Ending a 15-Plus-Year Trilogy in Style
After what has felt like an eternity, Kingdom Hearts III is finally around the corner. Announced alongside the rebooted Final Fantasy XV at E3 2013, Kingdom Hearts III—now slated for a January 29, 2019 release—has more history and baggage than it ever had any right to carry. The game is the long-awaited “threequel” in a core trilogy that began on PlayStation 2 in 2002, back when the names Sora, Riku, and Kairi meant as little to gamers as the names Ezio, Clementine, Marcus Fenix, and Nathan Drake.
While Kingdom Hearts II released to warm fanfare from critics and sold like hotcakes among players when it released in 2006, the console series as fans knew it went on an extended hiatus from that moment onward. Kingdom Hearts skipped the PlayStation 3 era in its entirety, but not before spawning a litany of portable spin-off entries that practically requires a flow chart to follow. In the mainline series’ absence, Kingdom Hearts has grown both in audience and in the scope of its story, the latter of which has made understanding the games’ various characters and their motivations all the more difficult, especially for newcomers.
In truth, Kingdom Hearts III has the unfortunate responsibility of catching an unreasonable number of balls that series-director Tetsuya Nomura has, frankly, threwn into the air as if playing a carefree preschool game of jacks. However, in spite of how needlessly convoluted the series and its story has become, there’s one thing we can look forward to in Kingdom Hearts III without reservation, and that’s the theme song.
“Don’t Think Twice” is Utada Hikaru’s third original theme song for the series—“Simple and Clean” and “Sanctuary” being her previous two contributions. A pop legend in Japan, Utada’s soothing melodies have captivated a generation of gamers, both in Asia and overseas. With the recent Kingdom Hearts III trailer from Tokyo Game Show 2018 revealing a new verse from Utada’s new single, I’ve come to a conclusion that “Don’t Think Twice” is the perfect send-off song for Kingdom Hearts III. Here’s why.
Taking an Extended Listen
The new TGS 2018 trailer for Kingdom Hearts III will excite people for a number of reasons. The official gameplay unveiling of the Big Hero 6 world. The callback to Roxas and Twilight Town. All of those Organization XIII members whose names you probably can’t remember. That Riku lookalike (Ienzo, I’ve since been informed) and his ridiculous haircut.
For me, though, what brought the most elation was the fact that the trailer showed a brand-new verse of Utada’s “Don’t Think Twice.” If you haven’t seen it yet, give the trailer a watch, but more importantly, give the song a listen. It’s easy to be swept up by everything that’s happening on screen, but there’s even more imagery to be found for those who dig beneath the surface with this new theme song.
Since it can be hard to make out all of the words due to the in-game dialogue, here are the full written lyrics to the parts of the song that have been revealed up until now:
[Verse 1]
How did I live
In a kingdom of thieves
And people who say
Things they don’t really mean, really mean
You’re only everything I ever dreamed
Ever dreamed of, ever dreamed of
You must be kidding me, did you really think
I could say no
[Chorus]
I want you for a lifetime
So if you’re gonna think twice, baby
I don’t wanna know, baby
I don’t wanna know
Everything is just right
But if you’re gonna think twice, baby
I don’t wanna know, baby
I don’t wanna know
[Verse 2]
I really don’t get
What everyone else believes
So why do I say
Things I don’t really mean? Really mean?
I’m only fine cause I never dreamed
It’d take this long, it’d take this long
[Chorus]
I want you for a lifetime
So if you’re gonna think twice, baby
I don’t wanna know, baby
I don’t wanna know
Everything is just right
But if you’re gonna think twice, baby
I don’t wanna know, baby
I don’t wanna know
As seemingly innocuous as its lyrics appear at first glance, “Don’t Think Twice” takes on a whole new meaning—not just from a lyrical standpoint, but also an instrumental one—when you listen to it in the context of the series.
In order to glean anything useful from the theme song, however, it’s important that we look back at Utada’s history with the series, starting with where it all began.
The Innocence of Youth
Utada’s first Kingdom Hearts theme song, “Simple and Clean,” is a series staple. The song captivated fans back when it launched alongside the original game in 2002; since then, it has been remixed countless times and appeared in numerous spin-offs, from Birth by Sleep to HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.
Yet it’s the original rendition of the song that offers the most telling look into the world of Kingdom Hearts and its principle characters, Sora, Kairi, and Riku. A moody, atmospheric piece, “Simple and Clean” strikes a nostalgic tone from the moment the airy silence gives way to the tune’s strong first chord.
A love song at its core, “Simple and Clean” may initially come off as having little to do with Kingdom Hearts. Sora and Kairi’s relationship has never really been about romantic love for one another, nor has Sora’s affinity for Riku, for that matter. Similar to how Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura from Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto viewed each other, the bond between Sora, Kairi, and Riku has always ultimately been one of friendship, innocence, and hardship when it comes time to grow up.
When Sasuke left the Hidden Leaf Village, it was a sign of the times changing. The innocence of the trio’s youth had been brought to a sudden end, and it was time for Naruto and Sakura to grow up, quickly, if they were going to talk sense into their old comrade and bring him back from the clutches of evil. Likewise, in Kingdom Hearts, Riku and Kairi’s disappearance from Destiny Islands at the beginning of the game is the powerful call to action that prompts Sora’s journey.
“Simple and Clean” represents the before and after of this loss of innocence. Its lyrics about heartbreak, while not necessarily indicative of Sora’s feelings towards either Kairi or Riku, illustrate the idea of growing up and coming of age: “When we are older you’ll understand/What I meant what I said/’No, I don’t think life is quite that simple.'” At the same time, its nostalgic tone and soft instrumental provide an idea of that “simple” and “clean” lifestyle, where Sora, Kairi, and Riku sat on the beach and watched the horizon, dreaming of a brighter future.
While Sora and his friends would end up losing that simple and clean lifestyle in an instant, their journey was only just beginning.
Not So Simple Anymore
If “Simple and Clean” describes the sudden loss of Sora, Kairi, and Riku’s innocence in Kingdom Hearts, then “Sanctuary” chronicles the characters’ new leases on life.
Kingdom Hearts II acts like any ambitious sequel in a fantasy series: it builds upon the plot, introduces new characters, and provides a staggering amount of new detail to its world. From Roxas and Twilight Town, to Organization XIII, to the entire concept of Nobodies, Kingdom Hearts II showed that the series had much more in store for Sora, Donald, and Goofy than just fending off the Heartless.
Of course, as mentioned before, many fans have felt lost when it has come to Kingdom Hearts’ story over the years. While the first Kingdom Hearts by no means tells a simple story, Kingdom Hearts II is the game that really kicks the door down when it comes to expanding the canon and leaving fans with migraine-inducing “Wait, what?” moments.
“Sanctuary” captures this confusion. From the more mysterious timbre of its instrumental, to the now-famous lyric “Wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I” which, when reversed, reads “I need more affection than you know,” the song is far more obtuse than the straightforward melody and words found in “Simple and Clean.” In fact, “Sanctuary” seems to be self-aware of its perplexing nature. It’s as if Utada is telling fans, “If you’re confused by this, then wait until you start playing the game itself.”
That isn’t to say that “Sanctuary” doesn’t offer up some interesting nuggets of information. “In you and I/There’s a new land” seems to hint at this vast new world of Kingdom Hearts II, along with any lingering emotions felt between Sora, Kairi, and Riku. And then there’s the idea of this “sanctuary” itself, which, combined with the imagery of “angels in flight,” has come to be associated with the white, chrome, heavenly environments found throughout Kingdom Hearts II, including Organization XIII’s headquarters, The Castle That Never Was; and the final world of the game, The World That Never Was.
While the angelic melody of “Sanctuary” may suggest a sort of purity when it comes to Sora and his childhood friends, it’s certainly a different sort of cleanliness than the kind hinted at in “Simple and Clean.” There’s an ethereal feeling to these characters in the sequel, as if they’ve evolved and reached a higher plane of being. Time has passed, Sora has awoken from a deep slumber, Kairi is taller and more mature, and Riku has grown out his hair and muscled up. All three have begun to see the world with new eyes, despite the long and winding road that still rests ahead of them.
So “Simple and Clean” represented the start of the journey, and “Sanctuary” is the grandiose illustration of how the journey continues… but where does that leave things for Kingdom Hearts III?
Returning Home
As to what we can expect from Kingdom Hearts III, well, nobody can say for certain. That said, there’s plenty that we can still reasonably infer.
Compared to the previous two Kingdom Hearts themes, “Don’t Think Twice” is decidedly more mellow. The instrumental once again invokes a nostalgic feeling, like “Simple and Clean,” except this time the nostalgia is more bittersweet than it has ever been. There’s a definitive sense of finality that the song provides, likely in parallel to Kingdom Hearts III being the final game in Sora’s story (as it pertains to the Dark Seeker Saga, at least).
The theme song also shares much of the same self-awareness that was present with “Sanctuary.” This time around, “Don’t Think Twice” seemingly plays to the fact that Kingdom Hearts III has been in development for so long, with Utada singing this particularly emotional pair of lines: “I’m only fine cause I never dreamed/It’d take this long, it’d take this long.”
At the same time, the lyrics to “Don’t Think Twice” are surprisingly open-ended. The lines “I want you for a lifetime/So if you’re gonna think twice, baby/I don’t wanna know, baby/I don’t wanna know” at first seem to speak to the resolution of Sora’s relationship with Kairi, or Riku, or both. However, they can also be interpreted differently, with the song lamenting the fact that Kingdom Hearts as we know it is finally coming to a close.
Like a pair of high school lovers who want to enjoy one last night on the beach before splitting up and heading to different colleges, “Don’t Think Twice” plays dumb about the conclusion to Kingdom Hearts III, suggesting that fans enjoy the fun while they still can. What’s more, Utada even seems to hang onto the words here, as if savoring the melody—as well as her time with Kingdom Hearts as a whole.
Keep in mind, this isn’t meant to suggest that “Don’t Think Twice” is a exact representation of what we can expect with Kingdom Hearts III. While “Simple and Clean” and “Sanctuary” borrowed general thematic elements from the first two games, they were both—ultimately—catchy pop songs, and I expect nothing more or less from “Don’t Think Twice.”
However, if “Don’t Think Twice” is any indication, I hope Kingdom Hearts III eases off the pedal just a bit and stops to smell the roses. Fans have been waiting a long time to see Kingdom Hearts come to an end; much like its theme song suggests, we might as well enjoy this final chapter while it lasts.
