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

[The Lugz]

seriously?

are there no women in japan?
why is it every other Japanese rendering of a woman is some marshmallow-breasted freak with crushed internal organs?

it's wrong, broken, impossible and stupid.

it could be a generic "young asari supermodel" figurine, if they go for that sort of thing but you cant just ignore all the old artwork and expect your fans to still see liara, it wont work

really, if we wanted an anime game we'd go play one and buy it's little anime doll figurines too

i'm reasonably sure mass effect fans want mass effect, at least i would / do

Bioware commissioned a goofy bishoujo style statue and got exactly what they wanted. Sure, it doesn't look like "our" Liara, but it wasn't really supposed to in the first place. The whole point was to see what other artists would do with the concept.

Have people seen half the drawings that Penny Arcade puts out as promotional art? Heck, in the latest one (for Uncharted) the main character looks like he's been taking bodybuilding lessons from Marcus Fenix, and yet I fail to see complaints materializing. I have the sinking feeling that most of the outrage against the Liara statue is just typical anti-Japanese outrage (how dare you get WEABOO all over my favorite franchise Bioware!?!?!?).

Your Penny Arcade comparison is completely off base. PA is comedy, and supposed to be stupid. Bioware is supposed to understand that their characters have such strong appeal because they're not just about sex. When they put out something like this statue, it undermines their artistic credibility by emphasizing sex in a previously non sexualized character whose primary appeal had been personality and intellect.

In short: fuck no. Kill it with fire.

this ^
can i has the magnifying glass please? 'glee'

 

[WindKnight]

[/quote]

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.

uh.... epic, old school space opera. Yup, anime can't do that all now, can it? I mean theres no Macross, no gundam, no lensman, no legend of galactic heroes, no Heroic age, no space cruiser yamato, no...

Except those are the Macross, Gundam, Lensman, Legend of Galactic Heroes, Heroic Age, and Space Cruiser Yamato universes. Not the Mass Effect Universe.

You imply that I say Anime cannot do Space Opera. To which I say, Don't fucking put words in my mouth.

I don't feel it can portray the Mass Effect universe. Sorry you're so defensive about stuff, but I guess its to be expected from one who will ignore the fact that I not once in that post said that anime sucks.

Go troll elsewhere, lest I brand you a weeaboo.

why can't it do it? please tell me why it lacks the qualities to do the universe justice. and iif your going to bring out words like 'weeaboo' don't accuse me of being defensive

 

[RDubayoo]

Granted, the Asari are supposed to be lesbian fanbait and anyone who believes otherwise is fooling themselves, but the face for this character is atrocious and ruins everything.

 

[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.

uh.... epic, old school space opera. Yup, anime can't do that all now, can it? I mean theres no Macross, no gundam, no lensman, no legend of galactic heroes, no Heroic age, no space cruiser yamato, no...

Except those are the Macross, Gundam, Lensman, Legend of Galactic Heroes, Heroic Age, and Space Cruiser Yamato universes. Not the Mass Effect Universe.

You imply that I say Anime cannot do Space Opera. To which I say, Don't fucking put words in my mouth.

I don't feel it can portray the Mass Effect universe. Sorry you're so defensive about stuff, but I guess its to be expected from one who will ignore the fact that I not once in that post said that anime sucks.

Go troll elsewhere, lest I brand you a weeaboo.

why can't it do it? please tell me why it lacks the qualities to do the universe justice. and iif your going to bring out words like 'weeaboo' don't accuse me of being defensive[/quote]

If you hadn't pressed me on the issue and began making assumptions about me, I wouldn't have said it.

As for your question, Mass Effect already has an established art style that works for the setting. It isn't that anime couldn't portray it, I just personally feel that it wouldn't do it the justice it deserves. I mean, if we're asking why anime can't do it, why aren't we asking why it can't be Western Animation either?

 

[WindKnight]

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.

uh.... epic, old school space opera. Yup, anime can't do that all now, can it? I mean theres no Macross, no gundam, no lensman, no legend of galactic heroes, no Heroic age, no space cruiser yamato, no...

Except those are the Macross, Gundam, Lensman, Legend of Galactic Heroes, Heroic Age, and Space Cruiser Yamato universes. Not the Mass Effect Universe.

You imply that I say Anime cannot do Space Opera. To which I say, Don't fucking put words in my mouth.

I don't feel it can portray the Mass Effect universe. Sorry you're so defensive about stuff, but I guess its to be expected from one who will ignore the fact that I not once in that post said that anime sucks.

Go troll elsewhere, lest I brand you a weeaboo.

why can't it do it? please tell me why it lacks the qualities to do the universe justice. and iif your going to bring out words like 'weeaboo' don't accuse me of being defensive

If you hadn't pressed me on the issue and began making assumptions about me, I wouldn't have said it.

As for your question, Mass Effect already has an established art style that works for the setting. It isn't that anime couldn't portray it, I just personally feel that it wouldn't do it the justice it deserves. I mean, if we're asking why anime can't do it, why aren't we asking why it can't be Western Animation either?[/quote]

I have to wonder how that set art style translated to the mass effect novels, which have no art. If we're talking costume design, alien design, weapon design, ship design, then there are plenty of anime studios and manga artists who can fit that set aesthetic like a glove. its not something hard to do, or beyond the abilities of a Japanese artists to do. And there are plenty of artists who eschew the 'bambi eyes' look for a more semi realistic, and even fairly realistic look, so if your big stopping point is 'manga eyes' there's ways around that.

'why can't it be western animation?' I can't answer that, only Bioware can. For some reason they felt Anime was better suited, go figure.

 

[Scrythe]

I've never played Mass Effect, so forgive my ignorance, but...

Do breasts work the same way with aliens and they do with humans? I mean both purposes, attraction and reproduction. Does the game address this, or are we running by the Star Trek/Wars rules for aliens, where they're essentially humans with alien bodies and/or paint?

 

[MortisLegio]

As Liara it has no resemblance but by itself the statue is ok

 

[Soviet Heavy]

SNIP

Like I said, I don't dislike the medium. There is more to anime than Disney Eyes, which are ubiquitous in animation anyways. I am also aware of the huge range of different styles of art direction.

It is just a bothering trend where Western Studios are adapting more and more Japanese influences into animation than making their own. It frustrates me that something can only be seen as 'mature' because it is anime, in comparison to anything western.

I just don't feel like Mass Effect + Anime is what I want out of the franchise.

 

[The Lugz]

You got anime in my WRPG! D:

Get it out! Get it out! Get it out!

Seriously, Liara's sex-appeal came from the fact that she was kind of nerdy (she had freckles or Asari equivalent), she was really unsocial, and whatnot.

She's kind of like Tali accept it's not cars and a diabetic comma's worth of adorable sweetness and a Eastern-European accent.

exactly, she was cute.
now she's been made into some kind of bio-ware wrpg / anime crossover prostitute
it's offensive.

but we get the last laugh, poor japan will never be satisfied with it's sexuality /trollface

 

[Icehearted]

I don't know that balancing out things with a sexy Garrus even makes sense, since asari look more human that turians do. Also, this sort of thing appeals to males far more than over the top depictions of masculinity would ever appeal to most females. Our sex drives are wired much too differently for that to make any sense. Unless you were thinking of gay men, in which case I see your point, but still wonder if a turian would really be a viable creature to objectify that way.

This thing, for what it is, is pretty repulsive. I don't mind that it's sexy shapes are a bit overdone, that the breasts are plump and pert, that it has thinner legs, that it is made to be provocative. What offends me is that it really doesn't look like Liara. I know it's been said, but if anything they should have modeled after the game or at the very least replicated the game character's very distinct face.

Really, I'm okay with cheesecake, but Liara this is not.

 

[WindKnight]

SNIP

Like I said, I don't dislike the medium. There is more to anime than Disney Eyes, which are ubiquitous in animation anyways. I am also aware of the huge range of different styles of art direction.

It is just a bothering trend where Western Studios are adapting more and more Japanese influences into animation than making their own. It frustrates me that something can only be seen as 'mature' because it is anime, in comparison to anything western.

I just don't feel like Mass Effect + Anime is what I want out of the franchise.

You have to ask yourself why their adopting them, and usually this is because they've been inspired by something they've liked or been impressed by. Its not where the inspiration comes from its how its adapted and presented. Yes, I've seen plenty of 'anime inspired' stuff that was lifeless drek, or was just using the 'anime is cool' cachet to sell itself. And I've seen stuff like Avatar the last Airbender, which frankly is better than many anime series of its equivalent genre, and stands in its own right as a great series. By the same token, the pixar movies are plenty mature in their own ways, just without gore, sex or bad language, and usually show nary a hint of japanese influence

I think your putting too much store by the word anime. And yeah, I understand certain word associations can bring in certain automatic reactions, but you have to wait and see. the mass effect anime could blow you away, or it could be a big pile of fan-service and cultural misunderstandings. I'd rather wait and see and judge it by its own merits that let terminology make me decide on its quality before I see it.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

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

I'll pay that!

This statue seems more fitting of Morinth (I wouldn't even stretch it as far as Samara, despite her impressive rack) rather than Liara.

 

[WindKnight]

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

I'll pay that!

This statue seems more fitting of Morinth (I wouldn't even stretch it as far as Samara, despite her impressive rack) rather than Liara.

I'd personally just see it as an Asari bounty hunter. Definitely not Liara though

 

[Cecilthedarkknight_234]

not gonna ever read the other post here, I will just say this and comment on me if you get the joke. It needs more hot-glue

 

[ckam]

Since facebook won't let me do anything, I'll just say that the statue looks really pretty, but it doesn't look like Liara.

 

[bruggs]

"This is awful! They have ruined her character and everything she stood for and desecrated their own work and rawr!"

Is maybe what I'd be saying if this was in ME3, instead of just a cute wee doll. I guess I like it. It's not very Liara, but that's not the worst thing ever.

I wouldn't buy it though.

 

[SageRuffin]

I don't see what the problem is. Sure, the Japanese influence is there, but that's about it. Have you all forgotten how Liara hardened up between ME1 and 2? How she moved from a mousy archeologist to a nigh sadistic crime boss?

Also, as far as facial appearances are concerned, check this shit out, taken by myself:

Spoiler: Liara, core ME2 game

Spoiler: Liara, Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC and all subsequent appearances thereof

This statue is obviously based off the latter character model with a younger looking face and slightly exaggerated bust line. If it doesn't feel like Liara (and really, what exactly is that supposed to mean?), then it's only because the remake of her character model in the LotSB DLC (referenced above) deviated so far from what she looked like in the first ME.

On that note, I like it. Normally I'm not keen on statuettes, but I'd probably buy this one.

 

[Skulltaker101]

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

EA's company policy is to piss off fans. I thought their stunt with Origin was proof of that. But...ugh...just no.

Anyway, that CAN'T be Liara. Agreement on the slutty call there, so it must be Morinth after going to a really bad plastic surgeon.