As I stated and gave examples for, it doesn't have to be annoying. But hyperactive Japanese characters tend to make it that way :P I've got quite a few friends with ADD and the condition itself doesn't bother me at all. But its the best way to describe some of these annoying characters. No need to get any panties in a wad, its the characters, not the condition :]
True, that's right, but these types of characters also tend to have very nice personalities as well, in that they tend to be kind and caring.
That doesn't change the fact that they're still obnoxious most of the time.
No, it's that they care for and look after the others just as much as (if not more than) the others look out for them.
I like trains. I like trains. I like trains. I like trains.
What was that all about?
You're saying they all have the "they care about people" quality when they don't. Most the time, they are just obnoxious. You're giving them qualities for the sake of the argument. Who wouldn't like trains?
Train, trainQuote:
Originally Posted by SuperMillionaire
Take us away, take us away
Far away
Into the future we will go
Where we'll go we don't know
Urgh don't remind me of more reasons why I hate FF8 haha. Sadly Rinoa's not much better "YOU'RE A BIG MEANIE!!" Meanie poopy head!
Japanese people like their men non-threatening just like most Western teenage girls like their men. Why do you think boy bands were so popular? All the men were really girly looking purposely. And Japanese people are selling games primarily geared towards teens-- games featuring teenage characters with a T rating. It has nothing to do with the country and everything to do with demographics.
And look at the people who are most popular now to teenagers and pre-teen girls...Zac Efron, Justin Bieber, those dudes from Gossip Girls...I mean c'mon. Most of the masculine men like Tom Hardy older women like. I have yet to see a 13 year old come up to me and say Tom Hardy or Gerard Butler is hot.
Games that are geared towards mature audiences feature less boyish, more masculine looking main characters. For example, Snake in MGS series.
You say it's an issue of demographics and not cultural differences, but I'm don't agree entirely. You even suggest in your own post that "Japanese people" like their men non-threatening. This is a statement about their culture as a whole. You then go on to compare a preference which you assert is definitive of their culture and then compare it to a specific demographic's taste in the United States (in this case, preteen and teenage girls, which doesn't really mesh with the target demographic of a gamer).
Are you suggesting that the vast majority of video games in Japan are aimed at the younger demographic whereas those in the United States have shifted toward an older, more mature demographic? While I'd agree that the average age of gamers is certainly rising in the United States, I wasn't under the impression that Japan's average gamer was getting any younger either. There are plenty of Japanese games (I daresay the majority of them) which are not aimed at younger audiences who still fit into the characterization in discussion. There's definitely a cultural divide here.
Hm, I think she might be on to something though. Because in America its always been widely known that if you market something at older teens and younger adults, then kids will automatically think things are cool just because the people they look up to think its cool. Though that doesn't seem to be as widely exploited these days (its pretty safe to market Mortal Kombat at kids now, we just don't, so I think we've veered away a bit at least). While in Japan they seem to market things towards kids and the older kids just stick with it because they grew up with it, or because it reminds them of their childhood or whatever. I'm pretty sure Pokemon is still popular with 20-somethings over there, but its certianly not marketed towards them. And it usually is the younger girls in America who like the girly-boys, while in Japan, its almost a nation-wide trend. Solid Snakes are few and far between. They still love their non-threatening Marios over there
Nope.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ouch!
I'm saying that games made in Japan, the States, etc. aim at a certain demographic. Quite often that demographic determines how the characters look.
While that's true, it ignores that the character archetype in question's prevalence in Japanese games aimed at older target demographics. The type of character SuperMillionaire is talking about is everywhere in the Japanese media and is nowhere near as pervasive in American media regardless of the target demographic.
Incidentally the only games I can think of from the States that feature masculine male leads all have an M rating. If anyone else knows of others with a T or E rating, please lemme know. I'm curious.