#spoilers for every game until 358/2 days. so kh1 com kh2

[mrmallard]

So I watched the Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days movie on the KH 1.5 Remix collection.

I did play 358/2 Days back in the day, on an R4 cart on my DS. It's a pretty good game, it's a shame they didn't port it to the collection. On one hand, KH1 and Chain of Memories were both PS2 games (one was a remake of a GBA game, but it was a port from 2007) and 358/2 Days was a DS game - porting an entire third game, especially such a sprawling mission-based title, from an entirely foreign platform with touchscreen controls to be cut/redefined, would have been a much bigger undertaking than the other two. On the other, it's a really good game and I would have liked it a lot.

It's a total gut punch, and I feel like it wasn't properly represented by Kingdom Hearts 3 if I'm being honest. That being said, I'm pretty critical of how KH3 wraps up its loose ends, even if I know why they did it like that. But I really liked this game, even if it introduces some very stereotypically silly Kingdom Hearts anachronisms with the introduction of a Number XIV in Organisation XIII. It makes sense eventually, but it's very Kingdom Hearts y'know. It's a part of the charm.

I'm actually gonna get into spoilers under a readmore instead of dancing around the issue for once. Massive spoilers for KH: 358/2 Days and Chain of Memories under the cut, and because 358/2 Days came out after Kingdom Hearts 2, there's some KH2 spoilers too.

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I'm gonna start with Chain of Memories and the Replica connection. I began to think that Xion was the manifestation of Sora's memories finding a home inside the original Replica Riku, and while I understand better now, I still think it would have been pertinent for the Riku Replica to have found a new home as a vessel for Sora's memories of Kairi instead of dying in despair.

The way things are now, Replica Riku was the first Replica introduced in the series and he died at the end of Chain of Memories. Xion was a secret original Replica, the original fruits of Vexen's labor, who was taken to The World That Never Was before the events of Chain of Memories - her purpose was to absorb Roxas's memories of Sora and become an Organisation XIII puppet, basically giving them Sora while ensuring that Sora would never wake up. Xion technically came first, Repliku was made second. So that's completely contrary to my whole headcanon.

In hindsight, this retcon makes sense - not only were they disordering Sora's memories and removing his memories of Kairi in Chain of Memories, but they took those memories of Kairi and put them in the original Replica that became Xion. It actually makes the most sense now that I'm sitting down and talking about them.

I still think having Replica Riku's death being interrupted by Sora's memories giving him a new form would have been pertinent from Repliku's point of view. Sora's memories of Kairi manifest in a dying shell as this new person named Xion, who breaks out from her original purpose to become her own person. She's eventually drawn back to her original purpose, which is tragic, but it provides a direct contrast to Repliku who was originally powerless to escape the shadow of the original Riku.

It gives him a second wind, like the Doctor from Doctor Who, and gives him a second arc to continue and contrast from his first arc in Chain of Memories.

Repliku found despair in being a clone of Riku, never being able to escape. Xion found despair in being a pawn for Xemnas and for hurting Roxas, but she really enjoyed being Xion and she sacrificed herself for a greater good - losing her divergent identity in the progress. My idea is that Repliku became their own person through becoming Xion, but she was still unknowingly shackled by her status as a copy - but rather than give into despair like with Repliku, she got to have her own name, her own face, her own identity. Her own life. She got everything Repliku ever wanted, retroactively giving Repliku a sort of afterlife where he was able to escape the grim fate he had resigned himself to.

And instead of dying in despair over never being anything more than a shadow of the real thing, Xion cherishes the time that she was able to be her own person, even if her fate as a copy still ends in tragedy.

On one hand, huge trans allegory. On the other hand, fridges a trans character. It's probably better that they're separate characters with separate character arcs.

Secondly, Xion and Roxas's relationship is really nice. Axel is pretty relatable as an older character who kind of has to burst the bubble of his younger friends - he knows Xion's baggage as a Replica and what that probably means for the three of them as a team, he knows Roxas is a Nobody of Sora who's a guy he's already met in the padt, and despite his better judgement he helps both of these characters to accomplish their own ends despite knowing it's all gonna end in tragedy. Because he cares so much about them, and he doesn't want to hurt either of them.

I kinda imagined this real life AU where Axel and Riku are like the older third-wheel friends of their friend groups, with Sora and Kairi pairing up to have a family as well as Roxas and Xion doing the same, and they still care about their friends but like they're just chilling, doing their own thing, kinda being dirtbags without much going on. They hang out a lot and have barbeques at the local park on those old, awful, dirty electric grills, they hit the bar - maybe as a consolation for not being a Roxas/Axel or a Sora/Riku story, they can eventually hook up? But it gets grim for them before it gets better imo. They're just a couple of old, dirty, aimless bastards (affectionate).

Third, DiZ is a fucking douchebag lmao??? Like I know the whole deal behind DiZ and that he's actually a good guy, but man, DiZ himself is a bag of dicks. I don't like DiZ.

Xion is a really good character in 358/2 Days, and let's just leave it at that if you can read between the lines. I think her existence is extremely convoluted and silly in that trademark KH way, but it makes sense considering Chain of Memories - she's the product of Sora's memories of Kairi, which were stolen from him during Chain of Memories, and it's only through getting them back that makes Kingdom Hearts 2 possible in the first place. I really adore her as a character with her struggles, and frankly I ship her and Roxas. They have interesting parallels as parts of Sora with divergent identities who need to return to Sora under tragic circumstances, and I think they should get to be the people they want to be.

[mirror-to-the-past]

Here's some spoilers and discussion about my initial thoughts on Kingdom Hearts 2 below.

Nearing the end of my KH2 journey... I'd say this has probably been my favorite game so far, out of KH1, CoM, and now this. Overall, I'd say I like the composition of the story of CoM a tad more, but goddamn if the intro and outro haven't gone especially hard on KH2 (also has just generally been littered with several moments that have made the characters very endearing). And the gameplay... woo, actually is super fun. I love the love put into the reaction commands, and every fight is like a movie.

I got past the Roxas fight after like... 40+ tries, and was regretting immensely I decided to play in Proud mode. Never got frustrated at my boy, though- was just filled with respect, and it's seriously the best fight in the franchise thus far for me for giving well designed attacks that I felt were effectively telegraphed. I'm not quite sure how/why Roxas led Sora into what I assume was an internal battle, since he already seemed reabsorbed within Sora's being, but I can only assume Axel's sacrifice (since that happened right before this fight) must've reawoken him, in a way ("Tell me why 'he' chose you!") Poor Roxas has been having his life stolen. The Nobody dehumanization is such shit, dude. Roxas banging on Sora's braced keyblade over and over with that level of ferocity is fueled by such obvious rage that it's undeniable. God, he's living in my head unapologetically.

Meanwhile Xigbar was also... a fight. Less filled with respect, more frustrated about that one, lol. (I thought the sniper mechanics were pretty sick, though. Felt like I was doing Orbonne Monastary in FFXIV again). Can't help but assume several of these Organization members may maintain relevance in future installments in some way, since several seemed to have implied information/backstory that remained unrevealed prior to their disappearance (looking at you, Xigbar [casually referencing that there's been other Keyblade wielders before dying with zero explanation] and Saïx). The next game, 358/2 Days, looks like it's dealing with the Organization in what I assume is a prequel, so maybe backstory will be there?

Kairi and Riku have made my heart warm, and the whole trio's love for each other is honestly so sweet. I keep thinking about their reunion scenes and it's just... aaa, I feel crazy about it. When Kairi lowered Riku's hood and saw the face of Xehanort's Heartless and Riku looked so ashamed (then it cut away?? how dare), when Riku shielded Kairi with his body from Saïx's attack, when Kairi hugged Sora and said "this is real" because 😭 girl your abandonment issues and unachievable desire for constancy are making me feel things, and she's been struggling with the phantom sensation of forgetting someone she cared about for an entire y e a r, so having that confirmation... man. *Staring out to the ocean*

Felt so bad for her that Sora was so awkward about the hug she deeply needed, and didn't even realize the absence of the music until Sora reunited with Riku. 😂 And... oh my god, haha, that part got me. Not surprised that the Sixth Sense kid can pack a gut punch, ofc, he's got a long history of films making me weep, but like... "I looked for you! I looked everywhere for you!" While Sora was crying on his k n e e s and grasping Riku's hand like a lifeline was such amazing emotional payoff. Like, I've been joking with friends about Sora's unwavering "Riku, Riku, Riku" throughout the entire game, but damn if that didn't do a good job of making me invested via Sora, goddamn. I'm so happy my kid gets to see his silver haired punk again. And wowie, they're such a power duo? Their limit break "Eternal Session" is legitimately one of my favorite limit breaks alongside Vincent Valentine's "Satan Slam," from FF7 now. The synchrony of the dance where they pass off the weapons to each other, smooth as butter? Them going "back to back" between the different phases of their LB? (Which is adding to my evaluation of the poems from CoM I've had in the back of my head the entire damn game, by the way...) The clash of their keyblades, and the duality red-blue color scheme? Be still, my artistic heart, they're too much. For this, and the honestly impressive expression and facial rigging for what is a PS2 game, I want to give the animators a smooch.

All I want now is to know where tf Riku pulled Kairi's Keyblade from, and how she's apparently a chosen wielder too. Like, okay??? But where? How?

Oh, also would like Riku to see someone about his hand, that doesn't look too comfortable. My guy can be a badass all he wants, but if he doesn't drink his milk, put an actual cast around his wrist, and bit of work leave off from world-saving shenanigans, he's gonna be a certified hero with post-traumatic arthritis 10~ years down his little road to dawn. Apparently working for Ansem the Wise doesn't provide great health coverage.