Lighter and Softer: Difference between revisions

The [[Different As Night and Day]] twin of [[Darker and Edgier]], when something is [[Tone Shift|Tone Shifted]] to be more kid friendly and frothy than the original source. This can either happen to a show over time, or it can be the result of [[Disneyfication]]. It may also be done purposefully if it's felt that the series has been getting overly dark. Thus, a Lighter And Softer installment may often follow one which made a point of being Darker And Edgier. Finally, if an adult or more serious TV show or movie has a spin-off aimed at children, this can be the result.

 

 

In music, this may result in an artist merely recording a [[Surprisingly Gentle Song]], or it could lead to the artist having a complete [[Genre Shift]] to a lighter genre.

* ''[[Les Misérables]] Shoujo Cosette''. [[Sliding Scale of Shiny Versus Gritty|Surprisingly shiny in the first half]], Fantine doesn't become a prostitute, and {{spoiler|Gavroche turns out miraculously not to die}}. While living at the Thénardiers', Cosette also is allowed to keep a dog named Chou-Chou.

** At some points, things just get ''weird'' ( {{spoiler|OK, so Eponine and Enjorlas still have to die, yet Javert, the freaking antagonist, DOESN'T commit suicide and LIVES?}})

* ''[[Full Metal Panic (Light Novel)|Full Metal Panic]]? Fumoffu''. The primary mech is a ridiculously cute mascot character named Bonta-kun, which can only "speak" by squeaking a high-pitched "Fumoffu!" Sandwiched between the original, serious series and the [[Darker and Edgier]] The Second Raid, it makes the differences all the more pronounced.

** The fluffy Bonta-kun suit is also quite literally both lighter and softer than the huge metal mechas from the original and "The Second Raid."

* As both series are intended to be comedies to the core, it would be inaccurate to claim that either version of ''[[Ranma ½ (Manga)|Ranma One Half]]'' is [[Darker and Edgier]] then the other. The anime version can still be seen as [[Lighter and Softer]] then the manga. Not only does it lack the somewhat darker storylines that the [[Rumiko Takahashi|author]] created after the anime was cancelled... which includes, among other things, a [[Villain of the Week]] whose father was technically killed by ''Genma'', Ranma meeting his mother -- and then being threatened with [[Seppuku]] because [[Jerkass|Happosai]] dressed him in girl's clothes, Ranma being trapped in female form by a group of more powerful and much more vicious martial artists, and Akane being kidnapped, near-drowned and then changed into a doll, an almost fatal experience, over Jusenkyo... but also removes several of the more [[Comedic Sociopathy]] moments from shared storylines. Examples of this include Akane's viciously vindictive speech to Ranma after the first Nekoken incident, Happosai's attempt to murder what he believes is baby [[Embarrassing First Name|Pantyhose]] [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy|Taro]] because he thinks Taro will become an even better [[Panty Thief]] then himself, and the ending of the Hypnotic Mushrooms story, which in the anime ends with a gag and in the manga ends with Akane surrounding herself with weapons to use against Ranma if he "tries something" while Ranma gives her a [[Deadpan Snarker]] response.

* ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Vi Vid (Manga)|Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Vi Vid]]'', which is in sharp contrast with the [[Darker and Edgier]] ''[[Nanoha Force]]'', the other Season 4 manga of ''Nanoha''. To start with, there are no villains after two volumes, with the closest one being Einhart Stratos, who quickly became a more friendly rival after her first appearance ended with her getting [[Defeat Means Friendship|befriended]]. No looming threat to [[The Multiverse]], no undercurrents of a [[Government Conspiracy]], just Vivio having fun with her friends, joining a magical combat sports tournament, and maybe rekindling a [[Reincarnation Romance]] [[Girls Love|with Einhart]].

* The 1972 anime adaptation of ''[[Devilman (Manga)|Devilman]]'' was considerably [[Lighter and Softer]] in comparison with the original manga: Lots of changes to the story were made, the violence and nudity were considerably toned down, comic relief was included, and the most of the character who{{spoiler|died at the end of the manga are still alive in the last chapter of the first anime series, which also has a [[Bittersweet Ending]] instead of the tragic conclusion of the manga.}}

* ''[[Soul Eater (Manga)|Soul Eater]]'''s sidestory manga from the same mangaka ''[[Soul Eater Not (Manga)|Soul Eater Not]]'' appears to be a twist of this from the first three chapters. It is focused on a period prior to Sid becoming a zombie (an event from Chapter 1 of the manga) and looks at how new normal academy students (instead of how badass seniors) fit in. Along with how students can raise money, waste money, get their names (Eternal Feather for example) and live in academy quarters.

** To say nothing of the comic version Starfire's [[Most Common Superpower|character design]]...

* The 1994 [[Re Boot]] of ''[[Legion of Super-Heroes (Comic Book)|Legion of Super-Heroes]]''. Over the previous decade, the comic had been hemorrhaging readers for years, having gone from happy young superheroes in a bright and shiny future to cynical adults struggling to hold society together (and the insanely complex [[Continuity Snarl]] that came about after ''[[Crisis On Infinite Earths]]''. So, the comic started over at the beginning with a focus on youth and idealism. (It got [[Darker and Edgier]] again when [[Dan Abnett]] and Andy Lanning took over writing duties years later, but that's another story.)

 

 

* ''[[The Warriors (Film)|The Warriors]]'': The book the movie is based on is considerably [[Darker and Edgier]]. Just for starters, the Warriors brutally gang rape and abandon a random girl. In the movie, Mercy, who is based on the girl in the novel, ends up pseudo-girlfriend to Swan.

** Well a Warriors remake is currently in the works, so those elements might be seen in the remake-especially considering that Tony Scott is slated to direct it.

** Yeah, but by all accounts it's not saying much. Nancy is still killed-fairly graphically for a kids' movie.

* While they were still R-rated, each ''[[A Nightmare On Elm Street (Film)|A Nightmare On Elm Street]]'' was more surreal and comedic than the one before it, peaking with ''[[Freddys Dead the Final Nightmare]]'', which has Freddy doing a Wicked Witch of the West impression ("I'll get you my pretty, and your little soul too!") during the first few minutes.

== Live-Action TV ==

* ''The E! True Hollywood Story'' used to be an [[Tear Jerker|incredibly depressing]] show that documented a certain celebrity's [[Fallen Creator (Darth Wiki)|fall from grace]] or detailed their [[Nightmare Fuel|grisly murder or suicide]]. However, in recent years the show has shifted its focus to the latest hit reality show or celebrities who are at their current peak of popularity.

** The second series of the spin-off series ''[[Torchwood (TV)|Torchwood]]'' actually airs in two versions, one for adults and one for all-ages. There is little difference in the broadcasts, apart from some removal of swearing and gore, such as {{spoiler|Alan Dale's character being shot (the all-ages version omitted the squib going off)}} in "Reset".

* ''[[Newsround]]'' is essentially a simplified version of ''[[BBC News]]'' with more kid friendly language and some concepts adults would be familiar with more fully explained. It also tends to lack financial news and only goes into politics on rare occasions (around election time for example). It isn't afraid to report on death or depressing topics but is a bit more sensitive about it, they also might report something which seen as a story of high 'kid interest' that the adult news wouldn't bother with.

* Season 7 of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' starts out with a much lighter mood than the dark, dark, ''[[Darker and Edgier]]'' Season 6 -- a deliberate move from the writers to give the audience a break from the [[Wangst|doom and gloom]].The season did take a noticeably [[It Got Worse|grimmer tone]] as it progressed.

** "[[Angel (TV)/Recap/S05 E15 A Hole in The World|A Hole In The World]]" and "Shells" notwithstanding, the same could be said for ''[[Angel (TV)|Angel]]'' Season 5. The entire season is a bit of a relief after the relentless Season 4.

* ''[[Charmed (TV)|Charmed]]'' increasingly took this direction with each passing season. First there were mermaids, then there were leprechauns, and finally a unicorn show up. Dwarves (from Snow White) showed up in a fairy tale based episode.

** All of which occurred in Season 5. But after the intense and continual darkness of Seasons 3 and 4 (ESPECIALLY season 4), Season 5 is more like a [[Breather Episode|Breather Season.]]

** Interestingly, the Waters-lead era (beginning with ''[[The Dark Side of the Moon (Music)|The Dark Side of the Moon]]'') was itself a [[Darker and Edgier]] version Pink Floyd. Before this point, Floyd albums were known for being spacey and psychedelic rather than particularly dark. Indeed, their original Syd Barrett era was downright whimsical at times.

* In terms of singing style, In This Moment's second album ''The Dream'', which placed a lot more emphasis on clean vocals than the [[Metal Scream|Metal Screams]] of ''Beautiful Tragedy''. [[Justified Trope|This was because]] lead singer Maria Brink wanted to challenge herself with what she (personally) found a more difficult singing style.

* One could make a case for this happening to Joy Division after they changed their name to New Order. Not that New Order doesn't have a certain edge to their brand of pop.

** To be honest, this was going to happen with or without Ian Curtis at the helm.

* [[Wii Ware]] game ''[[Water Warfare]]'' is a [[Lighter and Softer]] version of the entire "FPS Deathmatch" genre. While it plays much the same as other multiplayer [[FPS|FPSes]], with multiple weapons and areas, deathmatches, [[Capture the Flag]] games, and the like, it's entirely nonviolent--all the weapons are squirt guns and water balloons, and the worst that ever happens to anyone is that they get wet.

** Before that there was ''Nerf Arena'' on the PC, which played out like your average Deathmatch FPS, but with harmless Nerf weapons.

* The first game in the ''[[Shadow Hearts (Video Game)|Shadow Hearts]]'' RPG series was M-rated, gloomy, and fairly gory; the second game scored a T-rating and abandoned most of the gore for oddball humor, but kept the grim atmosphere fairly intact; and the third game, also rated T, was so goofy and light-hearted in comparison that it threw some fans off. The Lighter and Softer trend is even more obvious if Koudelka, the Survival-Horror semi-prequel to the original, is considered.

* [[Electronic Arts]]' [[First-Person Shooter]] games are the softer version of the current generation of shooters. ''Mercenaries'', ''[[Army of Two]]'', ''[[Battlefield Bad Company (Video Game)|Battlefield Bad Company]]'' all had comparatively "lighter and fluffier" storylines and endings. No [[Downer Ending]] to create a [[Sequel Hook]] for instance.

* ''[[Skies of Arcadia (Video Game)|Skies of Arcadia]]'' compared to RPGs ''in general'' at the time of its release (originally in 2000 on the Dreamcast, then [[Updated Rerelease|ported in 2003]] for the [[Nintendo Gamecube]]) was lighter and softer in its impossibly optimistic and clean-cut protagonist [[Determinator|Vyse]], as opposed to the more (at the time) recent cynical brooding heroes [[Final Fantasy VII (Video Game)|Cloud Strife]] and [[Final Fantasy VIII (Video Game)|Squall Leonhart]], a not-too-overly-complicated plot (it had its dark moments, but even so), and rather simplistic battle system. Because of the amounts of darkness and cynicism that began to dominate, however, this was well-received.

** Taken somewhat further in the U.S Dreamcast release when situations involving drunkenness and a particular near-rape scene involving one of the female protagonists was edited out.

* ''[[Red Faction]]'' 1 and 2, despite being in the same series, barely resemble each other in many ways, especially overall tone. The first game mostly took place in Mars within many dark tunnels, and you're part of a miner rebellion to fight off an evil corporation. In short, it was ''[[Total Recall]]'' as a first person shooter. The following game? Yeah, you're part of a super solider squad overthrowing a Hitler Expy dictator, and yeah, it's still violent, but the game's direction is nowhere near as grim and desperate. When enemies nearly get shot dead on the first game, they're screaming for help. On the second one, they jokingly flee, saying they need to think of a new strategy. No, that part's not a joke.

* Against the ongoing tide of [[Mass Effect (Video Game)|Mature]] [[Dragon Age Origins|Dark]] [[Western Role Playing Game|Role Playing Games]], ''[[Divinity 2]]'' serves as being much notably lighter in tone and setting than most current [[Western RPG|Western RPGs]] out at the moment.

* ''[[The Super Hero Squad Show]]'', like the toyline it comes from, manages to include ''[[The Punisher]]''. How does that work, you ask? [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XoRGgpF2qc Like this].

* ''[[Batman Beyond (Animation)|Batman Beyond]]'''s spin off show ''[[The Zeta Project]]'' is much cuter and softer than what it was spun off from. MUCH. They also redesigned Zeta to be much more human-looking without even a [[Hand Wave]]. When Batman shows up in a [[Crossover]] episode, he doesn't mention that Zeta looks different than he remembers.

* During production, the crew behind ''[[Robotomy]]'' had to constantly be reminded that the show was airing in primetime, and so not to go ''too much'' toward [[Adult Swim]] content.

* G1 ''[[My Little Pony]]'' could be summed up as "Disney Princesses visit [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Sunnydale]]", as it featured very cutesy pastel-colored pony girls getting routinely threatened by horrible monsters.<ref>It should be noted that the original Pilot special was considerably darker then the G1 series.</ref> Follow-up Series ''My Little Pony Tales'' dropped the monsters and the magic, and turned it into a teen drama/comedy set in a quaint little town of near-anthropomorphic ponies. The G3 series, however, goes full-blown [[Sugar Bowl]], to the point of [[Tastes Like Diabetes]] sickening sweetness. The new ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' series thankfully dials it back a bit, finding a happy medium between cute slice-of-life comedy and adventure and danger.

* Major League Baseball opened the 1998 season with two new teams, both named after incredibly deadly animals - the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. While the Diamondbacks are much less threatening than their name implies, the Devil Rays changed their name to the Rays in 2007, the name now describing rays of sunshine rather than dangerous marine life. Oddly, ever since then they've been extremely good.

** It was also changed due to [[Moral Guardians]] (and reportedly former Ray Josh Hamilton, who became a born-again Christian after kicking drug addiction) thinking that the name promoted Satanism.

 

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[[Category:Tone Shift]]

[[Category:Lighter And Softer]]