History DeconReconSwitch / AnimeAndManga

* ''Manga/{{Pluto}} is set up to be a DarkerAndEdgier [[UltimateUniverse re-imagining]] of the classic ''Manga/AstroBoy'' saga "The Greatest Robot on Earth". Not only does it feature a more realistic art style and setting, but rather than having Astro[=/=]Atom as the central focus, the story instead [[PerspectiveFlip shifts towards]] the minor character Gesicht. While Atom's role as a RobotSuperhero protagonist ensured that the original story would have an action-adventure tone, Gesicht being a RobotDetective protagonist leads to the story shifting to a more noir-like tone, with Gesicht's investigations allowing the story to explore the seeder corners of the setting, along with giving it the time to ask complex questions on robotic intelligence and the nature of memory. However, [[spoiler:Gesicht is [[DoomedByCanon killed off later into the story]] just as he was during the original ''Astro Boy'' arc, and Atom retakes his position as the protagonist that fights Pluto at the story's climax -- not out of revenge, but to end the CycleOfRevenge and stop Pluto from destroying himself (and the world)]].

* Several tropes in android sci-fi, like BecomeARealBoy and DoAndroidsDream, are discussed by the narrative with fairly dark interpretations. Unlike most other media where androids adopt human characteristics that are good, the androids of ''Pluto'' adopt ones that are [[HumansAreFlawed negative]]: pride, prejudice, and even a capacity for violence and hatred. The story even posits that the factor that makes an artificial intelligence a true, growing life form is none other than the ability to [[spoiler:lie to others ''and itself'']]. However, the story then bends in the other direction and demonstrates how negative human characteristics can still be used for good [[spoiler:through Atom. In the last leg of the story, Atom develops the ability to feel hatred, desire revenge and even lie to others, but all three ultimately come from his empathy and good heart: he ''feels hatred'' for how Pluto has been treated and the situation the two have been forced into; he ''desires revenge'' for the deaths of his fellow robots but ultimately understands pursuing it against a victim like Pluto is the wrong thing to do; and he ''lies'' to Gesicht's wife about the missing memory of their murdered child to spare her the pain she would feel if she remembered it. The story demonstrates that the negative aspects of humanity do not always lead to destruction or cruelty, and can indeed give positive results if handled correctly.]]

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Uses that Hegelian dialectic above to explain alchemy (it is mentioned that alchemy has three parts when referring to Scar's tattoo (which stops at the 2nd stage): identification, deconstruction, reconstruction). It does this to the plot too, identifying the basic idea of EquivalentExchange (to which it is the {{Trope Namer|s}}), deconstructing it (The Gate cheated, taking all of Alphonse and taking an arm and a leg from Edward, to give a false revival), and reconstructing it (the real exchange is something different, and comes both from Edward's choice, and Winry's comment to Edward at the end). Both have EquivalentExchange disputed in rapid succession with providing a better solution, in addition to the gradual deconstruction and reconstruction process provided by the story.

* ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' does work to deconstruct many of the tropes in the previous two ''Digimon'' series, such as showing the brutality of owning a {{Kaiju}} as a pet and sending ten year olds to save the world, and yet it still revels in ThePowerOfFriendship, HotBlooded characters, and most of the antagonists have several shades of gray to them.

* ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'': The series finale pulls this trope on TrueCompanions. [[spoiler: By the end of the series, all the members (minus Jack) have received opportunities on where to take their lives now that the world is safe, but they’re hesitant to follow up on them as doing so would require them to split up. Jack calls his teammates out on this, saying that by hesitating, they’re choosing not to embrace their full potential as individuals. In other words, their strong bond has become a hindrance rather than a strength. In the end, however, while they do decide to go their separate ways, they resolve to remain TrueCompanions, acknowledging that they can remain connected to one another even if they’re apart.]]

* The Fullbringer arc of ''Franchise/{{Bleach}}'' does this to ThePowerOfFriendship. TheDragon Tsukishima uses his MindRape powers to turn all of Ichigo's friends and family against him, all while Ichigo has only just started getting some amount of power to protect them. After being helped by Ginjo most of the arc, Ginjo backstaps him and steals his powers, leaving Ichigo powerless against the two as he no longer can protect his friends and they are being used as tools by the antagonists to torment him further. Having always fought to protect people, Ichigo is almost driven to despair by the two, and almost loses hope when he thinks his own father had stabbed him as well. The reconstruction comes from when it turns out the person who stabbed him was [[{{Deuteragonist}} Rukia]], who restores Ichigo's Soul Reaper powers and arrives with help from Soul Society to save Ichigo and his friends. Essentially the villains weaponized Ichigo's friendships and drove him near to despair, while Rukia and Soul Society showed that the bonds and changes Ichigo had made leading up to this moment still mattered by helping him out.

** And then ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'' [[spoiler:deconstructs ThePowerOfLove again, as well as the anime's ending, [[TakeThatAudience fanbase]], and {{Fan Work}}s. At the end of the movie, Homura's love for Madoka [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy and desire to see her happy]] causes her to become ''[[LoveMakesYouEvil the devil itself]]''...and she then makes a world where all the main characters are [[EveryoneLives alive]] and [[EarnYourHappyEnding well]] (except [[BigBad Kyubey]], who gets his [[LaserGuidedKarma just]] [[KickTheSonOfABitch desserts]]). It's like a FixFic GoneHorriblyRight]].

* ''LightNovel/ReZero'' is one of the typical {{NEET}} protagonist found in TrappedInAnotherWorld type stories. Showing first what would happen if a {{NEET}} from our world actually wound up trapped in a strange world filled with powerful people and gained a special power, then later showing what it would realistically take for that person to become a hero in this scenario. Because Subaru is weak and unskilled he gets killed very early on and comes back to life only because of his special power (which doesn't lend itself to combat). After going through several cycles of this he starts exhibiting signs of PTSD from all the trauma. In addition, his lack of social skills ends up causing serious problems for himself and Emilia later in the story, prompting a self-inflicted TheReasonYouSuckSpeech where he acknowledges all of his failings and how powerless and useless he is. He gradually becomes a hero in his own right by learning from his mistakes, relying on his wits, using the information he gains through each cycle to his advantage, and relying on people that are stronger than him to make it out of battles alive.

* After the first episode of ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', it looks like it will be your standard MonsterOfTheWeek {{Shonen|Demographic}} anime about a group of friends beating up monsters. But then it deconstructed heavily when [[AnyoneCanDie about 50% of named characters started dropping like flies]], there is little to no hope for victory, and [[HopelessWar everyone gives into the despair that they are inevitably going to be]] EatenAlive. Then Eren turns into a Titan and starts beating the tar out of the other Titans, and suddenly it is much less hopeless, and the audience is given reason to root for humanity again.

* ''Anime/CardfightVanguard'''s first season does this in relationship to supernatural card game anime. Psy Qualia allows you to talk to your units, basically letting you draw whatever card you want and see how the game will play out. This is not the first power in this sort of anime that allows you to manipulate the outcome. However, it is shown as bad, not only because it gets you DrunkOnTheDarkSide, but because at that point, you are not really playing the game anymore. But ultimately, Aichi still thinks of it as ThePowerOfFriendship in relation to his cards, and uses it to defeat Ren, who has the same power but thinks of his units as more disposable.

* The Fullbringer arc of ''Franchise/{{Bleach}}'' does this to ThePowerOfFriendship. TheDragon Tsukishima uses his MindRape powers to turn all of Ichigo's friends and family against him, all while Ichigo has only just started getting some amount of power to protect them. After being helped by Ginjo most of the arc, Ginjo backstaps him and steals his powers, leaving Ichigo powerless against the two as he no longer can protect his friends and they are being used as tools by the antagonists to torment him further. Having always fought to protect people, Ichigo is almost driven to despair by the two, and almost loses hope when he thinks his own father had stabbed him as well. The reconstruction comes from when it turns out the person who stabbed him was [[TheHeroine Rukia]], who restores Ichigo's Soul Reaper powers and arrives with help from Soul Society to save Ichigo and his friends. Essentially the villains weaponized Ichigo's friendships and drove him near to despair, while Rukia and Soul Society showed that the bonds and changes Ichigo had made leading up to this moment still mattered by helping him out.

* In a {{meta}} example, Creator/StudioGainax. They started with ''Anime/GunBuster'', went to ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', then went to ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''.
** Even before ''TTGL'' the studio started the era of reconstruction with ''Anime/DieBuster'', a direct sequel to ''Gunbuster'' that went back to the idealistic roots of the super robot genre.
** ''Gurren Lagann'' does this itself, with the first eight episodes playing out like an AffectionateParody of the SuperRobotGenre tropes. It does not take itself seriously until [[spoiler:Kamina dies]], when it deals with the emotional side of the show in a more serious way, while simultaneously [[{{Reconstruction}} celebrating the tropes it mocked in the first place]]. One can see the history of the genre this way: The first arc is based on 80s Super Robot anime, when the genre was played straight. The second arc is based on the 90s, when it became popular to deconstruct the SuperRobotGenre and {{Real Robot|Genre}} shows were in fashion. The final arc is based on 00s mecha anime, when Super Robot shows got a resurgence in popularity.
** It is subtle in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', but it is there as well—oh boy is it deconstructed, but the Reconstruction is presented in full postmodernism. [[spoiler: Shinji gets over his breakdown, Rei stands up to Gendo, and Asuka finds enough worth to return to life after Instrumentality.]]
* Similarly to the ''Gurren Lagann'' example above (fitting, since many of the same people created both), ''Anime/KillLaKill'' starts off as a clear AffectionateParody of both hot-blooded shonen and magical girl anime, [[LampshadeHanging hanging lampshades]] on all of the well-worn tropes and generally maintaining its sense of humor above all else. Then [[spoiler:Nui reveals that she killed Ryuko's father and starts screwing her over in every conceivable way]], and the story becomes more fast-paced and serious, [[{{Reconstruction}} bringing back all of the tropes it lightly mocked]] and clearly showing why these stories are so beloved.
* ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'' may be a DeconstructorFleet of superhero tropes, but as it goes on many of them get played straight again.
** The main character is an InvincibleHero whose lack of challenges leaves him completely disillusioned with life. On top of that, his literally unbelievable feats of strength lead the general public to decry him as a fraud. Nonetheless he still keeps on being a hero, because it is what he wants to do, [[ZeroApprovalGambit public opinion be damned]], and the people who know him personally respect him a great deal for it.
** The Hero Association is a send-up of [[HeroesRUs superhero organisations]]; the higher-ups are [[PointyHairedBoss affluent morons]], many heroes are more interested in their rankings than doing anything heroic (to the point of forming cliques and bullying lower-ranked members), the S-class heroes are dysfunctional ''at best'', and the CListFodder is not only severely outclassed by any actual threat, they also have to meet weekly quotas or they lose their membership. And yet it is also a powerful force for good: when a threat that can defeat even S-class heroes emerges, several heroes from across the board rise up to fight it. They stand absolutely no chance, yet by keeping the MonsterOfTheWeek occupied they buy enough time for Saitama to arrive and kill it before anybody dies. As Saitama puts it:
---> "If the heroes run and hide, who will stay and fight?"

* ''Manga/TwentiethCenturyBoys'' goes nuts on every nuance it can find in the SavingTheWorld plot. The badass is brought down to the same level as the ActionSurvivor cast. The AttackOfThe50FootWhatever is torn apart so brutally it is commented on in-universe. The only reason the BigBad exists is because he is a PsychopathicManchild who actually ''believes'' in this, and he is much smarter than the typical comic book villain who grabs the IdiotBall at the perfect time. At the same time, it is a {{Reconstruction}} in that, no matter how many {{trope}}s it subverts, the characters are still SavingTheWorld.

** ''Nadesico'' also delves into the {{Super Robot|Genre}} side of things as well. Many of the moral actions and choices made in the series do not have clear cut results or justifications, and many of the events are contrasted against the Super Robot ShowWithinAShow ''Gekiganger''. Plus, the only pilot on ''Nadesico'' that fits the {{Super Robot|Genre}} archetype [[spoiler: [[DroppedABridgeOnHim gets shot and killed early in the series]], rather than getting the heroic death in battle he was hoping for]].

* Most ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' series will do this for the popular anime tropes of their day.
** The original ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'' deconstructed the whole "one ship against the world" setup popularized by ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' showing that an enemy fleet would have to be holding back (as the Zentradi fleet was) for this to work while eventually showing [[ApocalypseHow what happens]] when they do stop holding back. But then they do show how the power of love and understanding can still win the day by giving the lone ship powerful allies.
** ''Anime/Macross7'' shows how annoying a typical HotBlooded mecha anime hero can be. Then demonstrates how that hot blooded {{determinat|or}}ion can win the day when Basara continues to sing even faced against overwhelming odds, which wins the day.
** ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' deconstructed the IdolSinger aspect by showing how they are mostly "fabricated pop idols" with no substance beyond that, and how they can be discarded at any moment. But then, [[spoiler: Sheryl refuses to be discarded and manages to regain her status—and ultimately assists in punishing the [[BigBad agent]] who tried to discard her]], thus truly becoming an IdolSinger.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': For example, [[ThePowerOfLove love]], [[ThePowerOfFriendship trust]] and {{determinat|or}}ion are all needed for survival; having a goal is the only way to get through the hard times. (Still, be careful [[AmbitionIsEvil not to cling too hard]].)
* ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'' has a possible in-universe case with Classroom of Truth. At first glance, it is a DeconstructorFleet story that deconstructs shonen values such as hard work, friendship and so forth, by having the characters trapped in a classroom, only concerned about their own survival, and being forced to admit their selfishness or die. However, Takagi points out that the selfish characters were the first to die, and proposes that it is a roundabout way of suggesting that people must work together.
* ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' does work to deconstruct many of the tropes in the previous two ''Digimon'' series, such as showing the brutality of owning a {{Kaiju}} as a pet and sending ten year olds to save the world, and yet it still revels in ThePowerOfFriendship, HotBlooded characters, and most of the antagonists have several shades of gray to them.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* The first season of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' is the deconstruction, the second one and the movie serve as the reconstruction.
* ''Anime/CardfightVanguard'''s first season does this in relationship to supernatural card game anime. Psy Qualia allows you to talk to your units, basically letting you draw whatever card you want and see how the game will play out. This is not the first power in this sort of anime that allows you to manipulate the outcome. However, it is shown as bad, not only because it gets you DrunkOnTheDarkSide, but because at that point, you are not really playing the game anymore. But ultimately, Aichi still thinks of it as ThePowerOfFriendship in relation to his cards, and uses it to defeat Ren, who has the same power but thinks of his units as more disposable.
* ''Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco'''s main character arc was Luluco's schoolgirl crush on her stoic teammate, Nova. As the show nears its end, it turns out that Nova is actually an EmptyShell working for the BigBad, who [[ImpossibleThief literally steals her feelings]] on the grounds that a NaiveEverygirl's LoveAtFirstSight is actually the most ''worthless'' thing in the universe. After [[LiteralMetaphor dying of a broken heart]], Luluco realizes that Nova's lack of emotions means that his actions cannot really constitute a betrayal, and that her love for him is precious no matter what; this not only [[BackFromTheDead brings her back to life]], it induces a CareBearStare that [[HumanityIsInfectious gives Nova emotions]] and allows him to return her love.
* ''WebAnimation/KaijuGirls'': The early episodes are a {{deconstruction}} of the MagicalGirlWarrior genre. The public is fully aware of them and GIRLS is an organization founded to help them. The [[TransformationTrinket Soulrizer]] is such a mundane (but expensive) device that it is possible to buy a replacement should they break it. Since the world is at peace, seniors in GIRLS have to play ProfessionalWrestling instead of beating up villains, and newbies get boring tasks like handing out flyers. The {{reconstruction}} kicks-in with a berserk kaiju girl, and episode 8 reveals the antagonist organization, Shadows.
* ''Manga/MedakaBox'' readily flip-flops between being a standard ''Magazine/ShonenJump'' fighting series and a deconstruction of the same. Initially Medaka is portrayed as a practically perfect AllLovingHero, but then it's shown [[SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining despite having seemingly limitless abilities, she has a very hard time relating to or even understanding other people]], and that having no purpose in life beyond "help everyone I meet" is dangerously unhealthy. By the end of the series, her kindness towards others has earned her the love of everyone in the school, and those limitless abilities let her [[spoiler:save the Earth after her evil uncle tried to drop the Moon on it]].
* ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' started as a deconstruction of the ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' franchise, from pulling the characters into interdimensional war and showing the consequences of such to averting DuelsDecideEverything, ThePowerOfFriendship, and the WarriorTherapist tropes. Then it began to show that these tropes could still work, having Yuya bring smiles to everyone by dueling and causing a multitude of {{Heel Face Turn}}s, including the BigBad.

* ''LightNovel/ReZero'' is one of the typical {{NEET}} protagonist found in TrappedInAnotherWorld type stories. Showing first what would happen if a {{NEET}} from our world actually wound up trapped in a strange world filled with powerful people and gained a special power, then later showing what it would realistically take for that person to become a hero in this scenario. Because Subaru is weak and unskilled he gets killed very early on and comes back to life only because of his special power (which doesn't lend itself to combat). After going through several cycles of this he starts exhibiting signs of PTSD from all the trauma. In addition, his lack of social skills ends up causing serious problems for himself and Emilia later in the story, prompting a self-inflicted TheReasonYouSuckSpeech where he acknowledges all of his failings and how powerless and useless he is. He gradually becomes a hero in his own right by learning from his mistakes, relying on his wits, using the information he gains through each cycle to his advantage, and relying on people that are stronger than him to make it out of battles alive.
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', being a shonen manga, deconstructs many standard tropes in the genre, to the point of having [[DeconstructorFleet/MyHeroAcademia its own page]] of deconstructed tropes. However, it ultimately is a ''celebration'' of the shonen genre, ultimately reconstructing said tropes (or at least some of them) with a more nuanced take.

* The Fullbringer arc of ''Franchise/{{Bleach}}'' does this to ThePowerOfFriendship. TheDragon Tsukishima uses his MindRape powers to turn all of Ichigo's friends and family against him, all while Ichigo has only just started getting some amount of power to protect them. After being helped by Ginjo most of the arc, Ginjo backstaps him and steals his powers, leaving Ichigo powerless against the two as he no longer can protect his friends and they are being used as tools by the antagonists to torment him further. Having always fought to protect people, Ichigo is almost driven to despair by the two, and almost loses hope when he thinks his own father had stabbed him as well. The reconstruction comes from when it turns out the person who stabbed him was [[TheHeroine Rukia]], who restores Ichigo's Soul Reaper powers and arrives with help from Soul Society to save Ichigo and his friends. Essentially the villains weaponized Ichigo's friendships and drove him near to despair, while Rukia and Soul Society showed that the bonds and changes Ichigo had made leading up to this moment still mattered by helping him out.
* ''Manga/OnaniMasterKurosawa'': This is done with BecauseYouWereNiceToMe. The characters that fall in love for this reason show that that’s a dangerous overreaction, and said nice person is a FalseSoulmate (said cases being [[spoiler:Kurosawa falling for Takigawa and Kitahara for Nagaoka)]]… however, it actually is shown to be a good reason to be friends, since those same people prove to be there for AFriendInNeed.