Final Fantasy VII Script Comparison: Sector 5

Cloud and Aeris make their way to Sector 5, home of the infamous typo (which was fixed in E PC!).

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
エアリス 「ここの人、病気みたいなの」	Aeris “This guy are sick.”	Aeris “This guy is sick.”
「近くで倒れていたのを 　誰かが助けたんだって」	“He passed out nearby and someone must have helped him here.”

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A lady in town walks around looking at the ground.
Technically she’s saying that “you don’t see anything drop when you’re looking up,” which is a bit of foreshadowing.

Japanese	English
「何をしてるかって？ 　下を向いて歩いてるのよ」	“What am I doing? I’m walking around looking at the ground.”
「下にはいろいろ落ちてるけど 　上を見たって何も 　落ちてきやしないもの。 　でしょ？」	“You find a lot of things people dropped when you look down. You never find them when you’re looking up. Right?”

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A kid in the weapon shop talks about wanting to go to the upper plate.
A google search of グイーン (gui-n) shows association with robotic clanky noises, which makes a lot more sense than “springy” in this context. And シャキーン (shaki-n) seems to encompass both “glittery” and “clink/clank” as well. So he seems to be describing the loud noises that would accompany a city packed with machinery, as well as the sparkle from the city lights.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「ブッブー！ 　つぎはミッドガル 　ミッドガルです」	“Toot toot! Next stop…Midgar Midgar.”
「お降りのお客様はブザーを 　ならしてくださ～い！」	“Any passengers getting off on Midgar should please ring.”	“Any passengers getting off at Midgar should please ring.”
「ミッドガルってさあ。 　キラキラで 　グイーングイーンで 　シャキーンシャキーンなんだって」	“You know, Midgar’s supposed to be sparkly ‘n’ springy ‘n’ sleeky.”
「いいなあ。 　行ってみたいなあ」	“Oh yeah. Someday, I’m goin’ there.”

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The weapon shop owner tries to get you to buy his stuff.
“Take care of yourself” is a perfectly fine translation, but something like “protect” might have been better, to really drive home the “you need my weapons to survive” aspect. Also, the Japanese sort of implies that you have to keep yourself safe, because no one else is going to do that for you.
Incidentally, this line actually gets brought up in Sector 7 in FF7R.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「自分の身は自分で守る。 　こいつがスラムの常識よ！ 　そのためにはまず強え武器！だろ？」	“Take care of yourself. It’s the law of the slums. But to do that, first you need weapons, right?”	“Taking care of yourself is the law of the slums. But to do that, first you need weapons, right?”

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Meanwhile, over at the materia shop…

E PC cleans up this line a bit. Also, I’m sorry to break it to you, NPC, but it’s the protagonist’s duty to barge in and open your freezer. Learn to live with it.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「オットット！」	“Hey!”
「ひとんちのフリーザーを 　勝手に開けるなって、おっかさんに 　言われなかったかい？」	“Don’t come barging into my house and be opening up my freezer! Didn’t your mother ever teach you that?”	“Hey, didn’t your mother ever teach you not to barge into houses and open up people’s freezers?”

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This NPC is messing up AVALANCHE’s name in his disdain for them, saying “AVALANCHE or Aventure or whatever.” The translation gets this across with just “or whatever you call them” possibly to save space or because they weren’t sure what the katakana loan word was.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「ケッ……！ 　プレジデント神羅の言うことなんて 　みんなうそっぱちさ」	“Hmph……! Everything President Shinra says is a lie.”
「だがな、アバランチだか 　アバンチュールだか知らねえが 　あいつらも信用ならねえ」	“But then again, you can’t trust that AVALANCHE, or whatever you call them.”	“But you can’t trust that AVALANCHE, or whatever you call them.”

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He continues on…
E PSX is probably going for a general “you” here, but it can also be mistaken for a direct question. So E PC’s “I” is better, especially considering his next sentence. This also feels like a bit more foreshadowing.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「アレコレ言ってても 　けっきょく上の連中が 　うらやましいだけなのさ」	“You can bat it around all you like. But in the end it comes down to wanting to be like those who live up above.”	“You can bat it around all you like, but it all comes down to wanting to live like the people up there.”
「なら誰を信じるか？ 　決まってんじゃねえか、俺だよ俺！ 　俺は俺にウソをつかねえからな」	“So who do you believe in? Oneself! Me! I never lie to myself, that’s for sure!”	“So who do I believe in? Myself! Me! I never lie to myself, that’s for sure!”

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E PC also rewrites the news report to flow much better.

Bonus fact: According to the Ultimania Omega book, the mayor’s name is part of the running joke that Midgar is like a pizza.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「ニュースをおつたえします」	“And now for the news.”
「テロリストグループ『アバランチ』の 　破壊工作により、一部供給が 　中断していたミッドガルの電力は 　まもなく回復する予定です」	“Due to a terrorist attack by the group named AVALANCHE, parts of Midgar that were temporarily out of power will be restored momentarily.”	“A terrorist attack by the group called AVALANCHE has parts of Midgar temporarily out of power, but they will be restored momentarily.”
「プレジデント神羅につづき 　ミッドガルのドミノ市長も 　『アバランチ』に対する 　非難声明をだしています……」	“Following President Shinra’s lead, Mayor Domino also spoke out public against AVALANCHE.”	“Following President Shinra’s address, Mayor Domino also spoke out today against AVALANCHE.”

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This kid is sleeping, not gurgling something. I’m not sure the onomatopoeia グー (gu-) can ever be used to designate drinking or gurgling, but Japanese onomatopoeia are hard enough to deal with even when proper context is provided, so I’ll give them a pass.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「グーグー……」	“glug…glug…”
「……これで……だれにも…… 　みつからムニャムニャ……」	“Now…no one… will find it…num…”
「１番上と……２番目の……」	“The top one… and the bottom one…”	“Top drawer… and the bottom one…”

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The pair arrive at Aeris’ house and she introduces Cloud to her mother.
She’s technically saying, “Cloud was with me today,” emphasizing that this has happened multiple times before.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
エアリス 「ただいま、お母さん」	Aeris “I’m home, mom.”
エアリス 「この人、クラウド。 　わたしのボディーガードよ」	Aeris “This is Cloud. My bodyguard.”
エルミナ 「ボディーガードって…… 　おまえ、また狙われたのかい！？」	Elmyra “Bodyguard……? You mean you were followed again!?”	Elmyra “Bodyguard? You were followed again!?”
エルミナ 「体は！？　ケガはないのかい！？」	Elmyra “Are you all right!? You’re not hurt, are you!?”
エアリス 「だいじょうぶ。 　今日はクラウドもいてくれたし」	Aeris “I’m all right. I had Cloud with me.”

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Aeris then asks Cloud what he’s going to do next.
I just love how well the “A girl…friend?” sequence works in English.
Fun fact: In Japanese, the feminine pronoun 彼女 (kanojo; she/her) is also used to mean “girlfriend.”

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
エアリス 「ねぇ、これからどうするの？」	Aeris “So what are you going to do now?”
クラウド 「……７番街は遠いのか？ 　ティファの店に行きたいんだ」	Cloud “…Is Sector 7 far from here? I want to go to Tifa’s bar.”
エアリス 「ティファって……女の人？」	Aeris “Is Tifa……a girl?”	Aeris “Is Tifa…a girl?”
クラウド 「ああ」	Cloud “Yeah.”
エアリス 「彼女？」	Aeris “A girl…friend?”

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Elmyra convinces her daughter to take Cloud to Sector 7 tomorrow, and once alone with him, she warns him to stay away from Aeris.
E PC’s edit of the last line sounds more accurate to me based on events that take place prior to the game, but I’ll leave it at that in order to avoid spoilers.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
エルミナ 「あんたのその目の輝きは…… 　ソルジャーなんだろ？」	Elmyra “That glow in your eyes… you’re from SOLDIER, right?”
クラウド 「ああ。 　しかし、むかしの話だ…」	Cloud “Yeah. Rather I used to be…”	Cloud “Yeah. Or, I used to be…”
エルミナ 「………。 　言いにくいんだけど…」	Elmyra “…… I don’t know how to say this, but…”	Elmyra “… I don’t know how to say this, but…”
「今夜のうちに 　出て行ってくれないかい？ 　エアリスにはないしょでさ」	“Would you please leave here, tonight? Without telling Aeris.”	“could you please leave here tonight, without telling Aeris?“
エルミナ 「ソルジャーなんて…… 　またエアリスが悲しい思いを 　することになる……」	Elmyra “SOLDIER…the last thing Aeris needs is to get her feelings hurt again…”	Elmyra “SOLDIER…the last thing Aeris needs is to get hurt again.”

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Cloud falls asleep, preparing to sneak out in the morning.
The translation gives up on using pronouns entirely here. Though this one could probably safely use “you” since みたい (mitai; “to seem / to appear”) implies the voice is talking about someone other than themselves. Also, it’s interesting to note that while E PSX went with “you” previously, it uses “I” here.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
『……かなり、アレだな。 　つかれてるみたいだぞ』	“…seem pretty tired……”	“…seem pretty tired…“
クラウド 「…………！？」	Cloud “………!?”	Cloud “…!?”
『こんなキチンとしたベッド 　……ひさしぶりだ』	“I haven’t slept in a bed like this …in a long time.”	“I haven’t slept in a bed like this …for a long time.”
クラウド 「……ああ、そうだな」	Cloud “…Oh, yeah.”	Cloud “Oh, yeah.”
『あれ以来、かな』	“Ever since that time.”	“Ever since then.”

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Cloud flashes back to a conversation with his mother.
グイグイ引っ張っていく (guigui hippatte iku) is literally “pull along strongly.” So this might be a little more like “one who keeps you on a tight leash.”

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「ちゃんとした彼女がいれば 　母さん、すこしは 　安心できるってもんだ」	“I’d feel a lot better if you just settled down and had a nice girlfriend.”	“I’d feel a lot better if you just settled down with a nice girlfriend.”
クラウド 「……俺はだいじょうぶだよ」	Cloud “…I’m all right.”
「あんたにはねぇ……」	“You should have…”
「ちょっとお姉さんで 　あんたをグイグイ引っ張っていく」	“an older girlfriend, one that’ll take care of you.”
「そんな女の子が 　ピッタリだと思うんだけどね」	“I think that would be the perfect type for you.”	“I think that would be best for you.”

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Cloud runs into Aeris while sneaking out and says he couldn’t rely on her because the road would be dangerous.
In Japanese Aeris’ reply is roughly, “Is that all you want to say?” I’m very fond of the English translation: “Are you done?” It’s nice and sassy.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
エアリス 「お早い出発、ね」	Aeris “You’re up bright and early.”
クラウド 「危険だとわかっているのに 　あんたにたよるわけにはいかないさ」	Cloud “How could I ask you to go along when I knew it would be dangerous?”	Cloud “I couldn’t ask you to go. I knew it would be dangerous.“
エアリス 「言いたいことはそれだけ？」	Aeris “Are you done?”
エアリス 「ティファさんのいる【セブンスヘブン】は 　この先のスラム【６番街】を通らないと 　いけないの」	Aeris “You have to go through the slum in Sector 6 to get to Tifa’s 7th Heaven.”
「案内してあげる。さ、行きましょ！」	“I’ll take you there. Come on!”

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They reach the park and Cloud asks Aeris if she’ll be alright going back home by herself.
More literally, she’s saying “What would you do if I said I couldn’t go back by myself?” The English translation has a more teasing tone, which is nice.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
エアリス 「この奥に７番街へのゲートがあるの」	Aeris “The gate to Sector 7’s in there.”
クラウド 「わかった。 　じゃあ、ここで別れようか。 　ひとりで帰れるか？」	Cloud “Thanks. I guess this is goodbye. You gonna be all right going home?”
エアリス 「いや～ん、 　帰れない～！！ 　って言ったら 　どうするの？」 　　　家までおくる 　　　７番街までいっしょに	Aeris “Oh no! ‘What ever will I do!?’ …isn’t that what you want me to say?” 　　　See her home 　　　Take her to Sector 7	Aeris “Oh no! ‘What ever will I do!?’ …Isn’t that what you want me to say?” 　　　Take her home. 　　　Go on to Sector 7.

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They sit down and chat for a bit. Aeris talks about a person she knew in SOLDIER.
As others have pointed out, she isn’t saying “boyfriend” but rather “the first person I ever liked/loved.”

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
クラウド 「クラス…… 　１ST（ファースト）だ」	Cloud “First Class.”
エアリス 「ふ～ん。　おんなじだ」	Aeris “Just the same as him.”
クラウド 「誰と同じだって？」	Cloud “The same as who?”
エアリス 「初めて好きになった人」	Aeris “My first boyfriend.”
クラウド 「……つきあってた？」	Cloud “You were…serious?”	Cloud “Were you…serious?”
エアリス 「そんなんじゃないの。 　ちょっと、いいなって 　思ってた」	Aeris “No. But I liked him for a while.”

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Their talk is interrupted by the Sector 7 gate opening up and a carriage coming out. Tifa’s seen riding on the back of it.
Aeris isn’t necessarily saying that Tifa herself looked odd, but that something about the situation seemed off or was concerning. 様子 (yousu) can mean “appearance” but also “circumstances/state of affairs.”

Japanese	English
エアリス 「あれに乗っていた人がティファさん？ 　どこいくのかしら？ 　それに、様子が変だったわね……」	Aeris “That girl in the cart was Tifa? Where was she going? She looked kind of odd…”

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And so they head to Wall Market to find out what’s going on…

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Bombing Mission
• Sector 7
• Second Mission
• Reunion in a Church
• Sector 5
• Wall Market – Part 1
• Wall Market – Part 2
• Assault on the Pillar
• Aeris’ Past
• Infiltrating Shinra HQ
• Rescuing Aeris
• Escaping Shinra HQ