Animorphs vs. The Hunger Games Trilogy

[sherrilina.livejournal.com]

So I finally finished Mockingjay the other day...I remember reading a F!S a while back (when I still read them, lol) that claimed The Hunger Games trilogy was just like Animorphs--which is still kind of a ridiculous claim, but I admit that with this comparison on the mind as I finished this last book, I did see several parallels between both series in terms of events, themes, moral quandaries, gritty realism, etc--all of which just show why both series are memorable and a cut above the average YA series...I wrote a short meta about the parallels (especially between Katniss and Jake) if anyone is interested. MAJOR spoilers for Mockingjay and the last Animorphs book, #54, ensue:

Follow the Fake Cut...

I definitely think that I was not quite as outraged as some other THG fans over the end, lol, since controversial and sad series endings are old hat for Animorphs fans...;)

Comments

[spiletta42.livejournal.com]

Well, since they're the same genre and in fact the same subgenre, it's not surprising to see similarities. However, Katniss is initially fighting for her own family within the status quo of her society, while Jake et al are fighting to prevent a negative change in theirs. That makes for significant differences in the character arcs.

As for the endings, Mockingjay ended on a much more hopeful note than did #54, and that's really saying something.

[sherrilina.livejournal.com]

However, Katniss is initially fighting for her own family within the status quo of her society, while Jake et al are fighting to prevent a negative change in theirs. That makes for significant differences in the character arcs.

True! And yes, I agree, Animorphs still wins as Most Depressing Series Ending Ever, lol! ;)

I suppose they are in the same subgenre, even though Animorphs was meant to be for a younger age group initially...(although it had a lot of gore still, now that I think about it...)

[spiletta42.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I tend to ignore target age groups. The marketing people make those kinds of calls, and they're often less right than one would hope.

I think some of the things we take from these books as readers share more similarities than the books themselves, because while Jake and Katniss have very different world views, individual readers will carry their own personal world views into both literary experiences.