Final Fantasy VII Script Comparison: Wall Market – Part 1

Aaand we’ve made it to Wall Market. Here we go!
E PC fixes this line to make it clear that this NPC isn’t actually the one handing out the coupons, just advertising the promotion.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「どうぞ、よっていってください。　今なら『薬屋商品クーポン』を　サービスしますよ」	“Please come in. Here’s a free ‘Pharmacy Coupon’ if you enter now.”	“Please come in. There’s a free ‘Pharmacy Coupon’ if you enter now.”

If Cloud has a meal at the diner (and picks the right response?), he gets a pharmacy coupon.
E PC flows a little better here, but I feel like they both kind of miss the “as of now, we’re ending this service/promotion” meaning. Though I guess that’s implied by “Watch out for our next promotion!”

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「ありがとうございました。　薬屋商品クーポンをどうぞ。　薬屋で、商品ひとつと交換できます」	“Thank you. Here’s an item coupon for the Pharmacy.”
	“You can exchange it for one item there.”
「クーポンがなくなりましたので、このサービスは　終了させていただきます。　次なるサービスにご期待ください」	“We’re out of coupons, so we stopped giving them away. Watch for our NEXT promotion!”	“That’s our last coupon for now. Watch for our NEXT promotion!”

E PC only noted when it differs from E PSX

The guy at the pharmacy gets startled when he realizes Cloud is there.
The E PC line is rewritten to sound more natural.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「うわっ！」	“Whoa!”
「いるならいるって　言ってくださいよ」	“Why don’t you say something, if you’re standing there?”	“Don’t just stand there, say something!!”

There’s a group of people outside the weapon shop complaining about all the junk around.
While 溜め込む (tamekomu) is literally “to save up/stockpile,” these people are complaining about all this stuff they consider trash, so “dumping” might be more appropriate than “saving” here. Or even “hoarding,” as a nice middle ground.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「ここのゴミ。　どうにかならないのかしらねえ」	“All this trash. Can’t we do anything with it?”
「これって全部、あの、ほら…… 　武器屋の、あそこのご主人。　ひろってきては、ためこんでるそうよ」	“All this, belongs to the owner of the Weapons Shop. He keeps picking things up and saving them here.”	“All this belongs to the owner of the Weapons Shop. He keeps picking things up and saving them here.”
「ああ、あのお店の中に戦車まで置いてる　あのご主人ね」	“Oh, you mean the owner who even has a tank in his shop.”	“Oh, you mean the owner who has a tank in his shop.”
「でも、どうみても　ゴミですわねえ」	“But no matter how you look at it, it’s just trash…”	“But any way you look at it, it’s just trash…”

E PC only noted when it differs from E PSX

Inside the gym are some people doing squats.
Based on the placement of the text box, this is actually someone else cheering on the person doing the squats, like “You can do it, bro!” But again, since there aren’t any speaker tags (and the Japanese doesn’t specify “I” or “You”), the translator had no way of knowing who was talking.

Japanese	English
「はい、１、２、３　スクワットはリズムですよ」	“All right… 1, 2, 3. Squats are all in the rhythm.”
「あにきー！　がんばりやすぜー！」	“I’m doing my best, bro’!”
「これで　どうだー！」	“How’s… this!?”

Inside the restaurant, a couple of NPCs are talking amongst themselves.
E PC adds question mark here, which actually makes this less accurate. The first person is telling a story and the second person is reacting. With the question mark, it makes it seem like both are reacting and no one is actually talking. Because there are once again no speaker tags, whoever was editing the E PC version may have thought it was just one person speaking and thus decided to change it. It’s odd because sometimes the E PC text seems to draw on more context than E PSX and other times it makes context errors where E PSX had none. I suppose that just goes to show that the E PC edits were likely just as rushed as the original translation.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「…それでね…」	“…And then…”	“…And then?“
「ふふふ、へー」	“Hmm, hmmm, oh really?”

E PC only noted when it differs from E PSX

An NPC is having a rough time in the bathroom.
Yet another context error. While 燥ぐ (hashagu) is literally “make merry/be in high spirits,” “hyper” isn’t the right word here. It’s more like the person got too carried away/excited about drinking/eating and is now reaping the consequences.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「う………あんたなに開けてんだよ…… 　見てんじゃねえよ…………」	“HEY…someone’s IN here… Don’t look!”
「ねえ、あんたなんか薬もってないかい？　はしゃぎ過ぎちゃってさ……う………」	“Got any medicine on you? I’m too hyper…and……ugh……”	“Got any medicine on you? I’m too hyper…and…ugh.“

E PC only noted when it differs from E PSX

This is the guy who runs the dress shop and currently has artist’s block, so this is probably more like “*sigh* Nothing turns out quite right” or something along those lines. (The Japanese is literally: “(Things) aren’t going well.”)

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「ふ～　うまくいかんもんだのう」	“Whew, times are bad.”	“Man, times are bad.”

When talking to the guy inside the weapon shop…
The translation went for a general “how things look” to play it safe without more context to go on, but the Japanese is specifically referring to the area where he stashes his materials (or junk in the townspeople’s eyes) outside his shop.

Japanese	English
「なにか用か？　資材置き場のもんくは聞かねえぞ」	“You want somethin’? I don’t wanna hear any complaints ’bout how things look.”

We meet up with Johnny again outside the Honeybee Inn!
文学的 (bungakuteki) is literally “literary” but I assume he means that he gets all philosophical at times like this.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
ジョニー「ああ……。　入るべきか……　入らざるべきか？」	Johnny “Man… Should I go…….or not?”	Johnny “Man… Should I go…or not?”
「ああ……俺ってこういうとき　なんか文学的になっちゃうんだよな。　まいるぜ！！」	“…I get so mental at times like this. I’m hopeless!!”

E PC only noted when it differs from E PSX

He’s surprised to see Cloud, and in Japanese he literally says: “Wow! You too?”
This is another line that could use added context in English to make things clearer. Like, “You’re here for the Honeybee Inn too?”

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
ジョニー「あ！！　あんたは？」	Johnny “Hey!! Aren’t you…?”	Johnny “Hey!! Aren’t you?”
「エェ！！　あんたも？」　　　ああ、俺もだ　　　おまえといっしょにするな	“What!! You mean you’re…too?” 　　　Yeah, me too. 　　　Don’t bring me down to your level	“What?? You mean you’re…too?” 　　　Yeah, me too. 　　　Don’t bring me down to your level.

Another NPC by the Honeybee Inn seems to be in the midst of some dilemma.
先に進めない (saki ni susumenai) is literally “cannot proceed forward.” English goes for “I can’t go on” which has a bit of a different connotation. In this case, he seems to be saying more that he can’t find the courage to go into the Honeybee Inn.
Continuing on, the English makes it sound like some lovers’ spat, but as stated above, to me it sounds more like he just doesn’t have the guts/money to go inside. Roughly, “My level (of courage) and salary aren’t enough. I’m just too different (from normal guys).”
I can understand the official English translation’s interpretation, though. Since it could also be taken as “I can’t proceed/make progress (with our relationship). I’m not good enough for her (my level isn’t enough) and I don’t have enough money. I’m too different (from her).”

Japanese	English
「くっ～～　どうしてもダメ…… 　ここから先に進めないです」	“Urrrrgh…no way…… I can’t go on.”
	“Things aren’t working out.”
「ボクのレベルと給料じゃたりんです。　自分がちがいすぎるです」	“Between our differences and my pay, it just isn’t cutting it.”

If Cloud tells this NPC (seemingly an employee of the Inn) he’s not interested in the Honeybee Inn, the NPC replies with this. It’s definitely a weird line, but I think it’s more like “Oh… You’re fine (without it), huh? Good for you.” Like he’s sarcastically praising Cloud for acting all aloof. It’s odd to me for 間に合う to be used in this context, but it can mean “to be good enough/to make do,” so the implication seems to be that Cloud can make do/manage just fine without going inside the Inn.

Japanese	English
「いらっしゃい！！　もてない君でも、ここ蜜蜂の館でなら　運命の彼女に出会えるはず！！」	“Welcome!! Even unpopular dweebs, like you may meet their destiny here!!”
「あなたも彼女さがしですか？」　　　ティファという子を知らないか？　　　俺はこんな場所には興味ない	“You looking for a girlfriend too?” 　　　You know a girl named Tifa? 　　　This place doesn’t interest me.
(2) 「ほう……まにあってますか。　そりゃ、けっこうですな」	(2) “Hmm…Seems to like it just fine. Good for you.”

Cloud finds out that Tifa has been sent to Don Corneo’s mansion.
独身貴族 (dokushinkizoku) is literally “an unmarried person living affluently” and is meant to be humorous, according to jisho.org. Weblio’s definition is roughly “an unmarried person who has plenty of time and money, and not a care in the world.”

Japanese	English
「蜜蜂の館のならわしでね。　新人の子はドン・コルネオの屋敷に　つれてかれるんだ」	“Here at the Honey Bee Inn, it’s customary for all the new girls to be taken to Don Corneo’s mansion.”
「ドン・コルネオは有名な独身貴族。　そろそろ身をかためるってんで　おヨメさんさがしに熱心でねえ」	“Don Corneo’s a famous dilettante. Now he wants to settle down and is in the market for a bride.”

Aeris and Cloud try to figure out how to get into Corneo’s mansion to rescue Tifa. Then Aeris has a great idea.
She technically isn’t asking in Japanese, but demanding. Or at least saying “please” in the way a mother would tell a child to do something.

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
クラウド「かといってエアリスに　いかせるわけには…… 　いや、しかし……」	Cloud “But, I just can’t let you go in alone… Oh, man……”	Cloud “But, I just can’t let you go in alone… Oh, man…“
クラウド「まず、ティファの安全が　確認できな……」	Cloud “First…we need to find out if Tifa’s alright…”
クラウド「なにがおかしいんだ？　エアリス？」	Cloud “What’s so funny, Aeris?”
エアリス「クラウド、女の子に　変装しなさい。　それしかない、うん」	Aeris “Cloud, why don’t you dress up like a girl? It’s the only way.”

E PC only noted when it differs from E PSX

They go find the dressmaker so that he can make a dress for Cloud.
無愛想 (buaisou) is literally “unsociable, surly.” “Sour” might also work here, or maybe “dour.”
Bonus fact: this word is also used to describe Cloud in Remake.

Japanese	English
エアリス「あのね、おじさん」	Aeris “You know, Mister.”
「あの彼がね、一度でいいから　女の子の格好したいって言うの」	“He always said that just once, he’d like to dress up like a girl.”
「それでね、かわいいドレス　着せてあげたいんだけど……」	“So, that’s why I wanted a cute dress for him…”
「なんと！　あんな無愛想なやつがか？」	“What!? A tough lookin guy like that?”

Aeris tells him what kind of dress to make.
And we have more onomatopoeia fun! TheJadedNetwork has さら (sara) (the first option) as “swish,” “silky,” “smooth.” And さわ (sawa) as “fresh,” “refreshing,” “eloquent.” So it seems like the translation may have them switched. Though onomatopoeia like this are always difficult to nail down with certainty.

Japanese	English
「ああ、よかろう。　それで、どんなドレスがいいんじゃ？」	“Yeah, all right. What kind of dress you want?”
エアリス「はだ触りは」　　　さらっとしたの　　　さわっとしたの	Aeris “Something…” 　　　That feels clean 　　　That feels soft

The onomatopoeia continue.
The English is pretty accurate here. きらきら (kirakira) is something that’s more in-your-face shiny, while つやつや (tsuyatsuya) seems to be a more understated shimmer/glow.

Japanese	English
エアリス「ひかり具合は」　　　きらきらしたの　　　つやつやしたの	Aeris “And something…” 　　　shiny 　　　that shimmers

Cloud and Aeris go to get a wig.
These people are all about their 兄貴 (aniki), a special term for an older brother or someone of higher social rank that denotes respect (often translated as “bro”). He seems to literally be saying “only those who have mastered the way of the aniki can look cute.”

Japanese	E PSX	E PC
「あなたね？　かわいくなりたいのは」	“You the one…… Who wants to be cute?”	“Are you the one who wants to be cute?”
クラウド「かわいく？」	Cloud “Cute?”
エアリス「そうなの」	Aeris “Right.”
「それで、かつらなんだけど……」	“And about the wig…”
「ええ、聞いてるわよ。　でも、タダってわけにはねぇ」	“Yeah, I heard. But it’ll cost ya.”
「うぉー！！！」	“Urrrrgh!!!”
「兄貴！　かわいい格好は　兄貴を極めた者のみが　できるんですぜ！！」	“Big Bro!! The only way you’re gonna get cuter is if you can beat Big Bro!!”