The saying goes that thick thighs save lives, however in line with producer on the Atelier serie, Junzo Hosoi, when talking about fan favorite character Reisalin “Ryza” Stout, they’re additionally fairly standard throughout financial recessions.
Japan, having skilled a “misplaced decade” through the 90s and ongoing recession indicators ever since, it appears it was the proper viewers for such a personality (and her personal trilogy being fairly good by itself deserves from what I hear). In an interview with 4Gamer, Hosoi spoke about his perspective on the matter.
“That is simply my notion, however I feel that the financial system has an affect on what sort of designs change into standard. There are particular forms of characters which are wanted in occasions of recession, and there are forms of characters which are embraced solely when the financial system is booming.” He would then go on to notice a idea that folks need extra bodily substantial physique sorts throughout financial recessions.
Now this may sound a bit peculiar to you, nevertheless it seems a fast Google offers educational proof to the matter! Not current findings both, take this 2005 paper from Leif Nelson and Evan Morrison titled “The signs of useful resource shortage: judgments of meals and funds affect preferences for potential companions”. In laymans phrases, in exhausting occasions, individuals could discover bodily indicators that you just aren’t skipping meals extra engaging.
Again to Hosoi’s interview, he would later converse on Atelier’s subsequent protagonist, Yumia. Now, Yumia does not share the identical physique kind as Ryza, as a substitute leaning in direction of the extra slim commonplace you see throughout many different video games. Nevertheless, she was designed with extra international tastes in thoughts.
Funnily sufficient, that is additionally tied to economics. You see, Japan’s ongoing recessions and monetary troubles have led numerous Japanese-based online game firms to widen their internet to enchantment to avid gamers world wide. Take Sony’s shift to bringing video games to the PC, one thing that won’t make a huge effect to home gross sales however definitely is necessary in America and Europe.
Gust, the builders behind Atelier, have discovered nice success from the Ryza trilogy, not solely in Japan, however abroad as properly. As such, this new viewers with cash to spend has been taken under consideration. Poland on its lonesome is about to overhaul the GDP of Japan subsequent 12 months, and that is simply Poland.
So there we have now it. Some reasoning behind thicker thighs within the Atelier Ryza trilogy, and a few perception on why the designs are going again to the slim look. That is the one job I’ve ever had that led me to learn by means of financial studies and 2005 research, solely to attach the dots between the educational perception inside and anime characters.
