KH is such a weird series. I never played it, but saw certain people play it, so I know the style and some of the ideas behind the storyline. It feels very "anime" in its manner of presenting a lot of obscure, often very intentionally indecipherable lore cutscenes where (usually bad guys, but sometimes also angel-like figures) discuss the current events using un-explained concepts.
As a writer I do this, but rarely and very strategically, and I find it baffling how much KH does it, especially since Disney is not known for that. The closest thing that comes to mind is Xenoblade Chronicles, which I think used the same narrative tricks of not explaining key concepts until much later when there are "big plot-twist" moments. I find the emotional effect of this writing style is to make the audience feel like there exists a complex, privileged and "more important" plane of existence, which has the effect of trivializing a lot of the actual events of the story. It's something I find compelling, unless you want to tell an intimate and grounded story.... which I think is suitable for Disney characters. So that's odd. I guess they needed a grander writing scheme to put all the other stories together? Does it trivialize the Disney stories? I think it does. A very odd choice.
The non-face-focused shots are also odd. Usually in cinema you have these kinds of "offset, impersonal" shots when you want the audience to be disoriented and think something is amiss. That said, they notably didn't use a Dutch Angle ( [LINK] ), which I guess they would've known to use if they wanted to do that??? Maybe it's because they want the audience to feel there exists a complex, privileged and "more important" plane of existence and all of this is trivial?!?!?!
How do you feel about KH in general?
2
Tobias 1104~3Y
I'd never picked that out in either KH or Xenoblade Chronicles in that exact way, but I see what you mean for KH at least (it's been too long since I played XC to remember). I always found it at odds with how Disney told their stories too, and even when I was much younger I imagined uncreative, consumer-manipulating Disney executive types having "what the hell is this?" reactions to it, maybe leading to arguments in board rooms about no, the kids'll really buy into this, Japanese stuff is all the rage these days, plus the Japanese market isn't insubstantial! Or something. Then maybe the success of the first - primarily due to the combined fond familiarity from Disney and Final Fantasy - convinced them to keep making more, but they just ran away with the esoteric lore stuff because maybe the execs said the creators could just do what they want??
I don't know, but the whole thing seems so unusual that I can't help but wonder about the process behind its creation.
My own feelings about it are heavily coloured by nostalgia and fond memories of my younger years, but now that I'm replaying it, there are a few things I've been noticing that I'll probably write another blog post about.
As a writer I do this, but rarely and very strategically, and I find it baffling how much KH does it, especially since Disney is not known for that. The closest thing that comes to mind is Xenoblade Chronicles, which I think used the same narrative tricks of not explaining key concepts until much later when there are "big plot-twist" moments. I find the emotional effect of this writing style is to make the audience feel like there exists a complex, privileged and "more important" plane of existence, which has the effect of trivializing a lot of the actual events of the story. It's something I find compelling, unless you want to tell an intimate and grounded story.... which I think is suitable for Disney characters. So that's odd. I guess they needed a grander writing scheme to put all the other stories together? Does it trivialize the Disney stories? I think it does. A very odd choice.
The non-face-focused shots are also odd. Usually in cinema you have these kinds of "offset, impersonal" shots when you want the audience to be disoriented and think something is amiss. That said, they notably didn't use a Dutch Angle ( [LINK] ), which I guess they would've known to use if they wanted to do that??? Maybe it's because they want the audience to feel there exists a complex, privileged and "more important" plane of existence and all of this is trivial?!?!?!
How do you feel about KH in general?
I don't know, but the whole thing seems so unusual that I can't help but wonder about the process behind its creation.
My own feelings about it are heavily coloured by nostalgia and fond memories of my younger years, but now that I'm replaying it, there are a few things I've been noticing that I'll probably write another blog post about.