Various stuffs about FF

[Dark Jaguar]

A magical RPG "for girls" eh?

Anyway, you want real sexism, try Castlevania on for size. Specifically, the current "ruler of storyline canon" stating that Castlevania Legends has been BANISHED from the official storyline (the other two Gameboy games? The N64 game? They can stay, so it wasn't a quality issue). In his translated words, a girl can never be a Belmont. I say Sonia Belmont needs to be given her due. It's not like she doesn't fit in the continuity. She's basically after Lament of Innocence, inheriting that whip and being the first to challenge Dracula after he actually becomes the dark lord. Also, the first Belmont to actually win the respect of Alucard. But, apparently girls can only be magicians in a supporting role to this guy.

When you see what real sexism looks like, it sorta puts this other stuff in perspective.

Here is an excerpt from an interview that was conducted with Koji Igarashi in 2003:

"EGM: Would you make a Castlevania with a female main character?

IGA: Hm, there are difficult problems with that. As a gamer, I think that you become one with the character, and since Castlevania has a lot of male players, it's natural to have male characters. In Rondo of Blood, Maria was a silly, cute aside, but you still had Richter to make it serious. Plus, Mr. Hagihara (the director) had a playful sense of humor. He worked on Symphony as well, and he made the telescope part where, if you pan over to the left you can see a little mouse, and also where Alucard can sit down on the chair and prop his feet up.

EGM: After Tomb Raider, don't you think a female character is more acceptable?

IGA: It's possible I guess. Although, I purposefully left the Sonia Belmont character (from Castlevania Legends for GBC) out of the official Castlevania chronology. (laughs) Usually, the vampire storyline motifs, females tend to be sacrificed. It's easier to come up with weak, feminine characters. I'll think about it more in the future, though. It's tough to fit a female hero into the early history of Castlevania, but as you move into the modern day, females can then more easily become a hero."

I think I remember some hero... hmm... some sort of d'Arc?