Discussion History Literature / TheBelgariad

** Many fans in the West despise the art design of modern \'\'Final Fantasy\'\' games, considering the characters (especially male ones) too [[{{Bishonen}} unnaturally pretty]], their outfits excessive to the [[WTHCostumingDepartment point of gawdiness]], and the scenery ([[ShootTheMoney though gorgeous and technically impressive]]) to be lacking in substance or personality to match the style. However, many fans don\'t even know that the original games had equally \"excessive\" designs; the original art of Yoshitaka Amano used wildly unorthodox styles, drew characters in absurdly-detailed fashion, and the cast was probably even more beautiful then than now. But the difference is, there was almost no way for Western players to know this. The localized versions of \'\'Videogame/FinalFantasy\'\' and \'\'Videogame/FinalFantasyIV\'\'[[note]]The West [[NoExportForYou did not get the second or third games.]][[/note]] showed no trace of Amano\'s art, even on the box covers. The next game released, \'\'Videogame/FinalFantasyVI\'\'[[note]]They didn\'t get \'\'V\'\', either.[[/note]] limited said art mostly to in-game menus. For all the games in question, the in-game sprites looked extremely different from the original designs. Furthermore,\'\'Videogame/FinalFantasyVII\'\' is the exception that proves the rule: though the FMV designs for the game match the character\'s designs, that game switched artists to Tetsuya Nomura \'\'specifically\'\' to make simpler designs due to the technical limits of the UsefulNotes/{{Playstation}} hardware. \'\'VIII\'s\'\' characters were slightly more detailed, and \'\'IX\'s\'\' went back to the super-deformed models as a CallBack to the original games. Then \'\'X\'\' came along, and finally, the gaming hardware was capable of replicating Nomura\'s complex designs...and that\'s where the complaints started. Further games only increased what was artistically possible, and both Nomura and Square Enix jumped at the chance to show off. As a result, more and more people expressed distaste for the designs, and even when Nomura redesigned characters from \'\'VII\'\', his most popular work, they disliked that it became more in line with his newer work, with many upset that Cloud had become a generic {{Bishonen}} while forgetting that he was able to \'\'[[WholesomeCrossdresser pass for a woman]]\'\' in the original game. In addition, thanks to the internet, Western fans have also become increasingly aware of Amano\'s older design work...and find it just as divisive in hindsight.