Castlevania Annette - Tumblr Posts
It also to me just feels wrong when I see people claiming Annette wasn’t “important” before this. That she was a “nothing burger” character. Like as if anyone who isn’t a fighter, hunter, or a literal villain isn’t worth as much as any other character, inherently lesser than everyone else. Especially since she’s Richter’s girlfriend, like isn’t family and the common people who they’re fighting to protect in the first place??? And yeah sure she didn’t have many cutscenes as other characters in the games she’s in, but in a linear platformer game context it would’ve been jarring to have lots of cutscenes showing her perspective if not executed correctly, and Rondo was already unique for the series by having animated cutscenes like that at all (I am aware that technically CV3 had the “take him with you” cutscenes and Belmont’s Revenge had the “you cannot stop me father” cutscene before this, but these were gameplay sprite based and not separate animations). I feel like it would’ve been a ton more source respectful and interesting if we would’ve gotten to see her interacting with the vampires and the other captives in the show, heck we could’ve gotten a plot around her trying to escape with the other Rondo girls since she does resist Dracula in game. Scenes of her and Richter during the beginning town fire and how they got separated in the chaos. Flashbacks to wholesome relationship moments between the two that characterize both of them and add more urgency to the already high stakes of her kidnapping.
Huh, it’s almost like taking concepts from the source material and elaborating on them for a different media is what an adaptation is supposed to do.
I have to say this as a feminist woman who is also an author after seeing how Netflix intends to reinvent Annette (from Castlevania) as another strong female character....
The person in distress (damsel or otherwise) will always have a place in fiction because it is ok to be a victim. Seeing yourself in someone isn't just your skin colour, your pronouns or what is below your belt. It is what you have experienced. People who have experienced being in danger, needing saving or being at someone's mercy in which someone saved them need a character they can connect with just as as we need characters who can inspire us to do the saving. The victim character reminds us that there is no shame in being a victim and that is not your fault you experienced something bad. And if you are in that situation in the here and now, don't let your shame and fear hold you back from asking for help.
This is why I for one thing Annette should not have been changed. Plus, she could still have been fleshed out as being more than a love interest. She wouldn't be a femme fatale, but maybe be a good communicator, be resourceful, be brave despite being captured and have empathy even for those on the dark side kind of like how Princess Peach is not just Mario's love interest who needs saving all the time.
And for once, this goes far beyond just the race swapping. The Annette is not Annette. Her backstory is wrong, her personality is wrong and her profession is wrong. This is a new character entirely and they should have treated her like a new character with dignity not force her into being Annette'.
THIS is the real Annette.
And she deserves to be showcased as the real her just as much as any other character who is iconic to their series and you could fleshed her out to be more than just a victim as she was because real life victims are more than their trauma.
Please, let's respect characters and let us teach girls that it's ok to have experienced danger. You are not at fault. You did not fail yourself. You are not weak. You were unlucky. It's ok to be scared. It's ok to still be scared. It's ok to seek support. It's ok to admit you were attacked.
If we don't teach girls this, we are actually setting them up for danger because should they be victims, they will be more ashamed than ever to come forward and bring their assailants to justice.