Final Fantasy VII Remake Script Comparison: Chapter 13

Barret is distraught in the face of the aftermath, thinking that Marlene was still in Sector 7. And E Remake has him swear just like in the original.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット　マリン　マリン！	Barret Marlene! Marlene!	バレット「マリン！　マリン！！」	Barret “Marlene! MARLENE!!”
バレット　マリーーン！	Barret Marlene!	バレット「マリーーーン！！」	Barret “MAR—LE—NE!!”
バレット　ビッグス！	Barret Biggs!	バレット「ビッグス！」	Barret “Biggs!”
バレット　ウェッジ！	Barret Wedge!	バレット「ウェッジ！！」	Barret “Wedge!!”
バレット　ジェシー！	Barret Jessie!	バレット「ジェシー！！」	Barret “Jessie!!”
バレット　ちくしょう！	Barret Goddammit.	バレット「こんちくしょう！！」	Barret “Goddamn it!!!”
バレット　ふざけんな　おらぁ！	Barret Goddamn you! Goddamn you all!	バレット「なんだ、こんなもの！」	Barret “What the hell’s it all for!?”
バレット　ちくしょう　マリン……	Barret Marlene… Marlene…	バレット「クッ！　ちくしょう……」	Barret “God damn…”
		バレット「マリン……」	Barret “Marlene…”

Tifa chimes in again, saying it was their own fault. The addition of だね (da ne) in Japanese makes it clear that this is a statement, and thus a conclusion she came to on her own. In the original game, I got the sense from the Japanese that she was wondering to herself whether Avalanche was ultimately to blame, but the translation there made it sound like she was accusing Barret of implying that it was their fault.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
ティファ　私たちのせいだね	Tifa It was us. We did this.	ティファ「……私たちのせい？　アバランチがいたから？　関係ない人たちまで……」	Tifa “…are you saying it’s our fault? Because AVALANCHE was here? Innocent people lost their lives because of us?”

And Barret’s reply is exactly the same in Japanese, but put more eloquently in English this time.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット　ちがう　ちがうぜ　ティファ	Barret No. You can’t think like that.	バレット「ちがう！　ちがうぜ！　　ティファ！！」	Barret “No, Tifa!”
			“That ain’t it! Hell no!!”
バレット　なにもかも　神羅のヤツらが　やったことじゃねえか	Barret Whatever came before, it was Shinra that pulled the trigger today.	「なにもかも神羅のやつらが　やったことじゃねえか！」	“It ain’t us! It’s the damn Shinra! It’s never been nobody but the Shinra!”
バレット　そうだろ？	Barret Am I right!?
ティファ　うん	Tifa …Yeah.
バレット　この怒りは　絶対忘れねえ　いいな？	Barret Hold on to this. This…anger. Okay?

Then Cloud steps in and reassures Barret that Marlene is safe, instead of Tifa as in the original.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド　バレット　マリンは無事だ	Cloud Barret. Marlene’s fine.	ティファ「……… 　ねぇ、バレット……」	Tifa “……… Barret……?”
		ティファ「マリンは、マリンは　だいじょうぶだと思うの」	Tifa “Marlene is… I think Marlene is safe.”
クラウド　エアリスが言ってた	Cloud Aerith found her.	ティファ「エアリスが言ってたわ。　『あの子、だいじょうぶだから』　って、マリンのことよ、きっと」	Tifa “Right before they took Aeris, she said, “Don’t worry, she’s all right.” She was probably talking about Marlene.”
バレット　エアリス？　あの　捕まってた女か？	Barret Aerith? Is that the girl they took?	バレット「ああ、あの姉ちゃんか。　何者なんだ？」	Barret “Oh yeah, that girl. What’s up with her?”
ティファ　うん　言ってた	Tifa Yeah. That’s her.
バレット　どういうことだ？	Barret The hell’s going on!?
ティファ　エアリスに頼んだの　マリンを助けてって	Tifa I asked Aerith to find Marlene and take her somewhere safe.	ティファ「……私もよく知らない。　でも、マリンのことを　エアリスに頼んだの」	Tifa “…I don’t really know… but she’s the one I left Marlene with.”
バレット　信じるぞ　いいか？	Barret And she did? You sure!?

And once again, Cloud walks off on his own.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット　おい　どこ行くんだよ	Barret Hey! Where you going!?	バレット「おい！」	Barret “Yo!”
		バレット「あいつ、どこへ？」	Barret “Where’s he think he’s goin’?”

At this point, we find the two guards from Sector 7 hanging around and can listen in on their conversation. This time their attitude is much closer to the original game, expressing shock that something like that could happen, and resolving to cut ties with Shinra. Though it seems they may not be ready to completely quit their jobs in Remake, but rather at least know better than to blindly follow Shinra’s orders anymore. (As an aside, the original English translation’s tone can be a bit misleading. See my post for more details.)

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
新人兵士　こんなことって……	New Recruit How could this happen…?	「こんなことになるなんてな！　いい気分じゃねえ！　明日、じひょうだ！」	“I never thought this would ever happen to me! Great… I’m quitting tomorrow!”
先輩兵士　マジで　落ちやがった	Senior Officer I didn’t really think that…

先輩兵士　命令に従っているだけじゃ　ダメなのかもな	Senior Officer Sometimes you can’t let yourself be bound by orders.
新人兵士　僕　決めました	New Recruit I’ve made up my mind.
新人兵士　これからは　神羅のためじゃなく　街のみんなのために働きます	New Recruit I’m not gonna do this job for Shinra anymore. I’m an officer of the people now!	「おう！　　これが俺の最後の仕事だ！　登ってけ！！」	“Doh! And this was supposed to be my last job! Do something!!”

Barret once again demands Cloud to take him to Marlene (more or less).

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット　おい　どこに向かってるんだ？	Barret I said—where you going?
クラウド　エアリスの家だ　伍番街スラムにある	Cloud Aerith’s house. It’s in the Sector 5 slums.
バレット　マリンは　そこなんだな？	Barret And that’s where Marlene is?	バレット「マリンのところへ連れてってくれ！」	Barret “Take me to Marlene!”
クラウド　他にあてはない	Cloud Where we hope she is.

And then Cloud mentions the Ancients. In Remake, Barret gets to chime in and drop some information, which makes sense considering that Avalanche members should be familiar with this stuff.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド　ティファ　古代種って知ってるか？	Cloud Hey, Tifa. Know anything about “Ancients”?	クラウド「ああ…… 　でも、その前に　確かめたいことがあるんだ」	Cloud “Yeah… But before that, there’s something I want to know.”
ティファ　聞いたことはあるけど	Tifa I know I’ve heard of them at least.	ティファ「なに？」	Tifa “What’s that?”
バレット　星命学の本を読めば出てくるぜ	Barret They come up in planetology books.	クラウド「……古代種」	Cloud “…It’s about the Ancients.”
バレット　大昔　星を開拓したって一族だ	Barret Meant to be the original stewards of the planet.
バレット　星と語るとか　そういうのだろ？	Barret Could even “commune” with it. Talk to it and stuff.
クラウド　それがタークスに　狙われていた理由か	Cloud That must be why the Turks wanted her so badly.

Cloud flashes back to something Sephiroth said once. The Japanese is exactly the same, while the English is touched up a bit in Remake. I think the use of “birthright” really helps to emphasize how egomaniacal he is.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
セフィロス　われこそ古代種の血をひきし者	Sephiroth Within my veins flows the blood of Ancients.	「われこそ古代種の血をひきし者。　この星の正統なる後継者！」	In my veins courses the blood of the Ancients. I am one of the rightful heirs to this planet!
セフィロス　この星の正統なる後継者	Sephiroth This planet…is my birthright.

Tifa asks if he’s all right, but Cloud shakes it off and keeps going.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
ティファ　どうしたの？	Tifa Cloud?	ティファ「だいじょうぶ？」	Tifa “Are you all right?”
クラウド　なんでもない　急ごう	Cloud It’s nothing. Let’s go.

While they’re on their way to Sector 5, Barret asks after the other members of Avalanche and Tifa confirms that Jessie and Biggs were at the pillar, as Cloud did in the original FF7.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット　ジェシーは　支柱にいたんだよな	Barret You guys run into Jessie at the pillar?	バレット「ビッグス…… 　ウェッジ…… 　ジェシー……」	Barret “Biggs… Wedge… Jessie…”
		クラウド「……あの３人は柱の中にいた」	Cloud “All three of them were in the pillar.”
ティファ　うん　ビッグスもね　ふたりとも　ケガで動けなかった	Tifa Yeah…Biggs too. They were both in pretty bad shape.

When they arrive at Sector 5, a news report is airing. The content is actually pretty similar to the news report the player can find in the original, talking about the disaster and how Shinra is providing emergency aid. Although in Remake, Shinra’s ultimate goal seems to be to stoke hatred for Wutai, rather than to pin the disaster on Avalanche and make themselves look good by saving all the citizens, as in the original.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
アナウンサー　緊急ニュースをお伝えします	News Anchor And now breaking news.	「……事故の続報です」	“This just in. An accident today…”
アナウンサー　先ほど　七番街のプレートが　崩落した模様です	News Anchor Midgar is in mourning following the collapse of the Sector 7 plate.	「ミッドガル建設以来最悪の　事故にもかかわらず　神羅カンパニー都市管理　スタッフのすばやい対応により　ミッドガル市民にギセイ者は　ないもようです」	“…the worst in the history of the metropolis. But thanks to the quick response by those in charge, there were no civilian casualties.”
アナウンサー　現在　隣接するエリアは　立ち入り禁止区域に指定され	News Anchor City officials are currently restricting access to emergency responders…
アナウンサー　近隣区域の住民に対して　外出を控えるよう勧告が　出ています	News Anchor and urging people in neighboring sectors to remain indoors until further notice.
アナウンサー　神羅カンパニーでは　新たに崩落緊急対策本部を設置し	News Anchor Also, Shinra has announced the establishment of an emergency response team…
アナウンサー　崩落の原因や　ほかの区域の崩落の　危険性について　調査を開始したとのことです	News Anchor to ascertain the cause of the plate collapse, and to determine if any other sectors are currently at risk.	「事故の原因はなお不明ですが　関係者によると、カンパニーに　対する破壊活動で手配されている　テロ組織『アバランチ』による　犯行声明が出されたの　情報もあり、現在その……」	“The cause of the accident is unclear at this time, however, according to some sources it is believed to have something to do with the terrorist group, AVALANCHE.”
アナウンサー　当局は先日から発生している　魔晄炉爆破と　関連する可能性があると　みています	News Anchor Officials currently believe that the bombings of Mako Reactors 1 and 5 may be a contributing factor.

We also get a few more NPC lines from the original, or at least lines that are similar to original NPC lines. The weapon vendor’s line matches up a little more in Japanese with the use of 世の中だからこそ (yononaka dakara koso), in this context roughly, “precisely because of the state of the world.”

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	E PC
武器屋　物騒な世の中だからこそ　いい武器を持たねえとな	Weapons Vendor World’s just too dangerous these days not to keep a weapon at your side.	「何が起こるかわからねえ！　こんな世の中だからこそ、　やっぱり頼りになるのは　強え武器！だろ？」	“You never know what’s going to happen in this crazy world,”
			“So you’d better have a weapon you can depend on! Am I right?”

There’s an NPC couple who talks about leaving Midgar, kind of like how an NPC in the original remarks that there’s nowhere for them to go to find safety, even if they wanted to.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
ねえ　ミッドガルを出ていかない？	Hey…why don’t we just leave Midgar for good?	「そう、それよ！　けどよ、だからといって　今さらどこに行きゃ……」	“Yeah, that’s right! But, even so, where could we move to now?”

Also, two kids talk about the plate falling. Funnily enough, E Remake is more reminiscent of the original here, mimicking the use of onomatopoeia and using the word “rumbling.” In J Remake, the kids’ lines are almost identical to each other and don’t use any of the onomatopoeia that’s present in J PSX.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
すっごくゆれてすっごく大きな音がしたよね	First it was all like shaking, then it was all like boom, crash, bam!	「ゴゴゴゴ……ってなったら　バリバリバリっときて　ドドドドドーン！！て……」	“First there was a rumbling… …then cracking… and then ker-blaMM!!…”

すっごくゆれてでっかい音がしたんだ	There was this rumbling, and then all of a sudden…

As they approach Aerith’s house, Barret rushes ahead of the group. This time he asks about Marlene immediately, which is far more believable, really.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド　あの家だ	Cloud That’s the house.
バレット　マリン！	Barret Marlene!
バレット　マリーン！	Barret Marlene!
バレット　マリンは　マリンはどこにいる？	Barret Where’s Marlene!? Is she here!?
クラウド　バレット	Cloud Barret!
バレット　すまねえ　オレはバレット　マリンの父親だ	Barret Sorry. I’m Barret. Marlene’s my little girl.	バレット「すまねえ。　マリンはオレの娘だ。　すまねえ……本当に……」	Barret “I’m sorry. Marlene’s my daughter. I’m really sorry…”
バレット　マリンは　おかっぱ頭で　天使みたい可愛らしい顔をしてる	Barret Marlene—she’s got short hair. She’s cute as a button, with the heart of an angel.
バレット　服は……	Barret She was wearing…
バレット　ああ　ピンク　今日はピンク！	Barret Uh…pink! She was wearing a pink dress today!

And as before, Elmyra tells him that she’s sleeping upstairs.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エルミナ　２階で眠ってるよ	Elmyra She’s sleeping upstairs.	エルミナ「……わからないでもないけどね。　ま、とにかく２階で眠ってるから　会っておやりよ」	Elmyra “…I think I know what you mean. She’s upstairs asleep. Why don’t you go and see her?”
エルミナ　眠ってるからね	Elmyra I said she’s sleeping!

Barret’s relief at seeing Marlene is expressed with almost the same dialogue in Japanese, while E Remake gets a touch up to sound more natural and in-character for Barret.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット　マリン…… 　よかった　無事で	Barret Marlene…my baby. Thank god.	バレット「マリン……良かった…… 　無事で良かった……」	Barret “I’m so glad… I’m so glad you’re all right…”

Instead of Cloud informing Elmyra that Shinra took Aerith, Elmyra brings it up as soon as the group comes back downstairs. It’s interesting to note that neither the J or E Remake say that Shinra kidnapped her. J Remake is roughly, “Aerith went to Shinra.” This emphasizes that she went of her own free will, which becomes a point later on when Elmyra explains why the Turks never forcefully took her despite knowing where she lived. The English “Shinra has her” I think cuts a nice middle ground; not outright stating that Shinra captured her, but also not implying that she truly wants to be there.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エルミナ　エアリスは神羅に行ったよ	Elmyra Shinra has my daughter now.	クラウド「……すまない。　神羅にさらわれた」	Cloud “…Sorry. The Shinra have her.”
		エルミナ「知ってるよ。　ここから連れていかれたからね」	Elmyra “I know. They took her from here.”

Tifa expresses guilt for involving Aerith and Elmyra reassures her, as before.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
ティファ　エアリスにマリンのことを　頼んだのは　私です	Tifa No. I’m the one who asked her to go get Marlene.	ティファ「私のせい……。　私がエアリスを巻きこんだから」	Tifa “It’s my fault… I was the one who got Aeris involved in this.”
ティファ　知り合ったばかりなのに　とてもよくしてくれて	Tifa We’d only just met, but she was so kind and helpful.
ティファ　だから　甘えてしまいました	Tifa I…took advantage of her.
エルミナ　あんたらのせいじゃない	Elmyra It’s not your fault.	エルミナ「あんた、気にするんじゃないよ。　エアリスだってそんなふうに　思っちゃいないよ」	Elmyra “Don’t say that. Aeris doesn’t think so.”
エルミナ　遅かれ早かれ　こうなる運命だったのさ	Elmyra It was only a matter of time before she ended up back there.

And instead of straight up asking why Shinra wants Aerith, in Remake Cloud puts two and two together and guesses that it’s because she’s an Ancient.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド　古代種だから……だな？	Cloud Because she’s an Ancient. That it?	クラウド「どうしてエアリスは　神羅に習われるんだ？」	Cloud “Why is Shinra after Aeris?”

Elmyra confirms this. This time neither the Japanese nor English specifically states that Aerith is in fact that last one, with the Japanese just saying “apparently she’s (a) surviving Ancient” and English adding in “probably.” As I touched on in my series on the original FF7, the English there automatically assumes she is the “sole survivor” when there’s actually still some doubt about that yet at this point in the story.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エルミナ　そう　エアリスは古代種　古代種の生き残りらしい	Elmyra Yes. Aerith is an Ancient. Probably the last one living.	エルミナ「エアリスは古代種。　古代種の生き残りなんだとさ」	Elmyra “Aeris is an Ancient. The sole survivor.”

She then reveals that Aerith is not her actual daughter. Notably, the camera pans over and has her look specifically at Barret during this line. This may be a nod to how Barret questioned her statement in the original.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エルミナ　わたしは違うよ	Elmyra She’s not my daughter.	バレット「……なんだとさ、だって？　あんた母親だろ？」	Barret “What did you say? But, aren’t you her mother?”
エルミナ　あの子は　実の娘じゃないんだ	Elmyra Not by blood, I mean. If that’s what you were wondering…	エルミナ「……本当の母親じゃないんだよ。　あれは……そう、１５年前…」	Elmyra “Not her real mother. it must have been 15 years ago…”

Elmyra then launches into her story of how she met Aerith. The content is basically exactly the same here, but the dialogue itself has been largely rewritten in both Japanese and English. This time, Elmyra doesn’t even have to mention Wutai because Remake has already made it clear that when someone talks about “the war,” they’re referring to the war with Wutai. It makes sense that characters would be more familiar with this, considering what a major event it was.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エルミナ　１５年前にことだ	Elmyra About fifteen years ago…
エルミナ　夫は　最前線に配属された　兵士だった	Elmyra My husband, he’d been shipped off to fight on the front lines.	エルミナ「……戦争中でね。　わたしの夫は戦地に行ってた。　ウータイという遠い国さ」	Elmyra “…during the war. My husband was sent to the front. Some far away place called Wutai.”
エルミナ　休暇で帰るという手紙を　受け取って	Elmyra But then I received a letter saying he’d be home for a bit.	「ある日、休暇で帰ってくるって　てがみをもらったから　わたしは駅までむかえに　いったのさ」	“One day, I went to the station because I got a letter saying he was coming home on leave.”
エルミナ　約束の日　駅まで迎えに　いったんだ	Elmyra So when the day came, I went to the station to meet him…
エルミナ　でも　あの人は帰ってこなかった	Elmyra But…he didn’t come.	夫は帰ってこなかった。	My husband never came back.

This time the English translation retains a narrative voice, which helps with cohesion.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エルミナ　何か良くないことがあった　のだろうか？	Elmyra I couldn’t help fearing the worst, even then…	夫の身になにかあったんだろうか？	I wonder if something happened to him?
エルミナ　いや　休暇が取り消しに　なっただけかもしれない	Elmyra but I told myself his leave must’ve been postponed that he’d been delayed.	いや、休暇が取り消しになっただけかもしれない。	No, I’m sure his leave was just canceled.
エルミナ　祈るように　毎日迎えにいったよ	Elmyra Every day I went, to wait and to pray…	それからわたしは毎日駅へ行ったんだ。	I went to the station everyday.
エルミナ　そこで　あの子と会ったのさ	Elmyra And that’s how I met her. Her and her mother.	ある日……	Then, one day…

Though E Remake still takes some cues from the original translation, with the use of “that sort of thing” and “Take Aerith somewhere safe.”

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エルミナ　ウォール・マーケットから　逃げてきたのか	Elmyra I thought maybe they’d run away from Wall Market.
エルミナ　それとも　プレートに　いられなくなったのか	Elmyra Or that they were topsiders fallen on hard times.
エルミナ　たまに見かける光景だった	Elmyra I’d seen that sort of thing a lot.	戦争中はよくある風景だったね。	You used to see this sort of thing a lot during the war.
エルミナ　エアリスを安全なところへ	Elmyra “Take Aerith somewhere safe.”	エアリスを安全なところへ。そう言い残して彼女は死んだ。	Her last words were, “Please take Aeris somewhere safe.”
エルミナ　そう言い残して　彼女は死んだ	Elmyra Those were her mother’s dying words.
エルミナ　夫は帰らず　私もさびしかった	Elmyra My husband had been away for so long, and I was lonely.	わたしの夫は帰らず、子供もいない。わたしもさびしかったんだろうね。エアリスを家に連れて帰ることにしたんだ。	My husband never came back. I had no child. I was lonely. So I decided to take her home with me.
エルミナ　だから　エアリスを連れて　帰ることにしたんだ	Elmyra So I convinced myself the safest place for the girl was with me.
エルミナ　私たちは　すぐに仲良くなれたよ	Elmyra It took no time at all for her to start feeling like family.	「エアリスはすぐに　わたしになついてくれた。　よくしゃべる子でねえ。　いろいろ話してくれたよ」	“Aeris and I became close very quickly. That child loved to talk. She used to talk to me about everything.”

Then Elmyra recounts how Aerith told her that her mother “returned to their planet.” Honestly, the use of “their” in E Remake is inspired, making complete sense within the lore and making it more clear why Elmyra would assume she meant one in the sky. The Japanese is just 星に帰った (hoshi ni kaetta ; “returned to star/planet”), but notably the word 星 (hoshi) can be used to refer to both a star and a planet, which is what causes Elmyra’s confusion in Japanese. It’s also nice how Barret gets to step in and sound more knowledgeable here, instead of being just as confused as Elmyra as in the original. Again, it makes sense that he would already know this stuff as a member of Avalanche.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エルミナ　よくしゃべる子でねえ	Elmyra She was a real chatterbox.
エルミナ　いろいろ話してくれたよ	Elmyra She told me strange stories…
エルミナ　どこかの施設から母親と　逃げ出したこと	Elmyra Like how she and her mother had escaped from some sort of facility…	「どこかの研究所みたいな　ところから母親と　逃げ出したこと。　お母さんは星に帰っただけだから　さびしくなんかない　……いろいろね」	“She told me how she escaped from some kind of research laboratory, and that her mother had already returned to the Planet, so she wasn’t lonely…and many other things.”
エルミナ　お母さんは星に帰っただけだから　さびしくなんかないってこと	Elmyra And how she wasn’t sad because her mother had just…”returned to their planet.”
バレット　星に帰った……星命学の考え方だ	Barret Their planet, huh? Yeah, that sounds about right.	バレット「星に帰っただって？」	Barret “Returned to the Planet?”
エルミナ　私には意味がわからなかった	Elmyra I didn’t understand any of it at the time.	エルミナ「わたしには意味が　わからなかったよ。　夜空の星かって聞いたら　ちがう、この星だって　いわれて……」	Elmyra “I didn’t know what she meant. I asked if she meant a star in the sky,”
エルミナ　夜空の星かって聞いたら	Elmyra When I asked if she meant one in the sky…
エルミナ　ちがう　この星だっていわれて	Elmyra She said no, this one. Right here.
エルミナ　まあ　不思議な子だったね	Elmyra I mean…what can you say to that…?	「まあ、いろんな意味で不思議な　子供だったね」	“But she said it was this Planet… She was a mysterious child in many ways.”

At this point, the Japanese starts lining up more with the original, being almost exactly the same. The English, as always, is still rewritten to have better dialogue. Like making Aerith sound more like a little kid by using “Mommy,” and saying “a man you really, really loved” instead of the dry/formal “someone dear to you.” I also really like E Remake’s “Things like that, she’d just know.” It sounds like a much more natural way to summarize the whole situation.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	E PC
エアリス　お母さん　泣かないでね	Aerith Mommy, don’t be sad.	エアリス「お母さん」	Aeris “Mom.”
		エアリス「泣かないでね」	Aeris “Please don’t cry.”
エルミナ　エアリスが突然言い出した	Elmyra That’s what she said to me one day, out of the blue.	「エアリスが突然言い出した。　何があったのかって聞いたら……」	Elmyra “Aeris just blurted that out all of a sudden. When I asked her if something happened…”
エルミナ　何かあったのかって聞いたら	Elmyra So I asked her, “What’s wrong?”
エアリス　お母さんの大切な人が　死んじゃったよ	Aerith A man you really, really love just died.	エアリス「お母さんの大切な人が　死んじゃったよ」	Aeris “Someone dear to you has just died.”
エアリス　心だけ　お母さんに　会いにきたけど	Aerith His heart came a long way to say goodbye.	「心だけになってお母さんに　会いにきたけど　でも、星に帰ってしまったの」	“His spirit was coming to see you, but he’s already returned to the planet.”
エアリス　でも　やっぱり星に　帰ってしまったの	Aerith But he couldn’t stay ’cause he had to return to the planet.
エルミナ　私は信じなかった	Elmyra I didn’t believe her, of course.	「わたしは信じなかった」	Elmyra “At that time I didn’t believe her.”
エルミナ　でも　それから何日かして　夫の戦死を知らせる手紙が届いた	Elmyra And then, a few days later, I received a letter saying my husband had been killed in action.	「でも…」	Elmyra “But…”
		「それから何日かして… 　夫が戦死したという知らせが… 　届いたんだ…」	Elmyra “Several days later… we received a notice saying my husband died…”
エルミナ　とまあ　こんな具合でね	Elmyra Things like that, she’d just know.	「……とまあ、こんな具合でね」	Elmyra “…and that was it.”

Elmyra continues on to tell how Tseng showed up one day. E Remake finally gets it right, saying that she asked Tseng who/what the Ancients are. The original translation got confused over the verb 聞く (kiku) which means both “to listen” and “to ask,” and assumed that Elmyra had only heard Tseng mention that Aerith was an Ancient. But really, she was asking him what/who the Ancients are, like in E Remake.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	E PSX
エルミナ　いろいろあったけど幸せだった	Elmyra It was a lot to deal with, but we were happy.	「いろいろあったけど　わたしたちは幸せだった。　ところがある日……」	“A lot had happened, but we were happy. Until one day…”
エルミナ　ところが　ある日——	Elmyra And then came the knock.
	Aerith Coming!
エアリス　いやっ　絶対いやっ！	Aerith No… Go away!	エアリス「いやっ！　絶対いやっ！」	Aeris “No! Never!”
ツォン　エアリス　君は大切な子供なんだ	Tseng Aerith… You know you’re not just any little girl.	ツォン「エアリス、君は大切な　子供なんだ。　君は特別な血をひいている」	Tseng “Aeris, you’re a very special child. You are of special blood.”
ツォン　古代種の血を引き継いでいる	Tseng You’re a descendant of the Ancients.	「君の本当のお母さんの血。　『古代種』の血だ」	“Your real mother was an ‘Ancient’.”
エルミナ　私は　もちろん聞いたよ　古代種って　何だってね	Elmyra I had no idea what he meant, so I said, “Who are the Ancients?”	「もちろん聞いたよ。　『古代種』って何だってね」	Elmyra “Of course I heard it. That she was an ‘Ancient’.”
ツォン　古代種は至上の幸福が　約束された土地へ　我々を導いてくれるのです	Tseng They were the original stewards of the planet whose boundless knowledge and wisdom shall guide us to the promised land.	ツォン「古代種は至上の幸福が　約束された土地へ　我々を導いてくれるのです」	Tseng “The Ancients will lead us to a land of supreme happiness.”
ツォン　言い伝え　何かの比喩　いろいろな見解があります	Tseng Some believe the promised land to be a myth. Others, an allegory of sorts.
ツォン　しかし我々は　文字通りの真実として　それを信じています	Tseng But we take the words of the scriptures at face value, and believe it to be quite real.	「エアリスはこのまずしい　スラムの人々に幸福を与える　ことができるのです」	“Aeris will be able to bring happiness to all those in the slums.”
ツォン　神羅カンパニーは　ぜひとも　エアリスの協力を	Tseng Which is why Shinra would like very much for Aerith to help us—	「ですから我々神羅カンパニーは　ぜひともエアリスの協力を……」	“That is why Shinra would like Aeris’s cooperation……”
エアリス　ちがうもん　古代種なんかじゃないもん	Aerith You’re wrong! I’m not an Ancient!	エアリス「ちがうもん！　エアリス、古代種なんかじゃ　ないもん！」	Aeris “He’s wrong! I’m not an Ancient! I’m not!”
ツォン　でもエアリス　ときどき誰もいないのに　声が聞こえることがあるだろ？	Tseng But Aerith… Even when you’re all alone, don’t you hear voices whispering secrets?	ツォン「でもエアリス、君はときどき　誰もいないのに声が　聞こえることがあるだろ？」	Tseng “But Aeris, surely you hear voices sometimes when you’re all alone?”
エアリス　そんなことない	Aerith No, never!	エアリス「そんなことないもん！」	Aeris “No, I don’t!”
エルミナ　思い当たることが　いろいろあってね	Elmyra But all three of us knew that wasn’t true.	「でも、わたしにはわかっていた。　あの子の不思議な能力……」	Elmyra “But I knew. I knew about her mysterious powers…”
エルミナ　ああ　この男が言っている話は　本当なんだろうと思ったよ	Elmyra That man knew exactly who Aerith was, where she’d come from, and what she could do.

Cloud then chimes in asking why the Turks didn’t just take her, kind of like his comment in the original FF7 expressing amazement that she’s managed to avoid Shinra for so long.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド　居場所を知っているのに　誘拐もせずに待つなんて　タークスらしくないな	Cloud They knew where she was, but they didn’t just take her? Doesn’t sound like the Turks I know.	クラウド「よく何年も神羅から　逃げつづけることができたな」	Cloud “It’s amazing how she’s avoided the Shinra for all these years…”

In Remake, both Japanese and English emphasize that Aerith needed to come of her own volition, and that’s why they never forcefully captured her. This was somewhat implied in the original Japanese with the use of 協力 (kyouryoku ; “cooperation”) (which the original English translation glossed over), but J Remake pushes it further by adding 自発的な協力 (jihatsuteki na kyouryoku ; “voluntary cooperation”).

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エルミナ　エアリスの自発的な協力が　必要なんだとさ	Elmyra She had to come willingly, otherwise it wouldn’t work, they said.	エルミナ「神羅はエアリスの協力が　必要だったから手荒なマネは　できなかったんだろうね」	Elmyra “The Shinra needed her, so I guess they wouldn’t harm her.”

The story hones in on this concept too, using it to have Elmyra insist that they shouldn’t go rescue Aerith because she thinks that Shinra won’t harm Aerith either way. This opens up some time for the crew to go back and investigate the ruins of Sector 7.

Japanese Remake	English Remake
エルミナ　だから　神羅に連れていかれたといっても　お客として扱ってもらえるはずだ	Elmyra That’s why…even if they did take her away, I’m sure she’s still being treated like a guest…
エルミナ　用が済んだら　すぐに帰してくれるだろうよ	Elmyra And that they’ll send her straight back home once they get what they need.
クラウド　どうかな	Cloud I doubt it.
エルミナ　何をしようってんだい？	Elmyra You’re not planning anything, are you?
エルミナ　ことを荒立てないでおくれ	Elmyra Don’t make things worse than they already are.
エルミナ　エアリスまで失うことになったら　私はもう……	Elmyra If I lost her too, I don’t know if I could… If I could ever…
エルミナ　頼むよ	Elmyra Just don’t.
ティファ　クラウド　お母さんの言うとおり	Tifa Cloud. Maybe she’s right about this.
ティファ　用が済めば帰ってくるかもしれない	Tifa Maybe they’ll let Aerith go when it’s all over.

As they approach the ruins, they come across a group of survivors. There’s one NPC who comments on a piece of debris that fell. While this is probably just a coincidence, there are also several NPCs in the original who talk about things falling from the sky.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
こんなでかいガレキが降ってきてたのか	Goddamn. This thing fell all that way?	「空からいろいろ降ってきたよ」	“It came down from the sky.”
		「ミッドガルの下にいりゃ　そこそこのくらしができると　思ってたのに、まさかあの　デッカイやつが落ちてくるとは……」	“You finally think you’re making a living in the pits of Midgar, and then a big piece of scrap like that falls down here…what’s next?”
		「あんなものが　落ちてくるなんて…… 　これからは上を向いて　歩いていこうっと」	“Never thought that would come tumbling down. Maybe I better walk around looking up from now on.”

The crew makes their way through the wreckage and find Marle. In Japanese she just says “You all!” kind of like how the exclamation of someone’s name is used as an expression of deep emotion. In this case, she’s expressing surprise that they survived, so the English translation fills in the blanks and goes with “You’re alive!”

Japanese Remake	English Remake
ティファ　マーレさん	Tifa Marle!
マーレ　アンタたち	Marle You’re alive!

They eventually discover Wedge in an underground facility, but quickly get separated. There’s another instance of 待ってろ (mattero ; lit. “wait”) in Japanese, which I touched on in Chapter 9 Part 1. This time it’s translated as “Hang in there.”

Japanese Remake	English Remake
バレット　待ってろよ　ウェッジ	Barret Wedge… Hang in there.

Barret and Tifa team up and make their way through the facility to Wedge. It may not be intended as a direct reference, but Barret’s line here is very similar to one he had on the initial train ride in the original where he scolded Cloud for making him worry.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット　この野郎　心配させやがって	Barret Making me worry like that. I’d kick your ass if you didn’t look like shit!	「心配させやがって　勝手な野郎だ！」	“Havin’ everyone worried like that You don’t give a damn ’bout no one but yourself!”

Before they can get Wedge to safety, they’re assaulted by weird creatures that Tifa suspects may be Shinra experiments, giving us an early glimpse into what Shinra is up to behind the scenes.

Japanese Remake	English Remake
バレット　なんだありゃ？	Barret The hell is this now!?
バレット　どこに隠れてやがった	Barret Where were you freaks hiding!?
ティファ　神羅の実験体？	Tifa Are they Shinra experiments!?
バレット　神羅のもんは　全部ぶっつぶす！	Barret Hah! Well if that’s the case, then it’s only right we put the bastards down!

In that same vein, after the battle they discover people laying in tubes. This part of Shinra’s underbelly isn’t touched on until a bit later in the original game.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
ティファ　これ……なに？	Tifa Oh, god…were those…	クラウド「こ、これは！？」	Cloud “Wh…what is that!?”
バレット　人か？	Barret People?	クラウド「人間！？　まさか！」	Cloud “Human!? No way!”
クラウド　これが　神羅の裏の顔だ	Cloud Yeah. That’s the Shinra I know.
ティファ　クラウド？	Tifa Cloud?

The crew is whisked out of the facility and Barret declares that he’s going to look for the other members of Avalanche, prompting Cloud to confirm that they were in the pillar when it fell. Just like in the original, Barret isn’t happy to hear that. He even uses でもよ (demo yo ; lit. “but”) exactly like he does in the original Japanese. E Remake’s “Don’t,” on the other hand, works extremely well here. First and foremost fitting the tight timing of the Japanese, but also making it exceptionally clear that while Barret understands the truth that Biggs and Jessie may be dead, he absolutely does not want to hear it said out loud. (Also, Cloud just finished his sentence with a trailing “but…” so to have Barret respond with “But!” too would sound redundant.)

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット　オレはここで　仲間を待つ	Barret I’m gonna look around for the others.
バレット　ウェッジが生きてたんだ　可能性は　ゼロじゃない	Barret He made it, didn’t he? They could still be alive.
クラウド　俺は　支柱の上で　ジェシーとビッグスと話した	Cloud I saw them both at the pillar… Jessie and Biggs.	クラウド「……あの３人は柱の中にいた」	Cloud “All three of them were in the pillar.”
クラウド　だから　ふたりの状況は　知っている	Cloud Saw…how bad they were hurt.
クラウド　帰ってくる可能性は……	Cloud I’m sorry, but…
バレット　でもよ	Barret Don’t.	バレット「でもよ、でもよ！　いっしょに戦ってきた仲間だ！」	Barret “But…we, all of us fought together.”
ティファ　星に帰ったんだよ	Tifa They’ve returned to the planet.
バレット　帰る場所　間違えやがって	Barret They…they were supposed to return to us.	バレット「死んじまったなんて…… 　思いたくねえ！」	Barret “I don’t wanna think of them as dead!”
バレット　立ち止まってたら　あいつらに笑われちまうな	Barret But if we stop now…they’ll never let us live it down.
バレット　ったく　重てえなあ	Barret So…we carry that weight.