Why, if we are trying to solve a puzzle (which is what theorizing truly is), should we ignore a huge mound of the pieces? Even if each piece in that mound has a 10% chance of being defective, should we toss the whole pile aside and pretend that they don't exist just for the sake of being more creative with the remaining pieces? 9 out of 10 of those pieces will help solve the puzzle, even if 1 in 10 will cause a good theory to be shot down. I agree wholeheartedly that the theories that were shot down by "retconned" interviews should have been given a little bit better chance, but in the same breath I support using all the resources you can, and interviews are a fantastic resource.
I'm sorry if this sounds snobby or elitist or whatever, because I think everyone should be able to share their ideas without fear of ridicule, but I think we shouldn't completely sacrifice effectiveness for creativity. Interesting and unlikely ideas should be taken for what they are worth: good ideas. Even if they aren't likely to be true.
However, I do agree with you that people are too literal about Nomura's words. It should be kept in mind that Nomura does go back on his word every once and a while (only two of SRK are related to TAV, huh?), so a theory shouldn't be immediately ignored because it goes against one or two interview quotes. However, ignoring all interviews just for the sake of creativity sounds a bit counterproductive to me.
This is only regarding plot, though. As for meaning and symbolism, I say screw the interviews. The meaning of a work is really in the eyes of the reader, in my own opinion.
I'm sorry if this sounds snobby or elitist or whatever, because I think everyone should be able to share their ideas without fear of ridicule, but I think we shouldn't completely sacrifice effectiveness for creativity. Interesting and unlikely ideas should be taken for what they are worth: good ideas. Even if they aren't likely to be true.
However, I do agree with you that people are too literal about Nomura's words. It should be kept in mind that Nomura does go back on his word every once and a while (only two of SRK are related to TAV, huh?), so a theory shouldn't be immediately ignored because it goes against one or two interview quotes. However, ignoring all interviews just for the sake of creativity sounds a bit counterproductive to me.
This is only regarding plot, though. As for meaning and symbolism, I say screw the interviews. The meaning of a work is really in the eyes of the reader, in my own opinion.