Effeminate Characters

I Am Not Me · May 10, 2009

Ashes said:
'Yeah and knowing SE's policy of ridiculous, lazy and effeminate character designs I'm sure Kain, Raziel and co. will all look horrific.

This.

Point thar. :monster:

What's with the effeminate looking Final Fantasy characters? Plus that, some of the male characters act girly as well!

Sometimes, when I'm unfamiliar with a character, I tend to get confused by the gender. I don't think I'm alone in this. :awesome:

I'm not complaining as they're pretty to look at, but it makes me wonder whether SE is filled with gays or something. I mean, lookit:

Or maybe I'm wrong and that's actually a girl? :monster:

Look at the sparkles!

So which is it? Boy or girl? :huh:

Lookit, four girls! :redmonster:

Squall, girlified. :yellowmonster:

All we need are boobs.

Pretty Cloud is pretty. :monster:

See also:

.

And

. Not to mention girly looking.

Thoughts? :reptar:

Shademp · May 10, 2009

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishōnen

I honestly had no problem with determining the genders until very recently. Square must have gone to a new level.

I Am Not Me · May 10, 2009

Shademp said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishōnen

I honestly had no problem with determining the genders until very recently. Square must have gone to a new level.

I know about the bishonen. I'm a fangirl. The knowledge comes with the job. :monster:

But really, my younger cousin even thought Cloud was a girl when she saw me playing Crisis Core. She was liek "She looks like Barbie! I like her hair!" or something similar. I figured that if I didn't know about Cloud prior to seeing him, I might've thought the same thing.

Dissidia especially has girly looking characters. Zidane especially.

Munky · May 10, 2009

One of my colleagues spotted Cloud as the wallpaper on my phone and said, "Ooh, she's pretty".

For me, the confusion over gender isn't exclusive to video games. I've always had the same problem with manga and anime - especially anime, since there are so many female voice actors playing male characters. The trouble with bishonen is, while they're very pretty to look at, they have no defining male characteristics. Or rather, no outward defining male characteristics. Chuck in some (often deliberate) ambiguity with their mannerisms and it's a potential minefield out there!

SE does seem to be particularly guilty of this though. There are no bishonen in GTA. XD

Sheepy · May 10, 2009

Noctis and Squall don't look girly to me to be honest. :monster:

But I have to agree with you. I was so utterly confused by Kuja's girliness the first time I played FFIX it wasn't even funny. The way I deal with it now is "if it looks like a girl, it's probably a boy".

Still, I appreciate the prettiness. I mean, would you rather do this or this? :monster:

Masamune · May 10, 2009

It's part of the Japanese culture and demographic. What else do you expect?

Of course, this isn't always the case. Hokuto no Ken is one of the most popular shounen franchises out there, but look at the character designs:

megas_sephiroth · May 10, 2009

spacesheep said:
Still, I appreciate the prettiness. I mean, would you rather do this or this?

You've definitely proved your point. :awesome:

Masamune · May 10, 2009

megas_sephiroth said:
You've definitely proved your point.

I don't know. I think some women prefer their men to be born with testosterone.

megas_sephiroth · May 10, 2009

Masamune said:
I don't know. I think some women prefer their men to be born with testosterone.

Yeah, but we also like men who bathe... :lol:

Sheepy · May 10, 2009

I prefer my men to be born with a penis. Couldn't care less about their testosterone levels. :monster:

I Am Not Me · May 10, 2009

spacesheep said:
Still, I appreciate the prettiness. I mean, would you rather do this or this?

Actually, I might do both. :wacky:

I wouldn't want to have a boyfriend who'd look prettier than me, ya know.

Although I'd have the pretty one on a daily basis if really given a choice. :wackymonster:

@ Hokuto no Ken - :awesome:

Tetsujin · May 10, 2009

Interestingly, I think the Fist of the North Star characters actually look much gheyer than all those effeminate bishies. :wacky:

Sheepy · May 10, 2009

Lawl, I misread his post and thought Hokuto no Ken was a popular shoujo franchise. :wacky:

Munky · May 10, 2009

Masamune said:
I don't know. I think some women prefer their men to be born with testosterone.

This is true. As much as I quite enjoy my pretty fantasy men, I'd much rather have a real man with a beard and a beer-gut who won't squeal louder than me at the sight of a spider.

I Am Not Me · May 10, 2009

spacesheep said:
Lawl, I misread his post and thought Hokuto no Ken was a popular shoujo franchise.

ZOMGLOLOLOL :awesome:

Shoujo franchise?! SHOUJO FRANCHISE?! OH LOL

:faint:

I just died from too much lulz.

Hokuto no Ken = Shounen-ai :wacky:

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUU

Masamune · May 10, 2009

Tetsujin said:
Interestingly, I think the Fist of the North Star characters actually look much gheyer than all those effeminate bishies.

Only 'cos you can identify their gender. :wacky:

I Am Not Me said:
Hokuto no Ken = Shounen-ai FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUU

Channy · May 10, 2009

I dunno why but I've always found the effeminate guys to be pretty hot. :wacky:

I watch alot of shoujo and I just love sparkly bishie long haired men.

To some, this would not be a surprise. :awesome:

A lot of the time, I thought CC Cloud > AC/C Cloud in terms of hotness. :wacky:

imo an effeminate man is just.... sexy. :3

Shademp · May 10, 2009

McChanny said:
imo an effeminate man is just.... sexy. :3

You know... I am effeminate *wink, wink*
:awesome:

Channy · May 10, 2009

Then you are a sexy man. :monster:

Or woman, your choice. :wacky:

Cthulhu · May 10, 2009

Munky said:
This is true. As much as I quite enjoy my pretty fantasy men, I'd much rather have a real man with a beard and a beer-gut who won't squeal louder than me at the sight of a spider.

Present on all counts. asl?

Makoeyes987 · May 10, 2009

WELCOME TO JAPAN EVERYBODY.

Holy shit!! An eastern culture with a differing viewpoint of what attractive men are! What the fuck is up with that?!

If you're just now wondering about why SE male characters look like bishounen and didn't know, then that's sad.

Channy · May 10, 2009

I think it's more just coming to discuss it rather than just realizing.

Gawd Mako, you're so mean.

Shademp · May 10, 2009

McChanny said:
I think it's more just coming to discuss it rather than just realizing.

Gawd Mako, you're so mean.

Yeah, he's making me cry inside and all.

*wink wink*

Makoeyes987 · May 10, 2009

What's to discuss? It's a fact anyone who hasn't been living in a hole in the ground has known, for the last.... over 9000 years.

Okay! Let's make this a discussion about the aesthetics and cultural representation of Japan then, rather than playing Captain Obvious!

You could probably pin the bishounen aesthetic back to the the J-Rock bands of the 70's and 80's and also visual kei. Or scratch that, you could even find instances of it back during the Heian Period. Suffice to say, Japan has always had a fondness for Japanese men who's beauty transcended the social construct of gender. It's just how they are. To quote a cliche phrase, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. :monster:

Channy · May 10, 2009

But that's boring. :monster:

Effeminate Characters

The Mean Clack

420

The Mean Clack

Jo-licious

Pro Adventurer

Fiat Lux

Pro Adventurer

Fiat Lux

Pro Adventurer

Pro Adventurer

The Mean Clack

he/they

Pro Adventurer

Jo-licious

The Mean Clack

Fiat Lux

Bad Habit

420

Bad Habit

Administrator

Listen closely, there is meaning in my words.

Bad Habit

420

Listen closely, there is meaning in my words.

Bad Habit