I understand where Japanese side fans come from I get their viewpoints and why they think the way they do. But I'm sorry, Archie is just peak. It's a version of everything I've wanted from franchise from the start of being a fan. The games aren't bad at all but Archie is just so fucking good. It's serious at times, it has lore, it has cocky Sonic, it has romance in a style I like more, it's dramatic, it's just the full thing.
I guess I'd accept a longrunning comic that has darker themes and more worldbuilding and deepness, but if you axed out the changed characterization and turned them into their game versions, 50% of the appeal to me is gone.
I like Sonic because I always have tendency to be contrarian, probably that I think and he looked cool. Always in a partially ironic way cause the fanbase toxic, the games aren't always so good, and we're crazy but in a cool way. But Archie bridged the gap and made a source material amazing too.
What do you think of the mindset that "I'll pick and choose whether to support adaptational changes based on whether I like them and they appeal to me?" I applied that to MGS for example, DBZ, early anime dubs depending on what they do, but most of the time I dislike early dubs. Stuff like that.
I've always leaned away from the side that calls itself "purist" unless it aligned with what I like. What about you?