“Why is Pacific’s Iowa not a bimbo?”
Er, that is a very odd question, one. Two, I really wouldn’t call KanColle’s Iowa a bimbo. It’s not nice and it really isn’t accurate. Theirs is honestly a very Japanese take on “American shipgirl.” From the star-shaped pupils to her buxom chest to stars and stripes to her very outgoing personality, the design fits.
Pacific’s Iowa, however, have different focuses. A pretty good rule of thumb: at a bare minimum, Pacific girls should be someone you want to take home and introduce to your mom and dad. Even the wild and abrasive ones have a certain sort of “womanly” quality that supplements their personalities. In other words, a common core of values are shared between all of our girls.
Iowa just happens to be more of a “quiet country girl” or “serious and quiet” type. Here’s a sketch from November from a long time ago. This character isn’t Iowa, mind you. But this should give you an idea of what kind of girls he likes to draw.
See the resemblance? Characters like Iowa came pretty naturally to November, since he’s really pretty fond of drawing girls of this type. Specifically, he likes to draw girls with slimmer and “daintier” builds. He also likes sundresses and straw hats.
So, when it’s time to make a shipgirl that’s well, quite easily fitted with the above, it’s no wonder she got drawn.
(Meanwhile, I have a grand old time trying to convince the guys to draw the men of Pacific. Go figure, right? I’m not gonna make our people do things they don’t particularly like to do. Cute girls? Yes. Sexy girls? Yes. Ordinary girls? Yes.
Guys? Eeeehh…. )