Why Does That Train Have A Hat?

[rionaleonhart]

Tem and I are currently playing through Kingdom Hearts II! We've just left the Pirates of the Caribbean world. Tem was very unhappy about the effort to render photorealistic humans alongside cartoon characters in PS2 graphics.

Tem referred to Kingdom Hearts Fujin as 'girl Riku', and I'm struggling to process this.

Axel: You can't turn on the Organization! You get on their bad side and they'll destroy you!
Roxas: No one would miss me. (walks away)
Axel: That's not true! ...I would.
Tem: (cocking head to one side) ...do I ship this?

I'm pleased that Tem is shipping Axel/Roxas, because this will enhance xyr experience of 358/2 Days, or possibly make xyr experience of 358/2 Days considerably worse. Either way, I'm looking forward to it.

Roxas's story still breaks my heart. This poor kid. He just wants to spend time with his friends; he didn't ask for any of this!

Can't believe the imperial Chinese army will let a duck, a dog and a foreign teenager join up, but they draw the line at a woman.

That said, I think the most unrealistic thing about Kingdom Hearts is the fact that nobody ever responds to Donald with 'what the hell did you just say?'

Auron laughs quietly after Sora refuses his offer of guardianship. I wonder if Sora reminds him of Tidus.

To clarify, Auron is offering to guard Sora, in the Final Fantasy X sense of being a guardian. He is not offering to be Sora's legal guardian. But, now that I've accidentally put that thought into my own head, I want to read that fic.

I cannot handle Auron urgently calling Donald Duck's name while healing him. I just can't. This was never supposed to happen.

'I see what we're doing,' Tem commented, at the start of Atlantica. 'We're doing the plot of The Little Mermaid. Because that's what we're doing in this game: we're just going through the plot of Disney films, only truncated and worse, and also Donald Duck is there.'

Sora's a little awkward on encountering Ariel again. I think, now that he's fifteen, he's a bit selfconscious about having his nipples out in merman mode.

The animators do really impressive work making the Organization XIII members feel distinct even when they're dressed in identical face-obscuring coats. The animation in Kingdom Hearts is great all around, actually; it's really striking me on this playthrough!

For the benefit of anyone who's interested in videogame animation, incidentally, I'm really enjoying the New Frame Plus Animation of Final Fantasy series on YouTube, in which professional animator Dan Floyd takes a game-by-game look at how Final Fantasy's animation has changed and developed over the decades. He's up to Final Fantasy V, and I'm looking forward to future instalments!

Comments

[lassarina]

*wheezing* Donald really does add a certain something. but also subtracts some things, like comprehensibility.

AURON.

[rionaleonhart]

Donald really does add a certain something. but also subtracts some things, like comprehensibility.

This is such an elegant and accurate way of putting it.

Auron! It's a shame only one Final Fantasy character actually joins your party in the entire Kingdom Hearts series, but at least it's a good one.

[ryulynn]

I'm continuing to enjoy your writeups on your Kingdom Hearts games playthroughs. And poor Roxas. Even though I only know like 10% of his story I was like, he does not deserve this.

I vaguely remember Sora being awkward due to going through some of puberty while unconscious iirc? Like suddenly new body shape what this? Puberty is weird enough, sucks when you don't even have enough time to adjust while it is happening.

The comment regarding Donald Duck made me laugh. I'm so dependent on subtitles it didn't occur to me, but yeah everyone just magically understands lol.

[rionaleonhart]

Even though I only know like 10% of his story I was like, he does not deserve this.

The correct approach to Roxas! Everything about him is so tragic.

It's true; Sora has outgrown his clothes by the time he wakes up! Must be very strange to suddenly skip a year of growth at that age.

I think it's actually not possible to turn off the subtitles on the first few Kingdom Hearts games, possibly because the developers went 'well, Donald Duck is here; why would anyone turn these off?'

[seerofrage]

Oh man, that is such a great Axel/Roxas moment, love them. (':

When you get to Days, are you going to be watching the movie compilation? O:

[rionaleonhart]

I'm planning to show Tem Dan Floyd's Let's Play of Days! It combines the DS and film version cutscenes, so it's a fuller version of the story than the film version on its own. Sadly, he hasn't done the same for Re:coded, although the story of that game is a lot less crucial to the series.

[seerofrage]

Ooh, cool! I've seen a similar type of compilation; I'll check this one out next time I rewatch Days! :D

[necrophilia]

Is this my opportunity to write you a manifesto on why Axel/Saix is, was, and will always be the superior pairing?

[rionaleonhart]

Absolutely! I can definitely see Axel/Roxas but wouldn't say I actively ship it - the Axel pairing I'm most invested in is Axel/Kairi - so I could be persuaded. (Although I don't care about Saïx, which may make persuasion a little trickier.)

[necrophilia]

Although I don't care about Saïx, which may make persuasion a little trickier.

See, I believe you should use this playthrough to reconsider that. Saix is so cold and mean—like a solid cube of ice thrown directly at your head. What's not to love?

[aestivalis]

I was going to see if I had anything useful to comment on this post, but it turns out all I really want to do is read the manifesto. (Except I enjoyed this pairing more back when they were hideous messed up still-care-about-but-also-hate-you friends-to-enemies-but-still-lovers exes and find the eventual happy ending a little less than what I would have hoped for, but that might just be a penchant for bittersweet colouring my view.) (that's a lot of hyphens.)

My actual number one contribution to anything from KH2 onwards is: the true Kingdom Hearts pairing to end all pairings is Maleficent/Pete and I will never, never forgive this series for having those two face off against a horde of heartless in the World That Never Was and then not even give them a scene during the end credits roll. WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM? IS MY OTP DEAD? SURELY NO SUBSEQUENT GAME IN THE SERIES HAS EVER CLARIFIED THIS like okay, they're fine, but still. Recurrent secondary antagonist pair who assist the heroes during the finale because the other bad guys are an even bigger hinderance and you don't even clarify what happens to them? Outrageous!

thank u riona and naughty child for coming to my DTED talk (it's a door to darkness ted talk)

[necrophilia]

I'm just glad to know you're alive and still loquacious AF. 🤗

[aestivalis]

OH I DO HAVE ONE OTHER COMMENT, I am glad you are doing the series in release order instead of internal chronological order! This is 100% the correct way, Days should be experienced after KH2 regardless of anything else.

[rionaleonhart]

The Kingdom Hearts I.5 + II.5 menu tried to trick me into playing things in the wrong order by listing Days above Kingdom Hearts II, but I will not be deceived.

I keep thinking of your love for Maleficent/Pete whenever they have scenes together, I'll admit.

[samuraiter]

Sora can always use his giant hands to cover his nipples, along with most of the rest of his body (except his giant feet).

[rionaleonhart]

Sora's proportions are definitely disconcerting! And they become even more so in the Pirates of the Caribbean world.

[trepkos]

So, is Disney involved in the production of Kingdom Hearts?

[rionaleonhart]

It's an unlikely collaboration between Disney and Square Enix, the developer of Final Fantasy! Legend has it that the Kingdom Hearts series was born when a Square executive and a Disney executive happened to get into the same lift together, as Square was in the same building as Disney's Japan office.

[trepkos]

Wow. How odd!

[operasteers]

That said, I think the most unrealistic thing about Kingdom Hearts is the fact that nobody ever responds to Donald with 'what the hell did you just say?'

i feel everyone is just to caught up in the talking duck picking a fight with them and their fists go flying before they can question him (or in belle's case, hug donald, because god he is just such a little plushie walking around and squawking at stuff)

Auron laughs quietly after Sora refuses his offer of guardianship. I wonder if Sora reminds him of Tidus.

i shout at the top of my lungs YES!!! because i strongly feel that too!! esp since the auron in kh2 is from some alternate universe where getting spirited away leads u to kingdom hearts with hades, because hades it cool like that... i wish so badly for auron to meet kh yuna and kh tidus... seeing them happy (or as happy as u can be when disney characters are beating ur ass)

[rionaleonhart]

i wish so badly for auron to meet kh yuna and kh tidus

This had never occurred to me, but I love it; what a fascinating thought! I wonder how he and little kid Tidus would interact.

auron thinks "ah crap, here we go again"

[operasteers]

i remember i was playing kh and ff x alongside each other and my mind was ABLAZE with thoughts of their interactions.... like...would auron be happy that this tidus seems pretty happy and chill, just like some regular kid? tidus gets to be a real boy now, no longer a dream boat in Dissidia Playhouse Vol. 12... i always love to remember how auron would fondly tease yuna about her hair and i feel like he'd be like that with kh tidus... but also sentimental cause "oh, this isn't the boy i raised but it's still tidus"

whenever i remember that laguna could've also made it in to BBS but got cut out...oh square...we couldve had dissidia opera omnia and smash bros levels of crossovers happening here....sure i love the disneys but think larger!! MORE crossovers and meetings (esp when the ff charas have memories of their og worlds)