Fans of the smartphone video game “ Blue Archive ”
have once again found themselves involved in a sea of criticism and
disappointment when they discovered that the Chinese version of the
game has censored a large part of the franchise's waifu designs . Japanese
Internet users were already aware of this new update in China, but they did not
expect such obvious censorship.
The game, which combines elements of strategy and RPG
with a “waifus” aesthetic – a type of anime or manga girl – is very popular in
several countries , including Japan and the West. Its female
characters are designed with details that highlight their curves, their
physical attributes and their facial features. However, China, a
country that has very strict regulations on violence, sexuality and “sensitive”
content, has imposed severe censorship on the “Blue Archive” girls.
Images from the Chinese version of the game show waifus
with hidden cleavage, reduced thighs and smaller breasts. Fans of the
franchise have made it clear that this is not acceptable and have complained on
social media about the lack of respect for the developers' creativity and
artistic freedom. On the left are the designs in China, while on the
right is the original design:
- Izumimoto Eimi , added clothing to hide her breasts.
- Ichinose Asuna , had her breast size reduced and her cleavage hidden.
- Sunohara Shun , the size of her breasts was reduced and her cleavage was hidden.
- Shizuyama Mashiro , her thighs were hidden by making her wear underwear.
- Kasuga Tsubaki , the size of her breasts was reduced and her side cleavage was hidden.
- Kenzaki Tsurugi removed the blood from his halo.
- Kenzaki Tsurugi (Swimsuit Ver.) , removed the blood from his halo.
- Asahina Pina , hid her cleavage.
- Toyomi Kotori hid her cleavage.
- Ushimaki Juri , the size of her breasts was reduced.
- Kakudate Karin , her breast size was reduced.
- Otohana Sumire , her leggings were raised to show less abdomen.
This is not the first time we have talked about this type of
censorship in China. Many video game and animation franchises have
suffered from this same problem, including “Kantai Collection” and “Azur
Lane.” Despite consumer complaints, companies often comply with
regulations and censor designs to adapt to the Chinese market, which represents
a huge revenue opportunity for companies.
Fortunately, the censored designs are reportedly limited
to only the China version of the game and do not affect the rest of the
world. However, fans worry that the developer will eventually not be
able to maintain a server dedicated to a single country and will have to
distribute its game globally, meaning censorship would move to the global
server.
Meanwhile, “Blue Archive” fans will continue to enjoy the
full version of the game and continue to criticize censorship in China ,
demanding respect for artistic freedom and consumer wishes.
Source: Otakomu
