JRPG dudes look feminine because asian dudes look (somewhat) feminine

[tobyornottoby]

Why is nobody bashing the fact that in japanese anime, or british animation or whatever, the steers are on the right side of the car? Makes no sense right? Except for that's just how it is over there.

Then why is everybody always so bent on bashing JRPGs girly guys? Google some J-pop bands for fun. There's a lot of guys there that look just like girls too. Although I have to admit that looking at cosplay compilations on youtube, female crossplayers have it pretty easy Anyways, studies show that asian dudes have less testosterone in their blood than western guys, so it's all just... the way it is.

I'm NOT saying that every asian dude looks like a girl. But that on avarage, the asian male frame is a bit closer to the female frame than the western male frame is to the female frame. And things like games are just a huge exaggeration to that.

EDIT: sorry for the misunderstandings, this is not a rant, I myself am asian and I see this as positive, girls like it (as seen below

 

[buckythefly]

The feminine men don't bother me. the constant showing of every mans abs is what gets me. I don't understand...WHY WHY WOULD YOU MAKE ARMOR THEN LEAVE HALF YOUR SKIN HANGING OUT!

Oh well jrpg's don't have to make sense.

EDIT: the same goes for girls too I guess...guys are just less fun to look at.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Normally it doesn't bother me much, except when they dress like the main character from Magna Carta, that's just fucked up.

 

[Erana]

Why is nobody bashing the fact that in japanese anime, or british animation or whatever, the steers are on the right side of the car? Makes no sense right? Except for that's just how it is over there.

Then why is everybody always so bent on bashing JRPGs girly guys? Google some J-pop bands for fun. There's a lot of guys there that look just like girls too. Although I have to admit that looking at cosplay compilations on youtube, female crossplayers have it pretty easy Anyways, studies show that asian dudes have less testosterone in their blood than western guys, so it's all just... the way it is

You're just jealous because Japanese men are, in a whole, more attractive.
Testosterone does not euqal attractive.
Especially Disgusting, repulsive chest hair. Notice how Kratos has none?
...
Sorry if I insulted you, but I have a thing agianst hairy.

 

[Goenitz]

/agree

Get over it, and just try to enjoy their culture.

EDIT: Not refurring to the post above me... im /agreeing with the fact that 9/10 times i find it difficult to tell the difference between a male and female Japanese person, especially if they both have long hair. The men have no shoulders, and the women have no chest/hips.

 

[Hatman Jam]

Personally, I don't hate the typical JRPG guy for looking girly, but because having those characters look girly has become a sort of standard that shouldn't have been established in the first place. It's not interesting and unique character design, it's boring and simply cannon fodder for fanfictions and bad fanart that would no doubt showcase an awkward situation like timid feminine boy was kissed by stereotypical macho male character as the punchline.

 

[The Wooster]

No. Japanese men are not more feminine. The ideal of male beauty in Japan is more feminine.

 

[Erana]

No. Japanese men are not more feminine. The ideal of male beauty in Japan is more feminine.

Agreed. You must have been to Japan.

 

[Goenitz]

Oh man, I can practically hear this thread locking already.

 

[Shamanic Enzan]

It seems Japanese women like the Girly Men, so y'know, women controlling the tides and everything...

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Why is nobody bashing the fact that in japanese anime, or british animation or whatever, the steers are on the right side of the car? Makes no sense right? Except for that's just how it is over there.

Then why is everybody always so bent on bashing JRPGs girly guys? Google some J-pop bands for fun. There's a lot of guys there that look just like girls too. Although I have to admit that looking at cosplay compilations on youtube, female crossplayers have it pretty easy Anyways, studies show that asian dudes have less testosterone in their blood than western guys, so it's all just... the way it is

You're just jealous because Japanese men are, in a whole, more attractive.
Testosterone does not euqal attractive.
Especially Disgusting, repulsive chest hair. Notice how Kratos has none?
...
Sorry if I insulted you, but I have a thing agianst hairy.

...Ouch.

I hate to tell you though, it's not exactly easy to get rid of the stuff when you're a horrible bear-man with hair on every goddamn part of you save your eyeballs.

 

[SteinFaust]

meh. it's only because they always want to look like stupid hipster versions of fighters, and not awesome badasses that people in armor should be.

 

[tendo82]

Anime reflects a lot of the Japanese Kabuki tradition. This involves a lot of heavily made up and feminized characters. Kabuki was originally an entirely female enterprise. You still see this influence in a lot of Japanese acting, which veers towards the maudlin and extremely expressive. The aesthetic is still there as well. A lot of Japanese samurai movies/shows reflect this heavily made up and formalized Kabuki influence.

This all changed with Kurosawa though. In addition to adapting the Hollywood Western to the samurai genre, Kurosawa's great stars of the time were basically the opposite of the feminized heart throbs Japan is known for. Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura being two excellent examples. Mifune in particular became a hit with western audiences with his unusually strong face and hyper masculine portrayals of samurai.

So these are the images Japan first appealed to Western filmgoers with. But make no mistake, the oldest and still most dominant Japanese entertainment aesthetic and tradition is that of the Kabuki theatre, whose influences run strong in Anime.

 

[AntiAntagonist]

No. Japanese men are not more feminine. The ideal of male beauty in Japan is more feminine.

Hit the nail on the head. It goes back a long time too, if one looks around ink drawings and paintings can be found.

Most Asian (Japanese , Chinese, Korean, etc) guys look like guys. I find it really funny that the OP mentions J-Pop boy bands being very andro, then turning a blind eye to similar proportionate instances in the west.

 

[Erana]

...Ouch.

I hate to tell you though, it's not exactly easy to get rid of the stuff when you're a horrible bear-man with hair on every goddamn part of you save your eyeballs.

I don't have a thing agianst furry, if its a genetic thing.
I'm not much for furries, though. Not really my thing.

 

[tobyornottoby]

You're just jealous because Japanese men are, in a whole, more attractive.
Testosterone does not euqal attractive.
Especially Disgusting, repulsive chest hair. Notice how Kratos has none?
...
Sorry if I insulted you, but I have a thing agianst hairy.

No thanks for the compliment, I'm half-asian myself

And I like JRPGs more because I can easier relate to those girly boys than to the supermuscled western heroes, so ehm.... >.>

Oh man, I can practically hear this thread locking already.

Oh sorry for that, why? ^^;

meh. it's only because they always want to look like stupid hipster versions of fighters, and not awesome badasses that people in armor should be.

(but this is why I wanted to get this post out of my system, sorry if it needs a lock)

No. Japanese men are not more feminine. The ideal of male beauty in Japan is more feminine.

Well according to Darwin that would be the same beautiful (feminine) japanese dudes are more popular, get more kids

But interesting point. Yeah I'm not all that educated in the matter, when I've been to asia I noticed anime characters actually looked like the people there (while I used to think "how weird, they're always white") and I've only read about that research about testosterone in some books. Maybe it's wrong.

Most Asian (Japanese , Chinese, Korean, etc) guys look like guys. I find it really funny that the OP mentions J-Pop boy bands being very andro, then turning a blind eye to similar proportionate instances in the west.

About the first point, isn't it just exaggeration? Western action heroes look like exaggerations of the western physique. Don't those JRPG and J-pop heroes look like exaggerations of the eastern physique?

About the second point, true! Maybe I haven't seen enough, but in my experience it can be way harder with J-pop pictures

 

[Susan Arendt]

Personally, I don't hate the typical JRPG guy for looking girly, but because having those characters look girly has become a sort of standard that shouldn't have been established in the first place. It's not interesting and unique character design, it's boring and simply cannon fodder for fanfictions and bad fanart that would no doubt showcase an awkward situation like timid feminine boy was kissed by stereotypical macho male character as the punchline.

Shouldn't have been established in the first place? How delightfully narrowminded of you. I assure you, the character design is no more "boring" than the Western manly ideal of huge biceps and square jaw, or female characters with tiny waists and breasts so large it's a wonder the poor girls' spines don't crack.

In other words, every culture has their own ideals of beauty or attractiveness. If you don't like the Asian aesthetic, that's fine, just don't play those games.

 

[AntiAntagonist]

Anime reflects a lot of the Japanese Kabuki tradition. This involves a lot of heavily made up and feminized characters. Kabuki was originally an entirely female enterprise. You still see this influence in a lot of Japanese acting, which veers towards the maudlin and extremely expressive. The aesthetic is still there as well. A lot of Japanese samurai movies/shows reflect this heavily made up and formalized Kabuki influence.

Are you sure? I had heard Kabuki was entirely male, even heard that secret trysts with the more andro actors was a common occurrence.

 

[Joeshie]

I'll complain about it all I want. It's not aesethically pleasing to play as a supposed male who looks more like a female than a male.

Oh well, Japan is famous for doing fucked up things. Worrying about female dudes should be the least of concern for what comes out of Japan.

 

[SteinFaust]

Are you sure? I had heard Kabuki was entirely male, even heard that secret trysts with the more andro actors was a common occurrence.

yeah. old theatre was entirely male, as females were banned from performing (f*ck if i know why)