The document provides details about Nobuo Uematsu, the famous composer for many Final Fantasy soundtracks. It summarizes that Uematsu grew up in Kochi Prefecture in Shikoku, Japan, and that despite no formal music training, he started composing music for Square and became their main composer. It also discusses some of his musical influences like Deep Purple and mentions that he is proud that his music brings people together in harmony.

1. Fanzine Writing
Alexander Sullivan-Cree

2. Interview: Nobuo Uematsu
Is Shikoko Different to the others areas of Japan?
I think the biggest thing about Shikoku is, since it’s an island, it’s separated from Honshu, where Tokyo is, so the culture is maybe a little
behind... or maybe not. Now there’s the train, maybe it’s not true... But I think it was especially hard to travel to other prefectures from
Kochi, because the Shikoku Mountains are in the way. When I was little, my elementary school teacher took me to the sea in Kochi and
told me that America and Australia were over the other side, so I wanted to go abroad from a very young age.
Where did you grow up?
I was born towards the south of Japan in Kochi Prefecture, that is in island. There isn’t an entire heap there, however there are huge
mountains and rivers, and plenty of lovely nature. I love it.
Did being raised In Shikoku Influence your music?
I really believe Shikoku could be a mysterious place like that. A good monk placed up a religious barrier way back. And I’ve seen heaps of
strange things since I used to be very little. I still like that sort of supernatural world
Did you ever study music?
Nope To be honest I've never studied music. I've never studied composition or learned an instrument. I just desired to create music
alone, thus I started playing around with it. Here I am today
First, please tell us how you started making music for Square.
At the time, I used to be twenty four or twenty five, and that I wished to work in music, however the world wasn’t forgiving enough to
permit somebody with no connections, ability, or expertise to induce employment like that. I knew I wished to try and do one thing, thus
I created demo tapes each day and sent them to record corporations,

3. Interview: Nobuo Uematsu
Who were your musical influences?
I have a lot of music influences and heroes. In the early 70’s I was in junior high and at my most impressionable age. At that time the
popular bands were Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Pink Floyd, The Carpenters, Paul McCartney, and Stevie Wonder
were some others. I believed that they all influenced me somehow. I'm more surprised that even on a small island in japan they still
managed to be as popular as they were in their home countries
Looking back, what are you most proud of?
What am I proud of? That's a pretty tricky question, and to tell you the truth I've never really thought about it. the one thing I discovered 27
years ago is that when making music, when there are various sounds, they’re mixed to create a single sound. I then thought could that be
applied to the real world? Think about it? There are many different kinds of people. people with different personalities, different interests,
different religions and different languages. I thought about it and if we could find away to bring all these different people together, is there
anyway to create a single sound, a harmony? I still think about that everyday and have done for the last 27 years. I'm really happy that I've
been able to keep that awareness for the last 27 years and I'm happy to make all my fans happy with my music, hopefully making the world
a little more harmonious.

4. Article: Cloud Strife
Appearance
Cloud Strife has had many different looks of the last few decades from his first appearance in Final Fantasy VII. Cloud is a human male with
light skin and a slightly below average height of 5'7". He has medium to long blond spiky hair which is very iconic in the final fantasy universe
and one of cloud's trademarks. Due to his exposure of 'Mako' (Mako is the liquid form of the planet's Lifestream) he has blue glowing eyes
which are regularly found in members of SOLDIER (elite fighting group created by the Shinra Company). Cloud's most iconic weapon is the
Buster Sword which is approximately five to six feet long, with a single-edged large blade approximately one foot wide. His other trademark
weapon is the Fusion Sword which he uses in the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children movie.
Nibelheim Incident:
The Nibelheim Incident also known as the Sephiroth Incident, is a significant event in the Final Fantasy VII game universe including Crisis Core
-Final Fantasy VII, Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII and
finally Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode -Final Fantasy VII. The Incident follows Sephiroth, the acclaimed hero of SOLDIER and his decent into
madness. The decent begins with the destruction of Nibelheim the hometown of Cloud and marks the beginning of his villainy after learning
of his true origins. The story of the Nibelheim Incident is first told by cloud when his party stops at Kalm (A small village) where he talks of
leaving his hometown to join SOLDIER where he became a 1st Class and Sephiroth’s partner before his decent. Cloud then explains how
Sephiroth’s power surpassed any other person he has met. After Sephiroth discovered his origins Sephiroth set the village ablaze and as Cloud
and Zangan searched for survivors, Sephiroth headed off to Mt. Nibel. After chasing after him to Mt. Nibel Clouds finds Sephiroth ripping into
a mechanical effigy of Jenova and revealing Jenova suspended in animation. Cloud then raised his trademark weapon the Buster Sword to
attack Sephiroth but is unable to remember anything beyond that moment.
Quote:
“I’ve... been thinking, too... about the universe... people... the planet... How wide and big... No matter where I go and what I do, it won’t
change a thing.”

5. Article: Sephiroth
Appearance:
Similar to Cloud, Sephiroth has also had many different appearances throughout the years. Sephiroth is a human male and very tall as he
stands 6'1". He has very long silver hair with bangs reaching his lower back which is also very iconic in the final fantasy universe. Sephiroth
wears a long black coat with his chest exposed, silver pauldrons (shoulder armour), black boots and black trousers. unlike Cloud, Sephiroth
has green eyes however he is still a former member of SOLDIER. He wields a Masamune which is yet another iconic piece of weaponry from
the franchise. The masamune is seven-foot long and held over his left shoulder which I think is strange as he is actually left handed. In the
Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth's uniform remains the same as in Final Fantasy VII
Origin:
Sephiroth’s parents were both assistants to Professor Gast, Shinra Electrical Power Company’s top scientists. Their names were Professor
Hojo and Lucrecia Crescent, all three of them were working on the Jenova Project that studied the remains of an extra-terrestrial entity
(Jenova). The farther Hojo injected cell samples into his pregnant partner in the hopes of Sephiroth gaining the ability to talk to the planet.
His fetal form merging with the Jenova cells as he developed and after birth was taken By Shinra scientists and Lucrecia never had a chance
to hold him. Sephiroth never gained the ability to talk to the earth as they hoped, this was Sephiroth never gained the ability to talk to the
earth as they hoped, this was due to the fact that the scientists mistook Jenova for a Cetra (ancient people who had the power to talk to the
planet). Shinra used the child and developed into a super solider and told him nothing of his parents, instead telling him that he was the son
of Jenova. He always felt different from the other children at Shinra as he wasn't aware of the experiments that created him.
Quote:
“Is this the pain you felt before...Cloud? Let me remind you. This time, you won’t forget.”

6. Article: Jenova
Jenova is an extra-terrestrial life-form in Final Fantasy VII
Appearance:
Jenova is dormant for the entirety of the game. He appears as a grey skinned woman and only appearing blue through its container. Jenova
doesn’t have a gender although she appears feminine in gender and as sephiroth callers it his “Mother”. This is because of the fast she is a
Cetra or terrestrial lifeform and so they’re genderless.
She is shown to have an outer biological system with someone resembling a heart at its feet. It has appendages along with what resembles
a wing protruding from its left, and a stub of a wing from its right.
Jenova has long silver hair parted through the centre. Its left eye glows red and it has no right eye, often being covered by hair. Jenova’s
headgear links to her container and has an inscription which has had a different message between different depictions of the scene. Above
the headgear, an exposed brain lies within Jenova’s cranium.
Origins:
about two thousand years ago an unknown alien species landed on the planet Gaia creating a giant crater called the 'North Crater'. the
aliens approached the Cetra and used its mimic abilities to wipe most of them out. Those who were taken prisoners were infected with a
virus which mutated and turned them into monsters. The aliens would use their abilities to get close to the fallen Cetra and destroy their
families and loved ones. this was known as Jenova giving the Cetra "the virus.“
Doing this the aliens destroyed most of the Cetra civilisation. their Daughter race, the humans managed to hide away whilst the Cetra were
almost completed wiped out. The few survivors joined together to try defeat the aliens and managed to quarantine it within the North
Crater, where it would lie dormant for a long time to come. Even though of their victory, the Cetra civilisation was lost, and their numbers
dwindled to almost nothing while humans spread over the Planet. As time wore on, humanity forgot about the creature and the Cetra fell
into legend.