Is going overboard. It's primarily a problem in J-RPGs, a genre saturated by rehashed games and a wapanese fanbase, but still a genre that is notable. Nobody knows where it all started, since Japan has always been comfortable with androgyny and sexuality. I'm guessing that it is deeply rooted in Square-Enix games, primarily the Final Fantasy series. There are many other offenders, all from Japan, and usually makers of J-RPGs. Androgyny being bad is a matter of opinion, but I think it's getting completely overboard.
Let's start with these two nice little images from the upcoming "Fianl Fantasy XIII: Versus". The first thought that crossed my mind when I witnessed these was "These girls look weird...", then it hit me. They're f***ing guys. Ok, what is wrong with the FFXIII character designers. This is just ridiculous, they make Boy Bands look like lumberjacks. Their hair, their faces, their bodies, their clothing, just everything is screaming androgyny. Look, I don't think every dude out there should look like a manly man, I don't mind it when characters look a little girly, but this is just too much for anybody but you're typical yaoi fangirl. I just don't get it.
I have no idea why Japan loves these androgynous pretty boys so much. J-RPGs may have a huge female crowd, but it's still primarily male and this is not what males enjoy, even homosexuals probably find this annoying. It doesn't add any depth, personality, or uniqueness to a character when you make him appear more like the opposite sex. I know artists have visions, and they like to express themselves through their creations. I respect that, and I can tolerate a long-haired pretty boy, but please make it apparent that he's actually a boy! And once again, it appears that only Japan has this obsession, and it truly confuses me.
Well, maybe this was just a poorly written rant on androgynous characters in J-RPGs, but I think I'm addressinga trend that is truly out of hand. I like J-RPGs, I really do, maybe not the ones of the Final Fantasy variety, but I even respect that series. I'm not saying "ZOMG androgyny is teh gay, make my doods manly!!1!1", I'm just saying that it needs some toning down before we can't tell the girls from the guys.
P.S. I have nothing against homosexuals, yaoi fangirls, the Japanese, androgynous men, or Square-Enix. The first two images are from FFXIII:Versus, the third from FFXII, and the fourth from FFVII: Advent Children. I hope I didn't offend anybody in this post, but I'm just really fed up with this trend right now. If I offended you, my deepest apologies, and grow a spine.
3 comments:
Keanu likes asian ladyboys!
Your mom
I don't get it either whenever I see a Square-Enix article degradde into a keg party of haterade based on zippers, hair, and androgyny. It's more of a striking revelation about the people who bring it up than anything else.
Yes, we get it -- your affinity to make subjective assertions in public perhaps stem from your own masculinity issues or an unfortunate lack of being cultured. :)
We all know most big game publishers have a niche. If it isn't poking fun at Square... someone is perhaps generalizing your favorite game labeled as a "Halo killer" featuring third world meat-heads with a stunted vocabulary (both in game characterizations or with access to a mic online) limited to fuck/shit, "lesbian sex is epic" and "that's gay"... or zombies riding motorcycles in Africa while performing Matrix stunts... or the twelfth iteration of some elf saving a princess of wisdom who is remarkably unwise enough to keep from getting caught... or 90 minutes of convoluted Kojima cut scenes in dire need of an editor... you get the point.
We see these trite eyesores chimed in all the time and its very unfortunate. It's akin to being strapped to a chair with your eye lids clamped open a la Clockwork Orange to Fox News while asphyxiating on caffeinated high fructose corn syrup. In a nutshell who cares, it sounds like more of a personal problem than a design one.
Post a Comment