Oh Kingdom Hearts you magnificent confusing thing you. I never got into the Kingdom Hearts franchise until I started dating my wife. Her passion for these games finally peaked my interest and I gave the games a shot.This opening represent mine and possibly others first thoughts when playing this game.
What is going on? Why are his shoes so big? Why does the ocean hate everyone? Who are these people? Oh my those PS2 in game models! Why is this song so catchy? What the hell is going on? Why do I have a feeling one of these characters is going to be completely useless? Why does the water not ruin his spiky hair? Is drowning a thing in this world? Where’s Mickey Mouse? The game promoted Disney characters so where is Mickey? That guy with white hair is evil right? I played enough JRPGs to know white hair characters are evil. Does this kid know how to dress? Why is his belt so high? This looks nothing like Disney World! Why is Snow White at the bottom of the ocean. What even is this game anymore?
….I’m sure it will be cleared up by the end of the game!
Jokes aside, I really do like this opening for being extremely cryptic and memorable. Not only are there things hidden in the scenes, but it is accompany by “Hikari” (or “Simple and Clean”) by Utada Hikaru. This would become the main theme of the series and it fits very well with the narrative. You could play this song almost anywhere and at least one reluctant fan will jump up and start singing along. We will revisit the idea of iconic themes later on.
Just like the events of Kingdom Hearts, nothing is ever straightforward and once you get somewhere, Normura stubs his toe and gets a new idea that he shoves in the game somewhere; confusing things much further. Everything in the opening looks cryptic and tends to serve no purpose. The only explanation that I have is that Sora is trapped in the currents of an endless ocean. He is pulled by the currents to go where it tells him to go and never of his own free will. And once he is able to get out of the water, some crazy force tells him that he is not allowed on solid ground and literally drops him back into the ocean. I will say that the final shot with the stained glass of Snow White was visually impressive and it got me wondering why Snow White was featured. The only thing that I could think of is like how Snow White was the first animated Disney film, the represented the beginning of Sora’s journey to what would hopefully be a multimillion dollar franchise.
Tune in tomorrow for Day 17!
DanamesX
Tales From The Backlog 