Final Fantasy VII Script Comparison: Sector 7

As we arrive in Sector 7, context issues strike again when speaking with the two guards near the train station. (Context issues will be a recurring theme throughout this series.) The superior officer is actually scolding the other for talking out of turn here. Roughly, “Hey! Quit your blabbing!” or “No talking on the job!”
The Japanese itself is vague when taken out of context. おう！ (ou!) can be used to express surprise, affirmation, or even just to say “Hey!”
And むだぐちたたくんじゃねえ (mudaguchi tatakun ja nee!) doesn’t specify a subject, literally reading just “don’t chatter pointlessly!”
So the translator took the おう！ as an affirmation and assumed the superior officer was speaking about himself: “I don’t chatter pointlessly!”
But knowing the personality and relationship of these two characters, it’s more likely that this おう！ is more of a “Hey!” and that he’s directing this at his subordinate, telling him not to pipe up like that while on the job. The subordinate’s sheepish reaction helps back up this interpretation.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「きさま、何の用だ？　この俺が何者か、知らんわけないだろう？」	“What the hell do you want? You know who I am?”
「ここから先は立ち入り禁止だ。　俺はここでおまえみたいな浮浪者を　おっぱらうケチな仕事をしてるもんだ」	“You can’t pass. I got the miserable job of keepin’ scum like you from trying to sneak in here.”
「わかったら、さっさとうせろ！！」
「さ、さすが、先輩！！」	“W, wow! You’re great!!”
「おう！！　むだぐちたたくんじゃねえ！」	“Damn right!! Don’t waste time talkin’s, what I always say!”	“Damn right!! Don’t waste time talkin’s what I always say!”
「え、で、でも……」	“But, uh, I……”

E PC only noted when it differs from E PSX

Another error pops up in the translation of the town gossip’s text. She’s actually saying that it WAS a small mercy that all the people died in their sleep. This is all taking place around midnight.

The translator likely misread だったから (datta kara; “because it was”) for だったら (dattara; “if it was”).

Japanese	English
「爆破が真夜中だったから、まだいいわ。　眠ってた人はそのまま目が覚めないだけね」	“If the explosion had been in the middle of the night, that woulda been one thing. At least the people coulda gone in their sleep.”

Here we have our first glimpse of Johnny. “But they sure do creep up on ya” is a nice embellishment of the Japanese which is literally just “they’re strong.”

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「ウウ……よっぱらっちゃった。　手作りカクテル、おいしいんだもんなあ。　きついんだもんなあ」	“Woo……ah geez, I’m blitzed. I jes love them homemade cocktails. But they sure do creep up on ya.”	“Woo…ah geez, I’m blitzed. I jes love them homemade cocktails. But they sure do creep up on ya.”

Meanwhile, inside the weapon shop…
For some reason, “you” is put in all caps here, mistakenly implying that the person knows Cloud. Really he’s just asking “Yeah, whaddaya want?” or “What’s up with you?” / “Why’re you bothering me?”

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「よう！！　なんだ、おまえ？」	“Hey!! What the, YOU?”	“Hey!! What the—YOU?”

There’s a kid in the weapon shop who has a kind of weird/funny line in English.
時化る (shikeru) is literally “to go through hard times” so he’s saying “You look like you’ve had it pretty rough, old man.”
This is a sentiment echoed by Tifa later, who worries that Cloud looks worn out.

Japanese	English
「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?”

A guy on one of the upper floors of the shop talks about the bombing and AVALANCHE.
Using “they say” twice here makes it a little confusing as to who exactly is saying what. What he’s trying to say is that AVALANCHE claims they’re an anti-Shinra group, but rumor has it that AVALANCHE actually just wants to mass murder people.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「おもてむきは、反神羅がどうしたとかって　声明がでてるらしいがよ。　真相はな……」	“On the surface they say they’re an anti-Shinra group, but in reality…”
「無差別大量殺人が目的だってうわささ」	“They say they’re just out to kill as many people as they can.”	“they say they’re just out to kill as many people as they can.”

E PC only noted when it differs from E PSX

Cloud heads into the bar and meets up with Tifa.
If he comes back with a flower, Tifa gets all excited, assuming it’s for her. In Japanese Cloud basically says “It’s not like that.” or “I didn’t get it for you.” For whatever reason the E PC version decides to just have him be silent instead.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
クラウド「そんなんじゃないさ」　　　ティファ、あげる　　　マリン、あげる	Cloud “No big.” 　　　Give it to Tifa 　　　Give it to Marlene	Cloud “…“ 　　　Give it to Tifa 　　　Give it to Marlene

Biggs tells Cloud to have a drink with him and Cloud can accept or refuse. Either way, Biggs will follow up by telling Cloud to keep it a secret from Barret.
The Japanese here really is literally just “Keep (it) a secret from Barret,” without specifying exactly what it is that needs to be secret. Neither of his previous dialogue branches strike me as something he’d need to hide from Barret. So I wonder if Biggs is referring more to the fact that he’s drinking without Barret, rather than anything he just said.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「クラウドさんも、おひとつどうですか？」　　　いらないな　　　そうだな、もらおうか	“Why don’t you have one too?” 　　　No 　　　Yeah, why not?
(1) 「なに～！！　おれさまの酒がのめないってかぁ？」	(1) “What!? You tellin’ me you’re too good to drink with me?”
「元ソルジャーだからって　お高くとまってんじゃねえぞ！」	“Don’t act big-headed jus’ because you were in SOLDIER!”
(2) 「おっ！！　いい心がけじゃねぇか！！」	(2) Biggs “Oh!! That’s more like it!!”
「元ソルジャーでもここじゃおめえも新人だ。　新人にとっちゃ先輩の言うことは　絶対だからな！」	“Even if you were with SOLDIER, you’re still a rookie here. So you’d better listen to whatever I tell ya!”
(end) ビッグス「ウィっ……！！」	(end) Biggs “Hic…!!”	(end) Biggs “Hic!!”
「あっ…… 　バレットにはないしょだぞぉ」	“Oh…… Don’t tell Barret what I jus said.”	“Oh… don’t tell Barret what I jus’ said.”

E PC only noted when it differs from E PSX

When talking to Jessie…
E PS1 is much closer to the Japanese. Jessie is talking about herself, with the implication being that she has a crush on Cloud. The change in E PC makes me think that the editor wasn’t referencing the original Japanese line, causing them to assume that Jessie was talking about Wedge.
To be fair, the subject is once again not specified in Japanese, such that this is literally “Careless… Somehow, heart-pounding/exciting.” But the inclusion of the heart icons at least makes it extra clear that Jessie most likely crushing on someone and not talking about Wedge making a mess. (Though it’s possible that the hearts didn’t display properly in whatever program the translator/editor was using.)

Incidentally, “ukatsu” (lit. “careless”) is practically Jessie’s catchphrase at this point in Japanese. She says it when her foot’s stuck, here, and later when she’s watching the news.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
ジェシー「う♡か♡つ♡…… 　なんだか、ドキドキしてる」	Jessie “Careless…… You’re getting all excited.”	Jessie “Hey Wedge, you’re getting all excited.”
「なぜなの…？」	“Wonder what for……?”	“Stop making such a mess!”

If you gave the flower to Marlene earlier, she thanks you for it after Barret comes in and says that she’ll take care of it. In English this was mistranslated as “take care of you (Cloud).” Once again, no subject or object is specified in the Japanese (lit. “properly take care of”), so it’s up to the reader to guess who is taking care of what.

Japanese	English
マリン「お花、ありがとうね、クラウド」	Marlene “Thank you, Cloud.”
「ちゃんとお世話するからね」	“We’ll take care of you.”

Cloud descends to the hidden base and talks to Jessie.
In Japanese she says that her bomb got its time in the spotlight/had its big moment on the world stage (晴れ舞台 ; harebutai).
So it’s not that this is her first bomb as E PC says, but that it was her bomb’s big debut, as per the E PSX translation.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
ジェシー「でも、私の爆弾の晴れぶたい。　ちょっと、うれしいんだ」	Jessie “Hey, that was my bomb’s debut. Makes me kinda proud.”	Jessie “Hey, that was my first bomb. Makes me kinda proud.”

When Wedge talks about the next mission, in Japanese he mentions that he’s really nervous about it. This detail is left out in the translation, such that his next line “Cloud, you’re great! Don’t you ever get nervous?” seems to come out of the blue.

Japanese	English
「次の作戦は、五番魔晄炉爆破！　俺、緊張しちまって、ガチガチなんすよ」	“The next mission will be to blow up the Sector 5 Reactor.”
「クラウドさんは、さっすがすね～。　ぜんぜん緊張とかしないでしょ？」	“Cloud, you’re great! Don’t you ever get nervous?”

Cloud has a fight with Barret and is about to leave the bar before Tifa stops him and reminds him of a promise he made to her when they were younger. We get a flashback of the scene.
Once again, the Japanese is vague here such that this line could also be taken as “All the boys eventually leave town,” in the sense that this is an inevitable, regular occurrence as young people habitually flock to the city. But we do find out later that they had other friends in the village around their age who did all leave for Midgar around the same time, so the English translation is fine in implying that it’s an event that’s happening currently.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
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 boys are leaving our town.”	Tifa “All the boys are leaving town.”

Cloud agrees to stay with AVALANCHE and they sleep for the night. The next morning, Tifa asks Cloud if he slept well, and he can say that Barret’s snoring kept him up.
Some more context issues pop up in Tifa’s response. This should be “he’ll hear you,” not “they’ll.” Again, no subject is specified such that the Japanese is literally just “No… end up hearing,” leaving it up to the reader to fill in the blanks.

Japanese	English
「（ダメ……聞こえちゃうよ。　バレット、作戦前は気が立ってるから）」	“( keep it down, they’ll hear you. Barret’s always edgy before an operation. )”

Barret asks Cloud to teach him about Materia.
During the tutorial, the translation adds “So, Materia’s kind of a double-edged sword,” emphasizing that it has both pros and cons.
The Japanese is roughly, “Normally, when you equip Magic Materia, your magic power will get stronger. You’ll be able to use magic, but conversely your strength and stamina will weaken.”

Japanese	English
ふつう、魔法マテリアをつければ、魔力は強くなる。	Normally, when you equip [Magic] Materia,
	your magic power will get stronger.
魔法が使えるようになるが、逆に力や体力は弱まる。	But your physical strength weakens.
	So, Materia’s kind of a double-edged sword.

Johnny decides to leave town and Cloud can now go into his house and talk to his parents.
The translators did a good job extrapolating here, or they must have had a bit of context to go on, since the Japanese doesn’t have any details about Johnny giving them nothing but headaches. (Literally, “Even when a child like that leaves, it’s somehow distressing.”)

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「あんな子でもいなくなってみるとね。　なんだか、落ちつかなくて。　……不思議なものね」	“He used to give us nothing but headaches when he was here, but now that he’s gone…I kind of miss him.”	“He used to give us nothing but headaches when he was here, but now that he’s gone…we kind of miss him.”

If Cloud tells Johnny’s father that he’s from Nibelheim, you get the first reference to a Mako reactor accident happening there. Also, E PC cleans this up a bit to sound more in character for a middle-aged man.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「当時は、最初の大きな魔晄炉事故ということで　ずいぶん話題になりましたなあ」	“That was the first major Mako accident, so I remember it really being a hot topic.”	“That was the first major Mako accident, I remember it was all over the news.”

After Johnny leaves, an NPC says that he’s suddenly lost his rival (張り合い; hariai), referring to Johnny. The English seems to have mistaken this for the phrase/expression 張り合いのない (hariai no nai; “discouraging / disappointing”) and then attributed the feeling to Cloud for whatever reason (once again no subject specified in Japanese).

Japanese	English
「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.”

The town gossip is also at a bit of a loss after Johnny leaves, implying she used to offload mainly on him. She then decides her new goal will be to impress Cloud. The English makes it sound like she’s just railing at Cloud instead of coming to a revelation about her new focus.
The Japanese is roughly, “That’s right! You! Mr. I-don’t-care!” or “I’ve got it! You! Mr. I-don’t-care!”

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「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!?”
「そうだ、あなた！　興味ない男さん！」	“Yeah, and you Mr. I-don’t-care!”
「今度はきっと、あなたでも興味のわく　すご～い情報を集めておくから　楽しみにしておいて」	“I’ll get a little more information that would poque even your interest. You wait and see!”	“I’ll get a little more information that would pique even your interest. You wait and see!”

E PC only noted when it differs from E PSX

Cloud can now go to the Beginner’s Hall and learn/teach people about the game mechanics.
During the explanation on treasures, the player is shown a treasure box and the following Japanese line reads:
“There are also other kinds like bottles and bags…”
The translation misses out on informing the player about the blue bottle treasures.

Japanese	English
「ボトルタイプやふくろタイプなど　ほかにもしゅるいがありますから　お見のがしないように」	“There are box types and bag types, so make sure you don’t overlook any.”

When learning about save points, E PC fixes up a line hinting at the PHS system which had a pretty rough translation in the original.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「ほんとは、もうひとつあるんだけど　いまは秘密♡お楽しみに待っててね♡」	“There’s more, too. Look for something called secret.”	“You can also do something else there, but right now it’s a secret.”

E PC also fixes up the phrasing here to clarify that the world map is an area you can walk around in, not an item you receive.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「地平線まで広がる【ワールドマップ】で　好きなだけ「セーブ」することができるの。　そのときがきたら、思い出してね」	“Once you get the world map, you can save anywhere you like. Remember that.”	“and you get to the world map, you can save anywhere you like. Remember that.”

Cloud explains Materia growth to the kids, but the English messes this up a bit. It’s the type of armor/weapon that determines the growth rate, not the type of Materia. The Japanese also suggests that the types of slots (connected/separate) will affect the combinations you can use.

Japanese	English
「装備する武器や防具のしゅるいによって　マテリアの成長のスピードはちがう」	“The type of Materia you put in your weapons and armor will determine how quickly your Materia grows.”
「武器や防具にあいている穴の形によって　マテリアの組み合わせは無限に広がる」	“Put Materia into the open slots in your weapons and armor. The possible combinations are limitless.”

As Cloud heads to the train station for the next mission, he can talk to the guards again.
Their conversation is messed up further in E PC, suddenly having the guard address Cloud and not his superior officer. Since this entire exchange doesn’t feature any name tags, it’s no wonder the translators (and editors) got confused.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「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?”	“You know, I got some tickets to ‘Loveless‘, do you want to go?”
「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!”
「あっ、先輩！　僕のこと、心配してくれてるんですか！」	“You mean, you really are concerned for me?”	“Cloud, are you really concerned for me?”

E PC only noted when it differs from E PSX

At the end, the guard is actually wondering to himself which is more scary, his superior officer or AVALANCHE. He settles on his superior officer being the scarier of the two. (Roughly: “I wonder who’s scarier, AVALANCHE or my boss. Yeah, it’s definitely my boss.”
The translator mistook this as two people talking because they had no context as to who was speaking.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「アバランチと先輩…… 　どっちがこわんだろ？」	“What are you more scared of… AVALANCHE or me?”	“What are you more scared of AVALANCHE or me?”
「きっと、先輩だな」	“Oh, you, of course.”

E PC only noted when it differs from E PSX