We spoke to Kazunari Nojima, author of the novel "FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Traces of Two Pasts", about this novel!
Following "On the Way to a Smile FINAL FANTASY VII" and "FINAL FANTASY VII Gaiden: Turks: The Kids Are All Right", this is the third FFVII novel he's written.
Kazushige Nojima
Born in January 1964. Born in Sapporo. Aquarius. Storyteller and game creator who is active in a wide range of game scenarios. His representative works are "FINAL FANTASY VII", "FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN", "CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII-", "FINAL FANTASY X", "FINAL FANTASY X-2", "KINGDOM HEARTS", "KINGDOM HEARTS II". (He is the author of "On the Way to a Smile Final Fantasy VII", "Final Fantasy VII Gaiden: Turks: The Kids Are All Right", etc. In his private life, he loves heavy metal. He has a lot of electric guitars, but can't play them well.
As for the novel of "FFVII", "Final Fantasy VII Gaiden: Turks - The Kids Are All Right" was written in 2011, so it has been 10 years. First of all, please tell us why you agreed to write FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Traces of Two Pasts, and what motivated you to come back to writing novels.
Nojima: I'd been getting regular offers to write, so I knew I had to do it at some point. Then I found a time when I could write, so I decided to give it a go.
Please tell us about the contents of this book. The book consists of two stories, "Tifa's Trajectory" and "Aerith's Trajectory", about Tifa and Aerith from their childhood to their girlhood, before the start of FFVII Remake. When did the outline of the overall structure come together?
Nojima: According to our records, we had a synopsis in the summer of 2020. When you read it, it's quite different from the finished product.
Is there anything else important about "FFVII Remake" other than its prequel* role?
Nojima: As you know, there are many derivatives of "FFVII", and each time there are additional settings and episodes. In "FFVII Remake", we reorganized and reorganized them, and this novel is written based on the setting.
Other than Tifa and Aerith, will there be other characters from FFVII surrounding them?
Nojima: Yes. There will be characters that have influenced their lives from childhood to adolescence.
Are there any mysteries that have been revealed in FFVII or FFVII Remake?
Nojima: We're not going to reveal any mysteries, but we're going to fill in the gaps in time that aren't told in the games.
Both stories show the protagonist in a sad situation, but strong and alive. What were some of the things you worked on?
Nojima: I thought about how each character overcomes their sorrow. Aerith tries to adjust to her new environment by believing she's not sad and acting cheerful. Tifa tries to get through each day by moving her body and spending less time thinking about the past. It's not really a contrivance, but I was careful not to let the story waver.** There are so many settings and backgrounds that you want to tell that they often seem to take centre stage. Yes.
In this game, there are "Tifa's Path" and "Aerith's Path".
First of all, please tell us about "Tifa's Trajectory".
Nojima: We had to tell the story of the relationship between Tifa and Cloud - "childhood friends, but not very close" -, their interaction with Zangan, how they ended up in Midgar after the tragedy, and how a 15-year-old girl with no family lived in a slum. It was a challenge to portray these things. I'm proud to say that it turned out quite interesting.
Could you tell us more about "Aerith's Path"?
Nojima: In FFVII and FFVII Remake, Aerith's house is also depicted as a special place in the slums. It's not just the flowers in bloom, but also the size of the property and its solid construction that makes it stand out. In an overall poor slum, the Gainsbourg family appear to be very wealthy. I wanted to give a story to this situation and that was the beginning of the plot.
"There's also a chapter about Aerith's trail called Coda: The Investigators in the Paintings, what do you think about that?
Nojima: In FFVII Remake, there's a room in the Shinra Building where Aerith spent her childhood. There's a large painting on the wall of that room. That painting also looked like it was looking for a story. That was the start.
I'd like to ask you if there is anything that you think has changed in the creation of the story (whether it's a scenario or a novel).
Nojima: I have more of a spirit of challenge. I think I've become more willing to do things in my work. Maybe I'm just getting impatient because I'm getting older and have less time on my hands (laughs).
You once said that when you tell a story, the novel is a free form of expression where anything is possible, but writing it is difficult. Do you feel that this is still the case today? Or do you feel that you have made any progress in terms of technology?
Nojima: I've loved novels since I was a child, and I used to read them a lot, but that meant I had high ideals. When it came to writing my own novels, I couldn't reach those heights at all, and for a long time writing novels was like a struggle. I don't feel that pain now. Maybe it's because I know myself.
What do you feel is the difference between telling a story in a game scenario and a novel, or any other form of expression (video, stage, etc.)?
Nojima: I think that a scenario for a game, film or stage is a blueprint. But a novel is everything in itself, so you can't rely on the help of other people. Also, the readers' knowledge of the world of FFVII varies, so it's always a challenge to decide what to write and what not to write. There are times when I devote too many pages to the background setting and the story doesn't progress at all (laughs).
You've talked before about the roots and background of the creator Kazunari Nojima, but are there any works that influenced you before you came back to writing this book? Even if it's not fiction, that's fine.
Nojima: I was hooked on a writer called Ferdinand von Schirach. His crisp, clear writing is very pleasing. Of course, I read the book in translation, so I challenged myself to see if I could make it like that translation, and that's what I did with "The Investigator in the Painting". I thought I wrote the other two stories in the same style, but when I finished them they were quite different (laughs).
Also, thanks to streaming services, we have much more opportunities to watch films. With this film, too, I was thinking that there might be an opportunity to make it into a film, like the Denzel episode in On the Way to a Smile, so I was careful to make the scenes come alive.
Do you have any plans to write any novels in the future?
Nojima: I've still got a lot of work to do before I finish the manuscript, so I'll probably write a novel when I've forgotten all about it (laughs).
How about "Yuffie's Trail" and the others that are still in the works?
Nojima: Except for Yuffie, all the others are going to be uncles. ...... Is that okay? Vincent might be interesting.
Finally, do you have any words for the fans of the "Final Fantasy VII" series?
Nojima: Thank you for loving this game for so long, since 1997. There are also many people who have never played FFVII Remake before. The series will continue in the future, so please continue to support us. "We hope you enjoy FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Traces of Two Pasts and can't wait for the next installment.
* I don’t think “prequel” is the correct translation here. Denshi jisho offers no matches for the word 前日譚的.
** I don’t know what this sentence is trying to say, exactly.
Also maybe you have missed this, but Peko has reunited the first pages translated into one post in 
