Why was she the love interest?
>>2833450
Because that's how the story was written.
Dunno quistis was a hottie
Because best girls never, ever win.
She is the most ideal woman to a lonely Japanese male, in that she's romantically aggressive and just keeps hitting on the player - I mean Squall - no matter how unappealing he may be until he finally gives in.
>>2833462
This. It was always my dream as a lad to seduce a bangin' hot teacher. Quistis was right up my boner alley.
>>2833501
That's actually quite contrary to common belief. Japanese Men (stereotypical) want a doormat. See: Rei in Evangelion
>>2833516
Well, common belief is contrary to reality.
>>2833462
Quistis > Selphie > Milf Edea >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rinoa
>>2833510
It helps that she was supposed to be the same age as Squall and the rest.
Why was Final Fantasy 8 allowed to happen? Surely a large company like Square must have some kind of quality control.
>>2833597
They were still riding the high from the success of VII.
>>2833597
They thought the graphical jump would be enough to satisfy most users
Whatever Spoony said.
>>2833650
He's a declining e-celeb who has a few bretty good real talk videos about retro games. He surgically destroyed FF VIII in 5-6 hours worth of videos pointing out every awful thing about it. Those videos are worth a watch. And possibly his reviews of S.W.A.T. 4 and Phantasmagoria.
I still find the space scene pretty touching.
>>2833516
Like literally a doormatt???
>>2833516
Is rape legal in Japan then?
>>2833790
There's not such a thing like illegal rape
>>2833516
they should be more like the west where it's the women treating men like shit
>>2833450
Because you shyly placed your eyes on her.
>>2833516
Rei was written to be unsettling and unappealing as a person.
Otakus latching on to her wasn't intended, and doesn't reflect all of Japanese society.
Asuka, on the flipside, was written as a cunt, again not representative of all Japs.
>>2834115
>again not representative of all Japs.
but fairly accurate of Germans
>>2834115
>Rei was written to be unsettling and unappealing
And that's why they gave her beautiful pale snow skin and a tight petite body, and had her featured prominently on the cover of the manga and promotional materials that came before the anime (the manga came out one year before the anime show). Because Anno truly is a GENIUS.
Totally ugly, guys.
>>2834161
>stoic and socially awkward
>never leaves home except for NERV
>looks strangely similar to Shinji's mother
>doesn't even enjoy playing the videogames
>ends up dying a lot and coming back (lolclones)
>not unsettling
We don't care if you wanna fuck her, she's still weird.
>>2834169
Here's why you're full of shit, nadesico came out one year before eva and they had a rei loli character. She fits every one trait of your list. Stoic, mute, weird, etc. And she was INSANELY popular.
>>2834184
what's popularity got to do with the way the character was written to be?
Asuka > Rei, btw
>>2834184
Never mind, Eva came a couple months first. I'm wrong about this.
>>2834192
Misato is better anyway
>>2834192
I don't see how a hot shy girl is supposed to be unappealing
>>2834184
To be honest I always thought Rei was overREIted.but srsly never really dug her character
>>2834203
There's shy and then there's having creepily awkward mannerisms and personality like Rei.
![Nadesico - 22 [BD.720p] [Iznjie Biznjie] [1478DA86].mkv_snapshot_12.23_[2015.05.26_04.20.07].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/k1tVU98.jpg "Nadesico - 22 [BD.720p] [Iznjie Biznjie] [1478DA86].mkv_snapshot_12.23_[2015.05.26_04.20.07].jpg")
>>2834195
>>2834184
Aesti girls are besty grils
>>2833597
8 was still a good game in its' own right, they just executed it poorly. It still had decent music and gameplay. Plus the game could be easily broken early on if you knew how to exploit the Junctioning system and Card Refining.
>>2834240
>8 was still a good game in its' own right,
It really really wasn't. The story was bad if not retarded, the characters where bland and the gameplay was a chore. Even when you figure out how to get spells without draw it's a pain.
>>2834243
>the characters where bland
Is there some connection as to why the people who hate 8 as much as they do also have just terrible grammar?
>>2834220
Maybe they made her autistic because wanted to make her more relatable to their core audience.
>>2833597
FF8 is the best FF, you're just too pleb to understand this.
>>2834254
I dunno? Is there a connection between the fact that the people who like FF8 can't actually defend the game and instead play ad hominem?
>>2834275
I blame spoony, ff8 used to be universally acclaimed until a failed e-celeb made that youtube review
>>2834279
>ff8 used to be universally acclaimed
Oh, honey, no. No it wasn't.
>>2834289
Shut up, it was, fuck you, fucking millennials.
FF8 was a cream dream at the point of release.
>>2834289
It was back in the day, what are you talking about?
>>2834289
When Final Fantasy VIII came out it was hailed as one of the best games ever made. It was insanely popular.
>>2834279
This.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1njLpZDfUCQ
>>2834115
The show was written to be relatable to otakus. Shinji was meant to be a character for otakus to project themselves into. Rei is basically a female version of Shinji, but without his most negative traits. Asuka is one of the "normie" characters who is basically anti-Shinji. Rei appeals to Shinji at an emotional level while Asuka appeals to Shinji at primal sexual level.
>>2834326
>>2834324
>>2834313
>All this revisionist history
Sure, FF8 had its share of praise, a lion's share even, but it wasn't universal. There was a sizable and loud section of the player base, most notably people whose first Final Fantasy experience was 7, who hated 8. I remember this shit TOO well. Don't you people dare try and tell me it didn't exist.
>>2833678
>He surgically destroyed FF VIII in 5-6 hours worth of videos pointing out every awful thing about it.
>THE GAME JUST FORCES ME TO GRIND FOR EVERY SINGLE MAGIC
>LE MAD SCIENTIST MEME
>>2834404
>Game is hugely popular and critically acclaimed
>Also manages to split the fanbase by being different from any other game in the series
These things aren't mutually exclusive.
>>2834454
Yes, that's the focus of one of the episodes, but there's 9 in total if I recall right.
>>2833450
Because the character was invented specifically to be the love interest. Are you fucking retarded?
Seriously now, every single character has a role in the plot and plays it. They were all written specifically for those roles and IDK how you don't understand that.
>>2834348
>Rei is basically a female version of Shinji, but without his most negative traits.
>implying NGE isn't from Shinji's perspective alltogether
>implying a combination of Shinji's mother and ultimate entropy shouldn't be 2sp00ky4u
>>2834568
why would i be scared of a chick that looks just like my mother except younger? that sounds great
>>2834279
>I blame spoony, ff8 used to be universally acclaimed until a failed e-celeb made that youtube review
That's still not an actual defense of the game.
Defend the fucking game. you say it's good you should be able to come up with something solid
>>2834473
We all know "critically acclaimed" means jack shit in an industry where reviewers are paid off. Even back during 5th gen you rarely saw a game dip below 7.0 in the reviews.
>>2834698
>>2834279
>ff8 used to be universally acclaimed
News flash, asshole. The unvierse got bigger.
Back then Universally acclaimed meant that the magazines gave it good scores and that was fucking it.
Now the universe is a quintillion times larger and every asshole is free to share their opinion.
>>2833450
I named her NIGGA just for the scene in space where she drifts off, "NIGGA! NOOOOO!"
>>2833790
Silly anon, don't you know that's how they say hello?
>>2833450
I genuinely loved the romance in the game and the development of both Riona and Squall
>>2834243
>The story was bad if not retarded, the characters where bland
It's an FF game. Those are always shit and really shouldn't be payed attention to.
>the gameplay was a chore.
It's a fucking RPG.
>>2833450
Because the worst, blandest and/or most annoying girl is ALWAYS the main character's love interest in Japanese storytelling.
PROVE ME WRONGby finding an example in video games or anime where this isn't the case, please.
>>2835375
Vanille in FF13. While she is nuclear levels of annoying, she is not the love interest of Lightning.
>>2835375
>Because the worst, blandest and/or most annoying girl is ALWAYS the main character's love interest in Japanese storytelling.
It's a blank slate to self-insert your girlfrie-AHAHAHAHAHA sorry I can't say that with a straight face.
That said, Persona 4 and Mana Khemia have a selection of pretty neat girls and none of them is really shoved in your direction. Ignoring them is effortless to boot.
Squall was autistic. Like most autistic guys, he falls in love with the first girl who calls him cute.
>>2833461
This
She's pretty unlikeable to me, BUT being the daughter of Julia allows the writers to bring the story full-circle.
>>2835513
It's like poetry. It rhymes.
>>2834978
>the story shouldn't be payed attention to
>all RPGs should have tedious gameplay
why do you even play RPGs?
>>2835487
Was he? Or was he really just so alpha that there was no discernible difference in his behavior?
>>2834404
>a lion's share even,
heh
>>2834279
The Emperor's clothes used to be universally acclaimed until a shithead child said he was actually naked,
>>2834239
that's not Yurika
>>2834328
Spoony was a complete FFVIII noob. He never even pulled the trigger when attacking with Squall.
>>2835487
You never actually played the game, did you?
What shitty youtube ecelebs dick did you jump on?
>>2835487
Pretty sure Selphie says something about his attractiveness prior to him ever meeting Rinoa.
>>2834279
>ff8 used to be universally acclaimed
Here's your (You)
>>2834313
>f-fucking millenials!
And here's your other one.
>>2834664
>That's still not an actual defense of the game.
This is the same kind of person who will say that Dragon's Lair for the NES wasn't an atrocity because e-celebs has made fun of it for being really really bad.
Welcome to e-celeb counter culture, it's at least as delusional and dumb as the worst fanboys.
>>2834978
Now I'm not a huge fan of 7, but wasn't that game praised for those specific things?
Not that story can't matter in an RPG, or that the gameplay should be bad, Jesus fuck, what kind of asinine bait is that?
>>2833597
Because FFVII's commercial success.
Protip: FFVIII is an extention of everything wrong with FFVII.
FFVIII girls power rankings
1. Ultimecia
2. Edea
3. Quistis
4. Fujin
5. Zell's mom
6. Xu
7. Julia
8. Selphie
9. Dr. Kadowaki
10. Raine
11. Ellone
12. Library girl
13. Random female NPCs
9000. Adel
9001. Rinoa
>>2834243
>the gameplay was a chore
The gameplay was as far from a chore as you can get in a JRPG. You can get Encounter None very early, and leave it enabled all the time for no penalty. Even JRPG gameplay is tolerable when it's nothing but boss fights.
>>2835513
What full circle? Julia's not important. SHe was just some bird Laguna wanted to bang. Squall bagging her daughter doesn't mean shit.
>>2835754
On its face, FF7's story was an environmental message, so of course treehugger faggots would praise its story on that aspect. Its only when you dig deep into the details that one realizes what a convoluted mess FF7's story actually is.
>>2833516
Wrong. Traditional conservative Japanese men want that. But what has actually happened is quite the opposite (Sarkeesian & co's ignorant ranting to the notwithstanding); in Japan women control the household budget and routinely work outside the home until pregnancy occurs, at which point they forsake their careers to better raise the offspring. Even then the sexual climate is so dysfunctional in that country that their women largely prefer dildos to real men, while the men likewise are so beta and lonely they've turned to virtual companions and fleshlights.
>>2835989
*to the contrary
In any case, I found Final Fantasy VIII to be a lot of pretty graphics and a dynamite soundtrack with little substance, rhyme, or reason to act as a base holding all that gaudiness together.
>>2835818
I think he meant that it was a chore in that the game is extremely easy unless you completely ignore junctioning to stats (which just makes it tedious).
>>2835967
The "Save the planet" went to hell the instant the spook livin' in the Shinra building got loose.
>>2833585
Good luck with that.
>>2836010
True, but most magazine reviewers back in the day probably didn't play that far.
>>2836070
>most magazine reviewers didn't play that far
They had weeks to write a review. Now games have such intensive online multiplayer portions, websites are lucky if they have any kind of review ready for release day, let alone release month like magazines had.
>>2833516
Stereotypical Japanese men don't play extremely long JRPGs that are made for children. They work at jobs instead.
Maybe lonely Japanese men who play RPGs want an aggressive lady.
>>2835818
This is the first piece of information that has ever tempted me to play this game.
>>2835787
Whats this about the dance? I remember the waltz thing and all, but not like this
>>2835818
this is why viii is the only ff i still play.
>>2835787
>not posting the full version
>FFVIII's romance totally isn't forced guys!
Given how R=U and Squall is dead became popular fan-theories that every retard immediately took as truth without questioning them at all I have to wonder why this theory didn't took off as well as the other two did.
The only problems I see with this one is that Rinoa isn't aware of her potential to be a sorceress and frankly she isn't smart enough to plan anything like this out.
>>2837126
R=U and Squall is Dead prey on people's desire for things to be 2deep4u. That one is just straight up dumb
The problem with Rinoa and the "romance" with her is that it simply feels like an after-through that they put in and then tried to make more important than it actully is. Now I kinda like the idea that their romance is a continuation of one between Julia and Laguna that they couldn't have but consider the following:
I'd argue that FFVIII's theme and main plot point is not love but fate and more specifically not being able to go against yours:
It's Laguna's fate to defeat Adel and to become president of Esthar where is forced to stay instead of being able to go back to Raine and Ellone in Winhill.
It's Squall's fate to become the leader of SeeD and to defeat Ultimecia.
It's Zell's, Quistis', Selphie's and Irvine's fate as the children of fate to defeat Ultimecia with Squall and to become the "legendary SeeDs".
It's Ultimecia's fate to get unjustly persecuted for things she hasn't even done yet, to try to overcome her fate with the time compression and ironically causing the exact thing she tried to pretend.
Everyone's fate leads up to keeping the timeloop in game's world going and its important to note no one really wanted their respective fates which is best presented by Squall not being exactly enthusiastic about people forcing the position of leadership of SeeDs to him.
Now what does Rinoa and the "romance" with her has to do with any of this? Absolutely nothing apart from Rinoa being one of the sorceresses whose powers eventually pass on to Ultimecia and that role could have easily been filled by any other female character in the game with or without romance subplot with her.
>>2837202
I can see the discussion about needing to add the romance sub-plot to FFVIII going like this:
>We have just finished the storyline for FFVIII, it's about not being able to go against your fate and time travel.
>Hmm... I don't think people can relate to that.
>WAIT
>NO
>OK
>I GOT THIS
>LETS PUT A ROMANCE SUBPLOT ON TOP OF IT!
>THEN LETS ADVERTISE THE GAME AS A LOVE STORY!
>NOMURA CAN YOU QUICKLY COME UP WITH A LOVE INTEREST FOR SQUALL?
>Well, I have this sketch of this girl I find cute. (BTW: Rinoa actually IS Nomura's vision of cute)
>PERFECT LET'S USE THAT!
>But sir we already have majority of the game done and we don't have enough time to modify it to include this romance subplot of yours!
>DO IT ANYWAY FAGGOT!
Seriously, think about all the scenes featuring Rinoa especially the ones you need to save her. I can't be the only one who thinks the game goes full-retard during them? Or that FFVIII could be improved a lot by having anyone but Rinoa as the forced love interest or simply by removing the whole romance sub-plot from it all-together? Rinoa really serves no purpose apart from being an eventual love interest for Squall or that the scenes that have focus on rescuing her really feel out of place?
>>2837203
Here is an example of a scene about rescuing Rinoa going full-retard and feeling out of place during the battle of Gardens:
>Rinoa is a dump bitch and falls of the side of the Garden
>Hey Quistis, lets go bug Squall about this, it's not like we have anything resembling a rope on us do we?
>Good idea Zell, let's do that instead of trying to help her ourselves!
>Hey Squall, Rinoa is a dump bitch and fell on the side of garden! Go save her!
>Fuck you guys, I'm busy right now!
>10 minutes later
>But Squall, she'll die!
>Whatever, I don't give a fuck.
>But Squall, she is really going to die!
>Oh my god Zell, I'll go if you just STFU
>15 minutes later
>Squall! For fucks sake go save her!
>I don't wanna and I have a battle against Galbadians to lead here!
>Squall, she is going to die!!!
>Fine, I'll abandon all my duties and go if you guys STFU for real this time.
>Squall goes to save Rinoa by running in the OPPOSITE direction from her
>meanwhile Rinoa is still somehow holding herself at side of the garden with just two fingers despite the Gardens constantly ramming into each other at full speed
>elsewhere Squall gets hit by a giant flying platform
>slow paced fist fight ensues
>the opponent eventually falls off
>steal the device by leaning forward
>Rinoa, jump on this conveniently placed rid cord with a foot hole!
>Yay!!! I knew you'd save me Squall!
>Land in middle of battlefield as Balamb students use swords against niggahs with guns
>"I think we're winning, Squall. HURRRRRR!"
>"Yeah, looks that way... DURRRRRRRRRR"
This certainly feels like a part that is full retard just because they needed to add bullshit featuring Rinoa that originally wasn't there here.
>>2837205
Except that's not how it happens at all.
Squall never wanted to go save Riona himself because he was the general of a fucking war going on so he couldn't risk EVERYONE's life just for to help ONE person. It was the noble thing to do. BUT he told Zell, which help in the war was negligeable, to take care of the problem, so he did something about it.
He just happened to save Rinoa by chance, when taking care of his business. It's a main theme of the game, they are meant to be together, you can't escape Fate, even if you Squall doesn't want to be with her Fate brings them together. The whole scene is a metaphor of how their fated love story is and you missed the whole point of it.
>>2837205
>meanwhile Rinoa is still somehow holding herself at side of the garden with just two fingers despite the Gardens constantly ramming into each other at full speed
This right here is some grade A bullshit. Not even the incredible Hulk could hold onto the side of the Balamb Garden while the other Garden is ramming it and I'm supposed to believe that weak skinny teenage girl like Rinoa is able to? I double fucking dare NESfag or someone else to give a believable explanation to Rinoa's superhuman strength here.
>>2837234
>It's a main theme of the game, they are meant to be together, you can't escape Fate, even if you Squall doesn't want to be with her Fate brings them together. The whole scene is a metaphor of how their fated love story is and you missed the whole point of it.
Whoa. I always though Rinoa hanging by her fingertips for twenty minutes off of a floating building hurtling through the air in the midst of a violent attack while Squall runs laps around the Garden was just sloppy writing, but I guess with the power of love it really all makes sense now after all.
>>2834698
mfw
>>2835764
Lol, I don't remember sorceress Adel being that easy
>>2837205
TOP FUCKING KEK. This is SOOO fucking true. I played through that scene thining "THIS IS TOTAL BULLSHIT"
>>2837281
