BioWare Wants Fan Input on Sexy Anime-Style Mass Effect Statue

[Logan Westbrook]

BioWare Wants Fan Input on Sexy Anime-Style Mass Effect Statue

Liara's transition from videogame character to statue has left her a little more curvaceous than before.

BioWare is once again looking for fan feedback on one of the women of Mass Effect. It's not FemShep this time though, it's the Asari scientist Liara T'Soni. BioWare has teamed up with the Japanese company Kotobukiya to create a "bishoujo"-style Liara statue, and wants to know what fans think of the prototype.

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"Bishoujo" is a type of character design seen in anime and manga and refers to "young and pretty" girls. As you can see from the images, the bishoujo Liara is quite different from the Liara that appears in the game. The comments on the Mass Effect Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150278161656645.331731.85811091644 ] page are overwhelmingly negative, with most saying that it strays too far from Liara's established character. Nearly three and a half thousand people have clicked "like" on the album though, so the the overall opinion would seem to be mixed.

I'm hoping that BioWare and Kotobukiya go back to the drawing board with this one. There's nothing wrong with the design itself per se. Sure it's cheesecake and there's almost no way we're going to see some sexed up version of Garrus or Thane or whoever to balance the scales out, but it's certainly not the first large-chested, "sexy" Asari we've seen. The problem is that this is supposed to be a specific Asari, and while it's a well made statue, it doesn't look like Liara, and more importantly, it doesn't feel like Liara.

Source: Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-09-06-bioware-wants-liara-statue-feedback]


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[vrbtny]

Bioware fans hating a character being sexed up and generally being altered without their knowledge or fan-girlish approval.

Surely you Jest!

 

[Blindrooster]

I can see why the comments were negative. If i'd seen that not knowing it was supposed to be Liara, I never would have guessed it was. I know Liara is an alien, but this just makes her seem......a very unrealistic alien.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I don't know if Liara is the right character for this kind of thing...Granted, the sexy-young-looking ME characters who could undergo that kind of treatment...well, it's a shallow pool. The thing is it just doesn't look like Liara to me.

I'd be curious to see them try to make a bishoujo Jack, Kelly or, Tali though.

 

[AngryMongoose]

There's almost no way we're going to see some sexed up version of Garrus

What!? Rage!

Actually, I guess you don't need to sex up Garrus. It's already there. This company would probably make him Bishōnen.

 

[Beryl77]

I don't really like it that much. It just looks nothing like Liara, both the face and the breasts are completely different, the only thing that they have in common is the race.

 

[theonecookie]

The statue looks fine. Its a poor representation of the character But the real question is why mass effect does not seem like the first candidate and EA must know that with biowares fan base they where gona piss a fair few people

Although something like the dead space anime but you know mass effect sounds like a good idea maybe that's what their getting at because at this point this just seems like a strange move

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Thanks for reminding me that Mass Effect is getting an anime treatment soon. Not that I dislike the art medium, but I don't feel it fits right with the universe at all.

 

[Zhukov]

Who the hell is that and why is she wearing Liara T'soni's outfit?

 

[intheweeds]

as i commented on the bioware forums. this isnt liara. its a random asari hooker

Agreed.

What Liara wasn't hot enough already?

 

[Catchy Slogan]

Why does Bioware keep pissing all over their own work?

 

[cainx10a]

Ain't that 'Moe'?

Either way, it doesn't look that bad. *wink* *wink* [/perv]

 

[The Last Nomad]

Body shape change doesn't bother me too much, but the face looks nothing like her. But I didn't particularly like her character all that much anyway so... meh.

 

[Hammer_Wizard]

Face of child, body of porn star. Anime is like a reverse Midas, whatever it touches turns to lead.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

This will be an item in Mass Effect 3: Weeaboo Hooker Edition.

Bloody Japanese and their obsession with huge tits.

(Not that all Japanese are obesessed mind you, but it is very apparent in anime.)

 

[Skalman]

This isn't Liara no matter what Bioware or anyone else says.

Kill it with fire.

 

[Whispering Cynic]

Ugh... anime style is really *not* my cup of coffee. Liara was looking just fine before this... treatment.

 

[Baby Tea]

as i commented on the bioware forums. this isnt liara. its a random asari hooker

This.

I'm not normally against change. I find being rigidly stuck with 'the way a series is' is a sure-fire way for a series to get stale. I loved ME1, and I loved the changes in the characters of ME2, and I'm sure ME3 will be great. But this isn't an easily explained characterization of a previously 'thought to be known' character. This is an overly sexualized piece of needless fan service.

When I saw the pictures, I immediately thought 'That isn't Liara'. Being my romantic interest of choice for my male Shepard, Liara's character, both the character she is and her physical appearance, isn't suited to this type of...exploitation. I honestly don't think ANY of the ME characters are.

It's just flat out the wrong series for this type of merchandise.

 

[somonels]

Yuck...no
hurrllll