I see. Well, if it's any consolation, the quality of the art comes through, no matter how far removed the character design is; I think perhaps there's room to appreciate the aesthetic quality of the image, and not just how close the design is to the original. If you don't take anything positive away from the piece, then it's time wasted - so perhaps it's worth going back over the work, and determining what you like about it, and what you've learned from the process.