It was on December 13, 2001 when Penélope Cruz went to Japan with Tom Cruise to promote the unforgettable film in Tokyo. Vanilla Sky. Cameron Crowe’s film had its premiere in the Japanese capital, but the Spanish actress had no way of knowing that that visit would end up being key in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow.
The Game Boy Advance title put us in control of Soma Cruz, an exchange student who arrives in Japan in the year 2035 and He is transported to Castlevania where he will live a hellish adventure. The Konami project led by the legendary Koji Igarashi was released in 2003 and in Nintendo Dream magazine we were able to learn some juicy details about the production.
For example, the product revealed that it asked illustrator Aya Kojima to draw Soma as a Japanese person who doesn’t look very Japanese, as “it seemed like the best way for Westerners to identify with the character, since Castlevania is very popular both in Japan and abroad“.
However, the most curious thing was revealed at the moment when they asked him what the meaning behind the protagonist’s name is.
“I wanted a name that would translate well to foreign players. As for ‘Cruz0, well… at the time, Penelope Cruz had just visited Japan. It also has some associations with ‘cruz’ that I liked. ‘Soma’ is taken from the name of the Indian ritual drink soma. And in fact, director Murakami’s son is called Soma.”
Murakami himself noted that it was all “a coincidence”, although “the kanji are different too. When I first noticed it, I thought ‘No!’, but Iga said: ‘I just can’t think of anything else, I’m sorry!”‘(Laughs)”. Was it difficult to anticipate one? connection between Penélope Cruz and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow? Absolutely, and most likely the performer is not even aware of the influence she had.
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