Final Fantasy VII Remake Script Comparison: Chapter 4

Cloud and Jessie meet up with Biggs and Wedge and ride their bikes through the train tunnels up to the plate.

There’s some good banter with Jessie here. In Japanese she uses the word 酔わせてくれる (yowasetekureru) meaning “to be elated/spellbound,” but a more common meaning of the verb 酔う (yо̄) is “to get drunk” or “get car sick.” And Cloud thinks she’s using that meaning instead, so he tells her, “You won’t get sick if you look into the distance,”  completely missing her point. The English does a good job of writing around this, having Cloud be like, “Yeah it’s going to be a rough ride, so it’s not my fault if you get sick,” instead of flirting back.

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ジェシー
 ねえ バイクの運転わかるよね
Jessie
Hey, you do know how to drive, right?
クラウド
 ソルジャーは バイク任務も多い
Cloud
SOLDIERs get mandatory training.
ジェシー
 さっすが~
 じゃ 華麗な運転でわたしを酔わせてくれる?
Jessie
Well then! You gonna take my breath away? Make my
head spin with your amazing skills?
クラウド
 遠くを見てれば 酔わない
Cloud
Don’t blame me if ya get sick.
ジェシー
 あははは……
Jessie
Right…

Jessie has another great line a little farther down. The Japanese is roughly, “Did (you) do that to protect me?” while the English goes for continuing on with the romance novel-like narration, which is perfect in how it expands on a previous line and emphasizes her penchant for drama.

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
クラウド
 楽しそうだな
Cloud
Someone’s having fun.
ジェシー
 そりゃもう
 だって いっしょに危機を乗り越えた男と女は——
Jessie
How could I not!? “Pursued by villains, a young couple
thrust together by fate race through the neon-
streaked night…”
Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ジェシー
 ひょっとして わたしのこと守ってくれた?
Jessie
“Had the cold-eyed mercenary’s heart suddenly begun
to melt?”

After they fight off the last of the Shinra officers, Biggs gets a line heralding back to the first bit of dialogue he gets in PSX, commenting on how Cloud’s skills set him apart as a (former) SOLDIER. As I mentioned in the first part of this series, さすが (sasuga) is literally “as (you’d) expect (from)” and is often used when the speaker is impressed with someone.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalE PSX
ビッグス
 さすが 元ソルジャー
 あんたに比べりゃ
 俺らはやっぱ素人だな
Biggs
That’s an ex-SOLDIER for ya. Next to him, we look like kids on trikes.
ビッグス
「さすが、ソルジャー!
 でもよ、反神羅(しんら)
 グループ【アバランチ】に
 ソルジャーが参加するなんて
 スゲエよな!」
Biggs
“Wow! You used to be in SOLDIER all right! …Not everyday ya find one
in a group like AVALANCHE.”

Also love him or hate him, Roche’s lines are done so well. I just… He’s so extra. It’s great.

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
????
 気を抜くと すぐに追い抜いてしまう
???
“Too quick for the eye, you cross him, you die!”
????
 やあ レディとドライブかい
???
Now… Mind if I cut in?
????
 いいねえ 私もまぜてくれよ
???
Splendid! I’ve been looking for a new dance partner!
Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ローチェ
 私は ローチェ
 人は私をこう呼ぶ スピードジャンキーと
Roche
My name is Roche, but you may address me by the
more accurate appellation: Speed Demon!

As they head to Jessie’s house, she comments on how her mom leaves the lights on for her every night. In Japanese, Jessie describes her as a “typical Midgar resident,” implying that only those who live on the plate would waste energy so thoughtlessly. The English translation softens this a bit by calling her “old-fashioned” instead, which underscores her devotion to her family more. Though within the setting of the story “old-fashioned” could also be taken as referring to someone who isn’t aware of the costs of using mako.

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ジェシー
 見て たまーにしか帰ってこない娘のために
 いつもああして あかりをつけている
Jessie
Figures. Still leaves the lights on every night for the
girl who only comes home once every other blue
moon.
ジェシー
 ママは 典型的ミッドガル住民
Jessie
Mom’s an old-fashioned type like that.

Immediately after this, the concept of “Midgar Special” pizza is introduced. This pizza did actually exist in the original as well, just in a deleted line. Incidentally, this line was randomly restored in the Japanese Switch port of FF7. Check out my series on the original for more details.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese Switch
ウェッジ
 ピザ出るかな
 ミッドガル・スペシャル
Wedge
Think she’ll make us pizza? Her “Midgar Special”?
「変なもん食ったからなあ。
 あのミッドガル名物のプレートピザ…」

Cloud is tasked with sneaking into Jessie’s house from the back door. Context saves the day here. During Jessie’s explanation of Cloud’s infiltration route, she uses 廊下 (rouka; lit. “hallway”) to describe the area the back door opens in on. English uses “room” because it looks much more like that than what we’d consider a hallway.

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ジェシー
 裏口をあけると 廊下があるの
Jessie
Inside, you’ll find a room with two doors.

Then Jessie explains the plan to infiltrate the Shinra base. In Japanese she just straight up forgets the word for “diversion,” but English adds in some nice reasoning, having her comment that she must be so nervous that she forgot it. (We also get another さすが ソルジャー (sasuga SOLDIER) here, though the English translation remixes it this time.)

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ジェシー
 ほら さっきわたしたちて
 ママの注意をひきつけたでしょ?
Jessie
Just do the thing where you draw everyone’s attention
away, like you did at my parents’.
ジェシー
 なんて言うんだっけ
 ああいうの ほら——
Jessie
What’s the word again? Maybe I’m more nervous than
I thought.
クラウド
 陽動だな
Cloud
Diversion.
ジェシー
 それそれ さすが ソルジャー!
Jessie
Yeah, that! Nice one, military man.

Biggs starts to talk about Jessie’s past. In Japanese he stops himself, parroting back Cloud’s beloved phrase 興味ない (kyoumi nai; lit. “not interested”). As noted in the first chapter of this series, this phrase was translated as both “Don’t care” and “Not interested” in the original. Here, the English goes with “care.”

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ビッグス
 こんな話 興味ないか
Biggs
Ah, but what do you care?
クラウド
「あんたたちの名前なんて興味ないね。
 どうせこの仕事が終わったらお別れだ」
Cloud
“I don’t care what your names are.
Once this job’s over…I’m outta here.”

He then tells Cloud not to breathe a word of this to Jessie. (The English translation is so good.) This actually references Jessie’s personality from the original. If Cloud turns down her offer to make him a present on the train ride back to Sector 7, she says he’ll regret it because she’s the type to hold grudges.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ビッグス
 話したって事
 ジェシーには内緒だぞ
 あいつ 怒ると
 手が付けらんねえんだから
Biggs
Oh—don’t tell Jessie about this little chat, okay? When she gets pissed, she gets punchy.
ジェシー
「そう、きっと後悔するかもよ。
 私、ズガッ~ンと根にもつタイプ
 なの」
(1) Jessie
“Oh yeah, you might regret it.
I’m the type who takes things personal.”
クラウド
 それは どうだろう
Cloud
Well… No promises.
ウェッジ
 オレたち 殴られるかも
Wedge
He’s serious, Cloud! She’ll beat the shit out of us!

Cloud once again responds with his favorite phrase: 興味ない (kyoumi nai).  The English here actually references a similar line in the original where Cloud is responding to Barret instead. He even throws up his hands and shrugs like he did in that original elevator scene.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
クラウド
 興味ないね
Cloud
Not my problem.
クラウド
「悪いけど興味がないな」
Cloud
“It’s not my problem.”

As they prepare to infiltrate the warehouse, Cloud flashes back to a memory of Tifa. The whole thing is word-for-word the same in Japanese, so we get to see what a nicer translation of it would look like (taking into account new timing restrictions and more detailed animation, of course). Even if the English isn’t exactly the same, a lot of the wording still calls back to the old translation(s) (there are technically two translations of the original game; for more info see my series on the original FF7), and honestly the tweaks to the dialogue help make it sound so much more natural. Take the “I’m gonna be a SOLDIER” line for example. Sure, the Japanese is literally “(I) wanna be a SOLDIER,” but Cloud is trying to sound cool here, like he’s better than everyone else. So it makes a lot of sense for him to show more conviction: he doesn’t just want to be in SOLDIER, he’s going to make sure he gets in. It’s little stuff like that that helps the narrative and characterization.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalE PC
ティファ
 おまたせ
Tifa
Heya.
ティファ
「お・ま・た・せ」
Tifa
“Sorry I’m late.”
ティファ
 な~に? 話があるって
Tifa
So…what did you wanna talk about?
ティファ
「な~に?
 話があるって」
Tifa
“You said you wanted to
talk to me about something?”
クラウド
 俺 春になったら村を出て
 ミッドガルに行くよ
Cloud
When spring comes, I’m leaving town and going to Midgar.
クラウド
「俺……春になったら村を出て
 ミッドガルへ行くよ」
Cloud
“Come this Spring…I’m leaving this
town for Midgar.”
ティファ
 男の子たちって
 み~んな 村を出てっちゃうね
Tifa
Should’ve figured. All the guys are leaving.
ティファ
「……男の子たちって
 み~んな村を出てっちゃうね」
Tifa
“All the boys are leaving our town.”
クラウド
 俺は みんなとはちがう
 ただ仕事をさがすだけじゃない
Cloud
B-but I’m not like them. I’m not going just to look for work.
クラウド
「俺はみんなとはちがう。
 ただ仕事をさがすだけじゃない」
Cloud
“But I’m different from them.
I’m not just going to find a job.”
クラウド
 ソルジャーになりたいんだ
Cloud
I’m gonna be a SOLDIER.
クラウド
「俺、ソルジャーになりたいんだ」
Cloud
“I want to join SOLDIER.”
クラウド
 セフィロスみたいな
 最高のソルジャーに
Cloud
The best of the best. Like Sephiroth.
クラウド
「セフィロスみたいな
 最高のソルジャーに」
Cloud
“I’m going to be the best there is,
just like Sephiroth!”
ティファ
 ”英雄セフィロス”か
Tifa
The great war hero, huh?
ティファ
「セフィロス……
 英雄セフィロス、か」
Tifa
“Sephiroth…
The Great Sephiroth?”
ティファ
 ソルジャーになるのって
 難しいんでしょ?
Tifa
Mm… Isn’t it pretty hard to become a SOLDIER?
ティファ
「ソルジャーになるのって
 難しいんでしょ?」
Tifa
“Isn’t it hard to join SOLDIER?”
クラウド
 しばらくのあいだ
 村にはもどれないな
Cloud
Yeah. So I won’t be back for a long time.
クラウド
「……しばらくのあいだ
 村にはもどれないな、きっと」
Cloud
“…I probably won’t be able to come
back to this town for a while.”
クラウド
「……うん?」
Cloud
“…Huh?”
ティファ
 大活躍して 新聞にものるかな?
Tifa
Guess not. Think you’ll be in the papers?
ティファ
「大活躍したら
 新聞にものるかな?」
Tifa
“If you make it, will you be in the newspapers?”
クラウド
 がんばるよ
Cloud
I’ll try.
クラウド
「がんばるよ」
Cloud
“I’ll try.”
ティファ
 ね 約束しない?
Tifa
Just…promise me one thing.
ティファ
「ね、約束しない?」
Tifa
“Hey, let’s make a promise.”
ティファ
 あのね クラウドが有名になって
 そのとき 私が困ってたら……
Tifa
When we’re older, and you’re a famous SOLDIER…if I’m ever trapped or in trouble…
ティファ
「あのね、クラウドが有名になって
 その時、私が困ってたら……」
Tifa
“Umm…if you get really famous and I’m ever in a bind…”
ティファ
 クラウド 助けに来てね
Tifa
Promise you’ll come and save me.
「クラウド、私を助けに来てね」“you’ll come save me, all right?”
Cloud
Huh?
クラウド
「はぁ?」
Cloud
“What?”
ティファ
 ピンチのときに
 ヒーローが助けてくれるの
Tifa
That’s what heroes do. They save people.
ティファ
「私がピンチのときに
 ヒーローがあらわれて
 助けてくれるの」
Tifa
“If I’m ever in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me.”
ティファ
 一度くらいは
 経験したいじゃない?
Tifa
Please? Just once.
「一度くらい
 経験したいじゃない?」
“I want to experience that at least once.”
Cloud
Uhh…
クラウド
「はぁ?」
Cloud
“What?”
ティファ
 約束しなさい~
Tifa
Come on, promise me!
ティファ
「いいじゃないのよ~!
 約束しなさい~!」
Tifa
“Come on!
Promise me!”
クラウド
 わかった 約束する
Cloud
Fine. I promise.
クラウド
「わかった……約束するよ」
Cloud
“All right…I promise.”

Anyway, they go and attack the officers. (Biggs gets a nice quip. The Japanese is roughly, “(They) even have something like that?”)

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ビッグス
 あんなもんまで あんのかよ
Biggs
Oh, you gotta be shitting me.

And Roche comes back. “Aren’t you having a wonderful time kicking the hornet’s nest” is So Good. The Japanese is roughly just “Aren’t (you) doing (it) flashily, my friend!” 派手 (hade) basically means to be showy/loud/draw attention.

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ローチェ
 ハデにやってるじゃないか
 マイ フレンド!
Roche
Well, aren’t we having a wonderful time kicking the
hornet’s nest!

More nice military lingo as they escape. (Japanese is roughly, “Lower (your) weapon. (We) aren’t enemies.”

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
謎の兵士
 武器を下ろせ 敵じゃない
Trooper
Friendly! Friendly! Stand down!

And Biggs has a good line as they slip away: “That or a bad omen.” This preemptively shows his superstitious side which is established in Japanese later. The Japanese for this line is roughly just “Shoot. If HQ is on the move, (it’ll) be troublesome.” While later on it specifically uses 悪い前触れ (warui maebure) which breaks down individually as “bad before notice,” meaning “bad premonition.”

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ビッグス
 にしても
 本家の作戦に 鉢合わせるなんてな
Biggs
Man, can’t believe HQ was running an op tonight of all
nights.
クラウド
 偶然なのか
Cloud
Coincidence?
ビッグス
 まいったな
 本家が動きだしたとすりゃ 面倒だ
Biggs
That or a bad omen. If they’re ramping up for
something, could get messy.
Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ビッグス
 なんか悪い前触れなんじゃないかって つい
Biggs
It…felt like a bad omen or something…so…

As they parachute back down Biggs says it feels like they’re “flying high.” This is a pretty perfect match for the pun in Japanese, which hinges on the verb 乗る (noru) generally meaning “to ride (a vehicle).” But also references the phrase 調子に乗る (choushi ni noru) which can mean “to pick up speed,” or is more often used to say that someone is caught up in the moment. Thus, “flying high” in both a literal and figurative sense.

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ビッグス
 なんか俺たち ノッてるよな?
Biggs
Feels like we’re flying high these days!
ジェシー
 この頃 特にね
Jessie
Now more than ever!

The English also then has Biggs reference Jessie’s earlier line on the train: “He’s a keeper.” There’s no callback in the Japanese, but it’s nice when things like this are added to promote a sense of narrative continuity. (The Japanese line is roughly, “(It’s) thanks to him.”)

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ビッグス
 あいつのおかげだな
Biggs
He’s a keeper all right.
ジェシー
 うん 一緒なら なんでもやれそう!
Jessie
Yeah! Together we can take on the world!

When they get back to Sector 7, Wedge explains Biggs’ habit of overthinking things. The Japanese uses 約束 (yakusoku), which early Japanese learners will likely recognize as meaning “promise,” but here it refers to a convention or rule instead, like “something’s that’s always done.” Thus the English translation goes for “habit.”

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ウェッジ
 また 反省大会かも
Wedge
Hope he isn’t “worst case-ing” it again.
ウェッジ
 作戦のあとのお約束ッス
 考えすぎて 熱まで出したり
Wedge
He’s got a habit of overthinking things. Worrying
about all the possible outcomes till his head hurts.

Once Cloud splits up with Wedge, he’s free to wander the entirety of Sector 7 before returning to his apartment. And there are more old NPC lines to be found scattered around!

For example, there’s a group of people discussing Johnny’s departure. The Japanese lines up mostly word-for-word with the original lines, while the English fixes up the old translation, adding the “I hope he doesn’t get caught up with the wrong girl” part back in where it was originally glossed over, and correcting the third line here so that the man is talking about how disappointed he is that Johnny is gone (“life just seems so dull”), as opposed to saying that Cloud looks disappointed.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ジョニー……悪い女に
だまされたりしなけりゃいいけど
それだけが気がかりだな
Johnny, man…I don’t know where life’ll take him, but I hope he doesn’t get caught up with the wrong girl.「ジョニー、悪い女にだまされたり
 しなけりゃいいけど」
“I hope he doesn’t get hurt.”
「それだけが、きがかりだなあ」“That worries me the most.”
話を聞いてくれる人がいないと
つまんなくなるわ
I miss having him to talk to. He was a pretty good listener.「もう!!
 話を聞いてくれる人がいないと
 情報を集めてもしかたない
 のよね!」
“Listen!
If there isn’t anyone to listen,
what’s the use of
getting gossip on everyone!?”
ジョニーのやつ 行っちまった
なんだか急に張り合いがなく
なっちゃったよ
So Johnny really left town. Without him around, all of a sudden life just seems so dull.「はぁ…… ジョニーのやつ、
 行っちまった。
 なんだか急にはりあい
 なくなっちゃったよ」
“Ah…Johnny’s gone.
You look a little disappointed.”
俺って自分で言うのもなんだけど
酒飲んでないと寂しがりやさん
なわけよ
I just get lonely sometimes. Can’t get through a day without a drink in my hand.「俺って自分で言うのもなんだけど
 酒飲んでないと、さびしがりや
 さんなわけよ」
“I don’t like to say it myself but,
I’m just a lonely guy
when I’m not drinking.”
追っかけちゃう?We should go after him!
ダメだって言われただろBut he told us not to.

We also get a more direct reference to the kid hanging around the Beginner’s Hall building, with the Japanese dialogue lining up nearly perfectly. The English opts to avoid the original’s odd “dried up old geez” phrasing and goes for more natural-sounding dialogue instead.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
おっさん シケたつらしてんな
もしかして疲れてんじゃないの?
Whoa…you look terrible, old man.
What’s wrong? The rat race got you
down?
「チッ!!
 おっさん、しけたツラしてんな。
 もしかして、つかれてんじゃないの?」
“You dried up old geez.
You tired?”
家で休ませてあげてもいいけど
このオレに 小遣いくれるならな
You can take a load off at my
place…but not for free. I gotta make a
living too, you know.
「家の3階で休ませてあげても
 いいけど…」
“Why don’t you rest up
on the third floor of my house?”
「それにはひとつ条件があるぜ」“There’s just one condition.”
「このオレにこづかいくれるならな」
   1ギル
   10ギル
   あげない
“You gotta give me some cash.”
   1 gil
   10 gil
   nothin’

Tifa meets up with Cloud in his room and asks him if he’s going to stay in Midgar. This is reminiscent of an unused scene from the original where Tifa asks Cloud what he’s going to do next (after he walks out on Avalanche). In that scene, Cloud replies that he’s going to look for Sephiroth, but here he remembers the promise and says he’ll stay.

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ティファ
 クラウドは
 しばらく ミッドガルだよね?
Tifa
You…weren’t thinking of leaving Midgar anytime soon,
were you?
クラウド
 古い友達が ピンチらしくてな
Cloud
Well, seems this old friend of mine’s in a tight spot…
クラウド
 そんな時は
 助けるって約束したんだ
Cloud
Long time ago I said I’d be there for her. Made a
promise, so…

The black hooded wraiths appear again. There’s a bit of confusion regarding how they work in English. The Japanese uses 接触すると without specifying who/what you need to touch. Before, when Cloud was talking to the Avalanche members on the train, he said that he could only see them after “she” grabbed him. While here, the English suggests that you need to make contact with the ghosts. To be fair though, Cloud himself hardly knows anything about these things, so it makes sense for him to guess or be mistaken about how they work. That said, it would be interesting to see if everyone has now made contact with Cloud at some point, and that’s why they can all see the wraiths.

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
クラウド
 突然見える
 おそらく 接触がきっかけだ
Cloud
They were—at first. Only saw them after she grabbed
me…
Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
クラウド
 接触すると見えるようになる
 それ以上のことは わからない
Cloud
No idea. Pretty sure you can’t even see them unless
they make physical contact first…

Jessie gets hurt, forcing Cloud to join the mission. The English has some fantastic translations here. The Japanese lines are roughly, “(I’m) clumsy” and “(You’re) making too much fuss. (I’m) totally fine.”

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ジェシー
 ドジっちゃった
Jessie
Me and my two left feet…
Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ウェッジ
 大丈夫ッスか?
Wedge
D-does it hurt?
ジェシー
 騒ぎすぎ 全然へーき
Jessie
Not nearly as much as the fuss everyone’s making.

Barret announces their next target and tells Cloud to meet him at the station, as in the original.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
バレット
 よーし 仕切り直しだ
Barret
Let’s get this show on the road…
バレット
 ターゲットは 伍番魔晄炉
Barret
to Mako Reactor 5!
バレット
「標的は【五番魔晄炉】だ。
 まず、駅へ行く」
Barret
“Our target’s the Sector 5 Reactor.
Head for the station first.”
バレット
 各自 準備を整えて
 駅に集合!
Barret
Once you’ve got your gear in order, head to the station for the meet. Got it?

Cloud is then free to wander the Sector, and we can find even more NPC lines from the original.

For starters, there’s the two guards again. A lot of the wording matches up in the Japanese, though other parts of the conversation are rewritten. Again, the English does a great job of conveying their two positions/personalities in the dialogue. Also, the last line is finally rendered properly in English as the subordinate guard talking to himself (“I don’t know who’s scarier”).

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalE PC
新人兵士
 先輩……
New Recruit
Sir…
「先輩!!
 LOVELESSのチケット
 取れたんですけど
 いっしょにいきません?」
“You know, I got some tickets to
‘Loveless’, do you want to go?”
新人兵士
 『LOVELESS』のチケットが
 取れたんですけど
 いっしょに行きませんか
New Recruit
I got my hands on tickets for the
Loveless musical. Would you like to go with me?
先輩兵士
 勤務中に なにを言っている
Senior Officer
You do realize, we’re on duty.
「やめとけ!
 ミッドガルは非常警戒体制
 に入ってる」
“What’re you, retarded?
Midgar’s under martial law now!”
先輩兵士
 アバランチはスラム
 に潜んでいるんだ
 気を抜くな
Senior Officer
The slums are Avalanche territory. Stay sharp.
「そんなんじゃねえ!!
 テロリストはスラム
 にひそんでる。
 俺たちだって、気をぬけねぇ」
“Hell no!!
But in case you forgot,
we’re in the middle of a slum.”
“They could be anywhere around,
so stay on your guard.”
新人兵士
 すみません
 なんだか落ち着かなくて
New Recruit
Right. Sorry, sir! It’s just that…never mind.
「ああ、アバランチですか?」“Right. You mean the AVALANCHE?”
「大丈夫ですよ。
 なんてったって
 ソルジャーが警備に
 導入されたんですから」
“Don’t you worry.
SOLDIER has been added to the police force.”
新人兵士
 警備にソルジャーが導入
 されたらしいですね
 ソルジャーの出勤は久しぶりだ
New Recruit
I heard they’ve deployed SOLDIER
operatives, too. It’s been a while since they’d done that.
「ソルジャーの出動かぁ、
 久しぶりですよね。
 ねえ、先輩」
“Boy, it’s been a while since SOLDIER’s been
mobilized, hasn’t it?”
新人兵士
 そういや 俺
 ソルジャーの試験に
 落ちちゃって——
New Recruit
I wanted to be a SOLDIER, but as you can see—
「僕、ソルジャーの試験
 落っこちちゃったんですよ。
 この話、しましたっけ?」
“I ever tell you that I flunked the
SOLDIER entrance exam?”
先輩兵士
 おい 黙って仕事しろ
Senior Officer
Cut the chatter. We’re working!
「すこしはだまって、
 仕事できねえのか!」
“Hey shut up for a minute
and let me get back to work!”
新人兵士
 すみません
New Recruit
Right! Sorry, sir.
「……しゅん」“…sigh.”
Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalE PC
新人兵士
 アバランチと先輩
 どっちが怖いんだろう
New Recruit
I don’t know who’s scarier—Avalanche or
my superior.
「アバランチと先輩……
 どっちがこわいんだろ?」
“What are you more scared of
AVALANCHE or me?”

Next we have the train station couple. The Japanese dialogue lines up exactly here, so yes, this exchange was just as weird on PSX. The English gets an upgrade here, clarifying that the couple is just randomly falling asleep at the end, whereas the sound effects used in the original translation made one wonder if something more morbid was going on here. グゥグゥ (guuguu) and スゥスゥ (suusuu) are onomatopoeia used to indicate sleeping, but Japanese onomatopoeia are notoriously difficult to parse, so the original translator probably just made their best guess. Not to mention that the rest of the dialogue really doesn’t sound like it’s leading up to them only falling asleep. In any case, in Remake we get some extra lines afterwards lampshading the ridiculousness of it all. Which may also be a reference to a song title from the FF7 soundtrack (and some dialogue from later in the game): 二本足で立つのも難しいものだな ”It’s hard to stand on two feet, isn’t it?”

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
僕 もう耐えられないI…I can’t wait any longer!「僕、もうたえられない」“I’ve had it!”
いいわ わたしもよIt’s okay. I’m ready.「いいわ…
 わたしもよ」
“Me too.”
初めてだね 意見が合ったのYou finally said it. I’m so happy.「はじめてだね。
 意見があったの…」
“You know this is the first time,
we’ve ever agreed on something.”
ええMe too!「ええ…」“Yes…”
それじゃ……Right…「それじゃ…」“Well then, shall we?”
ええ……Let’s…「ええ…」“Yes…”
グゥグゥ……Zzz…「グゥグゥ……」“urggh…”
スゥスゥ……Zzz…「スゥスゥ……」“…huff…wheez”
Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
立ったまま寝るのって難しいねIt’s pretty hard to sleep standing up.
ええ……Yeah…

Cloud and Tifa meet Barret at the station, and they talk about the mission. The English “Ain’t no stopping this train we’re on” references a line that originally comes much later in the game: “There ain’t no gettin’ offa this train we’re on.” The J Remake line here doesn’t match up with the original line that the English references, so it’s clear that the translators were just having fun inserting their own callbacks.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
クラウド
 どうしても 今日なのか?
Cloud
Today really gotta be the day, huh?
バレット
 動きを出したら
 止められねえんだよ
Barret
Ain’t no stopping this train we’re on, son.
バレット
「でもよ、クラウド。
 オレたちが乗っちまった
 この列車はよ、
 途中下車はナシだぜ」
Barret
“But you gotta understand that there ain’t no gettin’ offa this train we’re on, till we get to the end of the line.”
バレット
 大勢の同志が 動いてくれたんだ
Barret
A lotta people risked their lives to get it rolling…
バレット
 爆破の予告もしちまってる
Barret
Already put the word out more’s coming, too…
バレット
 『魔晄炉止めないと
 今日もやる』ってな
Barret
“Shut them all down by today, or we shut another down for you.”

And so they set off on their second mission…

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