Instead, I wanna talk about something else.
You wanna know what my favorite segment in both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II was? Well, I'll tell you what wasn't my favorite segment; any scene with Cloud and/or Sephiroth.
"Hey, I thought you said you like Grey Locks!"
Yeah, but not that much. Yeah, unlike everyone else, it wasn't anything Square-related I enjoyed most, and it certainly wasn't the storyline either. (Remember, in this blogger's mind, Tsubasa is a vastly superior crossover adventure, story-wise.) It was something Disney-related I liked most. No, not Pirates of the Caribbean. Although I do like the first movie in the series.
What I like most about KH games was, although optional, you could visit a magical place.
A place known as 100 Acre Wood.
When I entered the 100 Acre Wood for the first time in KH1, I was taken back; this is just as I remember it from my childhood. There's Winnie the Pooh, still slow of mind. There's that theme song from the Sherman Brothers, still as charming as ever. There's Tigger, who still loves to bounce. Although Christopher Robin was nowhere to be found, Sora fills in, although it's more like you, the player, fills in. This is what was so great; you could explore the 100 Acre Wood by yourself, and hang out with Eeyore, and Kanga, and Roo, and Owl, and Rabbit, and Piglet.
It's just so peaceful, spending time in a simple world, in a world with no Heartless. The worst thing that could happen was Pooh could get stuck in Rabbit's hole, again. There was also the minigames, which were fun and challenging.
Then I was reminded of something else. I remember why Pooh and his friends are so peaceful. I saw it on an episode of Rescue Me. One of the firefighters was reading a self-help booklet entitled, "The Tao of Pooh." It explained why Pooh was never in a bad mood. It's because he doesn't question how things came to be. He doesn't rationalize, nor moralize. He doesn't hate. If something goes wrong, he just says, "Oh, bother." and doesn't dwell on it. He doesn't think too hard, he just . . . lives. And so do his friends. It's how everyone seems to get along so well.
And I got to do that in both Kingdom Hearts games, although that was only when I was in the 100 Acre Wood. Anytime else, I was mashing the X button like crazy. But that's what I enjoyed most about KH 1 and 2; the chance to meet Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger too.
