How to perceive the collaboration between the mobile game Honor of Kings and the new skin Eternal Sailor Moon for the character Wang Zhaojun?

Pros and Cons of Joint Modeling and Challenges

Let’s talk about the most controversial modeling:

Pros: The modeling is very faithful to the original artistic style.

Cons: The modeling is too faithful to the point of feeling out of place compared to other characters in King of Glory.

The difference in proportion becomes apparent when standing next to Wang Zhaojun or even other heroes in King of Glory, creating a sense of disharmony.

This actually involves a major challenge in cross-IP collaboration:

The Debate between Fidelity and Harmony

Fidelity, as the name suggests, refers to the degree of fidelity to the characters in the collaborative work.

Harmony, on the other hand, refers to whether the characters fit into the world of the original work and whether there is a sense of disharmony.

(You can use words like compatibility, integration, or any other words you like.)

It can be said that high fidelity characters are like the collaborative characters themselves crossing into this world.

While high harmony characters are like the characters in the original world wearing collaborative character cosplay.

Regarding these two aspects, let’s take the example of Tanjirou Kamado, a frequent collaborator in the MOBA world:

The modeling in Onmyoji is obviously close to the original anime style of Demon Slayer.

However, when standing with the characters in the original world, it inevitably feels a bit out of place.

For example, compared to the youthful character of Onmyoji, familiar with Abe no Seimei.

Don’t you think Tanjirou looks like a big-headed doll?

The advantage of high fidelity is that it is authentic and preserves the appearance of the collaborative character himself.

An example of high harmony is the modeling in the King of Glory Gold Saint series.

Ao’s Ashura:

It blends well with the world view of Arknights and does not feel out of place when placed next to other characters.

But the problem is

It originally looked like this.

Is this picture really you?

Back to the point (sorry for going off tangent for too long)

This time, Wang Zhaojun’s collaboration clearly leans towards “fidelity”.

It is actually a helpless move: Japanese companies usually have unusually high requirements for fidelity to collaborative characters.

In plain language: copyright issues

First, both the model and the illustrations (loading screen) are supervised by the copyright holder.**

This is why there are modeling that is significantly different from other heroes and no dynamic loading screen.

For example, the intro music is actually a song from “Sailor Moon Eternal”.

Want to use the most classic original soundtrack?

This can also explain why King of Glory rarely includes collaboration heroes other than SNK:

Because they can only release heroes, they can’t monetize skins!

It’s unbearable for Wang Zhaojun not to have skins.

This skin’s walking animation is quite unique.

Although your walking animation is very girly, I’m really afraid you’ll slip.

Luna’s leap in the first skill is very cute.

But after playing “Diary of a Cat and Dog” for a long time, I always feel that when the cat leaps, it should have a knock-up effect.

The most worth criticizing is the ultimate skill.

As Sister Kashino, Water Sailor Moon is caring and even brings her four sisters with her.

But these four are not models, they are illusions…

It feels a bit like summoning heroic spirits.

The key is that these four have actually been sacrificed in the original.

Today, they just added a walking animation, which is a nice touch of nostalgia.

I’m satisfied as a cat lover.

In conclusion, Sailor Moon Eternal fits well with Sailor Moon fans. The details and tribute are quite accurate (except for the music, which is from the new theatrical version). After all, the modeling and loading screen have done their best to resemble the original.

Under the filter of childhood memories, the artistic style that doesn’t fit in with King of Glory becomes more distinctive.

However, for players who are not fans of Sailor Moon, I suggest exercising caution before buying. The gameplay is relatively smooth, which is a plus for me, but it doesn’t create a big gap compared to other skins of Wang Zhaojun.

Even in terms of special effects, in my personal opinion, it is on par with the Starry Night voice.

As one of the four popular beauties with high popularity and appearance rate in competitive matches, Wang Zhaojun’s skin will definitely be of high quality. (What happened to Li Hua?)

Whether to buy it or not is ultimately up to you, but I still hope for more tolerance and understanding between each other:

Favor high fidelity, buy (✓)

Don’t favor high fidelity, don’t buy (✓)

Think that buying is superior to not buying (×)

Think that not buying is superior to buying (×)

As for the statement “No more return appearances,” it is actually the least valuable.

Because it is the merchants who set the price for the skins, but it is you, the one in front of the screen, who decides whether the skin is valuable.

When you spend these 140 yuan and gain happiness in various ways, then it is meaningful.

If you genuinely like this skin, play with friends, give the skin to someone important, or even use it as compensation within reasonable limits…

On the other hand, if you feel like you are wasting money, or if the game is impacting your life, then buying the skin will be meaningless.

140 yuan is very cheap. It can even buy a moment of joy in this era.

140 yuan is also expensive because it can cover the daily meals of an ordinary family, buy several beautiful potted plants, or bring laughter to family and friends.

The answer to whether it is valuable does not lie in the words “no more return appearances,” but in your heart. If you think it has value, it does; if you think it doesn’t, it doesn’t.

When you want to buy it, there’s no need to care about other people’s opinions; when you don’t want to buy it, don’t force yourself.

Thousands of words can be summed up in one sentence:

Consume rationally, but don’t be like Empress Wu Zetian—losing Emperor Li Zhi!

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Sorry for the long digression, it’s mainly because I haven’t watched Sailor Moon, and seeing these four avatars made me a bit confused.

So, I stayed up late to catch up on Sailor Moon, and in the middle, I almost got sidetracked.

Therefore, if there are any text errors, I apologize in advance and hope for your understanding.

This article is purely for fun, so please take it lightly.

Lastly, I hope that Wang Zhaojun can collaborate with Cardcaptor Sakura or Puella Magi Madoka Magica next time.

Please!

Ugly Posters, Beautiful Homepage, A Tearful Purchase for Zhaojun Players.

The in-game posters are really ugly,

But they look great on the homepage.

Zhaojun players buy them with tears in their eyes.

Linkage skin loses the original features

Who are you…

I can accept the appearance of this skin itself, but I cannot accept that this is Wang Zhaojun.

Everything that this linkage presents is really strange. Not to mention the art style being different from that of King of Glory, the modeling has nothing to do with Wang Zhaojun herself, except for the same gender. If it weren’t for the fact that they are both female, I would think that there is hardly any difference between this linkage and the linkage of Cheng Yaojin.

I think the basic requirement for a linkage is to preserve the original features of both works and be able to demonstrate their mutual connection. What is this? This is simply a forced transplantation of the art style, it’s not a linkage. How can Wang Zhaojun fans appreciate it? It’s completely someone else, not able to appreciate it, and the skin itself is not so good that both fans and non-fans of Sailor Moon would be amazed…

When you create a skin for Wang Zhaojun, you should first ensure that it is Wang Zhaojun, and then it is her skin. But firstly, this is not Wang Zhaojun!! How can you tell that this is Wang Zhaojun? And secondly, why is this her skin??

I really left with doubts… You can’t confuse the players with your linkages, can you??

Do Not Confuse Hero Selection with Skins

Choosing a hero is not a temporary decision, but rather a predetermined one.

Let’s analyze it:

First of all, in Arena of Valor (International Server), three Sailor Moon-themed skins were already released in May.

Gong Sunli cannot change gender, so we look for male marksmen: Lu Ban, Yuan Fang, Meng Ya, all of them have significant differences in modeling. The remaining Huang Zhong, Shou Yue, Hou Yi, and Maloch have obvious weapon anchor points. Only Di Renjie is empty-handed, barely matching. (I wonder if changing the throwing token to a mask will be acceptable to the copyright holder.)

Sun Bin is a boy who doesn’t hold a staff. Guiguzi, also a male, holds a staff among the supports.

Only this Wang Zhaojun has very high compatibility.

We should also mention that new heroes like Shen Yen and Bingyan should be introduced without having skins for existing heroes:

Laughable. The collaboration skins require payment, while heroes in Arena of Valor are free. Skins are what you spend money on. If you ask them to release heroes, are you going to pay for the collaboration?

Besides, introducing a new hero requires a complete set of skill values, professional positioning, and background story. Whereas, modifying modeling and special effects is enough for a new skin. The workload of the two cannot be compared at all. Especially since Sailor Moon is an anime IP, unlike SNK’s characters that already have skill designs which can be partially copied and modified.

Even if a new hero is released, it won’t work. In King of Fighters, Nakoruru already has two skins, so it’s acceptable for Arena of Valor to release skins for her. However, Sailor Moon has only one iconic image, which means her appearance cannot be easily changed. In other words, even if Bingyan is introduced as a hero, you still cannot release skins for her. This will result in pure loss, regardless of the short or long term.

Skin Controversy, Good Effects.

It’s normal for some people to reject this skin poster, But it cannot be denied that it still captures the essence quite well.

It’s not just the poster, from the 3D modeling of the skin inside and outside the game to the poster and even the voice lines, all convey a hint of Old Wang’s “respect for the original author’s wishes, wanting to make changes but unable to do so” with a tinge of bitterness.

You can tell that even though they imported the model from the overseas server to the Chinese server, they couldn’t make significant changes. After all, foreign anime collaborations are usually supervised by strict individuals who emphasize staying true to the original. The nostalgic fans have no objection to this at all.

Fortunately, they have optimized the special effects (otherwise, I might not have bought it).

They even took the skin that was previously obtainable through luck in AoV and made it available for direct purchase, and even enhanced the special effects version. I won’t say much about who broke their defense this time.

They even added a birth animation and a random walking animation this morning (I don’t think AoV even has this in their luck draws).

I went online yesterday to give it a try and ended up buying it.

The skin overall feels light, and the gameplay is quite smooth. Everyone can give it a try and decide if they want to purchase it based on their own needs.

Skin Features and Dubbing Controversy

The skin is quite faithful and has a good texture, it looks pretty nice in-game as well.

The dynamic poster is average, the animation is not very noticeable and it doesn’t flash. Compared to other legendary skins, it feels cheaper.

Turning up the volume: The Moon is punishing you!

But Xiaowang, where are my unique animations??!! Why doesn’t this skin come with animations?!

Please add them as soon as possible.

As for the argument that Wang Zhaojun speaks Japanese, I find it very ridiculous. In the game King of Glory, historical figures, myths, and legends have been used as character names for a long time. If we really start to nitpick, why would Wang Zhaojun freeze others into ice lumps? Why would Li Bai spar sword techniques with Gong Sun Li? Why would Da Qiao wear a Western wedding dress? Why would Xiao Qiao hold a Hello Kitty fan? It’s really unnecessary. The King of Glory story is based on some allusions and then deviates from history. It’s a new world of kings, so we should avoid controversies. Xiaowang has also started creating his own original heroes now, like Ge Ya and Hai Nuo Duo Li Ya. As long as everyone understands what it means, there’s no need to insist on Wang Zhaojun and the Japanese language. Originally, the skin was in Chinese dubbing once purchased, and the Japanese dubbing was optional. I didn’t even turn it on because I can’t understand it. Whoever thinks it’s necessary to make a fuss about this, feel free to go ahead and sue. Best of luck. If you really manage to get the skin taken down, don’t forget to help Xiaowang refund my legendary card while you’re at it. I bought it for a hefty price of 130.

“Da Qiao’s White Crane Ridge: Beauty and Uniqueness”

While other skins in the game are generally beautiful, with stunning artwork, Da Qiao’s White Crane Ridge stands out as something completely different.

Luxurious configuration with a great tactile sensation, it’s amazing.

Retracting my previous statement, at first glance, it seemed average, quite average.

Tried it in-game at night, the starting drift, recall effect, and ultimate ability all looked amazing! It can definitely be called a luxurious configuration, the legendary skin is no exaggeration.

The tactile sensation is also great, it’s simply amazing. I feel that other skins in this series should not disappoint either.

……………

To get a clearer view, I recorded a video.

The Appearance of Sailor Moon is Unbelievable

Before entering the game, I already knew that Sailor Moon’s appearance was ugly from the Tieba forum. Despite having a mental expectation, I still found it incredibly ugly when I entered the game…

However, I still bought it because it’s Sailor Moon, after all.