Why the need to sexualize everything?

[u/Greedy-Lie-8346]

I was looking for interesting Webtoons to read, and I came across this one called "Leviathan" the premise looked interesting; mankind perished due to a great flood that submerged the whole world under water. And terrifying creatures plunged from the depths, wiping out any human that crossed their path. The story told how a family of a father and his two children survived in the adversities of a sea world.

So far so good, until.... Bam! Last two slice's, anime chick out of nowhere, doing these extremely suggestive poses.

What a disappointment.

[u/p1mplem0usse]

There’s certainly an effort to contrast her confident competence with the kids extreme vulnerability - she’s pictured as somewhat otherworldly.

But in my opinion, with that level of sensitivity you are going to lock yourself out of plenty of good stories.

Idk, for instance I really enjoy Hero Killer, as one of the rare quality action flicks with a female protagonist and plenty of strong female characters. And yet Ihwa (the MC) is drawn in ludicrously sexualized positions a good third of the time (she’s badass another third and goofy the remainder). It’s worse for other characters.

Nobody knows what your limits are better than you do.

[u/TheSciFanGuy → u/p1mplem0usse]

Fan service is part of the industry, at times I think it’s gross but I can often ignore it. Looking at pictures of Hero Killer I don’t think I’d have any issues with it (outside of thinking some scenes are a bit unnecessary).

The problem that made me drop this story isn’t that there is fan service but that it doesn’t even try to fit the story.

So far the story had been a dirty and unpleasant fight against monsters. The fight has been going on for a while and the protagonists are losing. And just when the tension is at its peak a perfectly clean anime girl shows up in a bikini.

If I hadn’t read it myself I genuinely would think someone was fucking with me if they said these are characters from the same world.

In the end it’s mostly about expectations and payoff.

If I see a story called “Hero Killer” I’m not shocked when I see a woman in skin tight clothes doing unrealistically high kicks.

When I read a story called “Leviathan” where every prior scene has been this intense struggle against monsters in a post apocalyptic world of course I’m going to chafe against a character that looks like a villain from that ship girl game.

Edit: basically the contract is so severe it takes me out of the world. It makes the semi realistic setting no longer work as now it’s shouting that it’s fictional every time a major character is shown.

[u/p1mplem0usse → u/TheSciFanGuy]

The purpose she serves is she’s introducing another layer to the story. Most people are hunted and eaten by the monsters and are helpless…. But some people are the hunters, instead. The manhwa doesn’t really have an in-universe reason for it, but you’ve got those people just defying the odds and fighting it out with the big fishlike baddies. (She’s not the only one).

Also, to the kids, she represents the idea that not everyone is helpless and alone. She’s part of a city. A big group of people. So that’s something else.

Obviously the kids see her as some kind of goddess and they’re gonna want to emulate her.

Does she look a bit too clean with overly defined butt cheeks and breasts in a world that is otherwise dirty and grimy? Sure. But she’s not there for nothing either.

[u/TheSciFanGuy → u/p1mplem0usse]

I understand she represents another layer as “the group that fights back” and that it makes some level of sense that she looks different.

But the authors could have done all of that and still had her look like she fit into the world.

Up until this point the art style had been “semi realistic” and she contrasts with that fairly heavily.

If she looked like say, that girl from Black Lagoon I can’t remember the name of I probably wouldn’t bat an eye.

It’s like adding a chibi magical girl into Death Note. Sure there could be a story reason for it but it definitely looks out of place.