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[Wazzy]

She didn't give a rats ass about the game or the role

described it as some side job that her agent asked her to do, mocked the japanese voice acting and showed zero interest in the game or series (that she hadn't even heard of before)

whomever approved her at SE for the localisation needs to be fired

Yeah her attitude was bad. IIRC her view of Fang and Vanille was really uncomfortable too. I don't expect everyone to view them as lesbians but at the very least Fang's voice actress semi acknowledged the relationship positively whereas Vanille's voice actress had a slight homophobic tone. I could be wrong, I'll have to find the interview.

I don't remember exactly when this happened but I remember her acting like she was literally 3 years old in the way she moves/talks. To me that's being retarded when you consider her age.

Acting cutesy is a common Japanese thing.

 

[Unbound By Death]

A character that is annoying for ~40+ hours doesn't suddenly get "un"annoying in retrospect when you hear the reason why she is annoying. Just saying.

Yes, and it really doesn't justify having that character in the game. Why would someone want to annoy the player even if it's crappily "justified" later in the game?

It's just unfathomable.

 

[Trent Strong]

I liked her sex noises. Shrug

Agreed.

 

[RaikuHebi]

Do you judge every person because of one sentence?

And she is a very loveable and cute person so yes? Why is chlidish a bad thing?

In the West showing any sign of emotions is a sign of weakness? Or something. I don't know but it's dumb to me, but I'm a pretty happy-go-lucky person IRL so there's that.

 

[Cyrano]

It would be so far removed from any main character before it. Perhaps they would've clothed her differently if she had been the lead.

It's sourced information from Square-Enix's Ultimania Omega.

Still, the reason Vanille is terrible is because she's a caricature, not a character.

 

[BocoDragon]

I think it gives anime and Japanese games a terrible name cause people seem to chalk up, or even defend its awfulness as "cultural differences."

There is clearly some level of cultural difference going on with Vanille. But let's also be clear that it is amplied 1000x by the really shit writing.

 

[Shaanyboi]

she makes Cheryl from Archer look composed...

 

[dan2026]

FFXIII was by the book bad anime

That is an insult to bad anime.
Even bad anime usually makes a certain amount of sense.

FFXIII is hot garbage and made absolutely fuck all sense.

 

[enanogrande]

I actually hated her more than Hope. At least his voice didn't make me want to rip my ears out.

 

[Unbound By Death]

In the West showing any sign of emotions is a sign of weakness? Or something. I don't know but it's dumb to me, but I'm a pretty happy-go-lucky person IRL so there's that.

Wow, theres a big difference.

One thing to be honest and express your feelings laugh cry whenever you feel like it without worrying if some idiot calls it weakness, and another thing entirely to act like a 5 year old.

 

[Makoto Yuki]

I'm quite fond of her voice.

 

[pillowtalk]

Yeah she was pretty bad. Mr Chupon had better dialogue.

 

[Caronte]

Acting cutesy is a common Japanese thing.

I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. It's just my opinion.

 

[The Silver]

I think it gives anime and Japanese games a terrible name cause people seem to chalk up, or even defend its awfulness as "cultural differences."

Vanille is the typical waifu pandering archetype that Square tries to masquarade as being deeper than it actually is with that "trauma" excuse.

Reminds me of how Sword Art Online insidiously tries to be deeper than what it actually is.

 

[Wazzy]

Yes, and it really doesn't justify having that character in the game. Why would someone want to annoy the player even if it's crappily "justified" later in the game?

It's just unfathomable.

Such an exaggeration. Other than her annoying battle voice, she's nowhere near as bad as people are making her out to be. It's so obvious from the beginning she's hiding something that I really don't understand people assuming she's just dumb.

I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. It's just my opinion.

I never said you had to. I was just discussing your original point of her character not making sense.

 

[BocoDragon]

In the West showing any sign of emotions is a sign of weakness? Or something. I don't know but it's dumb to me, but I'm a pretty happy-go-lucky person IRL so there's that.

Japanese are pro at not displaying emotions as well.

It's not really about "showing emotions" so much as it is the way women learn to express femininity in Japan.

I've seen 40+ year old Japanese women scream KAWAII!! like they were little girls.

And then of course it's amplified a lot in cartoons.

 

[lazorexplosion]

The whole cast struggle with both logical thinking and appropriate emotional and social cues so I'm going with 'clearly mental retardation'.

 

[stargateheaven]

She's not childish, she's very Japanese.

To be honest, her animations are very Japanese too, and her English voice could never match it.

She's a certain type of girl that i don't think exists in the western world. Right down to her animation, original Japanese voice, and just overall appearence.

Sorry if this doesn't make sense?

 

[dan2026]

Seems like she has a form of mild autism.

 

[Kinyou]

I don't think I ever really understood what kind of weapon she is using

 

[zeldablue]

Spoiler

It's all a ruse.

 

[Dark_castle]

This didn't really need a thread but I'll bite.

Have you actually finished the game? I don't want to spoil anything if you haven't but there's reasons why her character acts the way she does.

Was supposed to be a RTTP thread, because my first playthrough years ago left me so disappointed that I did not finish the game, as it turns out to be so god awful. But I did spoil myself about the rough story of the game and the ending.

Recent Spoony's reviews on the game made me want to go through the game again to experience this mess on my own. I just can't. In between Lightning and her bitchy attitude, Snow and his obsession with hero speech, Vanille being Vanille and Hope being an insufferable loser, the extreme linearity of the game and mind numbing auto-battle and tutorials and lack of side quests and exploration and everything else other than music and graphic, I struggle to find the willpower to get through the game.

So there's a reason Vanille is being such a annoying, non-nonsensical and immature character? Hot damn, character redeemed.

 

[Trent Strong]

She's a certain type of girl that i don't think exists in the western world.

Thank Christ.

 

[BocoDragon]

If also like to say.. If that's her character in Japanese, I wouldn't want them to change her character for the western release either.

I think it's right to preserve a foreign person's character in the translation. XIII and Vanille were not really worthy of such artistic protection, but on principle, they shouldnt change too much about a person in any localization.

She's not childish, she's very Japanese.

To be honest, her animations are very Japanese too, and her English voice could never match it.

She's a type of girl that i don't think exists in the western world.

Sorry if this doesn't make sense?

That's what I've been saying.

 

[dan2026]

The Japanese stereotype of women acting like children is highly sexist when you think about it.

 

[Mona]

its naughtier that way

 

[Wazzy]

Was supposed to be a RTTP thread, because my first playthrough years ago left me so disappointed that I did not finish the game, as it turns out to be so god awful. But I did spoil myself about the rough story of the game and the ending.

Recent Spoony's reviews on the game made me want to go through the game again to experience this mess on my own. I just can't. In between Lightning and her bitchy attitude, Snow and his obsession with hero speech, Vanille being Vanille and Hope being an insufferable loser, the extreme linearity of the game and mind numbing auto-battle and tutorials and lack of side quests and exploration and everything else other than music and graphic, I struggle to find the willpower to get through the game.

So there's a reason Vanille is being such a annoying, non-nonsensical and immature character? Hot damn, character redeemed.

Ahh I see.

Anyway, in no way am I trying to make you like her. You asked why she's childish so I gave you the answer. XIII has major writing problems and an unlikable cast with the exception of Fang and yes, I know this will annoy you, Vanille for me personally.

It also doesn't help that your original post is full of hyperbole. "SHE POINTED A LOADED GUN AT SOMEONE AND SAID BANG? HORRIBLE CHARACTER"

 

[silver.tongue]

Because it`s supposed to contrast th Faith..

 

[RaikuHebi]

Ahh I see.

Anyway, in no way am I trying to make you like her. You asked why she's childish so I gave you the answer. XIII has major writing problems and an unlikable cast with the exception of Fang and yes, I know this will annoy you, Vanille for me personally.

It also doesn't help that your original post is full of hyperbole. "SHE POINTED A LOADED GUN AT SOMEONE AND SAID BANG? HORRIBLE CHARACTER"

Agreed. But I think the mythos deserves more credit than it gets. They could've done so much more with it but alas.

 

[Sinfamy]

All characters go through a "growing up and finding themselves" phase, if you're saying that you probably haven't beaten it, though I can't really blame, its a lot to swallow.

 

[Frumix]

The Japanese stereotype of women acting like children is highly sexist when you think about it.

What? Are we talking about the game in which there's at least Lightning, Fang and Serah, none of which act like children?

 

[BocoDragon]

The Japanese stereotype of women acting like children is highly sexist when you think about it.

It is. But all cultures gives "rules" for how to act for each gender.

Ever notice how a lot of western women use emphasized Esss sounds, and even many femmy men learn to use those same Esss sounds? You think that's biology? No, that's something that is implied in American culture to be a way to emote femininely.

Kawaiiiii and bubbly giggles are just a foreign version of that.

 

[dan2026]

What? Are we talking about the game in which there's at least Lightning, Fang and Serah, none of which act like children?

No we are talking about Vanille.

Do try to pay attention.

 

[MrDenny]

FFXIII is not well written, but I think Vanille plays dumb and acts like a baby to hide the guilt she feels over things she has done as a l'cie. In FFXIII proper, she's obviously being extra dumb do to the shit she did that caused Dahj to be marked.

Agreed. I thought she was one of the better characters among the cast along with fang and sazh.
It's funny some people thought fang's accent was more aussie than vanille, when vanille's va is australian and fang's va is american.

 

[Adaren]

I think you misinterpreted the gun scene. She's trying to understand Snow's mentality, as indicated by the context of the line. Furthermore, she's probably acting more mature than Snow is at the time, and her initial goofy persona fades over the course of the game (it has a good explanation, but I'll avoid it for spoilers).

And if you think every 19 year old is a pinacle of maturity, you should meet more 19 year olds. Vanille's personality isn't typical, but I'd harsly call it unrealistic.

TL;DR: OP either didn't play the game or wasn't paying attention during it.

EDIT:

Was supposed to be a RTTP thread, because my first playthrough years ago left me so disappointed that I did not finish the game, as it turns out to be so god awful. But I did spoil myself about the rough story of the game and the ending.

Not surprised. Sorry I missed that earlier. Was posting from my phone and didn't read all the preceding posts.

Anyway, here's the gun scene in question that I think the OP is wildly misrepresenting. You can decide for yourself.

The hate this game gets from people who either never played it or tried to enjoy it as little as possible is ridiculous.

 

[ArjanN]

She's said to be 19 years old, yet when Snow hands her a gun, she points a real gun at her ally and goes "Bang!". Seriously? That gun was fucking loaded. Why did she do that?

Maybe this is just me getting old but that doesn't sound that out of character for a 19 year old.

 

[Senor Kami]

What? Are we talking about the game in which there's at least Lightning, Fang and Serah, none of which act like children?

Don't bother. He's white knighting. No amount of logic and reality will change his mind.

 

[Makoto Yuki]

Agreed. But I think the mythos deserves more credit than it gets. They could've done so much more with it but alas.

Yup yup. FFXIII's mythos is actually pretty cool, but holy crap, they can't tell a coherent story at all. Really wish they did do something awesome with it, though it's best we just move on.

 

[Frumix]

No we are talking about Vanille.

Do try to pay attention.

Then how is it a stereotype for women if it only applies to one of the four characters? It's called a character archetype. Do try to apply the right terms if you want people to understand you.

 

[zeopower6]

Questions like this are more annoying than Vanille imo.

 

[RaikuHebi]

Yup yup. FFXIII's mythos is actually pretty cool, but holy crap, they can't tell a coherent story at all. Really wish they did do something awesome with it, though it's best we just move on.

Well technically they are with FFXV .

 

[lazorexplosion]

Like she is with this kid who just watched his mother die in front of them, people are dying all over the place, they are in grave danger, and she's bouncing around grinning, waving and saying 'ciao'.

That's not a normal cheerful person; her emotional state is so wildly inappropriate it's literally as if she is too mentally challenged to understand what's happening.

 

[HeelPower]

Recent Spoony's reviews on the game made me want to go through the game again to experience this mess on my own. I just can't.

you managed to watch spoony's 4-hour insufferable, obnoxious review but you couldn't get through the first half hour of the game ?

I don't even....

 

[QaaQer]

She's a certain type of girl that i don't think exists in the western world. Right down to her animation, original Japanese voice, and just overall appearence.

Since the game was 100% male written, animated, and directed, I'd say it was a Japanese male version of Japanese femininity. And given the fact that Japanese society is borderline misogynistic* Vanille becomes a bit more understandable, as does the bafflement of Western audiences wrt the character. I wonder how she was received by Japanese female players.

*World Economic Forum global rankings puts Japan at 105 out of 135 countries for economic participation/opportunity, educational attainment, and Political Empowerment in their gender gap index and For context here are the countries clustered around Japan:

Rank Country
101    India
102    Malaysia
103    Burkina Faso
104    Cambodia
105    Japan
106    Nigeria
107    Belize
108    Albania
109    United Arab Eremites

2013 report

 

[Ban Puncher]

 

[Dark_castle]

Ahh I see.

Anyway, in no way am I trying to make you like her. You asked why she's childish so I gave you the answer. XIII has major writing problems and an unlikable cast with the exception of Fang and yes, I know this will annoy you, Vanille for me personally.

It also doesn't help that your original post is full of hyperbole. "SHE POINTED A LOADED GUN AT SOMEONE AND SAID BANG? HORRIBLE CHARACTER"

You are free to like whoever you wish. I just find her to be incredibly ditsy with really questionable dialogue lines, character motion (the way she runs and her minor gestures here and there) and voice acting. I cringe a lot at what she has to say. Oh yeah, Snow and his NORA friends also got some pretty dumb lines as well. Charge in, guns blazing. Real hero don't need plans. Huzzah.

I wonder who's worse, Vanille or Lymle from Star Ocean 4.

 

[Mendrox]

U can't hate her because she has the nicest hips in the series and also her voice is made to turn you on when you do her special move.

 

[Wazzy]

You are free to like whoever you wish. I just find her to be incredibly ditsy with really questionable dialogue lines, character motion (the way she runs and her minor gestures here and there) and voice acting. I cringe a lot at what she has to stay. Oh yeah, Snow and his NORA friends also got some pretty dumb lines as well. Charge in, guns blazing. Real hero don't need plans. Huzzah.

I wonder who's worse, Vanille or Lymle from Star Ocean 4.

Completely fair.

But come on, son. You shouldn't have to ask that question, kay?

you managed to watch spoony's 4-hour insufferable, obnoxious review but you couldn't get through the first half hour of the game ?

I don't even....

I've never understood the Spoony appeal. He's incredibly unfunny and awful to watch.

 

[-MD-]

Vanille was prob my favorite character from XIII.

 

[dan2026]

Then how is it a stereotype for women if it only applies to one of the four characters? It's called a character archetype. Do try to apply the right terms if you want people to understand you.

It's a stereotype because it doesn't just apply to this game, it crosses over the broad spectrum of Japanese media and even real life as well.