The Quiet thing.
Well Kojima certainly did manage to get people talking when he unveiled his character model for the new female character in upcoming Metal Gear Solid V. The majority of the week has been overtaken with people trashing, defending, and holding out opinion on Kojima’s Twitter-blasted explanations as to why such a gloomy-looking mute sniper looks like she’s going sunbathing in a trailer park.
The outfit is silly. There is no arguing that. Never mind that this is a world occasionally populated by robot dinosaurs.
Actually, what I want to know is why her face looks like she’s had a stroke, but no one else seems to really notice that. No, what the rest of the internet machine appears to be concerned about is just how much rage should be directed at this particular paragon of practicality.
Which to a certain degree I can understand and even agree with. The outfit is silly. There is no arguing that. Never mind that this is a world occasionally populated by robot dinosaurs. No matter how much Kojima backtracks and promises actual good canonical reasons for the way she dresses as she does, the truth of the matter is that he wanted an “erotic” character to sell Kotobukiya statues and make more cosplayers take their clothes off.
Dear Cosplayer friends, something like this for example. pic.twitter.com/SWkN3BSDFy
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) September 4, 2013
Just in case you weren’t sure.
And the internet has picked up that as well, which is good. It deserves having a good joke made of it. After all, it certainly seems to be enough to convince (fandom) Snake, at least where DeviantArtist Anne Pogoda is concerned. At once able to protect both his nipples and his testicles while still allowing maximum freedom of movement, Snake manages to squeeze his washboard abs into this now-familiar little number and rock it. 
So yes, I get that it is silly, which is something that should be acknowledged. It’s distracting. Immersion-breaking. You could argue that it’s sexist and objectifying.
But smack-dab in the middle of Metal Gear Solid?
With a legacy of female characters like EVA, Laughing Octopus, Naomi Hunter, heck pretty much all of the Beauty and the Beast unit? Well hey, she’s just one of the gang.
With origins in Japan, there is very little chance that any title, Metal Gear Solid included, would manage to escape the apparent cultural penchant for exaggeration – particularly with regards to women.
A character could have a perfectly practical uniform in a neutral color… but where would be the fun in that unless she left it unzipped to showcase her fine set of Mount Fujis?
Just as, I suppose, Bleach‘s Rangiku could have breasts slightly smaller than the size of her head, or Sailor Moon’s senshi have legs slightly shorter than eternity, or even Hitomi Kanzaki’s eyes be smaller than golf balls. But wouldn’t that ruin the stylistic, creative, and fantasy element of it all?
I’m of the firm opinion that people can and should be able to wear what they want, like what they want, and draw the way they want too. I also believe that there should be no reason to be ashamed of your body, of feeling sexy, or dressing sexy – particularly when you can take care of yourself. Not in real life, and not in a video game.
I don’t feel that Quiet’s outfit degrades her.
It’s just a point to poke a little fun at because it’s so silly. In the end it’s just clothes. And not even particularly attractive or sexy-looking clothes, just odd and slightly shocking considering the setting. You can call it “erotic” if you so please, it does nothing for me beyond the “…oh, okay.”
You may find that you have a burning interest in motorboating her “personality”, but that’s ultimately what you’re going to end up being attracted by. Her personality. The real one. Say what you like, you really do want the whole package.
Nothing wrong with finding out a little more about somebody before you judge them, right?
Published: Sep 15, 2013 12:24 am