Ok, so This is kind of a pet peeve of mine so bear with me here.
Why the crap does it seem like everyone all over the world seems to praise the katana as the ultimate sword? I'm not even talking about just BG here (although the phenomenon does exist in BG). Everyone everywhere in the world treats the katana as the most perfect thing that people ever created to cut up other people. Why? What makes it so darn good? Lets use BG as an example. The in game description of a katana basically says that it is already so darn perfect that even the greatest of magic can't improve it's performance. What is wrong with a good old fashioned long sword or great sword or, heck, every other type of sword in existence? Why is it that katanas seem to get ALL the praise at the expense of other swords?
Now I know some basic history about katanas. I know that they are very important in Japanese culture and tradition and all that. I also know that the process of constructing one is very complicated and technical. I will even admit that they are probably sharper than your average sword. What I don't quite understand is why all this makes them superior in every way to all other swords. From what I have heard they are actually somewhat unwieldy and even dangerous to the wielder.
I'm not sure exactly what kind of response I am looking for here. Mostly I am wondering if I am alone in my belief that katanas are overrated in the real world. I would also welcome people who want to talk about facts involving katanas on a historical or technical perspective. (Just don't make a giant wall of text as I am unlikely to read the whole thing.)
Why the crap does it seem like everyone all over the world seems to praise the katana as the ultimate sword? I'm not even talking about just BG here (although the phenomenon does exist in BG). Everyone everywhere in the world treats the katana as the most perfect thing that people ever created to cut up other people. Why? What makes it so darn good? Lets use BG as an example. The in game description of a katana basically says that it is already so darn perfect that even the greatest of magic can't improve it's performance. What is wrong with a good old fashioned long sword or great sword or, heck, every other type of sword in existence? Why is it that katanas seem to get ALL the praise at the expense of other swords?
Now I know some basic history about katanas. I know that they are very important in Japanese culture and tradition and all that. I also know that the process of constructing one is very complicated and technical. I will even admit that they are probably sharper than your average sword. What I don't quite understand is why all this makes them superior in every way to all other swords. From what I have heard they are actually somewhat unwieldy and even dangerous to the wielder.
I'm not sure exactly what kind of response I am looking for here. Mostly I am wondering if I am alone in my belief that katanas are overrated in the real world. I would also welcome people who want to talk about facts involving katanas on a historical or technical perspective. (Just don't make a giant wall of text as I am unlikely to read the whole thing.)