Cookie art is a guilty pleasure. I try to think of them as alternate Touhou interpretations instead of their VA likenesses, because the character designs and characterizations themselves are very good. Kanna's in particular appeals to me, because unlike almost every other character in the entire Touhou fandom, she's most commonly depicted as a woman proper, with that being her defining characteristic. Her maturity is never treated as a flaw or a cheap laugh, like it regrettably almost always is in Japan -- Kanna's maturity is her appeal. That's unique even among the Cookies. A big, mature, strong, mama-bear Reimu is an interesting take on the character. Warm and motherly, but strong and sexy. Perfect for Reimu.
Rei's transsexual Marisa is another favorite interpretation of mine. The idea of a Transsexual Marisa in particular clicked with me in a way I never expected. It made me really think about why Marisa talks like a tomboy, but why everything else she does is pointedly girly, almost as if she were compensating for something. It's not what I'd call a headcanon, but it makes a surprising amount of sense.
Huh... That's an interesting take on it. I've never really thought of Cookie as anything more than... Well, I actually don't think of it much at all. The higher-quality art is nice to look at, but I haven't really looked beyond that. Reading what you said, maybe I should.
I've got a good quote from a 4chan thread for another unrelated fandom and fanfiction that describes how I feel about it.
But if it doesn't retain enough of the original material, it starts to feel more like an original story that's coasting on existing characters or settings for the sake of "hey, remember these guys and these places? They sure are popular, right?"
If you want to tell a story go for it. I'll evaluate it on its own merits. But don't expect me to take it seriously if everything else that makes the characters and the setting unique and compelling gets sucked out or painted over. It shows at best a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes those characters or setting unique in the first place, and at worst a crass crutch that says "I'm too lazy to build important parts of my own narrative, so I'll just use these popular ones and people will eat it up."
Needless to say I don't like cookie at all for for these reasons.
Ha, Cookie. Who would've thought this miscarried doujin project could come this far and became sort of a thing. It's kind of like 真夏の夜の淫夢, "why is it a thing" and "how did it last so long" are questions that made many people wonder.
Kind of sort of unrelated: I guess the "argument", if there was anything woth arguing to begin with, eventually boils down to "Are Cookie Touhou", and it feels like that "are adult version of Touhou characters Touhou" thing all over again. So-called fans personally attacking artists who draw adult version of Touhou characters, calling their works "blasphemy", etc. Ah, good times. I don't know. Is adult Reimu acceptable? Is dirt poor Reimu acceptable? Is abusive Reimu acceptable? Or, while we are at it, is THAT Reimu acceptable? The one who actively engages in sexual intercourse with various opponents, as seen in every single piece of NSFW art ever? Seriously, aside from ZUN, I really don't know who else gets to say whether an interpretation is right or wrong. Criticize an interpretation as you will, its the "policing" part gets on people's nerve. Because I don't like it, so I deem a certain kind of art style, work from a certain country, a certain way of interpretation, or hell, a certain form of PARODY, "blasphemy". I forbid them from ever tainting my beloved Touhou again, and I will wage a personal vendetta against them. It's ridiculous to say the least.
