Q4. As a director, what part of the Kingdom Hearts titles do you put the most consideration?
A4. I put serious consideration into every aspect.
Regarding the Kingdom Hearts series, every element passes through Nomura’s hands and he makes the final decisions, from the system’s technical specifications, to the story’s plot, the final script, the design of the small icons in the menu and maps etc., the music, and all the names of the games contents. It’s the same with promotional material, Nomura directs every detail that goes into them, from the advertisements and storefront pop ups, to how the trailers are edited.
Nomura: I put serious consideration into every aspect of the titles, I want to release it once I’m satisfied with it.
Having a responsibility to himself to only put out titles that he is satisfied with, that is Nomura’s policy for Kingdom Hearts.
Q5. When you draw the Kingdom Hearts characters, what do you focus on?
A5. I draw them freely and without expectations.
Nomura: It’s a collaborative title with Disney, but if I drew with the designs of the Disney characters in mind, then it wouldn’t really be a collaboration, so I draw Sora how I like as the standard.
Also, from the Kingdom Hearts illustrations drawn so far, which one is your favorite?
Nomura: I’ll go with my gut feeling, it’s the illustration used on the package of original Kingdom Hearts, since it was the one that began everything. I drew it thinking that it was unlike any Disney image seen before.
Q6. What components of Kingdom Hearts do you think stand out the most?
A6. The deep story and refreshing action.
The series has many charms and features, but it’s these two aspects that stick out the most.
Nomura: I always tell my team, it’s about the story and action. We make Kingdom Hearts satisfy both those elements.
On top of that, the systems developed in the titles are relevant to the story among other aspects, it seems giving each element of the game meaning is Nomura’s specialty. It must be that attention to detail which he produces worlds with a sense of unity that garner him so many fans.
Q7. If you were to defined the music of Kingdom Hearts, what would you say?
A7. It’s a joint effort with Shimomura-san.
Composer Yoko Shimomura’s specialty is dramatic melodies that fill the listener with emotions, it’s easy to see how it’s a joint effort with her.
Nomura: Ultimately, the songs in Kingdom Hearts are made through a joint effort with Shimomura-san. Recently Takeshi Kando and Takeharu Ishimoto have been participating as well, but to get the atmosphere as right as possible so we can say it’s definitely Kingdom Hearts quality, the music inadvertently becomes more Shimomura-ish.
My own favorite song is “Dearly Beloved”.
Nomura: Origianlly, that song wasn’t given the go ahead. But it was a favorite of mine and I decided to use it on the title screen, now it feels like it was fated to be.
Q8. If you could give advice to yourself from 10 years ago when you begun producing Kingdom Hearts, what would you say?
Q8. It’s gonna be long!
Nomura: Its continued more than I expected, I’ve had to take a lot of notes. There’s a lot to forget! (Laughs.)
At that time, amongst the 99 pages there was a comment from Kanamori, saying that there weren’t plans to make a sequel.
Nomura: There weren’t details about the story’s continuation, but I was considering it to some degree. When Kingdom Hearts was released, its sales went really well. It’s thanks to all the fans who supported the original Kingdom Hearts that we’ve been able to develop a series that’s continued for over 10 years.
Q9. Now 10 years later, what do you think has become of Kingdom Hearts?
Q9. It isn’t finished yet, huh.
Nomura: At that time, I figured by the time I was 50 years old I wouldn’t be able to work like I did then, so I took a slow pace. (Wry laughter.) The Xehanort saga will end in the next one, but it’s not necessarily completely over. When I finish it, I want to “close” the story completely, so no one could make a continuation of it. I’m thinking of a way to end it so there is no room to continue it.
While there doesn’t seem to be any details about how he will end it, he seems to have an image to some degree of how it will happen. The recently released title on sale now is the next episode in the Xehanort saga centering around Master Xehanort. I wonder when something relating to Kingdom Hearts 3, which will assumably be the final chapter, will be shown? Attentive fans will want to play Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance first and check on the secret movie.
Q10. For you, what does Kingdom Hearts mean?
Q10. My thirties.
Nomura: These works were the first ones I directed, at the same time they are my “masterpieces”. I am free to be my most creative in these titles. In an older interview, someone asked, “What does Final Fantasy mean to you?” And I answered, my twenties, because I had certainly spent my twenties working on those titles. However, 10 years after that, there’s Kingdom Hearts too.
The Final Fantasy series was founded by a number of creatives, but Kingdom Hearts was produced as a result of Nomura choosing a challenge and making a new setting altogether. Kingdom Hearts is where the creative spirit of Tetsuya Nomura really blossomed.
