It was more of an observation than a point, guys.
Seriously, if it had been a serious point, I'd be more than just rolling my eyes right now.
Nice to see I'm helping to keep Patrick Stewart in work.
I thought you meant "thick" as in stupid. I think that's also a question though, where's all the dumb blondes?
That was my first thought, too.
I would say great minds think alike, but there's no need for actionable slander. But like I said: "what about Rikku"? Or, Hell,
Tedious Tidus?
Thinking about this seriously, though, there does seem to be a predisposition for Japanese girls to develop more to this sort of body type. How much of this is cultural and how much is genetic is debateable. So, as much as some people may say the series is "Westernised", the fact is, the art design is done in Japan, and any motion capture models are likely to be Japanese.
We may as well say how most FF male characters are likewise slim, and (in most cases) fairly effeminate in appearance. It’s only really been the more recent FF games that have had more classically masculine-looking males in (Angeal in Crisis Core, Vossler, Basch, Balthier and Gabranth in XII). True, VII had Barret, VIII had Raijin and Ward, IX had Steiner, and X had Auron, Wakka and, um, (gah, OK, my argument’s hit a stumbling block…) Donna’s guardian. That guy. However, most of these guys were used as comic relief characters, even when some of them had well-developed backstories (yes, Barret lost his village and family, and Wakka lost his brother, but most scenes not dealing with these incidents will usually have them being used to lift the mood).
…Of course, there’s also the fact that at the end of the day… the games still sell. Many models are skinnier than the characters, so they’re not obscenely underweight. While there are many female role-models (actresses, singers, models, etc.) with more body definition out there, it’s the flimsier stature that gets more attention. I have considered whether it might be an animation problem, i.e., that it would take more work to properly animate the extra muscle tone, subcutaneous fat, etc., but as there are some fairly well-muscled guys in there, this is clearly not the case.
It’s a pity we can’t have a girl in between waif and Queen Brahne, though. :-/
Actually, on ethnicity, I’m just playing FFXII through now, and I didn’t get why Vaan stared at Fran at first. It can’t be cos she’s a Viera, I’ve come across half a dozen or so in Rabanastre. Maybe he’s actually thinking “Holy shit, a black girl!”
