That is just odd. Who the hell thought of that?

The Japanese are very strange people. Keep in mind, this is the same country that came up with a stand-up video arcade box featuring a lifelike human figure bent over and jammed into the machine, where the purpose of the game was to ram the figure in the ass with an oversized finger to see the different facial expressions light up on the screen.

No, I am not joking.

As an East Asian I would have to agree that there are many problems of Japanese culture, which tends to be shallow, overly hierarchial, and male-dominated. For example in Japan there is a huge craze over robot pets, which are like companions except without the maintenance requirements of real companions. It's part of the Japanese pathology that views social relations as a burden.

Not that Western cultures doesn't have its flaws either, such as overattention to sex, but in Japan those things are still there only more repressed. One of the consequences of that repression is the high suicide rate among the country's youth. Japan's current idiosyncracies aren't serving it very well either socially or economically. Actually China is much more liberal in that regard, with more open attitudes toward divorce and womens' role.

In fairness to Konami (and to my own personal love of DDR and the Karaoke games), let me just point out that this is not the "latest in the video game series."

"Maiden Love" is manufactured by NEC International, and is therefore totally unrelated.

I'd rather play Guitar Hero.

Uhm. 220 pounds is unhealthily overweight for most women...isn't it? Especially japanese women?

This should be called FAT ASS revolution.

Another slap in the face for women's self esteem in that they have to lose weight to please her date? Come on now. Young girls will see this and feel they have to do fit into society's model of what a pretty young women/girl should be like. Peer pressure to be accepted into society's norms. The game should be banned!
It may develop more cases of low self esteem and anoexic girls? Where do i sign the petition to ban this game from production?

Another slap in the face for women's self esteem in that they have to lose weight to please her date? Come on now. Young girls will see this and feel they have to do fit into society's model of what a pretty young women/girl should be like. Peer pressure to be accepted into society's norms. The game should be banned!
It may develop more cases of low self esteem and anoexic girls? Where do i sign the petition to ban this game from production?

um... all media hysteria aside, the greatest behaviorally induced medical problem we have is OBESITY (not anorexia).

anorexia affects a tiny percentage of people (women more than men btw of course) and causes an extremely tiny percentage of death and serious health problems

obesity otoh, is a very serious health problem.

for the first time in recorded history, OBESITY is a serious health problem among the poor (it used to be malnutrition and even starvation and still is in many 3rd world countries).

the CDC estimates that over 60% of chronic disease is diet related.

iow, obesity is, in the vast majority of cases, completely self-curable (i hate to be politically incorrect, but it comes down to STOP STUFFING YOUR FAT FACE), and there are few things that can improve one's health (apart from quitting smoking) that are so basic, if understandably difficult due to people's lack of discipline

i speak from some experience here, as i have been competitive in strength sports that involve rigorous dieting to meet weight classes, and i used to be a personal trainer. so, i'll speak bluntly.

it disgusts me. people who are gluttonously obese cost ALL of us tons of money in increased health care costs, and they tend to be far less productive in the workplace. the problem (and it is a problem) is almost always correctable WITH discipline, but in our "everybody is a victim) society, few want to take personal responsibility

on the one hand, women (and men) should not be ridiculed for being overweight. however, there is also a problem with so called 'fat acceptance". society should treat people with love and respect, but not obesity. obesity is dangerous, self-destructive, and costs society and individuals a lot.

anorexia is a very rare disorder. obesity is not.

no woman should feel compelled to look like supermodel X such that she damages her health or becomes overly obsessed with her weight. however, nobody should damage their health by recklessly overeating either.

in response to pamps:
i understand what you're saying about people not stuffing their faces. however, the obesity epidemic takes place largely within the low-income community. there are several people who eat close to nothing every day and are still obese. why? because the cheapest food, which is all they can afford, is the worst for you. if all you can afford for the week is 7 boxes of hamburer helper or something equally as bad for you, you're going to become obese eating all that all the time. fruits and vegetables are FUCKING expensive, even canned. obesity largely has nothing to do with overeating--though it can result from compulsive overeating disorder, which is an eating disorder as well. dietary discipline matters very little when you have $40 to spend on groceries per week for you, your husband, and your two kids. if you can only afford cheese whiz and canned pasta, that's all you're eating, isn't it? that's how you can become that obese. i'm not saying that's the only reason people become obese. some people really do just overeat, but it can be due to compulsive overeating disorder, which most of the time deals with very difficult emotions. and, don't get me wrong, there are those that do just sit on their asses and stuff their faces all day when they could be eating healthfully. i have trouble abiding thouse people too. but most obese people are also poor, and that poverty is why they are obese. they have limited means to eat properly, as i said. also, please bear in mind that "fat acceptance" is not the same as "obese acceptance". no one should "accept" the obese and let them be content and not try to help them fix it. however, we should accept the overweight so long as they are not endangering themselves.

in response to pamps:
i understand what you're saying about people not stuffing their faces. however, the obesity epidemic takes place largely within the low-income community. there are several people who eat close to nothing every day and are still obese. why? because the cheapest food, which is all they can afford, is the worst for you. if all you can afford for the week is 7 boxes of hamburer helper or something equally as bad for you, you're going to become obese eating all that all the time. fruits and vegetables are FUCKING expensive, even canned. obesity largely has nothing to do with overeating--though it can result from compulsive overeating disorder, which is an eating disorder as well. dietary discipline matters very little when you have $40 to spend on groceries per week for you, your husband, and your two kids. if you can only afford cheese whiz and canned pasta, that's all you're eating, isn't it? that's how you can become that obese. i'm not saying that's the only reason people become obese. some people really do just overeat, but it can be due to compulsive overeating disorder, which most of the time deals with very difficult emotions. and, don't get me wrong, there are those that do just sit on their asses and stuff their faces all day when they could be eating healthfully. i have trouble abiding thouse people too. but most obese people are also poor, and that poverty is why they are obese. they have limited means to eat properly, as i said. also, please bear in mind that "fat acceptance" is not the same as "obese acceptance". no one should "accept" the obese and let them be content and not try to help them fix it. however, we should accept the overweight so long as they are not endangering themselves.

in response to pamps:
i understand what you're saying about people not stuffing their faces. however, the obesity epidemic takes place largely within the low-income community. there are several people who eat close to nothing every day and are still obese. why? because the cheapest food, which is all they can afford, is the worst for you. if all you can afford for the week is 7 boxes of hamburer helper or something equally as bad for you, you're going to become obese eating all that all the time. fruits and vegetables are FUCKING expensive, even canned. obesity largely has nothing to do with overeating--though it can result from compulsive overeating disorder, which is an eating disorder as well. dietary discipline matters very little when you have $40 to spend on groceries per week for you, your husband, and your two kids. if you can only afford cheese whiz and canned pasta, that's all you're eating, isn't it? that's how you can become that obese. i'm not saying that's the only reason people become obese. some people really do just overeat, but it can be due to compulsive overeating disorder, which most of the time deals with very difficult emotions. and, don't get me wrong, there are those that do just sit on their asses and stuff their faces all day when they could be eating healthfully. i have trouble abiding thouse people too. but most obese people are also poor, and that poverty is why they are obese. they have limited means to eat properly, as i said. also, please bear in mind that "fat acceptance" is not the same as "obese acceptance". no one should "accept" the obese and let them be content and not try to help them fix it. however, we should accept the overweight so long as they are not endangering themselves.

in response to pamps:
i understand what you're saying about people not stuffing their faces. however, the obesity epidemic takes place largely within the low-income community. there are several people who eat close to nothing every day and are still obese. why? because the cheapest food, which is all they can afford, is the worst for you. if all you can afford for the week is 7 boxes of hamburer helper or something equally as bad for you, you're going to become obese eating all that all the time. fruits and vegetables are FUCKING expensive, even canned. obesity largely has nothing to do with overeating--though it can result from compulsive overeating disorder, which is an eating disorder as well. dietary discipline matters very little when you have $40 to spend on groceries per week for you, your husband, and your two kids. if you can only afford cheese whiz and canned pasta, that's all you're eating, isn't it? that's how you can become that obese. i'm not saying that's the only reason people become obese. some people really do just overeat, but it can be due to compulsive overeating disorder, which most of the time deals with very difficult emotions. and, don't get me wrong, there are those that do just sit on their asses and stuff their faces all day when they could be eating healthfully. i have trouble abiding thouse people too. but most obese people are also poor, and that poverty is why they are obese. they have limited means to eat properly, as i said. also, please bear in mind that "fat acceptance" is not the same as "obese acceptance". no one should "accept" the obese and let them be content and not try to help them fix it. however, we should accept the overweight so long as they are not endangering themselves.

Are you the phoenix from girl nation?

This game is pretty lame for the message it sends, but honestly do Asian women have a big problem with obesity? I thought that was more of a western thing.

I am very attracted to Asian women because of their petiteness and I am a sucker for brunettes with dark eyes.

However if a video game could replace a personal trainer and teach you how to eat healthy and exercise properly, instead of just calling you fat, I mean that’s positive, and I would buy one.

Nothing wrong with living healthy.

phoenix, there is SOME truth to what u say, but it is primarily a lack of discipline and desire. again, throughout all history the rich have been fatter than the poor. in fact, in the past, being a fat rich person was a sign of power and strength. see: English kings.

for the first time in recorded history, there are far more obese in the lower classes than in the middle or upper classes. this is primarily a matter of bad personal choices. i have lived relatively poor, and shopped in the ghetto. what u see is also a lack of desire to eat healthy. mcdonald's several years ago came out with a "McLean" hamburger. they discontinued it because people would not buy it. it is true that fresh fruit and vegetables are expensive when compared to wonder bread etc. on a calorie per calorie basis. however, healthy staple foods - brown rice, buckwheat, lean ground beef, EGGS, etc. are not expensive.

and it is cheaper to eat LESS food but (i realize this is politically incorrect) many of the reaosns why people enter poverty is that they make bad choices. many of these same people who buy rubbish food are smoking a pack or two of cigarettes a day. IF THEY quit the cigs, they could save tons of money, even when buying some vegetables.

levels of obesity are exceptionally high among poor blacks and whites, for instance, and not among poor asians. asians are also FAR more likely to move out of poverty than blacks or whites. again, this is because they make better choices and have better discipline. it's why japanese americans earn 172% of the average income in the USA. food is no different. making good choices, and being willing to accept short term discomfort (pushing the food away before you have gorged yourself) is the path to success, generally speaking.

poor people can afford food in the usa, even healthy food. we spend less per capita, and as a %age of discretionary income for food than european nations do

it's a matter of making good choices. poor people disproportionately make bad choices. part of that is why they may remain in the lower income quintiles vs. those who move out of the lowest income quintiles through good choices and self-sacrifice/discipline

Pamps - Well thought out and reasoned post as always. That said, your "poor people disproportionately make bad choices" quote is going to cause quite a furor here when certain, more PC conscious people get back from their holiday weekends.

Because thin is synonymous with self-improvement, and a boyfriend is the ultimate reward. Ugh. Why didn't they call it Eating Disorder Revolution?

Cause it's from Japan! Their psychology is culturally differnt from Americans. And they're group oriented too whereas Americans and individual oriented. ^_^

pamps said
iow, obesity is, in the vast majority of cases, completely self-curable (i hate to be politically incorrect, but it comes down to STOP STUFFING YOUR FAT FACE), and there are few things that can improve one's health (apart from quitting smoking) that are so basic, if understandably difficult due to people's lack of discipline

IN a vast majority of cases, overeating starts in childhood as a coping mechanism. It is as addictive to the overeater as alcohol is to alcoholics, as cocaine is to coke heads, as nicotene is to smokers. To assume that it's just "stuffing fat faces" and nothing else is naive and ignorant. Discipline doesn't pay into it when it's so deep in your brain that comfort and food come together. Imagine being addicted to something since you were 4 years old? That's a pretty hardcore addiction to break. It may just boil down to simple self control, but obviously it's stronger than that. I've honestly asked my doctor to wire my jaws shut so i wouldn't eat. Stop being so fucking judgemental and when you can honestly say "I've been overeating since i was a young child", you tell me how hard it is to stop. Overeating releases dopamine, dopamine is the feel good chemical, the same released when you do drugs, when u fall in love. It's so much more than having discipline and restraint. Physical trainers have no idea, unless they've been there personally.

I'd like to have this version of the game IF I could make the person on the screen my weight and height. Have like a virtual woman be like me and plug in the same calories and such. Goofy, but i play DDR and think that'd be nifty