Mario and feminism stuff

Mr. Darcy · 2013-09-15 15:21:53

What's the deal with Princess Peach being more useful than Mario in Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA), then losing any agency outside of sports?

Anonus · 2013-09-15 15:49:55

She's a party member in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Super Paper Mario...(though she still had to be rescued in both of these)

Miss Miko Mayonegg · 2013-09-15 16:33:12

http://www.mariowiki.com/Birdo

http://www.mariowiki.com/Vivian

I think Mario has a little more going for it.

Imipolex G · 2013-09-15 18:26:57

Mr. Darcy said:
What's the deal with Princess Peach being more useful than Mario in Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA)

Debatable. I actually finished that game last night and I couldn't do shit with Peach, but maybe that's just me.

Also, that's "Birdetta"

Previous Calica · 2013-09-15 18:33:43

Isn't the joke that Peach is letting herself get captured by Bowser and Mario is just incredibly bad at taking hints?

Obā-san · 2013-09-15 18:35:18

kinky princess peach / bowser roleplay

Princess Alice · 2013-09-15 18:38:06

Pangur Bán said:
kinky princess peach / bowser roleplay

My first thought was "ooh, Anonus and I should try this sometime"

Why is this the case

Tachyon · 2013-09-15 18:38:30

Miko said:
http://www.mariowiki.com/Birdo

http://www.mariowiki.com/Vivian

I think Mario has a little more going for it.

arguably Catherine's gender gets treated like a joke tho

also all references to Vivian being transgender were removed in the English translation because THINK OF THE CHILDREN

Miss Miko Mayonegg · 2013-09-15 18:46:55

Catherine/Birdo's gender was only ever mocked by early prints of the US SMB2 manual (to my knowledge) and we still call this character "her." As for NOA, they have a history of ridiculous sanitization and the Japanese script is the real canon. I mean that it is nice to see trans characters included and in a way that is not (very at least) transphobic.

Imipolex G · 2013-09-15 18:50:59

Tachyon?

Mr. Darcy · 2013-09-15 18:54:49

Miko said:
http://www.mariowiki.com/Birdo

http://www.mariowiki.com/Vivian

That's not all. Yoshi's a "he" who we see lay eggs.

Tachyon · 2013-09-15 18:55:44

@ Miko: Hm. Point taken.

Yes Imi?

Imipolex G · 2013-09-15 18:56:23

Hadn't seen you around here in a long time, is all.

Hexartes · 2013-09-15 19:09:20

Yay, Tachyon.

Hexartes · 2013-09-15 19:10:13

Also my biggest problem with Mario is how lazy it is that Peach gets captured every time.

You could take that part out of pretty much any of the games and they'd still be basically the same.

Salix Babylonika · 2013-09-15 19:12:12

Honestly, in the mainline Mario games (that is to say, the ones that are just platformers) Peach is more a prop than a character.

But then, one could argue in those games so are Mario and Luigi.

Hexartes · 2013-09-15 19:13:27

But Mario and Luigi are props that have agency.

Hexartes · 2013-09-15 19:14:07

But honestly, characters as props is sort of how stories work. But Mario seems very lazily written.

Obā-san · 2013-09-15 19:14:52

Kexruct said:
characters as props is sort of how stories work.

not in good stories

Hexartes · 2013-09-15 19:16:30

I was speaking in very broad terms. All stories do it to an extent.

Imipolex G · 2013-09-15 19:17:04

Depends on the game. In a platformer like the early Mario games, I really don't expect the characters to have much personality beyond what's necessary to get the action going. If it's an RPG-style game (like Paper Mario or what have you) then one does hope for some decent writing.

Tachyon · 2013-09-15 19:18:01

yeah, in a mainline Mario title the game comes first, and the story comes last.

also hi Kex & Imi :)

Hexartes · 2013-09-15 19:18:08

Dirty Pillows said:
Depends on the game. In a platformer like the early Mario games, I really don't expect the characters to have much personality beyond what's necessary to get the action going.

That doesn't excuse laziness. Especially if said laziness has had as much as a negative impact on the portrayal of women in games as Mario has.

Imipolex G · 2013-09-15 19:28:57

They did give Peach her own game at one point, didn't they?

Hexartes · 2013-09-15 19:30:31

I'm pretty sure she had like ~magical PMS powers~ in that one so it kind of only made matters worse.

Mr. Darcy · 2013-09-15 19:31:23

^ Super Princess Peach

Imipolex G · 2013-09-15 19:41:26

that's kind of hilariously stereotypical

Imma make my own Princess Peach game

Miss Miko Mayonegg · 2013-09-15 20:04:04

Mr. Darcy said:

Miko said:
http://www.mariowiki.com/Birdo

http://www.mariowiki.com/Vivian
That's not all. Yoshi's a "he" who we see lay eggs.

lol that is true. :o

glennmagusharvey · 2013-09-15 20:09:18

1. By now, it's basically tradition that dictates that Bowser kidnaps Peach and Mario goes on a crazy platforming adventure to rescue her. And on the weekends, they all play sports or go car-racing or play board games together.

2.
> Mario series
> canon

Imipolex G · 2013-09-15 20:17:11

Mr. Darcy · 2013-09-15 20:21:39

Hey... a cannon is just a pipe painted black!

Tanya · 2013-09-15 21:05:51

SMB2, the first mario with four characters to choose from, and they throw in peach.

NSMB, four characters at the same time, hey, let's pick a random toad.

Mario is kind of like the Batman of Video games, we all love him, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have problems.

Yarrun XIX · 2013-09-15 21:44:19

They've fixed that with the sequel. Peach gets to frolic around in a cat costume along with the rest of the cast.

Anonus · 2013-09-15 22:12:02

Mario has no personality because he's a surrogate for the player.

Imipolex G · 2013-09-15 22:23:29

hmmmmmmm

Justice4243 · 2013-09-21 01:03:15

Anonus said:
Mario has no personality because he's a surrogate for the player.

OK, you caught me.

I often talk like a stereotypical Italian American and get messed up on shrooms.

Mario and feminism stuff

Comments

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories