MariChan’s Majora's Mask ‘Miiting’ with... the Happy Mask Salesman on Miiverse

Epic.

☆ NintendObs Weekly – Monday, March 9, 2015 – Sunday, March 15, 2015.

MariChan:

Welcome to our Miiting, where we pose your questions directly to the developers! My name’s MariChan, and I will be conducting the interview. This is the third time we’ve held a Miiting, so we thought we would try something a little different – my guest today is not a developer, but a certain important character from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D. Give him a warm welcome!

Happy Mask Salesman:

Hello there. I am the Happy Mask Salesman. Nice to see you again!

MariChan:

Um, but…we’ve only just met…

Happy Mask Salesman:

Well, it would be the first time outside the world of Termina, yes.

But I seem to remember those children giving you a really good game of hide-and-seek…

MariChan:

Wow, you’ve got a good memory… But it’s true that we have met in the game! I guess you could say “long time no see” – how many years is it since your first appearance?

Happy Mask Salesman:

In this world’s years, it would have to be…15 years or so.

MariChan:

15 years is a long time! Even so, I can still remember the shock of seeing that moon for the first time, and how I struggled with some of the puzzles and bosses, as if it was just yesterday… Suffice it to say, I didn’t have what it takes to finish the game back then, ha ha! But it’s strange, you know, this is probably the Zelda game that left the most lasting impression on me… Precisely because it was so challenging, perhaps?

Happy Mask Salesman:

Oh! “Challenging”, you say? That is certainly one way to describe it! Incidentally, the moon of this world does not have a face, does it? But it is still very magnificent.

MariChan:

In the world of Termina, why is it that the moon falls from the sky?

Happy Mask Salesman:

I’m afraid I couldn’t say. What I know is, when a huge object like that comes falling down, there’s not much regular people can do! To do something about a thing that nothing can be done about… That’s quite something, isn’t it?

MariChan:

On a different note, do you know how long it took to create this remake?

Happy Mask Salesman:

In this world, it would have been three years or so. When you compare it to the original, it seems like a frightfully long time! But thanks to everyone’s hard work, all of Termina, including me, became so splendid you might not recognize it! And when you look at Clock Town, many things have changed over the fifteen years… The bank has moved, for example, and there are many more posters around.

MariChan:

It makes sense! After all, doing the remake was not just a question of making a Nintendo 64 game run on the Nintendo 3DS… The developer had to remain faithful to the original, but still make the game accessible to a modern audience! It must have been really tough to strike that balance. Um, well, at least that’s how I see it… Oh! I’ve heard that fishing has come to Termina, is that true?

Happy Mask Salesman:

As you know, Termina has both a swamp and an ocean, so it’s no wonder someone has started up a fishing business over the years. The end of the world might be coming, but that’s no reason not to enjoy yourself, am I right?

MariChan:

Right… I guess… So, another point I wanted to make is that, while the original game appeared on the Nintendo 64, a home console, the remake is for a portable system so you can play it on the go!

Happy Mask Salesman:

Oh! So even people like me, who travel far and wide, can play a little bit every now and then. That is a fine thing indeed!

MariChan:

I feel like this is a good time to explain, our guest here is the person from whom Skull Kid stole Majora’s Mask, creating the whole moon-falling-down situation in the first place. And so, the Happy Mask Salesman needs Link to help him get the mask back and clean up the mess he made!

Happy Mask Salesman:

That’s…not a very generous way to describe it.

MariChan:

To be fair, we don’t really know very much about you, Mister Salesman! Maybe you could help clear things up by telling us a bit about yourself?

Happy Mask Salesman:

Oh, I am but a humble mask salesman. No more, and no less. I may travel around selling masks that have special powers, but as for what the masks are used for…? Oho, ho, ho! That is up to the customer, is it not?

MariChan:

Um, that doesn’t really clear anything up, but oh well… Here’s a question: why are you called the *Happy* Mask Salesman?

Happy Mask Salesman:

It is because I only exist to bring everyone happiness! That’s just the good-natured mask salesman I am. I only desire the happiness of all around me, so it was only natural for me to name myself thus! Ho, ho, ho…

MariChan:

That’s… I don’t want to say “suspicious”, but… Mister Aonuma once said, “The mask salesman is the absolute shadiest person. There’s nobody quite so fishy as someone who goes around saying he sells happiness! So we called him the Happy Mask Salesman.” – how do you feel about that?

Happy Mask Salesman:

Oh my, some people say the strangest things… It’s enough to spoil everyone’s happiness!

MariChan:

I have to say, when Link puts one of your masks on, it looks like he’s screaming, so the happiness factor is pretty low to begin with… Come to think of it, why does he scream?

Happy Mask Salesman:

It’s very simple! The boundless sorrow surrounding each mask comes rushing inside the wearer when they put it on, so the urge to scream is quite understandable, really.

MariChan:

Oh… Now that I think about it, the circumstances leading to the creation of the Zora or Goron masks were pretty heartbreaking… By the way, was there also a person that the Deku Mask was made from?

Happy Mask Salesman:

I have heard tell of a small Deku Scrub being spotted underneath the clock tower! And he did look a bit like Link when he wears the mask… Let me say this: you may learn more if you finish the game! Ho, ho, ho…

MariChan:

The shape of Majora’s Mask looks a little like a heart, doesn’t it? Do you happen to know why that is?

Happy Mask Salesman:

“By adding spiky thorns to the beautiful and pure shape that is a heart, we tried to strongly convey the mask’s sinister nature”… is something I heard someone say, once.

MariChan:

How did you even get your hands on such a mask to begin with, anyway?

Happy Mask Salesman:

You want to know my mask acquisition methods? Ho, ho, ho… It’s a trade secret. I would lose my competitive edge if I revealed it!

MariChan:

I see you like to keep your cards close to your chest… Alright then, could you tell us some nugget of wisdom gained in your years as mask salesman?

Happy Mask Salesman:

Ho, ho, ho… Haven’t you heard that ignorance is bliss? Let me tell you a little anecdote, instead. Do you know the Mirror Shield?

MariChan:

You mean that shield that can reflect rays of light?

Happy Mask Salesman:

Indeed! Early on, the developers thought it would be interesting if the light that reflected off the shield created a pattern that looks like a face. So they decided to make that face look like one of the masks on my backpack! Now isn’t that interesting?

MariChan:

So the design of the Mirror Shield is connected to you, the mask salesman? Wow…

Happy Mask Salesman:

I know! I feel they ought to pay me a fee for that… Oh, that reminds me of another story! Do you know the one place Eiji Aonuma likes to stop by whenever he visits Termina?

MariChan:

Mister Aonuma’s…favourite place? Um, no idea.

Happy Mask Salesman:

He really really likes to visit the Clock Town post office for a spot of mental training. And each time he manages to stop the clock at exactly ten seconds, he does a loud “Whoop!” He probably thinks nobody is looking, but the Happy Mask Salesman sees all!

MariChan:

I think he might prefer you not to look, actually… Playing games is a bit of a personal experience, you know! You laugh, you cry, you make loud noises…

Happy Mask Salesman:

But I have watched you, too! I have seen you cut down a signpost, only to play the Song of Healing and make it whole again… That satisfied expression you have when the sign is back to normal, I know it well.

MariChan:

What. Okay, enough with the nuggets… Enough, I say!

Happy Mask Salesman:

Oh, but I have more!

MariChan:

Let’s change the topic. The designs of the temple bosses are very striking in the 3D version, especially those giant eyeballs. Is there some special meaning behind those?

Happy Mask Salesman:

I know of a rumour that the giant eyeballs are a sign of a fraction of Majora’s Mask’s power residing in the creature… Could it be that that power has been growing over the last fifteen years? Look closely as you defeat them – can you see the dark energy escaping…?

MariChan:

We also received a lot of questions about the children on the moon. Do you know who they are? Some people think they look a little like you…

Happy Mask Salesman:

I’m not too sure, but judging by the fact that they live on the moon, surely they cannot be normal children…? I have not met them in person, but I am pretty certain they must be some figment created by Majora’s Mask. Perhaps they look like children because Link is himself but a child? Oh, look, they have the same hairstyle as me. So young, and yet so stylish!

MariChan:

Oh dear, we’ve been here a while now! Then again, it’s not every day that you get to talk to a video game character, and as a Majora’s Mask fan myself, I guess I just lost track of time.

Happy Mask Salesman:

I am happy to have been of service! Between this, and the Art Academy: SketchPad drawing competition I have been asked to judge, I have had a very busy and enjoyable time visiting this world!

MariChan:

Compared to the world of fifteen years ago, things must seem quite different. Like finding a statue you created fifteen years ago with the Elegy of Emptiness…

Happy Mask Salesman:

Ho, ho, ho… You have some truly odd fascinations, don’t you? But no, it is more the case that Link now looks more realistic, more like himself. However, my time is almost up. But before I depart, would you like to know the origin of the name “Mujura” (MariChan’s note: This is what “Majora” is called in the Japanese version.)?

MariChan:

I always thought it was just a catchy name, a little mysterious, like the name of some ancient god?

Happy Mask Salesman:

Ho, ho, ho… Some of you may have heard this already, but it actually comes from the name of the original game’s art director, Mister Imamura. He took the “mura” part of his name, and from the name of a film he loved, “Jumanji”, he took the “ju”, and he put them together. Voila! “Mujura”. Although the name may have existed already, in the world of Termina. As for how it came to exist there, well…

MariChan:

Ahem! How about we keep some mysteries intact? I always thought it was such a cool name, but now it just feels a bit ordinary… But the fact remains, that a lot of people poured a lot of ideas, time and effort into making this game, so I hope we’ll all keep enjoying our three days in the slightly scary, unforgettable, bitter-sweet world of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D! Oh, and thank you too, Mister Salesman. (Also, let me just put this little footnote about Mister Imamura here: Takaya Imamura, Art Director on the original Majora’s Mask project, proud creator of Tingle. As a designer, worked on character designs in the F-Zero and Star Fox game series. Most recently credited as Director of the Nintendo 3DS title Steel Diver: Sub Wars.)

Happy Mask Salesman:

My, my… I’ve certainly been appearing all over the place these past few days! If this keeps going, maybe it wouldn’t be a stretch to expect me to pop up in a new Zelda game, too…? Ho, ho, ho… I’ve got some new masks, too, if you’d like to try them on… If I do make an appearance, I’m sure everyone will experience such happiness! Believe in your strengths… Believe… Ho, ho, ho…

MariChan:

Well then! Thanks for all the questions, everyone, I hope your souls have been healed by this Miiting! See you next time! ♪ X Y R ~ X Y R ~ ♪

— マリチャン (NNID: NintendoMchannel)
Source: Miiverse.