The saying goes that thick thighs save lives, however in accordance 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” in the course of the 90s and ongoing recession indicators ever since, it appears it was the right 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 develop into standard. There are particular sorts of characters which are wanted in instances of recession, and there are sorts of characters which are embraced solely when the financial system is booming.” He would then go on to notice a principle that folks need extra bodily substantial physique varieties throughout financial recessions.
Now this may sound a bit peculiar to you, however it seems a fast Google supplies 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 onerous instances, folks could discover bodily indicators that you just aren’t skipping meals extra enticing.
Again to Hosoi’s interview, he would later communicate on Atelier’s subsequent protagonist, Yumia. Now, Yumia does not share the identical physique kind as Ryza, as an alternative leaning in the direction of the extra slim customary you see throughout many different video games. Nevertheless, she was designed with extra world tastes in thoughts.
Funnily sufficient, that is additionally tied to economics. You see, Japan’s ongoing recessions and monetary troubles have led varied Japanese-based online game firms to widen their web to attraction to players world wide. Take Sony’s shift to bringing video games to the PC, one thing that will not make a big impact 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 effectively. As such, this new viewers with cash to spend has been taken into consideration. Poland on its lonesome is ready to overhaul the GDP of Japan subsequent yr, and that is simply Poland.
So there we now have 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 via financial stories and 2005 research, solely to attach the dots between the educational perception inside and anime characters.
