Former Atlus artist raises glass to Metaphor, ReFantazio's character designer and their mastery in'sex attraction' that transcends stereotypical ideas

Metaphor: ReFantazio looks good. It may not always have the highest resolution textures, but what about character design, worldbuilding and menu aesthetics. It's downright peak. It's also sexy, but in a way which transcends gender.

According to a former Atlus illustrator, who goes online as LAM, and went freelance in 2018, this is what he said. Shigenori Soejima, the current art director and character designer of Denfaminicogamer was also present during a three way interview.

LAM, when asked what makes Soejima character designs so great, throws away all pretense and just says it like it is: "In one word, sex attraction." It was the first time that I found male characters attractive when I saw Soejima’s character designs.

He thinks that, aside from the fact that a RPG character may have woken something up in LAM (been here), the trick is to focus on things that are appealing to everyone.

"In a positive way, [the design] is 'unisex,' in that you cannot tell the author's identity. In today's world, it might not be a good thing to say, but I believe that artists can show bias in the way they portray the opposite sex. There are artists who draw women in an adorable way, and there are artists who draw men coolly.

"With Soejima it's as if he's viewing the characters from an aerial view. The characters are equally attractive regardless of gender. They're cool and beautiful regardless of gender and age."

I have to admit that I agree with LAM in this case. Everyone in ReFantazio has been designed to be visually attractive and attractive without falling into stereotypes. I will probably reveal more of my tastes if I talk about why. But every party member (except Heismay - sorry, I don't like sugar gliders -) strikes the perfect balance between looking good and telling something about their character through how they dress. Then there's Count Louis, the smokin' hot face of might makes right. I'm not crazy about him.

Soejima is concerned with their audience. "There are obviously many male Persona Fans, but there also many female Fans. It's for this reason that I think it's very important to draw females in a way they won't be hated by female fans.

"I'm a man, so I get the urge to draw cliched [cute girls] every now and then, but I still place importance on this approach." He continues to say that he gets advice from the female staff at the studio on his designs. This seems like a good place to find out what women find attractive.

I strongly recommend that you play Atlus's masterpiece this year. I just finished my 95-hour playthrough and now I have a hole in my heart for scouse dogs boys and its heavy art direction. I am resisting the urge to play through a second time, even though Louis' unassailable visual style could make me feel a particular way again.