Advent Children (the fandom menace)
Oct. 22nd, 2003 04:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akujunkanI meant for this to be a one-off entry, but as these things are apt to do, it has grown into something longer.
What I'm posting today is a translation of part of an article in the magazine ドラマガ, which I bought in the end of September. I've translated this bit for several reasons: 1) it's commentary on the Advent Children trailer, and is thus easily accessible to anyone, 2) it's commentary on the Advent Children trailer, and thus might dispell some of the rumors concerning AC, coming from the horse's mouth as it were, and 3) it's commentary on the Advent Children trailer, and thus it was easy for me to steal scans of the pictures from other sources online. (FYI, I'm direct-linking from the gamespot website)
The presentation is as follows - I've translated the caption to each picture below the gamespot screencaps. These are the exact same pictures used in ドラマガ, which is to say, the official promotional material. I've kept the translations as true to the original Japanese as I can, including the semi-dramatic/semi-cheesy tone and copious use of the exclamation point and ellipsis.
I JUST WANT TO BE FORGIVEN, I THINK. I WANT TO BE FORGIVEN(1)[*]
A church, fallen into ruin. This is the place where, two years ago, as Cloud fell into the Number 5 slum after the battle at the Number 5 Mako Reactor, the flowers Aeris grew on the roof absorbed the impact of his fall and saved him... This place, which reminds one of Aeris, might have fallen into ruin but the lifeforce of the star(2) still wells up here, and the flowers continue to bloom.... "Well... How 'bout a date!" Aeris's famous character is brought to mind.
"I just want to be forgiven, I think. I want to be forgiven..." murmurs Cloud into an empty church. Has he come here for redemption, or has his path led him to a place that reminds him of Aeris...? The sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows makes you feel as though you were actually in a church.
YOU LIVE FOR THE TIME YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN THAT'S WHAT YOU DECIDED, BUT...[**]
Midgar, fallen into ruins. Cloud draws his blade and plunges it into the earth. "You live for the time you've been given. That's what you decided, but..." Cloud murmurs. As he faces the upcoming battle, is he fortelling his own death? Has he resigned himself to it? Does a shinigami(3) bearing his own genes await him?
Cloud's bike rushes forward at an unbelievable speed. Up ahead, a magical attack from his "enemy"(4) traces waving charges of light across the distance between them. Cloud accelerates and avoids the attack through his superb bike technique. But...
Cloud's "enemy" shows him an arrogantly fearless smile. We've never seen this "enemy" before, but somehow, his face and figure seem familiar-- Is he a copy of Sephiroth, prepared seven years earlier at the time of Sephiroth's death? He certainly brings that possibility to mind.
THE LIFE OF THE STAR IS THE LIFESTREAM. ON THAT DAY, THE STAR USED POWER IN ORDER TO SAVE ITSELF
It looks as though Cloud has evaded the attack, but the flames turn around and envelope him from behind! Cloud tries to use the power of the blast and the leverage from the weight of his bike to help run his buster sword through his enemy, but his opponent parries in a single elegant stroke. Up till now, Sephiroth was the the only other swordsman who was an even match for Cloud. One understands in an instant that this is no ordinary opponent!
Cloud charges, but is repelled. The slender blade Cloud's "enemy" holds is similar to Sephiroth's beloved Masamune, but we can see that it's a highly unusual sword composed of two katana blades.
He parries a blow from Cloud's massive buster sword with the two blades of his slender katana, their swords locked at the hilt as their eyes meet. Who is this silver-haired man?
Cloud locks eyes with his enemy. You can see Cloud's new silver "wolf" insignia pinned to his left shoulder. It's a copy of a favorite silver ring Tetsuya Nomura had made for himself.
AND SO, THE STAR CONTINUES TO LIVE ON. BUT, ON THAT DAY, MANY PEOPLE BECAME STARS.
Fireworks erupt between their blades and eyes. Do the two men fighting on the ruined mako reactor share the same roots after all? What makes them fight in the first place? What has caused Cloud to take up his sword again?
Pay close attention to the breatplate Cloud wears on his left shoulder when he fights.
You can still see Shinra Electric signs amongst the wreckage of Midgar. What are the surviving members of
Shinra doing now? More importantly, are their any plans for the members of Cloud's party to make an appearance? Incidentally, the swordfight between these two was recorded using motion capture. We look forward to seeing more in the future.
BUT ON THAT DAY, MANY SOULS BECAME STARS. I THOUGHT NOTHING MORE WOULD HAPPEN, BUT...
"Cloud's enemy" heads straight toward an enigmatic man seated in a wheelchair and covered with a white veil. As he raises his face, we see that it's a double of Sephiroth's! Is the man sitting in the wheelchair Hojo, the man who created the deceased Sephiroth? Or is it someone else entirely?
This scene recalls the nightmare of the scene at the Niebelheim reactor in the orignal FFVII. The music used throughout the trailer is the famous chorus from Sephiroth's last battle in FFVII. Although new music was originally planned for use in Advent Children, the Sephiroth chorus is a perfect match for these images as well.
The "enigmatic man"'s face fades into Sephiroth's... Is he one of the Sephiroth clones prepared seven years ago, after all? Or is Sephiroth still alive?
Sephiroth turns and heads into the flames. "Although it's still a secret as to how Sephiroth will return in Advent Children, this scene recalls the famous scene from so long ago. As to whether or not there are any plans for Sephiroth to reappear on the Star, I can't say at the moment," says Tetsuya Nomura. We're waiting for more information!
NOTES:
1) This is a transcription of Cloud's voiceover narration from the trailer, except he adds an "un," making what he says closer to: "I just want to be forgiven, I think. Yes, I want to be forgiven." So there's a slight change in emphasis between the narration and the transcription.
2) In Japanese, the character used for this word means both "star" and "planet." I'm translating it as star because I think it's prettier, and because some of the metaphorical meaning below would be lost if I used "planet" instead.
3) This literally means "god of death" in Japanese. Since "God of Death!!1!" sounds unbearably cheesy in English, I haven't translated it within the text.
4) The original article puts "enemy" and "enigmatic man" in quotation marks, so I have too.
EDITS (AS OF 12/06/03)
[*] Although what I originally wrote is the literal translation of the Japanese, the sentiment being expressed is similar, perhaps, to "why me?" or "goodbye, cruel world." Cloud is essentially saying that he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders and he's tired of it/tired of being alive.
[**] This was my attempt at a literal translation, and I missed the ball here too (I should stop trying to do these things in the middle of the night). What Cloud is saying here is more along the lines of, "Your memory lives on in me [and so I'm going to keep living in your honor.] That's what I decided, but..."
Some thoughts:
If men on this planet actually looked like the Sephiroth CGI, I would be owned. Just thought I'd mention that from the get-go. (PS: Guh.)
I'd like to ask the people bitching about how this movie is going to ruin the ending of the original FFVII (or rather, their ideas as to what the ending of FFVII meant) to please shut up. Advent Children is going to be around a hour long. An hour. You can't do much, plotwise, with only 60 minutes, especially given the scope of the original. Seen the trailer? You've just seen 3% of the whole. Damn. Movie.
While I'm not worried that AC's going to spoil FVII for me, I am worried that it will leave me incredibly unsatisfied because it will be so short and vague. Nomura said in an interview elsewhere in the magazine that only three people will make an appearance in AC. Well, in the trailer we see Cloud, the Sephy lookalike, and the guy in the wheelchair. If Nomura's telling the truth, those are your three characters right there. No Aeris, Tifa, Vincent, or anyone else. Again, AC's not exactly shaping up to be a movie that'll tie any loose ends together.
(To beat the bitching horse into the ground, if you're incapable of working the paltry bit of plot AC is going to provide into your FFVII ending scenario, the only problem is with your imagination.)
Now, for some speculation. Fandom seems to think Cloud's opponent is Sephiroth. Me, I think that's too obvious. My bets says Sephy's the veiled man in the wheelchair. All the spin I've been reading in Japanese magazines keeps hinting that Short!hair is Sephiroth, which makes me doubt that that's really the case. Furthermore, if Sephiroth were to have survived both the Cloud ass whupping and the meteor impact, he'd be pretty damn battered - battered enough, say, to be veiled and bandaged and confined to a wheelchair. Elementary, Watson.
So I'm guessing Sephy created Short!hair (or if Short!hair is one of the "advent children" of the title, overrode his consciousness Jenova-style) and sent him on a mission to kill Cloud/drain the lifestream/what have you in order to regain power and heal himself. That makes me sad, because I like redemption stories, and I don't seen any sort of redemption in the works for Sephiroth. (Although, I can conceive of a 60 minute plot in which this does occur, but I'd be surprised if they actually use it.)
And on to the graphics. Pretty, pretty, pretty. They've about guaranteed that I'll drop my $60 on the DVD. They even managed to make Cloud attractive, for chrissakes. And yeah, I noticed right away that they gave him fairly obvious Japanese facial features. I think that's nice, 1) because I happen to like Japanese facial features, and 2) because these games are made by the Japanese, which is something the Waah-he-looks-too-Asian! fandom contingent seems to have forgotten.
Finally, I smell a rat. The article harps over and over (and over) on the multilayered meaning of "Advent Children." Of course, Cloud and Sephiroth (and/or a Sephiroth clone) could be the only "children" in the movie, but I'd like to doubt that. As I can't envision any (non-lame) way the multiple meanings of "Advent Children" can be tied into a movie in an hour, I'm hoping that Advent Children is a teaser - either to a sequel or a longer movie. This is only speculation on my part, but I really want to believe it's possible.
[And the 12/06 edits:
Some of what I wrote above is now obsolete, according to a more recent article on AC I 立ち読みed after work a few days ago. Apparently the scenes in the trailer are not going to be included in the movie, so there goes my 3% figure. And it now looks as though "more than ten" people are going to make appeances, so aside from Cloud, Riddle Man, and Sephiroth, who knows who else is going to show up? Minor, but interesting, nonetheless]
I may translate more later; the magazine does promise new info on 11/16. But for now, that will be all.
EDITED 12/06/03
What I'm posting today is a translation of part of an article in the magazine ドラマガ, which I bought in the end of September. I've translated this bit for several reasons: 1) it's commentary on the Advent Children trailer, and is thus easily accessible to anyone, 2) it's commentary on the Advent Children trailer, and thus might dispell some of the rumors concerning AC, coming from the horse's mouth as it were, and 3) it's commentary on the Advent Children trailer, and thus it was easy for me to steal scans of the pictures from other sources online. (FYI, I'm direct-linking from the gamespot website)
The presentation is as follows - I've translated the caption to each picture below the gamespot screencaps. These are the exact same pictures used in ドラマガ, which is to say, the official promotional material. I've kept the translations as true to the original Japanese as I can, including the semi-dramatic/semi-cheesy tone and copious use of the exclamation point and ellipsis.
I JUST WANT TO BE FORGIVEN, I THINK. I WANT TO BE FORGIVEN(1)[*]
A church, fallen into ruin. This is the place where, two years ago, as Cloud fell into the Number 5 slum after the battle at the Number 5 Mako Reactor, the flowers Aeris grew on the roof absorbed the impact of his fall and saved him... This place, which reminds one of Aeris, might have fallen into ruin but the lifeforce of the star(2) still wells up here, and the flowers continue to bloom.... "Well... How 'bout a date!" Aeris's famous character is brought to mind.
"I just want to be forgiven, I think. I want to be forgiven..." murmurs Cloud into an empty church. Has he come here for redemption, or has his path led him to a place that reminds him of Aeris...? The sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows makes you feel as though you were actually in a church.
YOU LIVE FOR THE TIME YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN THAT'S WHAT YOU DECIDED, BUT...[**]
Midgar, fallen into ruins. Cloud draws his blade and plunges it into the earth. "You live for the time you've been given. That's what you decided, but..." Cloud murmurs. As he faces the upcoming battle, is he fortelling his own death? Has he resigned himself to it? Does a shinigami(3) bearing his own genes await him?
Cloud's bike rushes forward at an unbelievable speed. Up ahead, a magical attack from his "enemy"(4) traces waving charges of light across the distance between them. Cloud accelerates and avoids the attack through his superb bike technique. But...
Cloud's "enemy" shows him an arrogantly fearless smile. We've never seen this "enemy" before, but somehow, his face and figure seem familiar-- Is he a copy of Sephiroth, prepared seven years earlier at the time of Sephiroth's death? He certainly brings that possibility to mind.
THE LIFE OF THE STAR IS THE LIFESTREAM. ON THAT DAY, THE STAR USED POWER IN ORDER TO SAVE ITSELF
It looks as though Cloud has evaded the attack, but the flames turn around and envelope him from behind! Cloud tries to use the power of the blast and the leverage from the weight of his bike to help run his buster sword through his enemy, but his opponent parries in a single elegant stroke. Up till now, Sephiroth was the the only other swordsman who was an even match for Cloud. One understands in an instant that this is no ordinary opponent!
Cloud charges, but is repelled. The slender blade Cloud's "enemy" holds is similar to Sephiroth's beloved Masamune, but we can see that it's a highly unusual sword composed of two katana blades.
He parries a blow from Cloud's massive buster sword with the two blades of his slender katana, their swords locked at the hilt as their eyes meet. Who is this silver-haired man?
Cloud locks eyes with his enemy. You can see Cloud's new silver "wolf" insignia pinned to his left shoulder. It's a copy of a favorite silver ring Tetsuya Nomura had made for himself.
AND SO, THE STAR CONTINUES TO LIVE ON. BUT, ON THAT DAY, MANY PEOPLE BECAME STARS.
Fireworks erupt between their blades and eyes. Do the two men fighting on the ruined mako reactor share the same roots after all? What makes them fight in the first place? What has caused Cloud to take up his sword again?
Pay close attention to the breatplate Cloud wears on his left shoulder when he fights.
You can still see Shinra Electric signs amongst the wreckage of Midgar. What are the surviving members of
Shinra doing now? More importantly, are their any plans for the members of Cloud's party to make an appearance? Incidentally, the swordfight between these two was recorded using motion capture. We look forward to seeing more in the future.
BUT ON THAT DAY, MANY SOULS BECAME STARS. I THOUGHT NOTHING MORE WOULD HAPPEN, BUT...
"Cloud's enemy" heads straight toward an enigmatic man seated in a wheelchair and covered with a white veil. As he raises his face, we see that it's a double of Sephiroth's! Is the man sitting in the wheelchair Hojo, the man who created the deceased Sephiroth? Or is it someone else entirely?
This scene recalls the nightmare of the scene at the Niebelheim reactor in the orignal FFVII. The music used throughout the trailer is the famous chorus from Sephiroth's last battle in FFVII. Although new music was originally planned for use in Advent Children, the Sephiroth chorus is a perfect match for these images as well.
The "enigmatic man"'s face fades into Sephiroth's... Is he one of the Sephiroth clones prepared seven years ago, after all? Or is Sephiroth still alive?
Sephiroth turns and heads into the flames. "Although it's still a secret as to how Sephiroth will return in Advent Children, this scene recalls the famous scene from so long ago. As to whether or not there are any plans for Sephiroth to reappear on the Star, I can't say at the moment," says Tetsuya Nomura. We're waiting for more information!
NOTES:
1) This is a transcription of Cloud's voiceover narration from the trailer, except he adds an "un," making what he says closer to: "I just want to be forgiven, I think. Yes, I want to be forgiven." So there's a slight change in emphasis between the narration and the transcription.
2) In Japanese, the character used for this word means both "star" and "planet." I'm translating it as star because I think it's prettier, and because some of the metaphorical meaning below would be lost if I used "planet" instead.
3) This literally means "god of death" in Japanese. Since "God of Death!!1!" sounds unbearably cheesy in English, I haven't translated it within the text.
4) The original article puts "enemy" and "enigmatic man" in quotation marks, so I have too.
EDITS (AS OF 12/06/03)
[*] Although what I originally wrote is the literal translation of the Japanese, the sentiment being expressed is similar, perhaps, to "why me?" or "goodbye, cruel world." Cloud is essentially saying that he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders and he's tired of it/tired of being alive.
[**] This was my attempt at a literal translation, and I missed the ball here too (I should stop trying to do these things in the middle of the night). What Cloud is saying here is more along the lines of, "Your memory lives on in me [and so I'm going to keep living in your honor.] That's what I decided, but..."
Some thoughts:
If men on this planet actually looked like the Sephiroth CGI, I would be owned. Just thought I'd mention that from the get-go. (PS: Guh.)
I'd like to ask the people bitching about how this movie is going to ruin the ending of the original FFVII (or rather, their ideas as to what the ending of FFVII meant) to please shut up. Advent Children is going to be around a hour long. An hour. You can't do much, plotwise, with only 60 minutes, especially given the scope of the original. Seen the trailer? You've just seen 3% of the whole. Damn. Movie.
While I'm not worried that AC's going to spoil FVII for me, I am worried that it will leave me incredibly unsatisfied because it will be so short and vague. Nomura said in an interview elsewhere in the magazine that only three people will make an appearance in AC. Well, in the trailer we see Cloud, the Sephy lookalike, and the guy in the wheelchair. If Nomura's telling the truth, those are your three characters right there. No Aeris, Tifa, Vincent, or anyone else. Again, AC's not exactly shaping up to be a movie that'll tie any loose ends together.
(To beat the bitching horse into the ground, if you're incapable of working the paltry bit of plot AC is going to provide into your FFVII ending scenario, the only problem is with your imagination.)
Now, for some speculation. Fandom seems to think Cloud's opponent is Sephiroth. Me, I think that's too obvious. My bets says Sephy's the veiled man in the wheelchair. All the spin I've been reading in Japanese magazines keeps hinting that Short!hair is Sephiroth, which makes me doubt that that's really the case. Furthermore, if Sephiroth were to have survived both the Cloud ass whupping and the meteor impact, he'd be pretty damn battered - battered enough, say, to be veiled and bandaged and confined to a wheelchair. Elementary, Watson.
So I'm guessing Sephy created Short!hair (or if Short!hair is one of the "advent children" of the title, overrode his consciousness Jenova-style) and sent him on a mission to kill Cloud/drain the lifestream/what have you in order to regain power and heal himself. That makes me sad, because I like redemption stories, and I don't seen any sort of redemption in the works for Sephiroth. (Although, I can conceive of a 60 minute plot in which this does occur, but I'd be surprised if they actually use it.)
And on to the graphics. Pretty, pretty, pretty. They've about guaranteed that I'll drop my $60 on the DVD. They even managed to make Cloud attractive, for chrissakes. And yeah, I noticed right away that they gave him fairly obvious Japanese facial features. I think that's nice, 1) because I happen to like Japanese facial features, and 2) because these games are made by the Japanese, which is something the Waah-he-looks-too-Asian! fandom contingent seems to have forgotten.
Finally, I smell a rat. The article harps over and over (and over) on the multilayered meaning of "Advent Children." Of course, Cloud and Sephiroth (and/or a Sephiroth clone) could be the only "children" in the movie, but I'd like to doubt that. As I can't envision any (non-lame) way the multiple meanings of "Advent Children" can be tied into a movie in an hour, I'm hoping that Advent Children is a teaser - either to a sequel or a longer movie. This is only speculation on my part, but I really want to believe it's possible.
[And the 12/06 edits:
Some of what I wrote above is now obsolete, according to a more recent article on AC I 立ち読みed after work a few days ago. Apparently the scenes in the trailer are not going to be included in the movie, so there goes my 3% figure. And it now looks as though "more than ten" people are going to make appeances, so aside from Cloud, Riddle Man, and Sephiroth, who knows who else is going to show up? Minor, but interesting, nonetheless]
I may translate more later; the magazine does promise new info on 11/16. But for now, that will be all.
EDITED 12/06/03
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on 2003-10-22 07:33 am (UTC)