of Christmas Music for Sufjan: his attempt to capture the sublime melancholy of Christmas music at its best, and to come to terms with the Glurge of the holiday season.
- Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin detective novel series was made with the specific intention of reviving and uplifting the Russian detective genre after it sunk to a particularly terrible low.
- Tenacious D's music seems to be a reconstruction of classic rock. Though they don't take themselves or their lyrics very seriously, they certainly take the music seriously. As they wrote in "The Metal":
You can't kill The Metal...
The Metal will live on!
Punk Rock tried to kill The Metal...
but they failed, as they were smite to the ground!
New Wave tried to kill The Metal...
but they failed, as they were stricken down...to the ground
Grunge tried to kill The Metal...
Hahahahaha, THEY FAILED! as they were thrown to the ground!
- Monster Magnet is another reconstruction of classic rock, as are the Hellacopters. (especially on their early albums)
- DragonForce could be described as a reconstruction of Blind Guardian-esque, operatic power metal.
- Magical Project S; while Pretty Sammy OAV is an outright parody, the second and possibly the third are Reconstructions.
- Hard Boiled features every single police officer character as unambiguously heroic, as an apology by John Woo for the way Chinese films had started to glorify criminals (including some of Woo's previous films).
- Similarly, Hot Fuzz was partially an attempt to revive the British police officer as a credible movie hero after almost every British crime movie of the previous decade (or at least since Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels) had instead focused on glorifying criminals.
- For the same purpose all the paperwork was shown in a stylish way
- Clueless is a reconstruction of Teen Movies after the bitter deconstruction of Heathers.
- Red Vs Blue. Notable in that the new series is actually called Reconstruction. After five seasons of picking apart gaming tropes, they are now being put back together. What was once laughed at by the main characters is now a serious threat. Of course, it never made the audience stop laughing at them.
- Some recent Westerns seem to be attempts at this (the 3:10 to Yuma remake, the upcoming Appaloosa) in contrast to some of the more post-modern examples of the genre (such as No Country For Old Men).
