History Main / GenreDeconstruction

And then the show demonstrates exactly what happens to those young girls who are forced into fighting EldritchAbominations with no chance at a normal life. Mami [[spoiler:is ultimately an extremely lonely StepfordSmiler who is broken on the inside due to losing her parents, and being forced to fight with no real friends. When Madoka does become her friend, her subsequent joy leads to her death, and also reminds us that these encounters are far more dangerous when removed from the sweet and innocent flavor that permeates most MagicalGirl shows]]. In addition, Sayaka [[spoiler:decides to use a SelflessWish to heal her crush, Kyousuke, much like any typical superhero. But as the other characters demonstrate, their is no such thing as a SelflessWish, as they all have a selfish intention. In Sayaka's case, it was so that she could get together with Kyousuke, and when he doesn't return her affections, she breaks down.]] Finally, Kyubey [[spoiler:shows exactly what kind of "mentor" would knowingly send girls off to their death, without giving the full details, and more importantly ''why'' he would that - it's revealed that he's really more of a magical girl villain that sets up magical girls to turn into the very monsters they fight so he can harvest their energy. Even that is played with since he's actually gathering that energy to [[WellIntentionedExtremist stave off the heat death of the universe]]]]. At the end, [[DeconReconSwitch however]], [[spoiler:Madoka becomes a MagicalGirl, and uses a CosmicRetcon to make it so that {{Magical Girl}}s will not become witches. Although {{Magical Girl}}s will have to fight demons instead of witches, it is at least implied that the situation is better than before -- but only slightly better]].

And then the show demonstrates exactly what happens to those young girls who are forced into fighting EldritchAbominations with no chance at a normal life. Mami [[spoiler:is ultimately an extremely lonely StepfordSmiler who is broken on the inside due to losing her parents, and being forced to fight with no real friends. When Madoka does become her friend, her subsequent joy leads to her death, and also reminds us that these encounters are far more dangerous when removed from the sweet and innocent flavor that permeates most MagicalGirl shows]]. In addition, Sayaka [[spoiler:decides to use a SelflessWish to heal her crush, Kyousuke, much like any typical superhero. But as the other characters demonstrate, their is no such thing as a SelflessWish, as they all have a selfish intention. In Sayaka's case, it was so that she could get together with Kyousuke, and when he doesn't return her affections, she breaks down.]] Finally, Kyubey [[spoiler:shows exactly what kind of "mentor" would knowingly send girls off to their death, without giving the full details. Among these details is the fact that Magical girls will someday become the monsters that they fight, and that one reason they even fight them in the first place, is to stave off that end for as long as possible]]. At the end, [[DeconReconSwitch however]], [[spoiler:Madoka becomes a MagicalGirl, and uses a CosmicRetcon to make it so that {{Magical Girl}}s will not become witches. Although {{Magical Girl}}s will have to fight demons instead of witches, it is at least implied that the situation is better than before -- but only slightly better]].

** ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars'' -- a remake of ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}'', although ''Yojimbo'' was an adaptation of DashiellHammett's ''RedHarvest''

* ''{{Berserk}}'' is essentially a deconstruction of the whole {{Shonen}} genre, starting with the fact that ''Berserk'' ain't even a shonen, but a {{Seinen}}. Another example would include protagonist Guts himself, who is the complete opposite of the usual shonen titular hero: he's a gruff, [[HeroicBuild built]], [[YoungerThanTheyLook twenty-something year old]], who is on [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes the more serious level of anti-heroes]], who, by all means, is one of the few manga characters who is [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon actually physically capable of wielding]] [[{{BFS}} a huge weapon.]] Fighting is also heavily deconstructed and played for laughs at times, since Guts doesn't take the time to analyze his enemies' attack: if Guts sees a window of opportunity, [[CombatPragmatist he'll just take it.]] Hell - [[TheBerserker he might not even wait for that.]] Also, ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy and CallingYourAttacks has proven to be '''VERY FOOLISH''' for the mooks who do this. Oh, and [[KilledMidSentence talking is most definitely NOT a free action during battle.]]

* ''SpecOpsTheLine'' deconstructs the modern military first-person shooter by showing the protagonist, Walker, as slowly slipping away from his sanity the further the game goes on. Walker continues to try to rationalize what he's doing by saying he intends to help whilst he's only making things much, much worse. He also says that he [[IDidWhatIHadToDo had no choice]] in a lot of situations where he very clearly did, including crossing the MoralEventHorizon by [[spoiler: [[KillItWithFire using white phosphorus to firebomb fellow American soldiers]], and unknowingly killing dozens of civilians]]. Walker is, at best, a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiheroes Type V]] AntiHero, though he's closer to a VillainProtagonist. On top of all this, [[DownerEnding none of the possible endings are happy ones]], with Walker either dead or clinically insane.

*** Ozymandias, the "smartest man alive," and a Marvel-style super-genius in the mold of [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]] and [[XMen Professor X]] taken to the trope's logical conclusions. He becomes a superhuman athlete [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower through sheer force of will]] and a training program he designed himself, and is also the world's wealthiest self-made businessman. He's driven by such ruthless consequentialism that certain actions of his can be... morally debated.\\

* The ValiantComics flagship title, Harbinger, featured a groups of super powered teens ''on the run for their lives'' from an seemingly unbeatable business man who, at least at first, seems to be an {{Expy}} of [[XMen Charles Xavier]]. While the man seemed to genuinely care for his subordinates, he never hesitated to mistreat them for the sake of what he felt was the greater good of humanity (which is to say, a better world that would be completely under his control). He was desperate the hunt down their protagonist because their team leader has the same powers as him - the near-unlimited telepathy and telekinesis and ability to ''activate superpowers in others''. The hero, incidentally, wasn't exactly pure either - early issues in particular showing him using powers in selfish and potentially dangerous ways. It also does a good job showing the mental and emotional toil this kind of thing would have a group of teens, constantly moving from town to town, and being the only thing keeping this guy from becoming dictator of the world.

* Since, as of this writing, all the examples on this page are positively presented, a reminder should be given that TropesAreNotGood. For instance, there's ''Out of this World'' by [[LawrenceWattEvans Lawrence Watt-Evans]], which deconstructs both HighFantasy and SpaceOpera. Our hero is an [[ThisLoserIsYou ordinary schlub]], so everything -- ''everything'' -- he tries [[BoringFailureHero fails miserably]] as the narration remarks that such things [[ThisIsReality only work in fiction]]. DeusAngstMachina rears its ugly head when [[spoiler:the villains rape and murder his wife and daughter]].

* ''Novel/{{Superpowers}}'' by David J. Schwartz completely tears up the super-hero genre. There are no super-villains or over-arching plots to destroy the world, but it's okay, because by the end of the book, the group has [[spoiler: been inadvertently responsible for several woundings and deaths]], Charlie, the group's mind reader [[spoiler: goes partially insane from all the dread immediately after 9/11, goes into a mental asylum for a year, and is presumably kidnapped by the government immediately after]], Jack, the group's speedster [[spoiler: dies from old age as a result of accelerated aging related to his super speed]], Mary Beth, who has super strength [[spoiler: accidentally kills an innocent islamic man, and willingly goes to jail for it]], Caroline, the group's flier [[spoiler: experiences her mother dying in 9/11]] and [[spoiler: goes into exile with Harriet (the team's invisible woman) and her father.]]

* Creator/WarrenEllis did a "thematic trilogy" for Creator/AvatarPress in which he deconstructs the superhero genre. ([[AuthorAppeal Yes, again]].) The first part, ''BlackSummer',' shows us what would happen if superheroes were too human. The second part, ''NoHero'', shows what would happen if they put themselves above human laws. The third part, ''{{Supergod}}'', shows would happen if superheroes weren't even remotely human.

* ''Film/{{Scream}}'', of course, was a deconstruction of the slasher horror film genre, with almost all of its characters being GenreSavvy and [[DiscussedTrope talking about what would happen next if this were a slasher film.]] This was done so successfully that "deconstructing the slasher genre" became a genre of its own.

* The entire MarvelComics Siege [[MetaPlot macro-crisis]] was a DeconstructorFleet of the entire Marvel Comics universe, the ReedRichardsIsUseless trope and the idea of the superhero in general.

** ComicBook/CivilWar addressed the stupidity of having the government let walking A-bombs blow themselves up in New York everyday while simultaneously showing how said government control plans would fail. This is shown in the ''deliberate'' {{Flanderization}} of Captain America and Iron Man showing how both sides are pretty stupid. This was also explained in the what if story arc when both sides find a balance and thus achieve peace.
** ComicBook/DarkReign then deconstructed the entire "Lone Cop saves the world and get promoted" genre by showing exactly what would happen if said psychopaths were really appointed to such positions of power. Thor, Reed Richards and Iron Man's tenures as God, Guardian and Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. in each of their individual story arcs show how each quest to "fix" the world leads to disaster. Then, the New Captain America saga had a deconstruction of the Sidekick. The idea of power and potential is again brought up in The Hood's recent story showing what happens if all the D-list heroes in the universe eventually got together and actually ''applied'' their powers, while the Current Mighty Avengers show how these super teams affect the political climate.

** The Decimation arcs in X-Men show exactly how humans would react to mutants if the odds were evened. And [[SecretWarriors The Secret arcs]] show how exactly what being a ''real'' spy means and all the details it entails.
** And finally, {{ComicBook/Siege}} shows that after all this, [[{{Reconstruction}} heroes are still heroes, no matter what]].

** AlanMoore's ''YoungbloodJudgmentDay'' is a pretty brutal evisceration of 90's superhero comics (including ''Youngblood'' itself!), as well as concepts like the AuthorAvatar and the MarySue.

* WarrenEllis did a "thematic trilogy" for AvatarPress in which he deconstructs the superhero genre. ([[AuthorAppeal Yes, again]].) The first part, ''BlackSummer'' shows us what would happen if superheroes were too human. The second part, ''NoHero'' shows what would happen if they put themselves above human laws. The third part, ''{{Supergod}}'' shows would happen if superheroes weren't even remotely human.
* {{Kick-Ass}} in regards to superheroes in their teens. Sure, the main character [[spoiler: doesn't die]] but his life becomes even ''worse'' after donning the mask, his only super power is that he has a metal plate in his head, gets beaten to a bloody pulp after every battle and would actually be far more responsible if he quit vigilantism altogether.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' deconstructed the KidHero and FreeRangeChildren tropes. One moment, the viewer is rooting for their favourite character in the awesome SupernaturalMartialArts fights - then the viewer is [[TearJerker painfully reminded]] [[EarthIsABattlefield just why]] [[ParentalAbandonment a group of teens and kids]] have the [[TheExile freedom]] and [[ChildSoldier ability]] to travel all over the world. Same thing goes for the villains - one moment the viewer is hoping for somebody to kick Azula's ass, [[TearJerker then she sees her mother in the mirror...]] Comicbook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderThePromise goes even further with the deconstruction.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' deconstructed the KidHero and FreeRangeChildren tropes. One moment, the viewer is rooting for their favourite character in the awesome SupernaturalMartialArts fights - then the viewer is [[TearJerker painfully reminded]] [[EarthIsABattlefield just why]] [[ParentalAbandonment a group of teens and kids]] have the [[TheExile freedom]] and [[ChildSoldier ability]] to travel all over the world. Same thing goes for the villains - one moment the viewer is hoping for somebody to kick Azula's ass, [[TearJerker then she sees her mother in the mirror...]] [[Comicbook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderThePromise]] goes even further with the deconstruction.

** Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}: ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' takes straightforward superhero action and makes it look absurd by having real-world politics interfere. Batman's work becomes a tool for debates about "toughness on crime," while ComicBook/{{Superman}}'s idealism makes him an easy dupe for the US government's plans for nuclear war. It also asked the question: "What sort of a man would dress up in a bat outfit and fight crime?" The answer: "A man who isn't very pleasant or sane." Though, it's not really clear the work is intended or often taken to be a deconstruction.

* ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater'' deconstructs the Zombie Apocalypse genre. The zombies aren't actually dead but rather infected with a "rage virus" that takes hold instantly (preventing the token Zombie Infectee). As the film moves along, the infected don't pose that much of a threat and the real villains of the film [[spoiler: end up being the soldiers]]. The sequel reveals that the infected eventually starve to death too.

* ChaosicRune, even more than the various ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' series, deconstructs the "Toys & Games" genre of anime and manga: Like any other "Toys & Games" series, the characters in the manga use seemingly-mundane cards to [[SummonMagic summon monsters]] and battle each other; however, UN-like things {{Beyblade}}, {{Pokemon}}, Franchise/YuGiOh or basically any other manga of the like, the monsters are summoned by ripping cross-dimensional holes through their masters' bodies, the monsters verge on EldritchAbomination territory, killing a monster card permanently kills the monster, the masters take the same damage as the monsters do (akin to [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Eva pilots]]), and there is just insane tons of Gorn and BodyHorror throughout the series.

* ChaosicRune, even more than the various YuGiOh series, deconstructs the "Toys & Games" genre of anime and manga: Like any other "Toys & Games" series, the characters in the manga use seemingly-mundane cards to [[SummonMagic summon monsters]] and battle each other; however, UN-like things {{Beyblade}}, {{Pokemon}}, YuGiOh or basically any other manga of the like, the monsters are summoned by ripping cross-dimensional holes through their masters' bodies, the monsters verge on EldritchAbomination territory, killing a monster card permanently kills the monster, the masters take the same damage as the monsters do (akin to [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Eva pilots]]), and there is just insane tons of Gorn and BodyHorror throughout the series.

* Park Chan-Wook's "Vengeance" trilogy, which includes ''SympathyForMrVengeance'', ''{{Oldboy}}'', and ''SympathyForLadyVengeance'' is very much a deconstruction of the revenge film. This is most true in the first film, in which all the violence committed only leads to further despair.

** If Metal Gear Solid and later games in the series dealt with action and spy movies, then {{Policenauts}} tackled fiction that involved space travel and space colonization such as {{Gundam}}. It is shown, said, or suggested in the game that there are issues with overcrowding, assorted denizens are on medications that are of dubious legality, said denizens need to be careful when it comes to their calcium intake, and that humans born and raised on Beyond Coast are taught to act differently from earth born humans to the point there are accents for both of them. And there's even more than all of that, such as how living in a space colony affects sex working. Ultimately, the {{Big Bad}} basically says in the {{Motive Rant}} that humanity in the universe of Policenauts was not ready to leave Earth, and the player might very well with that.

** If Metal Gear Solid and later games in the series dealt with action and spy movies, then {{Policenauts}} tackled fiction that involved space travel and space colonization. It is shown, said, or suggested in the game that there are issues with overcrowding, assorted denizens are on medications that are of dubious legality, said denizens need to be careful when it comes to their calcium intake, and that humans born and raised on Beyond Coast are taught to act differently from earth born humans to the point there are accents for both of them. And there's even more than all of that, such as how living in a space colony affects sex working. Ultimately, the {{Big Bad}} basically says in the {{Motive Rant}} that humanity in the universe of Policenauts was not ready to leave Earth, and the player might very well with that.

** If Metal Gear Solid and later games in the series dealt with action and spy movies, then {{Policenauts}} tackled fiction that involved space travel and space colonization. It is shown, said, or suggested in the game that there are issues with overcrowding, assorted denizens are on medications that are of dubious legality, said denizens need to be careful when it comes to their calcium intake, and that humans born and raised on Beyond Coast are taught to act differently from earth born humans to the point there are accents for both of them. And there's even more than all of that. Ultimately, the {{Big Bad}} basically says in the {{Motive Rant}} that humanity in the universe of Policenauts was not ready to leave Earth, and the player might very well with that.

** If Metal Gear Solid and later games in the series dealt with action and spy movies, then {{Policenauts}} tackled fiction that involved space travel and space colonization. It is shown, said, or suggested in the game that there are issues with overcrowding, assorted denizens are on medications that are of dubious legality, need to be careful when it comes to their calcium intake, people born and raised on Beyond Coast are taught to act differently from earth born humans to the point there are accents for both of them. And there's even more than all of that. Ultimately, the {{Big Bad}} basically says in the {{Motive Rant}} that humanity in the universe of Policenauts was not ready to leave Earth, and the player might very well with that.

** If Metal Gear Solid and later games in the series dealt with action and spy movies, then {{Policenauts}} tackled fiction that involved space travel and space colonization. It is shown, said, or suggested in the game that there are issues with overcrowding, assorted denizens are on medications, need to be careful when it comes to their calcium intake, people born and raised on Beyond Coast are taught to act differently from earth born humans to the point there are accents for both of them. Ultimately, the {{Big Bad}} basically says in the {{Motive Rant}} that humanity in the universe of Policenauts was not ready to leave Earth, and the player might very well with that.

** It also deconstructs the classic Batman origin: Waller plans to kill Terry's parents when he's a boy, but when the assassin she hires ([[ContinuityNod Andrea Beaumont]], [[BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm the Phantasm]]) refuses to go through with it, Waller realizes that whatever her goals, it wasn't worth it, and she's pleased that Terry has become a much more sane and stable superhero because he had a chance for a normal childhood.

* ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh GX}}'' deconstructs the GamingAndSportsAnimeAndManga genre, taking the absurdity of elevating a ([[MyLittlePanzer dangerous]]) children's card game to an international spectator sport and the method of deciding the fate of the universe UpToEleven and past, not to mention the realistic effects this would have on the psyche of a kid.

** Quite a few old super robot shows featured mysterious, alien villains with very lightly defined motivations; cue the relentless attacks of the Angels, alien (or not) assailants on whose motives, constituents or psychology we have a little idea of, simply malevolent [[MacGuffin MacGuffins]] to enable [[strike:psychobabble]] the story to play with 'giant robot' tropes. They also happen to get progressively [[NightmareFuel creepier]], and more unexplainably eldritch as the show progresses. Most importantly, there is an emphasis on showing the fear and uncertainty that comes with fighting an enemy that is just plain undefinable, thus showing how it just takes a little to turn an idealistic, formulaic Super Robot anime into a depressing CosmicHorrorStory. Various factions within the series vie for the opportunity to take down the Angels in the way they deem most appropriate, with the winner, of course, being the one that [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill causes the most collateral damage.]]

* ChaosicRune, even more than the various YuGiOh series, deconstructs the "Toys & Games" genre of anime and manga: Like any other "Toys & Games" series, the characters in the manga use seemingly-mundane cards to [[SummoningMagic summon monsters]] and battle each other; however, UN-like things {{Beyblade}}, {{Pokemon}}, YuGiOh or basically any other manga of the like, the monsters are summoned by ripping cross-dimensional holes through their masters' bodies, the monsters verge on EldritchAbomination territory, killing a monster card permanently kills the monster, the masters take the same damage as the monsters do (akin to [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Eva pilots]]), and there is just insane tons of Gorn and BodyHorror throughout the series.

* Though ''[[SoapOpera telenovelas]]'' are rarely prone to deconstruct the genre, a Colombian one named "''La mujer en el espejo''" ("Woman in the mirror") deconstructed the hell out of the archetypal plot of "Former {{Pollyanna}} is [[WomanScorned betrayed by her love interest]] and gets into a RoaringRampageOfRevenge via [[strike:UnnecessaryMakeover]] [[PaperThinDisguise becoming fashionable]] and [[CorruptCorporateExecutive ruthless]]". According to this one, the only real way one no one could recognize you is having a DealWithTheDevil to [[TheOtherDarrin literally transform into another woman]]. Pity that you now are SoBeautifulItsACurse; your family obviously doesn't recognize you (which is very inconvenient when you're trying to advise and protect them from the villains), [[GlamourFailure mirrors show your real appearance]], who becomes your detached conscience and berates all your bad decisions, including the aforementioned deal; and your love interest liked you much better the way you were.
* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'''s primary ''raison d'etre'' is to deconstruct the SpaceOpera genre. For example, the series opens with an epic battle in which [[strike:TheEmpire]] The Alliance soundly defeats the [[strike:RagtagBunchOfMisfits]] Independent Worlds; TheCaptain's epic romance never even gets off the ground due to the personality clashes between him and his love interest, and the RaygunGothic setting is rendered completely moot by the fact that the protagonists are too broke to afford any of the cool technology, and most of that stuff is unreliable anyway.

** ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars'' -- a remake of ''{{Yojimbo}}'', although ''Yojimbo'' was an adaptation of DashiellHammett's ''RedHarvest''