The appeal and reviews of "Final Fantasy VII Advent Children": A touching reunion and a new adventure

FINAL FANTASY Ⅶ ADVENT CHILDREN

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

game

■ Release date

September 14, 2005

■Release and sales

Square Enix

■Frequencies

100 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■ Director

・Director: Tetsuya Nomura

■ Production

・Production and production: Square Enix

■Works

©2005 SQUARE ENIX

■ Story

Two years have passed since the battle. The once prosperous Mako city of Midgar has fallen into ruin, but the people are steadily on the road to rebuilding. However, a mysterious disease called "Star Scar Syndrome" is plaguing the people. With no cure, this disease kills those who are infected one after another, and it has become a new threat to the people who were beginning to regain hope. Cloud, who runs a delivery service and lives quietly with orphans, is heartbroken from the emotional wounds of losing his precious companions in the previous battle, and closes his heart with deep self-reproach and guilt. One day, Cloud receives a phone call requesting a job. The request is for a man called Kadaj to provide protection. Kadaj and his men are young and violent. Soon, their evil hands reach out to the orphans who lived with Cloud. What is their purpose? Why are they targeting Cloud? Cloud is troubled by the inevitable battle. "Can sins be forgiven?" After a long struggle, Cloud makes up his mind to fight. At last, a battle beyond human understanding with Kadaj and his men begins.

■Explanation

FINAL FANTASY VII was released as a PlayStation game in January 1997 and has sold over 9.68 million copies worldwide (3.93 million copies in Japan including the international version, and 5.75 million copies in North America, Europe and other countries as of March 2005). Since its release, it has still had a strong fan base, and the long-awaited sequel has been announced not as a game but as a movie (high-quality CG movie). Please look forward to this new and unprecedented endeavor.

■Cast

・Cloud Strife/Takahiro Sakurai・Tifa Lockhart/Ayumi Ito・Barret Wallace/Masahiro Kobayashi・Aerith Gainsborough/Maaya Sakamoto・Vincent Valentine/Shogo Suzuki・Cid Highwind/Kazuhiro Yamaji・Yuffie Kisaragi/Yumi Kakazu・Red XIII/Masachika Ichimura・Marin Wallace/Miyuu Kurokudahara・Denzel/Kyousuke Ikeda・Reno/Keiji Fujiwara・Rude/Daisuke Kusunoki・Rufus/Toru Okawa・Kadaj/Shoutaro Morikubo・Yazoo/Yuji Kishi・Rods/Kenji Nomura・Zack/Kenichi Suzumura・Sephiroth/Toshiyuki Morikawa

■ Main staff

・Director / Tetsuya Nomura・CO-director / Takeshi Nozue・Scenario writer / Kazushige Nojima・Producer / Yoshinori Kitase・Art director / Yusuke Naora・Composer / Nobuo Uematsu・Arrangers / Tsuyoshi Sekido, Kenichiro Fukui, Keiji Kawamori, Shiro Hamaguchi, Kazuhiko Toyama・CO-producer / Shinji Hashimoto・Mecha & creature design / Takayuki Takeya・Produced and produced by Square Enix

■ Main Characters

Cloud Strife

Gender: Male Age: 23
Blood type: AB
Birthday: 8/11

He was hired by the anti-Shinra group "Avalanche" and worked with them, but was caught up in a great battle over the "Planet". He fought for the world and saved the "Planet". His various memories of the past intertwined with his true self, but he was able to find it during his journey in the previous game, "FF VII". However, he now rejects others and lives alone...

Sephiroth

Gender: Male Age: Unknown Blood type: Unknown Date of birth: Unknown

A legendary swordsman of Shinra's elite SOLDIER unit, he was once called a hero. However, when he found out that he was created by Shinra, he was consumed with an intense hatred for humans. That hatred became an intense and absolute threat to the planet itself. And even though he was supposed to have lost the battle, Sephiroth still appears before Cloud as an afterimage...

・Tifa Lockhart

Gender: Female Age: 22
Blood type: B
Birthday: 5/3

Cloud's childhood friend, and the only person who knows his past. A martial artist, he was a key member of the anti-Shinra organization, Avalanche, until two years ago. He currently works at the Seventh Heaven store and looks after Marine and the orphans.

Barrett Wallace

Gender: Male Age: 37
Blood type: O
Birthday: 12/15

Two years ago, he was the leader of the anti-Shinra organization "Avalanche" and fought using his lost right arm as a weapon. The young girl Marin is his driving force. He currently leaves Marin in Tifa's care and is working to discover a new energy source to replace Mako.

Vincent Valentine

Gender: Male Age: 27
Blood type: A
Birthday: 10/13

A former Turks gunman. In the past, his body was modified by Shinra, giving him immortality and the ability to transform into a monster, and he was forced to live with that fate. He has been investigating the world since then on his own, and has some knowledge of the events they are currently facing.

Kadaj

Gender: Male Age: Teens Blood type: Unknown Date of birth: Unknown

The leader of the trio who are after Cloud. The trio are also brothers. He has a turbulent mental state, ranging from pure madness, to calm and violent, to childish and intelligent. He mainly uses a double-edged sword called a Soba.

・Yazo

Gender: Male Age: 20s Blood type: Unknown Date of birth: Unknown

A carefree and elusive young man. In "Velvet Nightmare", he mainly uses a gun with a twin-barreled sword motif (the gun only functions as such).

Rods

Gender: Male Age: 20s Blood type: Unknown Date of birth: Unknown

Contrary to his tough appearance, he is childish and whiny on the inside. He mainly uses a pile bunker called "Dual Hound" (a weapon that functions as both a stun gun and a shield).

Marin Wallace

Gender: Female Age: Unknown Blood type: Unknown Date of birth: Unknown

In the previous film, Barret raised Denzel as his father, but now that they live apart, Tifa is looking after him. She worries about Denzel, who is afflicted with Star Scar Syndrome, and is always concerned about him.

・Cid Highwind

Gender: Male Age: 34
Blood type: B
Birthday: 2/22

Cid, a man who loves the sky and was once one of Cloud's companions on a journey with him, has exceptional airship piloting skills. With his spear as his weapon, he fights the creatures that have appeared in the city.

・Yuffie Kisaragi

Gender: Female Age: 18
Blood type: A
Birthday: 11/20

Yuffie is a ninja girl from Wutai who wields a cross shuriken. She loves materia and always prioritizes it. She still suffers from severe motion sickness.

Reno

Gender: Male Age: Unknown Blood type: Unknown Date of birth: Unknown

A former member of the Turks whose catchphrase is "That's what I said." Although the Turks appeared as enemies in the previous film, their expressions do not suggest any hostility.

Rude

Gender: Male Age: Unknown Blood type: Unknown Date of birth: Unknown

A taciturn former member of the Turks. He worked with Reno on missions, and it seems they are still working together. What is their purpose...?

Denzel

Gender: Male Age: Unknown Blood type: Unknown Date of birth: Unknown

One of the children who fell victim to the Star Scar Syndrome. Tifa looks after him, and he is good friends with Marin. Although he sometimes has a blank look in his eyes...

・Sack

Gender/Male age at death/Unknown Blood type/Unknown Date of birth/Unknown

Cloud's best friend from his time as a Shinra soldier. He was once one of the best 1st Class Soldiers that Shinra Company was proud of, but...

■ Related works

・LAST ORDER FINAL FANTASY VII
・FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN COMPLETE

■ Review

"FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN" was released as an OVA in 2005 as a sequel to the legendary RPG "FINAL FANTASY VII" released in 1997. This work has been highly praised not only by game fans but also by CG animation enthusiasts, and by exploring the reasons for this, we can gain a deeper understanding of the appeal of the work.

First, let's talk about the story. "ADVENT CHILDREN" depicts the world two years after the ending of the game. As the Mako city of Midgar falls into ruin and people try to rebuild, a new threat, "Star Scar Syndrome," appears. There is no cure for this disease, and it is causing suffering to many people. The main character, Cloud, lives quietly with the orphans, but is tormented by guilt for the friends he lost in past battles. Then, a mysterious man named Kadaj asks Cloud for help, and a new battle begins.

Fans of the game will enjoy the reunion of familiar characters and new adventures in this story, but even those who are unfamiliar with the game can enjoy it. In particular, it depicts Cloud's inner conflict and the bond with the orphans surrounding him, making it a deep human drama.

Next, let's look at the visual aspects. "ADVENT CHILDREN" is a work that brings together the best of the CG technology of the time, and its beauty does not fade even when viewed today. In particular, the fluidity of the battle scenes and the fineness of the characters' expressions set it apart from other CG animations. Director Tetsuya Nomura's attention to detail can be seen everywhere, making it a point that fans cannot miss.

Music is also an important element that enhances the appeal of this work. The original soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu retains the atmosphere of the game while adding new melodies to create an emotional rise that matches the development of the story. In particular, the music during the final battle scene between Cloud and Sephiroth deeply moves the viewer's heart.

Let's also touch on the characters. The main characters, including Cloud, are portrayed with more depth based on the settings carried over from the game. In particular, the individuality of each character stands out, such as Cloud's emotional scars, Tifa's kindness, and Barret's strength. In addition, the trio of new characters, Kadaj, Yazoo, and Lodz, add tension to the story as new threats not seen in the game.

Furthermore, this work also puts a lot of effort into fan service. It meets the expectations of fans by recreating famous scenes and character lines from the game, and by including episodes from the game as hidden elements. In particular, you can gain a deeper understanding and enjoyment by watching it together with related works such as "LAST ORDER FINAL FANTASY VII" and "FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN COMPLETE."

Finally, let's look at some of the recommended points for this work. First, for fans of the game "FINAL FANTASY VII," you can enjoy a reunion with familiar characters and a new adventure. Also, for CG animation enthusiasts, you can enjoy beautiful images that bring together the best of the technology of the time. Furthermore, it has depth as a human drama, so even people who are not familiar with the game can enjoy it.

"FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN" is a work that successfully attempted a new combination of video games and animation, and its appeal continues to attract many people even today. Please pick up this work and experience its world.