Topic: Akumajo Densetsu fan interview.

[Nagumo]

Someone at the Castlevania wiki posted an interview with someone (I'm not exactly sure who, but I'm guessing someone who worked on CVIII) from 2ch. He said he first doubted the legitimacy of the interview with later changed his mind in hindsight of what was revealed in the interview with SCIV's director.

http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Castlevania_III:_Dracula%27s_Curse

Here it is:

882: 開発スタッフだけど聞きたいことある？ｗ

Q: 883: ディレクターは誰？ まだコナミにいる？
A: 884: ディレクターは○松さん Kは退職したよ

Q: 885: プロデューサーだかディレクターだか役職は知らないが 実質的に悪魔城伝説という作品を作った人は誰？ あとストーリーとかキャラセリフとかシナリオ書いたのは誰？
A: 887: 基本的に、当時のK社のFC部門はプログラマー担当＋キャラクター担当＋音（別部署から合流）って形でチームを組んでたので、メタルギアの小島君的なクリエイターはいなかった。一人のプログラマーがチームリーダーを担い、ディレクターとして名前が出ることが殆ど。悪魔城伝説に関しては、作品作りは全てチームでの会議。（キャラクター担当者がイメージ作りを引っ張る役目を担うことは多かった。）プレイヤー複数制にしたのは１への回帰＆さらに遊びの幅を広げるにはどうすればいいか？という会議の結果。ストーリーとかセリフとかシナリオ（って言ってもシナリオらしいシナリオってあったっけ？）とかキャラの設定とか、マップ（背景とフロア的なもの）を作ったのは自分です。どこにアイテムや敵を設定するかなどは、完成したマップを見て各担当プログラマーが設定した。

Q: 889: ラルフ・C・ベルモンドのCはクリストファーだったのでは？ ドラキュラ伝説が同時期に出て年表がおかしくなったのは社内打合せ不足？
A: 890-891: > ラルフ・C・ベルモンドのCはクリストファー です。表の資料に書いてあるかどうかは知らないけど。 > ドラキュラ伝説が同時期に出て～ 違うチームが作ってたからじゃないかな。その時はもう自分居なかったし。○松さんはその辺こだわる人じゃないように見えたから、そのせいかもしれない。IGA体制後に関しては全く知らない。ちなみに自分、当時若かったんで、チームメンバーにはものすごい迷惑をかけた。イイモノ作りたかっただけだったんだが、今振り返ると、どうしようもない態度とやり方に、申し訳なさと恥ずかしさで顔から火が出そうだ。謝れる機会があれば謝りたい。当時は生意気ばっかり言ってチームの和を乱してすみませんでした。ではまた後日。

Interesting bit: supposedly the "C" in Ralph/Trevor's name is indeed Christopher. I wonder if that means Trevor and Christopher were supposed to be the same character back in those days? I anyone could translate, I would appreciate that very much!

[Pfil]

My japanese is super basic (still not N3), but I can gather some important things, please correct me if I'm mistaken...

It's a retired artist who worked at Konami.
He says that Kojima was involved, in the times he was with Metal Gear. He designed stages and maps and assembled a team of artists to work all together in the project.
There was some confusion about Cristopher? Maybe? And he separates himself and his game from IGA's concept? He says that IGA was young and that he's sorry for something about the game, or the concept, I don't know what...

Can Shiroi or Nagumo translate it, please?

[beingthehero]

Koutei probably could.

[TheouAegis]

The first part says Akamatsu retired from Konami previously. Since the director and producer weren't listed in Belmont's Revenge and the interviewer states he doesn't know who's currently producer or director, it would seem this interview took place around that time. The interviewee joined the Famicom team from another department.  Sounds like his explanation was it was a team effort and there was no director per se. He gave input to level design and all that. He said because he wasn't a part of Akamatsu's team, he doesn't know the details.

I don't think Ralph was Christopher. I think it was just coincidental that Christopher had the same name as Ralph's second given name. Bear in mind the Japanese love etymology and linguistics studies. The opening of CV3 shows Ralph praying in front of a giant cross. Christopher means "Christ-bearing", thus signifying that Ralph is a very religious man. Christopher may just have been named in Ralph's honor, or his parents may have simply called him Christopher for the same reasons Ralph's called him Ralph Christopher. Or maybe Ralph Christopher was his ordained title.

[Nagumo]

Can Shiroi or Nagumo translate it, please?

Actually, I don't know much Japanese (yet).

I don't think Ralph was Christopher. I think it was just coincidental that Christopher had the same name as Ralph's second given name.

Nah. Actually, the person who posted the interview on the wiki is also Japanese and he told me that's what it says. The interviewee says according to him that besides working on backgrounds and objects, he worked on the story, dialogue, scenario, and character profiles and that they didn't really care about continuity back in those days.

[Pfil]

But it names Kojima too, and states that he was also working in Metal Gear.
And it also names Iga at the end and apologizes about some game concept.

That, or my basic japanese is very, very basic  (that's more probable).
But I could swear Kojima, Metal Gear and Iga are there in the text.

[Koutei]

This is interesting. But, this cannot be treated as official source.


*From Japanese anonymity BBS "2channel" Akumajo Densetsu (Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse) topic. June 5, 2012
(I don't have English knowledge. I'm using machine translation)

Would be Akumajo Densetsu stuff: I am the development staff. Is there any question? [laughter]

Q: Who is director? Is the person still in KONAMI?

A: Director is *matsu-san (possible Akamatsu). Already left K (possible KONAMI).

Q: Producer or director? I don't know the post. Who is the person who made a work called Akumajo Densetsu substantially?

A: Fundamentally, FC section of K company of those days had constructed the team by the programmer, character designer, and sound designer (It joins from its another post). There was no creator like Metal Gear Kojima-kun. It was almost the case that a one programmer becomes a team leader and the credit of the name is carried out as a director. About the Akumajo Densetsu, it performed all making a work at the meeting of the team. (The character designer bore the duty which tows making an image in many cases) It is a result of meeting whether what I should do with having used player two or more systems for expanding the width of play further with revolution to the 1st work. I made story, dialogue, scenario (But did the appropriate scenario exist?), character profile, and map (level design). Where an item and an enemy are set up looked at the completed map, and each person in charge programmer set up.

Q: Ralph C Belmondo's C was Christopher?

A: Yes. I don't know whether it is written on official data.

Q: Chronology has been destroyed when Dracula Densetsu (Castlevania: The Adventure) came out at the period. Is the shortage of arrangements in the company in this a reason?

A: I think that it is a reason that the different team was making it. I was not in the company any longer then. *matsu-san seemed not to be those who are scrupulous about such things in me. It may be a reason. I don't know after IGA's kingdom era (possible mean IGA's timeline and canon).

[Nagumo]

Well, there you have it. Ralph = Christopher confirmed. This is very interesting.

I think Akumajo Densetsu and Dracula Densetsu were mutually exclusive at the time. They both adapted the "Legend of the Hero Christopher", but in two very different ways. Being developed at the same time without any communication between teams led to them completely ignoring each other. This is supported by the Japanese manuals which both act like they are the first story of a Belmont fighting Dracula. IGA must have changed it later to make it all fit, yet the inconsistency remained.

Ironically, this made the English CV3 manual correct at the time since it claimed the game took place about 100 years before CV1. Also, this means the NES games were a self-contained trilogy back in those days.

[beingthehero]

Well, there you have it. Ralph = Christopher confirmed. This is very interesting.

This is interesting. But, this cannot be treated as official source.

[Nagumo]

I'm aware of that. However, I trust the source since it sounds legitimate and it adds up with what we know already. Besides, I actually encourage speculating in this thread.

[beingthehero]

I wouldn't, really, because 2chan is hardly different from 4chan. I remember when a 4channer claiming to be a Konami insider close to IGA said the next game was going to be 1999 and a bunch of other stuff. Instead, it was OoE. So I wouldn't trust any anonymous source, no matter how much they jive their info with already common knowledge. Not that there's anything truly, really earth-shattering here other than possibly knowing Trevor's middle name.

[TheouAegis]

Again, nothing in what the programmer/artist said suggests Ralph and Christopher were the same person.

"Ralph C. Belmondo's 'C' was Christopher?"
"Yes, although I don't know whether it was written in the official data."

Nobody said Ralph and Christopher were the same person, they said Ralph's middle initial stood for Christopher. One of our presidents was John Quincy Adams; that doesn't mean John Adams and Quincy Adams are the same person -- his name's not even Quincy Adams, it's John Adams (with Quincy as his second given name). Even in the original Japanese text that's what it appears is all he is saying.

The descriptions of the two games (CV3 and Adventure) are nearly identical, granted. And while I am certain the series got retconned to match IGA's story-telling abilities, it does say Trevor fought Dracula more than 100 years before Simon and that Christopher fought Dracula 100 years before Simon, if one is to believe that Trevor actually lived 200 years before Simon. If Dracula was resurrected before he actually became a demon and was still a devil worshiper or sorcerer, then the 100-year rule wouldn't apply to him just yet. For all we know, Dracula never actually died. Trevor lopped off his head and it continued to move around, then turned into a multi-headed creature. Was that really Dracula? The dude was a powerful sorcerer that had control over various demons and could summon Pazuzu. If he was dead, how did he summon Pazuzu? So in that regard, I think IGA might have taken a bit of a cop-out and would have done better to put Christopher and Trevor closer together. But as it is, "100 years ago" and "more than 100 years ago" are not the same thing and thus Christopher still fits into the timeline as an individual.

[Lelygax]

Since when that strange statue was meant to be Pazuzu? I thought Pazuzu was that Flame Demon in CV3, since he is identical to his HoD appearance.

[TheouAegis]

Pazuzu:





Who else would it be? It ain't Dracula, because this has been Dracula whenever his demonic side came out:



Dracula has two horns in demon form. The Pazuzu you cited was IGA's Pazuzu. Castlevania has a history of nerfing powerful demons and gods under Dracula's will. Also that Pazuzu has too many horns. He's closer to Baphomet.


The inclusion of Baphomet in Castlevania could be symbolic of Dracula's Templar influences. Outright calling it Baphomet could lead to religious controversy, whereas Pazuzu would be a little more acceptable since it's okay to be in the presence of Pazuzu (he keeps plagues away). It's possible Dracula wanted to summon Pazuzu in CV3 so that Trevor could kill him and thus Dracula's reign of terror would go unhindered by a demon that would be able to obstruct him.

[Lelygax]

I thought IGA's Pazuzu was based in the Exorcirst, at least that what I've heard here a year ago (I've never watched this movie, I've only watched a part of one of them but I doesnt even know which one of them).

Thanks, these images explain a lot.