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Atelier Ryza’s famous thick thighs were influenced by Japan’s economic recession, according to series’ producer

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
Looks like thick thighs save not only lives but also Japan's economy. :messenger_smirking:

wIjHe7s.jpeg


On Ryza's character design:
The character design of Reisalin “Ryza” Stout, created by artist Toridamono, famously attracted a lot of attention (and new fans) to the series, particularly for how it parted ways with the franchises’ tendency for petite body types in favor of a more curvaceous figure. Ryza’s thighs become a particular hallmark of the trilogy, especially as players theorized (with solid evidence) that they were growing in circumference with each new entry.

Talking to 4Gamer, Atelier producer Junzo Hosoi commented on the series’ approach of reflecting real-life trends through its character designs.

“This is just my perception, but I think that the economy has an influence on what kind of designs become popular. There are certain types of characters that are needed in times of recession, and there are types of characters that are embraced only when the economy is booming.” As an example, Hosoi cites the often-heard theory that people start to favor voluptuous body types and motherly characteristics in women during times of economic recession.

He goes on to confirm that these kinds of considerations influenced certain aspects of Ryza’s design. While her thick thighs and voluminous chest are obviously the first thing that comes to mind, Ryza is also very “girl next door,” with a bubbly personality and uncomplicated, approachable design, which seems to reflect what Hosoi is talking about.

On Yumia's character design:
On the other hand, the producer notes that while the economic slump is still ongoing, he decided not to opt for the same approach for the series’ next protagonist. “They say Japan will be in recession for a long time, but I thought that attempting to match the times again would lead to Yumia looking too similar to Ryza.”

Instead, the team opted to incorporate global trends, giving Yumia a “cutting-edge” look meant to intercept fashion trends from the near future. While still visibly inheriting the Atelier DNA, Yumia’s design is decidedly more sleek and modern-looking compared to previous protagonists in the series. Hosoi comments in the interview that he wanted to avoid giving her an overly girly look or “puffy” silhouette, opting for tight, form-fitting clothing that’s more popular globally.

The character designer for Atelier Yumia is Benitama, who happens to be a friend of Toridamono and a big fan of Ryza. He describes feeling immense pressure from being tasked with designing Atelier’s next heroine, commenting, “I couldn’t imagine surpassing Ryza’s design at all.” It apparently took the team a long process of trial-and-error and 30 to 40 revisions to make sure Yumia was equally appealing but not similar to Ryza.

 
GREAT , so why no dub? Increase sales to westerners who want more like this.
But no they have to be like Koei and be sub only.

I know there is a subset of fans that are all obsessed with Japanese audio. Great, but there are people like me who won't buy games without dubs.
So get more sales to go along with existing more sales, or just keep the small audience and natives.
 

Paltheos

Member
If ever there has been a case of 'username checks out', it is here.

The character designer for Atelier Yumia is Benitama, who happens to be a friend of Toridamono and a big fan of Ryza. He describes feeling immense pressure from being tasked with designing Atelier’s next heroine, commenting, “I couldn’t imagine surpassing Ryza’s design at all.” It apparently took the team a long process of trial-and-error and 30 to 40 revisions to make sure Yumia was equally appealing but not similar to Ryza.

Nice try, I guess. It's my first time in a while looking at Yumia's design, which should tell you how strong an impression it left on me. It's fine, but not as immediately striking as Ryza. Vials as heels on her boots are still dumb. A for effort though.
 

Evolved1

make sure the pudding isn't too soggy but that just ruins everything
So, I buy all these games for years and have actually never downloaded or played one. I always intend to, but never do.
 

ReyBrujo

Member
It's always interesting to see how Japanese authors, writers and creatives tackle on crisis. I was in idol stuff for a decade and remember reading articles about how, during crisis, idols decay because Japanese people had less to spare in entertainment and fantasy.

Nre395x.png


On the other side, others authors (can't find the exact quote right now, lost in thousands of clips) mentioned that during crisis idols boomed because people wanted to escape reality and used them as comfort. I guess there's some truth in every interpretation. First time I read about thick thighs, gotta note that one too.
 
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