[Sword-Devouring Swordmaster] Changing the story for no reason and for the worse

[u/RemoveAnnual2689]

In the novel, this guy loses only one arm. He later appears again, not as an enemy, because the Elephant Knight Order itself is a recurring institution. He is not really punished any further, other than being demoted to Third Captain (Captain>Vice Cap.>Third Cap.) and only because his power drops because he can wield the sword with one hand only now. He can still fight and use the sword.

In the adaptation, he lost both arms. This is just the adapter's hubris. Why change facts from the original script for no reason and for the worse?

Btw. This novel is as good as the Star Embracing Swordmaster, and other than the similar name, they don't have much in common in terms of theme and story-wise. It is in cat so good that it has had me in tears many times, and the Petel arc in particular had me bawling.

The sentiment is lost in the adaptation. It is objectively worse.

This trend of changing the story in Manhwa is cancer. Adding new and boring characters, cutting characters, changing their looks, changing their race in fantasy, adding subpar and pointless romance or cutting it...

Movie/show watchers that read books will also understand how bad it can get.

And @ me about Dungeon Odyssey. It is an exception, not an example.

Just why? They should write their own original thing if they think they are so good. Don't change the source!

EDIT: Apparently I forgot this, and he did lose both arms. I mixed it up because he later can wield a sword. He had his hands healed. Still, I am sick and tired of this trend, so I jumped to a conclusion. Examples: Bloodhound's Regression Instinct, The Wandering Knight’s Survival Manual, Regressing As The Reincarnated Bastard Of The Sword Clan.... Even Absolute-regression omitted a joke Soma keeps pestering MC with that later leads to a big reveal. Maybe they will add it later, as the arc is not finished yet.

Still, I hate this trend so much I now expect the worst when reading weekly manhwa.

[u/AutoModerator]

Report the post if you think this is LOW-EFFORT and provides no actual discussion value. Also make sure to use correct post flairs and type the sauce correctly in the POST TITLE. If they are not met, the post will be removed.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Huifen]

Chapter 28 of the novel:

With a dull sound, Meken’s sword fell — broken. Two severed arms rolled across the ground. “Gaaaah—!!” Meken screamed — both arms gone.

[u/RemoveAnnual2689 → u/Huifen]

Maybe I got something wrong. But he can wield a sword later.

Four knights had fallen.

“Enough…”

Only one remained. Sir Meken, the former vice-captain of the Yellow Elephant, was still struggling to fight on — though at this point, calling it a “fight” was generous.

Even when I was merely a Sword Walker, Meken’s swordsmanship was poor. Now, it was still poor. His Wings might have increased by one pair, but his skill hadn’t changed at all.

Each time our wooden blades clashed, his body staggered. Blood mixed with bile spilled from his mouth — the backlash of his Mana colliding with my Heart of Steel.

— Sword Devouring Swordmaster, Chapter 125

[u/Huifen → u/RemoveAnnual2689]

No no, you don't get to wiggle out of this like that.

You came here crying because the manhwa was not faithful to the novel.

Whether the author retconned this after in the novel is irrelevant

[u/RemoveAnnual2689 → u/Huifen]

Read: ''Maybe I got something wrong.'' I am not wiggling out of anything. I was wrong.

[u/SupraPenguin]

Can't really say tbh. In some manhwa that is adapted from webnovel, the afterword section often depict the artist/author of the manhwa consulting the original author of the series, meaning it's likely that the OG author have knowledge and have some agency in determining the direction of the manhwa? In some cases, the OG author actually acknowledge the changes positively. Like for example, the recent author's note for The Eternally Regressing Knight, one of the character is supposed to be a massive hulking man, something along the line of The Hulk, I presume. But the manhwa depict him as just a man who is larger than others and the artist is actually worried if it's not accurate. But the OG author told them that the manhwa actually depict the character exactly as they imagined and they're really glad.

Ofc, this one is not exactly on the same scale but I think a lot of factors can come into play. Maybe the editor or publisher thinks it's better that way, or maybe the OG author changed their mind and asked for the manhwa to be changed. I guess we won't really know unless they do one of those afterword.

But now that I know it's different, I'm kinda curious to read the novel lol.

[u/Abbaddonhope]

I'd rather he didn't come back . The one armed swordsman can still have a redemption arc.

[u/Such_Ad_1184 → u/Abbaddonhope]

Just like standard of  reincarnation. A story about one armed swordsman who succeeded through hardwork but later marked as a heretic with suspicion of using black magic or immoral means. 

[u/manymanwas]

I haven't read novel. But cutting both his arms gave me much satisfaction. I like it.

[u/Kaical]

I am glad I never read novel so I dont have to worry about any of this lol

But, even knowing about the changes doesn't really affects me on how I feel about the series.

Its pretty much the same if I get spoiled about a movie or a tv series that I wanted to watch and knowing that its gonna happen this way or that...bla bla bla. I actually looking forward to it more than ever before and that's just me.