>>12884745I don't think "they aren't literally designed around those things" is a meaningful distinction. I think it's the difference between a lazy design and a multifaceted one. Chandelure didn't quite sit comfortably with me, even though it's an attractive design (personal opinion). It was arguably more stylized than Hexcalibur, though on principle yes it is just as bad. "A _____ with eyes" is a theme commonly seen in shitty fakemon, pic related, but it tends to pop up a lot in official designs too. Shit happens so I'm not mad about it, I just dislike it.
Yes cursed swords are common in folklore, but that doesn't change a thing about it's design principle. It goes from being "a sword with eyes" to "a cursed sword with eyes". Maybe the latter seems a cleverer concept because "I get the reference" or whatever, but it isn't a cleverer design.
