“The Legend of Zelda” is "classist, sexist and racist"

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JoostinOnline

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...How exactly does that contradict what I said, bub? Or is portraying a character in a bizarrely sexist light not doing a shitty job of characterization?
They did a fine job of it. It was a very accurate interpretation of how someone with a haunted childhood might react if a f*cking monster, who was the cause of such experiences, apparently rose from the dead (that's not actually what happened, but she doesn't know where he came from yet) and tried to kill her.

But you think a flashback to the day her parents died (when she first met Ridley) means bad characterization.
 

Gahars

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Hold on there, skipper.

They did a fine job of it. It was a very accurate interpretation of how someone with a haunted childhood might react if a f*cking monster, who was the cause of such experiences, apparently rose from the dead (that's not actually what happened, but she doesn't know where he came from yet) and tried to kill her.

Oh, please, you're still using this argument?

Samus has faced Ridley countless times by this point if we're counting the Prime trilogy, and even if we're not (since Sakamoto is a bit wishy-washy about its canonicity), she's seen him rise from the dead twice. None of these incidents prompted a complete and total shutdown. Why now all of a sudden? Why wasn't this a problem in Metroid and Super Metroid? I mean, Samus was alone then, so if she could conquer her fears then, what's changed? If this is how she reacts every time, then she'd surely be long dead by this point in time. Why is she only paralyzed and infantilized now?

"Well, it happened in the manga," many a Metroid: Other M apologist has argued. Yes, the scene is taken from the manga (that had an extremely limited run and was never released outside of Japan, mind you), but in the most half-assed way possible. The manga is set before the original Metroid, so it's the first time she's faced Ridley since her childhood, which makes the reaction easier to swallow. Not only that, Samus manages to overcome her fear once and for all (on her own, I might add). So if the manga is canon now, that's another piece of lore that Other M is contradicting. If the manga is no longer canon, then the basis for this apparent character trait is retconned away.

and tried to kill her.

This part in particular bugs me, too. If Samus can't handle things trying to kill her, you'd think she wouldn't be, you know, a bounty hunter. She's slaughtered space pirates and metroids en masse and even blown up entire planets by this point. Now this is a problem?

But you think a flashback to the day her parents died (when she first met Ridley) means bad characterization.


Because it's wildly inconsistent and horribly executed, yes.
 

JoostinOnline

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Samus has faced Ridley countless times by this point if we're counting the Prime trilogy, and even if we're not (since Sakamoto is a bit wishy-washy about its canonicity), she's seen him rise from the dead twice. None of these incidents prompted a complete and total shutdown. Why now all of a sudden? Why wasn't this a problem in Metroid and Super Metroid? I mean, Samus was alone then, so if she could conquer her fears then, what's changed? If this is how she reacts every time, then she'd surely be long dead by this point in time. Why is she only paralyzed and infantilized now?
Actually we've never seen how she reacts. We've never known what goes through her mind. It's always been a short cutscene of the boss appearing, then straight back to controlling Samus. You have apparently been assuming that Samus was a robot who never gets scared and that no emotions are involved.

Being terrified doesn't mean you're dead. Soldiers talk about being terrified during battle.

Whether it should have been done is definitely debatable. It's just like whether or not she should start speaking (I say no on that). Once you get this far into a series, people develop their own ideas about a character. When we are finally shown an "official" (I use quotes because it was really decided by Team Ninja, but they still set the stone) most people turn out to be "wrong". It's upsetting.

Anyway, this is getting way off topic. Back to the splintery stick in the analysts anus.
 

Gahars

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Actually we've never seen how she reacts. We've never known what goes through her mind. It's always been a short cutscene of the boss appearing, then straight back to controlling Samus.

1) That is a reaction, conveyed through gameplay/design.
2) That still doesn't answer this question of how the hell Samus survived at least two encounters with Ridley if this is her standard reaction. If it isn't her standard reaction, why exactly is it her reaction this particular time?

If you're going to contradict the past games, you should at least try to have some sensible explanation or justification for it. Metroid: Other M doesn't even bother.

You have apparently been assuming that Samus was a robot who never gets scared and that no emotions are involved.

[Citation Needed]

Quick Tip: "Humanizing" a character /= Turning that character into a walking sack of tears.

Being terrified doesn't mean you're dead. Soldiers talk about being terrified during battle.

Because I said it did? There's a difference between a character having fear or doubt and becoming so paralyzed with fear that they literally regress into a scared little girl before the viewer's eyes (especially when this contradicts everything established about the character beforehand and makes no sense in the context of the series). It's a little thing called subtlety. You might want to read up on it; God knows Sakamoto hasn't. ;)

Whether it should have been done is definitely debatable. It's just like whether or not she should start speaking (I say no on that). Once you get this far into a series, people develop their own ideas about a character. When we are finally shown an "official" (I use quotes because it was really decided by Team Ninja, but they still set the stone) most people turn out to be "wrong". It's upsetting.

1) As easy as it would be to just blame Team Ninja and call it a day, this was all Sakamoto. Directed, produced, wrote, etc. TN just did the grunt work. A George Lucas-esque vanity project, through and through.
2) When you blatantly contradict past games and can't even execute it well, yeah, of course people aren't going to be happy. This has to be pointed out?

Anyway, this is getting way off topic. Back to the splintery stick in the analysts anus.


You're right, Other M's writing and this article are very different. After all, one is an overwrought, shallow, and downright nonsensical narrative that makes no sense when held to any sort of scrutiny. The other is about the Legend of Zelda.
 

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Ok I am calling BS on this article. What you say here is very subjective. You have to remember who created the game? And before you ask no it was not made by a bunch a "White Hill Billies" looking for a way to put someone down. Beside the game was made and release in 1998 standards were different back then. Just enjoy it for what its worth and to everyone out there stop getting soo damn offended over ever little detail out there. God/Allah/Biology or what ever you believe in did not make us equal. If you need any proof just open a history book.
 
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Deleted_171835

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Just enjoy it for what its worth and to everyone out there stop getting soo damn offended over ever little detail out there. God/Allah/Biology or what ever you believe in did not make us equal. If you need any proof just open a history book.

Go on.
 

ShadowSoldier

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If you want to put a tag on something really, really badly, you will succeed. For the same reasons "Resident Evil 5" was branded "racist" because your enemies were mostly black zombies. Not that the whole story took place in Africa so it was entirely understandable to see a lot of black people there, but noo--, let's put it down to racism.

I'd also like to add that Mario games objectify women - they put Princess Peach in the position of a constant victim, completely unable to take care of herself without the help of a man to save her despite the fact that she's apparently capable of single-handedly ruling an entire realm.


I'm sorry but I don't care what race it is, even if they're black, asian or mexican, jewish, or white. If they're a fucking zombie, I'm going to wipe out every single one of them.

Also.. wasn't Ganondorf in this game.. you know... green skinned?
 

Maxternal

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TL;DR

This reminds me of my English 200 class. It's like what would someone would have turned in if the professor would have come out and said "I want all of you to chose a well known media genre and write an analysis of it based off of feminism, Marxism, and racism, due by Friday."


of course, I completely agree :ph34r: because :

DANG, those poor, oppressed, farm animals. Better let them roam free in this undead skeleton infested world instead.

Lies, social classes NEVER existed, ESPECIALLY not in a medieval society.

BAD NINTENDO. Haven't you heard of affirmative action. You need to hire characters in the same racial ratio as your market ... which is the whole world. :angry: Even if your excuse is that the game was made in Japan, it needs more Asians :P . The fact that the whole game population is (even says so in the game) isolated [genetically] from the rest of the world by mountains, forest and desert is no excuse either because, you know, fiction can't be realistic.

:creep:

It IS interesting, though, that in later re-released versions of OoT had the Gerudo/Islamic star and moon symbol removed and replaced. Someone noticed THAT one long before this article was written.

even as such ... this article .. umm . . . no.




EDIT : oh, almost forgot "veganism" or whatever that's called.
 
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Guild McCommunist

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It was a very accurate interpretation of how someone with a haunted childhood might react if a f*cking monster, who was the cause of such experiences, apparently rose from the dead (that's not actually what happened, but she doesn't know where he came from yet) and tried to kill her.


Well I'm sure there's plenty of stories of kids who had their parents killed by giant space dragons for comparison.

Also we all know damn well if it was a dude he'd just go "ARRGGGHHHH YOU KILLED MY PARENTS TIME TO MARY SUE YOUR ASS" and fight with rage not cower and cry.

The whole point of "She fought him before" is also REALLY FUCKING GLARING.
 

MushGuy

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Why am I not surprised there wasn't a further analysis on whether Sheik was male or just a disguised female, and the implications of each? But yeah, the carpenter stuff was a bit ridiculous.
 

fermio100

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If you want to put a tag on something really, really badly, you will succeed. For the same reasons "Resident Evil 5" was branded "racist" because your enemies were mostly black zombies. Not that the whole story took place in Africa so it was entirely understandable to see a lot of black people there, but noo--, let's put it down to racism.

I'd also like to add that Mario games objectify women - they put Princess Peach in the position of a constant victim, completely unable to take care of herself without the help of a man to save her despite the fact that she's apparently capable of single-handedly ruling an entire realm.



And let's not forget she's blond.
 
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Guild McCommunist

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Why am I not surprised there wasn't a further analysis on whether Sheik was male or just a disguised female, and the implications of each? But yeah, the carpenter stuff was a bit ridiculous.


Actually she's genderqueer you massive bigot.

Check your privilege cis-scum.
 

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