phshitaku

FYI: Butts Are Off-limits in Nintendo Games, But Penises Aren't
I've been playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf lately, in preparation for a review next month. One of the staple features in the Animal Crossing franchise is a store run by a fox. The store sells rare items and art. Like, say, this fine statue here.

Let's take a closer and uncensored look, shall we? (NSFW warning, I guess):

...yeah, that's definitely a dick. While it's possible this item existed in previous Animal Crossing games, its inclusion now comes as a slight surprise given the recent news of censorship in Fire Emblem: Awakening. We can't look at a racy butt but a fully exposed penis is okay? Then again, many censorship decisions don't quite make sense.


Certainly not the decision taken with Fire Emblem, either. I mean, this was left in:


Arguably, the reason the statue is okay is because it depicts "art," and so the exposed penis isn't offensive. Can that distinction be made? Some people would say Tharja's sexualized depiction is "art," therefore it shouldn't be censored.

What do you guys think? I think it's interesting to look at what we accept as art and what we don't and why that is.

In case you're wondering, I bought the statue. I just need to find a place in my house for it now.