Yeah I saw a bunch of pics and she can pass for someone in her twenties. Especially in fuller body shots.
Like on Tatsumaki what makes her look like a child is her larger than normal head (for someone her age). Without her head she could potentially pass for a 20 year old with a very small frame but with that head ... Nah man I am not seeing it.
Aoi Yuuki could pass for someone that's in her teens in Japan, no problem. Just changing her make-up and dress could do it, lol.
Photos of people tend to be a bad indicator though. You can make someone look older or younger through make-up, dress, lighting, camera angles, visual tricks etc. For example the following image is from her photo book and she looks ridiculously young in it for a variety of reasons.
I agree that's what her design is supposed to be; however, they do like to hike up her dress pretty high and give her some nice butt grooves when she's leaning over. She does resemble a child or young girl regardless of individual style (head size, demeanor); I can accept they wanted her to be smaller so her power is more amazing, but I do also believe the more sexy shots are there to please a certain crowd similar to how Mosquito Woman or her sister are, well, more full.
What actually screams it's supposed to aimed at that crowd other than her stature? Why isn't it folks that like petite women? Is there a difference or is there no difference?
The point I'm trying to make is that folks are too eager to throw stuff into a basket without taking the time to look at what's actually going in there. I really have no problem with calling an apple an apple. But a Chinese pear isn't quite an apple, ya know? That's why anime fans get into a tizzy when this discussion comes up.
There's definitely stuff that aims to at that crowd out there, no doubt about it. It's definitely super gross. But throwing everything under the bus without clearly defining the degrees is kinda awful itself.
I knew from when I first saw that character that the design was problematic but I didn't think it would consume this entire thread. But I guess that's just how anime is now!
It's really not that problematic of a design, honestly. It's just her gag in-universe works by using the same thing that is prevalent in real life. Obviously It's not an untrue sentiment but I think it gets carried away often.
For reference these are her designs from the show and Murata version that aren't subject to odd angles, drawn funny, or a comedic situation.
Compare her to Child Emperor who's actually 10 -
Not many great shots of Child Emperor yet from the anime but Tatsumaki is definitely drawn more adult than he is, most of the time.
Folks in the show just rag on her because of her height. If ONE kept her design but made her taller. I don't think anyone would complain. Just goes to show how much height is a factor in perception.
