Vanitas' Novel Backstory

[Ikkin]

But he had only absorbed it. He didn't attack it like the novels depicted him doing to his Unversed. I would think absorbing it is a bit different from him actually killing it.

Fair enough, but it's impossible to tell either way since we don't see him hurt by the Unversed's deaths in the game.

Xehanort's Heartless uses Ansem's name and practically creates slander against Ansem the Wise.

Libel - • a false and malicious statement about a person; a thing or circumstance that brings undeserved discredit on a person by misrepresentation.

I thought libel was written and slander was verbal? Doesn't really matter either way; that mostly just amused me because it seemed so trivial next to all the other things you'd posted. XD;

And Vanitas and Ventus were practically slaves being used for a goal. Then MX gives Ven to Master Eraqus. So I admit the human trafficking thing is a bit of a stretch, but it is close...right? And I can't think of any other way to describe them except as chattel.

Yeah, I think that's more than a bit of a stretch, considering that Eraqus basically adopts Ven into his family instead of treating him as a slave or anything. XD;

I think it's more accurate to describe the relationship between MX and Ven/Vanitas as more of an abusive master/apprentice relationship than suggesting that MX thinks he owns Ven; he certainly doesn't think of Ven as a person, but Ven actually looks up to him, and Vanitas has his own reasons for sticking around.

Well, the whole idea of Unversed. The KH team didn't really need to make them. And Vanitas, while being a pretty important part of the plot, was a big troll in the game. He had no story (prior to the novel) and was just pure evil with no meaning to him except to become a weird key.

He's pure evil because he's the darkness that was torn out of Ven, though (and being the darkness torn out of Ven was a major part of the plot). I don't think a lack of sympathetic motivation alone is enough to make a character filler; I kind of just saw him as the KH equivalent to the Joker in that regard.

 

[Unrequited Lust]

This is from earlier in the thread, but:



What.

Are we talking about the same Nomura here?

You know, the one with recurring "kill your best friend" and suicide motifs? The one who showed Ven being treated like trash by Master Xehanort, and Namine being abused first by Marluxia and Larxene and then by DiZ? The same one who showed Riku as a self-destructive, terrified wreck in Chain of Memories and Riku Replica as a bitter, mistreated pawn? The same Nomura who decided that Terra's fall to darkness should be a process of repeated traumatization and bodily invasion instead of a series of bad choices leading to a fall down the slippery slope?

If Nomura's against this, it's certainly not because it's too dark for him. XD;

Nomura specifically didn't show the scene of Master Xehanort striking down Eraqus because it was too dark. Some of scenes depicted in the novel's summary fit this theme of being "too dark."

 

[Zephyr]

This is one of the most amazing interpretations of the novels I've ever read. My perspective of Vanitas just drastically changed.

 

[Ikkin]

Nomura specifically didn't show the scene of Master Xehanort striking down Eraqus because it was too dark. Some of scenes depicted in the novel's summary fit this theme of being "too dark."

Yeah, and instead he showed a closeup of Eraqus' eyes rolling back in his head. (Nomura's actual translated words were "it was necessary to avoid showing such a cruel scene," which doesn't necessarily mean "it's too dark to show;" there's little to be gained from a more graphic presentation in that particular scene, and they've shown worse things before, anyway, including Vexen being immolated from within and Braig's eye getting shot out)

If there's one thing Nomura doesn't hold back on, it's showing characters in pain -- Ven spent significant portions of the end game moaning in agony for various reasons, mostly due to his connection with Vanitas. If he wanted the audience to see that killing Unversed hurt Vanitas, he would have shown Vanitas in pain from the deaths of the Unversed, no questions asked (instead, Vanitas laughs after Aqua beats him up, leaving him with basically no pain reactions whatsoever in cutscenes).

 

[Leonard]

Are there any other translated back story infos in the other novels, such as this? Haven't been following them for a while.
Would certainly be interesting.

 

[Relix]

Are there any other translated back story infos in the other novels, such as this? Haven't been following them for a while.
Would certainly be interesting.

Yeah now I'm a little curious too. It'd be cool to take a gander at some other back stories or something of the like

 

[chasespicer056]

This changes so much honestly. This novel at least gives hope that Vanitas could have a second chance, and him as a protagonist or antihero would be kickass.

 

[Theart]

This changes so much honestly. This novel at least gives hope that Vanitas could have a second chance, and him as a protagonist or antihero would be kickass.

If he ever ends up a permanent cast member and stops being a villain, he'll almost definitely be an antihero.

 

[Luap]

Any word on how valid this is yet? Whether or not this is really in the novel?

 

[chasespicer056]

If he ever ends up a permanent cast member and stops being a villain, he'll almost definitely be an antihero.

I say go ahead and make him that then! Riku was kinda of an antihero earlier, but right now it seems he's just gonna be a normal hero.

 

[Theart]

I say go ahead and make him that then! Riku was kinda of an antihero earlier, but right now it seems he's just gonna be a normal hero.

While I do like the idea of Vanitas becoming an antihero, you gotta admit he's an incredible villain. <3

I'd like to reiterate my desire to see Vanitas get a scenario in BBSv2. That would just be epic. <3

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Any word on how valid this is yet? Whether or not this is really in the novel?

I just read the book summary. It pretty much hints at this being a chapter. I can't find any way to believe this is false considering this sounds like something that Kanemaki would write.

 

[chasespicer056]

While I do like the idea of Vanitas becoming an antihero, you gotta admit he's an incredible villain. <3

I'd like to reiterate my desire to see Vanitas get a scenario in BBSv2. That would just be epic. <3

Oh definitely! He makes every Disney villain look like a joke, and rivals the Xehanort incarnations.

 

[TotemoOishii]

Any word on how valid this is yet? Whether or not this is really in the novel?

I checked out the Japanese amazon to see if anyone reviewed. The one review they had talked about Vanitas' backstory being in the novel, as well as explaining it a little bit. I'm buying the novel myself now just to read that one chapter XD

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

I'm also going to try and pick the novel up this weekend and give it a read. I didn't think of looking for it when I went to Kinokuniya the weekend the book came out. Oh well.

 

[Luap]

I'm also going to try and pick the novel up this weekend and give it a read. I didn't think of looking for it when I went to Kinokuniya the weekend the book came out. Oh well.

There's a Kinokuniya in Seattle, but I never have gone in there... Would they even carry the KH novels, have you seen them in there before? I wouldn't understand a thing in it, but I like to collect stuff like that when I can.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

There's a Kinokuniya in Seattle, but I never have gone in there... Would they even carry the KH novels, have you seen them in there before? I wouldn't understand a thing in it, but I like to collect stuff like that when I can.

Yeah, they would. The Kinokuniya here in Los Angeles is pretty small, but in the corner they have all of the latest game and anime related novels. I'd recommend you check the place out. They should have all three BBS novels on the shelves, and if you can't find anything just ask the people who work there.

 

[Luap]

Yeah, they would. The Kinokuniya here in Los Angeles is pretty small, but in the corner they have all of the latest game and anime related novels. I'd recommend you check the place out. They should have all three BBS novels on the shelves, and if you can't find anything just ask the people who work there.

That's pretty sweet. Next time I'm up in Seattle, I'll have to check it out.

 

[XIII Heartless]

Does anyone translate these whole novels into English that we know of? I'm interested in reading them now more than ever.

 

[Z3N]

Mmm, I'm VERY intrigued by this.

I love Vanitas, he's been a favorite character of mine since I GOT the game!

Now I'm REALLY hoping for some sort of intake ingame about his past/a look into what's really going on inside his whacked out head!!!

Can't wait now to see what's next in the series.