oh no, spheda

When I started playing Dark Cloud 2 (I was 11 back then, in 2003) I had just found out about Ghibli movies. Around the same time, old titles like “The Castle in the Sky”, “Kiki’s delivery service” and some even older ones were being released in France. I was mostly into The Castle in the Sky, with the blue pendant, the big robots, and, of course, the flying castle... so I had quite the shock when Griffon’s palace started floating in the air at the end of the game! I thought it was so much like a Japanese animated movie.

Concept artworks from The Castle in the Sky (Hayao Miyazaki, 1986)

Later, I realized it wasn’t just the castle – but also Palm Brinks and its people, or even the P-3000, Flotsam’s crazy car - its design, the way it’s animated, all bouncy and everything. There’s just something very Ghibli about it. Funny when you think Level-5 was eventually going to make Ni no Kuni a few years later (the 2nd installment is one of my top favourite Level-5 gamestoo).

^Ni no Kuni II

(the P-3000 from DC2) ^

^ v The Castle in the Sky

Akihiro Hino did not talk about The Castle in the Sky in any interview, but he did say that he wanted to give it a “World Theater Masterpiece” anime series feeling, especially “Tom Sawyer” – Jun Sonobe and Hino mentioning that Donny was supposed to be a reference to Huckleberry Finn, Tom’s best friend.

Tom Sawyer (Hiroshi Saitô, 1980)

Although the World Theater Masterpiece animes (some of which were directed by Miyazaki and Takahata before they founded Studio Ghibli) were very popular in France in the 1980s-90s, I have never watched them, but I can definitely see where Hino is coming from. I think it’d be interesting to take inspiration from this artstyle to draw Dark Cloud 2 art.

But the game also shows Hino’s love for mecha and futuristic stuff. There’s no doubt that scenes like the Ixion taking off, or Paznos becoming a huge mecha, have strong nostalgic undertones for the Japanese players back then. I was too young to understand these references, unfortunately! but I thought the Ixion scene was incredibly “anime” and I got very excited when I saw the scene. There’s this 1980s anime feeling, combined with that colorful and “futuristic” atmosphere you’d find in kids’ anime from the early 2000s... For example, I remember getting excited when you get the Ixion because the takeoff scene reminded me of MonColle Knights. (Sorry, that’s VERY obscure lol)

Mecha Paznos ^

A friend of mine described Dark Cloud 2 as a weird mix of influences that don’t necessarily make sense together – and that it was actually what made it very unique. Growing up, I eventually forgot about the third half of the game and when I replayed it in my teens, I was like – ohhhh, man, there’s a LOT happening here! Alternating fantasy, 19th century and futuristic tones was a bold choice, I think. And that’s what makes DC2 so special, whether people agree or not.

I think what pushes me to draw so much Dark Cloud 2 art is how badly I want to imagine it and re-imagine it. 90s manga DC2? Modern Level-5 anime DC2? the possibilities are endless.

(Danball Senki /LBX boxart – Jun Sonobe worked on the characters & robots design as well.They made the robots into toys, I’m collecting them because I love his style so much lol)

Not only I like giving it my own touch with my own influences, but with each new information I get about the development, I see more clearly what the team was going for, where they started from, and I want to show it in my art. I’m thinking about trying to draw a few pieces that look more like the Tom Sawyer artstyle and see where it goes!

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Now for the story :

Sometimes, I don’t think much of Dark Cloud 2′s story. That’s because I spend most of my time dungeon-grinding, so I kind of... you know, forget about it. But Max is easily one of my favourite characters. Usually in RPGs, the characters are born in a fantasy setting. Whether they know how to fight or not, they were born in an universe of swords and armors and everything. In DC2, it’s not Max’s case. Hey, you could even say Max got isekai’d (laughs) like Roland did in Ni no Kuni II. Max is a normal kid – sure, he’s determined, and he can hit clowns with a wrench, but that’s all he has, his determination to go find his mother, and find out what’s going on. He didn’t even... leave on his own will, you know? He was forced to leave because of the Atlamillia and everything. I think he’s a super brave 13 years old! haha. And that courage he has often comes into play, but mostly when he finds his mother, eventually, and has to face the harsh truth that she’s not coming back (the way you actually hear him cry and sob in the JPN version broke me lol, TWICE). Yet, he has to keep going, ignoring the pain, because the world counts on him and Monica. That’s... a lot. That twist really hurt me when I was 12, still does now omg. When you replay the game and realize all his internal monologues are the book he left in the ruins for her to find in 100 years? Ouch my heart.

Of course, there’s also Monica’s quest to avenge her father, which I don’t relate to as much unfortunately (I think her story would’ve deserved more depht, even though there’s the prequel from the SetteixFanbook CD-rom). But Monica also has the weight of the world on her shoulders. I feel like she has to pretend she perfectly knows what she’s doing because she can’t let herself doubt about anything (but that’s just my take lol) when she’s just a 15 years old girl, although she knows much more about fighting. Overall, I love this duo because they’re so indivisible. They match and complete each other perfectly. And, icing on the cake – they’re just partners, friends, comrades. Hey, that’s pretty rare, especially for that time. Their friendship is so sincere, I love that! You never lose sight of their goals.

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Now, as for my personal takes... I remember saying Dark Cloud 2 was sorta like Alice in Wonderland, in a way, because Max falls asleep while repairing Gable’s vacuum cleaner, and the moment he wakes up, everything goes upside down. I know he’s not actually dreaming or anything – but there’s this line between “before” and “after”, when he leaves for the circus.  Then he, a 13 years old boy from a 19th century city, who has never seen magic in his whole life, gets catapulted in a fantasy world where anything can happen... I just love that kind of development.

I think it’s interesting how Hino wanted to have Max be a protagonist of continent opposed to Toan’s in DC1 (As said in an interview). (Remember: the world of Dark Cloud is separated in two continents, the East and the West. One where nature and magic rule everything, and one that’s closer to the industrial era. I can never remember which one is which, though). While there’s a lot of inconsistencies that prevent me from connecting the dots, as DC2 is more a reboot than a sequel, I love that he reused some ideas. Alexandra’s war is reminiscent of Seda’s ; Sirus loses his loved one like Seda did ; maybe the mage that came to see Seda was a Sage ; and finally, “a book was found in some old ruins”... Kazarov Stonehenge.

I remember someone on here saying that King Raybrandt was probably a bad king that did not care about his subjects, leading Gaspard to get his revenge after his parents died, and I love this idea – bet the pill would be hard to swallow for Monica. I mean, the game definitely states that Sirus hates humans, and so do the people and monsters who join him. When you talk to monsters using the Monster badge, they will complain about how they just want to live their life and protect themselves from humans. Does Monica ever think about all of this? Too bad they didn’t say much more ingame, but that leaves a lot of open doors for headcanons, huh?

But my favourite part remains Palm Brinks and its people. I can’t really explain it, I just love this place. It’s full of life and I feel like I know every character (laughs). There’s a lot to say and to imagine about them and their relationships with each other. The fanart and fanfic possibilities are endless! I could also come up with more headcanons about young Elena coming to Max’s time and meeting young Gerald, or Max getting to know Cedric, or Gerald’s high expectations over Max... all of thatttt. I also recently realized Morton’s house was a mess and that there were a lot of empty wine bottles! Whats going on in there! No wonder Donny’s never home, huh?

By the way, according to the SetteixFanbook, Pau and Sirus were supposed to be one and the same. Like, he would’ve followed Max & Monica and reveal himself once they get to Moonflower Palace. I’m a bit disappointed it didn’t happen! I also wonder how Cedric’s time machine story arc to meet his deceased daughter would’ve turned out.

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