User:Troisnyxetienne/Japan Expo 2012 Interview Translation
Japan Expo is an event held yearly in France, similar to PAX East and other similar conventions. In this year's Japan Expo, two very special guests came: Shinji Hashimoto and Yoko Shimomura!
The original interview was sourced from and carried out by KHDestiny, and thus the opening and closing texts are written from the point of view of KHDestiny. I have undertaken translation work for this. This text is what I've got so far. There are some bits I am not sure of and I have put in brackets, so revisions will be very much appreciated! (attention Unbirth)
Content
On 7 July, Shinji Hashimoto and Yoko Shimomura were at the 2012 Japan Expo to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Kingdom Hearts series. On this occasion, Square Enix has given us (KHDestiny) the immense honour of interviewing our two distinguished guests for thirty minutes alongside our partners at Kingdom Hearts Island. It was a warm yet simple meeting, an occasion to learn more about the origins of the series, its future and how our guests felt after these ten years. Happy reading!
To begin, thank you for giving us your time in this interview. What have you thought of the crowd present during your speech?
Hashimoto: We were very happy to see the French fans and their reactions; we could feel their passion. We are very happy to be here today.
Shimomura: I was very surprised when I went up on stage to see that many people cheering for me; I did not expect such a welcome. I am really very happy, thank you.
So the series has celebrated its tenth anniversary. Mme Shimomura, reminding yourself of your career as composer for the Kingdom Hearts series, what do you think of the evolution of your musical composition?
Shimomura: My composing style for video games has not really changed; it has remained the same, and indeed, Kingdom Hearts is now ten years old. It's the first time that I find myself involved in a long series, a big video game franchise. Indeed, in a certain way, my way of composing has had influence on the Kingdom Hearts tracks that I have already done, but I think that it has managed to make some fans enthusiastic during these last ten years.
And you, Mr Hashimoto, did you think that the series would last that long?
Hashimoto: When we create a video game, especially a big franchise, we want it to be timeless. When we started dreaming about Kingdom Hearts, we discussed with Tetsuya Nomura, and he had always wanted to make a series that everyone could appreciate for a long time. Today, the crowd loves the game and finds great satisfaction from it. We somehow find admiration from fans over Nomura's work.
Why did you take part in the Kingdom Hearts project? What were your motivations?
Hashimoto: It's a story that a lot of people know already. Before, the offices of Disney and Squaresoft were in the same building. We had met employees from the Disney video game branch and we thought that it would be great to do something together and to create a new kind of game. Our common passion brought us together, and that is what allowed us to get involved in the project.
Shimomura: I wasn't involved in the beginning. My memories are unclear but it was not an official offer by Tetsuya Nomura. We had met for another project, and he thought, "it would be nice to use Shimomura's music for my new project." But nothing happened for a while. Kingdom Hearts was the first series which was directed by Tetsuya Nomura, and so I had to be in charge of music composition from A to Z.
In hindsight, have you any regrets? Is there anything which you would have liked to change in KH3D or in another Kingdom Hearts game?
Shimomura: Indeed, every time a project is finished, especially with Kingdom Hearts, I sometimes have regrets like "oh, I could've changed this, or that," and time passes and when I give old tracks from Kingdom Hearts or old compositions another listen, I finally tell myself "actually, it was quite well done." Generally, my projects come out rather well.
Mme Shimomura, a new OST celebrating the tenth anniversary has been recently announced. Are you satisfied with the provisory list of tracks recently revealed on the album's web page?
Shimomura: We have asked fans to pick the tracks which will be in the album. There was indeed a large choice, and we will pick those which have received the most votes. It won't be really difficult to decide, but I am sure that I'll be happy with the pieces picked by the fans.
Mr Hashimoto, do you have other projects to celebrate the tenth anniversary?
Hashimoto: The tenth anniversary celebrations will last until next March and I am also in charge of the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy. We are obviously thinking of other ways to celebrate it but we cannot announce anything for now. Be patient!
What do you think of the welcome given by the European and North American fans for Kingdom Hearts? Is it different from that given by the Japanese fans?
Hashimoto: There isn't really any significant difference between the European and North American fans in comparison with the Japanese fans. Now that I think it over, the Japanese fans — and there are many of them — they don't show their passion like you and the Americans. When we see Western fans, they show their interest in a very intense way, "Oh we love you!" I think that's the main difference.
The Kingdom Hearts series is indeed very, very popular in America and this market is more important than the European market. During the concerts where we play tracks from Kingdom Hearts, we find that the crowd is varied, with some young people and some middle-aged people, and it's really a very good thing.
It's a rather funny anecdote but when I went to America and when I had my passport checked, the customs agent asked me what my profession was, and I told him that I was a video game producer. He then asked me what kind of video games I worked on, and when I told him "Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts", he exclaimed, "Ah yes, Kingdom Hearts, that's an awesome game, I know it!" That has let me see how popular the series has become.
The gameplay of the Kingdom Hearts series is more and more dynamic with each progressing episode, especially with the Flowmotion for KH3D. Did this sensation of speed and fluidity influence the creation of the music? What was your reaction when you saw Flowmotion in action?
Shimomura: Before playing for myself and knowing that the Flowmotion would be very fast and very different from previous titles, I composed something which I thought would be fast enough. In fact, when I showed my work to Tetsuya Nomura, he exclaimed, "No, no, no, faster, even faster, we need something even faster than this." I composed a full track which was finally shortened to three minutes because Nomura wanted something even faster. Now that I've played the game with some changes, I am happy with the result.
Mr Hashimoto, you were present during the Kingdom Hearts Premiere Event at Odaiba, Japan. The Japanese crowd was very enthusiastic. Have you already thought of similar events outside Japan, like today's event?
Hashimoto: We are indeed happy to do these events, and it's particularly great today. It was something rather important for Kingdom Hearts. For an event in Europe, I think I'll ask Square Enix Europe to preview it. If there is demand, we will listen.
Today's event is the result of a collaboration between Nintendo and Square Enix, we were happy to be there and it was awesome. If there are other opportunities, we would really love to make them happen.
Indeed, Europe and Japan are different: in Europe, there are different countries involved, and it would be therefore difficult to organise an event which would satisfy everybody. But we will gladly do it if an opportunity pops up.
With KH3D having been released in Japan, and soon in Europe and in the United States, I suppose you are already thinking of the future of Kingdom Hearts. Do you have any ideas, or desires for the next titles in the series, be it in production or in music?
Hashimoto: From my point of view, if KH3D fares well with gamers, we may create something much more substantial in our coming projects. We will need your help.
Shimomura: The music depends on the development of the game and as long as the series continues, I will be happy to compose other pieces for Kingdom Hearts. If it is proposed to me, I'll surely continue. Do continue to support us.
What was your biggest difficulty during the development of a Kingdom Hearts game, with regards to music and production?
Hashimoto: Tetsuya Nomura leads the project. The story of the game is rather complicated but he only gives us one directing line for intrigue, which does not make work easy for us. We have to equally take into account the point of view of Disney since it is a collaboration between them and Square Enix. We also have to conserve the spirit of the Disney characters and worlds, so it is difficult to keep a balance between Nomura's wishes, the Disney characters and their worlds. That's the most difficult part in the Kingdom Hearts series.
Shimomura: My response will be a bit similar to that of Mr Hashimoto. It's rather difficult to compose a piece which will not trouble the players, while at the same time stays fun to play and to listen to. Further, all the Disney worlds already have their own pieces and Disney has a certain vision of its worlds: so we cannot really disturb this vision or let it take a detour. Sometimes, even though Disney has a precise image of their worlds, the vision shown in Kingdom Hearts is different; so the balance is sometimes difficult to find. The most important thing that I think of when composing a piece is making it as natural as possible. I must make it so that the players keep in their minds an image which they can feel in a natural way when they play the game; it's difficult.
Do you have a final message to address to the fans?
Shimomura: Before coming to Paris, I participated in the Symphonic Fantasies concerts in Cologne, Germany, where I met many fans. Today is the first time I've come to Japan Expo, and I've met, once again, many fans who look really happy. I usually work alone at my desk so I don't always have confidence in my work and I am not assured when people hear my music. But when fans, like those I see today, make compliments, it makes us really happy. Thanks for your support, be it towards the music or towards the game, please let it continue.
Hashimoto: We will continue to create a great saga and without your support, we won't be able to do it. So do continue to support us as you do now, we appreciate it a lot.
First and foremost we would like to thank Square Enix France and Sacha for having allowed us to carry out this interview. Many thanks to Yoko Shimomura and Shinji Hashimoto who have taken the time to respond with kindness to our questions. And finally, many thanks to KHIsland for the teamwork and mutual support given during this collaboration.
