I think - and I mean this in a very positive sense - that Rohdes is both a great designer and a brilliant salesman. That’s a rare combination, and the latter actually enhances the former.
Imagine if you buy a ring that you think is beautiful, and the designer says “Oh, yeah, I designed it that way because I thought it was like, kinda pretty.” Then imagine buying the same ring, but the designer has a passionate, philosophical, interesting web of reasons for the design. The intent, story, and rationale behind it actually enhances the value of the design (or it would to many people.)
I will say that outside of AK, sometimes my preference in design is more over-the-top, a bit more feminine, sometimes even more “cutesy”. (I’ve been very into the Tokyo parks lately.) But I appreciate that Rohdes brings both a design and a narrative / philosophy to the parks - there’s a different level of buy-in at that level, to my mind. It feels like experiencing something more substantial on a psychological level when the intent was to create something transformative. Maybe that’s just me - before I was visiting Disney, I was spending my vacation budget on meditation retreats, so the idea of transformation is probably particularly appealing to me. But I do think a fair number of people in my age cohort have similar feelings and interests.
