Translations of Matsumiya's Tweets [Latest: May & Brendan]

[hanecco]

Toshinobu Matsumiya is the scenario writer over at Game Freak. I've been looking through Matsumiya's twitter and have found some interesting tweets by him, which I've translated. That's what this thread is dedicated to. My translations might have mistakes, and I'm just an amateur, but I try my best to make sure they are accurate. If you'd like to add information from here to Bulbapedia or whatever, feel free. Credit is appreciated but not required.

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Matsumiya tweeted that the painter Paul Klee was used as the inspiration for N.

In a Nintendo Dream interview translated by Lava Cut Content, Sugimori said that Masuda asked for N to be made into a "genius". This prompted a lot of discussion among the design team, and based on Matsumiya's 2013 tweets, it seems they eventually chose a real-life genius to base N's character on...

twitter.com/matsumiyan/status/76661714980048896

Though it's difficult because tomorrow, I've got a meeting with people from outside the company first thing in the morning, before long I'm heading to the Paul Klee exhibition. When we were shaping N's character, the genius we decided to use as a reference was Klee. Afterwards, I was surprised that Klee was in Sakanaction's songs... but I kept that secret until now.

Translator's note: Sakanaction is a popular Japanese rock band.

twitter.com/matsumiyan/status/76678789920342016

Taking Klee's quote - "Fine art tries to make the unseeable, seeable" - as the foundation, you can see that N's character as someone who seeks truth and ideals is partly constructed from this. I'm going to go to Klee's exhibit for sure!

Translator's note: Klee's original quote in English is "Art does not reflect what is seen, rather it makes the hidden visible." Matsumiya seems to be paraphrasing this.

Emphasis and translator's notes added by me. Here's a quick analysis/my take on this information:

Klee was well known for his abstract style and exploration of colour theory. His work is extremely important and infuential to modern art. In the same way, N's work (campaigning for Pokemon rights) has a big impact on the world around him, as well as being highly individual to him (because he's the only one who can speak to Pokemon, and he is one of the few people to approach the topic of Pokemon battling and ownership in that way). Klee was also known for his dry, mischievous, sometimes childish sense of humour, while N is associated with Zorua/Zoroark, Pokemon which embody those qualities (mischief and all that).

Hopefully you found it interesting!

 

[hanecco]

May and Brendan's Rivalry
One of Matsumiya's headcanons this time. In November 2011, he tweeted about the two of them:

twitter.com/matsumiyan/status/138629284314091520

May and Brendan have established a reputation as friendly neighbours. At first glance, though, they seem to have no little rivalry - an impression which is spot on.

And then in 2014, he wrote out a short conversation between them:

twitter.com/matsumiyan/status/535450007583727617

Brendan: "Oh, you don't have any Pokemon? Want me to go catch one for ya?"

twitter.com/matsumiyan/status/535093857390583808

May: "Uh… We're only talking for the first time, but, like, you'd better watch what you're saying."

Looks like May's a bit sore about being underestimated, or maybe her lack of ability to catch Pokemon? This conversation also places May as the protagonist and Brendan as her rival, so make of that what you will.