ACC: my mother's impressions

[The Twilight Mexican]

It does read like that. Maybe he means she put him on restrictions from electronics? My mom used to do that. One time, I had no TV, video games, comics or anything that wasn't a school book to read for two months.

 

[Danseru-kun]

My mom is a physics teacher so she'll probably just complain about the impossibility of the stunts. Just like how she sees every anime.

 

[Tennyo]

If I tried to make my mom watch ACC, she'd probably fall asleep five minutes in. Like with every movie we ever try to watch.

 

[Wolfhart]

That's why my mother is awesome! (ok, that's just one of the reasons)

 

[Unlucky]

My mom is very dismissive with these kind of stuff but I remember her insisting that Cloud looks like

Spoiler: this guy

Yeah wtf.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I can see it, actually.

 

[Unlucky]

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I really am.

 

[Unlucky]

Lemme guess.. the expression?

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Mostly the lips and nose. Kind of the cheek bones too. The jaw/chin is all wrong, but those other details are a pretty good match.

 

[Unlucky]

I.. still don't see it. XD

The only real-life person that reminds me of Cloud (well.. a little) is

Spoiler: Kimi Raikkonen

The eyes, specifically. The arched eyebrows and the intense gaze.

..Well he kinda looks like Steve Burton too

 

[Wolfhart]

^Oh... Now every time I see Raikkonen I'll remember this

 

[Alex Strife]

That was an odd cross of the two worlds I am interested in.

 

[Unlucky]

Haha, indeed

 

[Alex Strife]

I am quite a big Räikkönen fan, on top of being a Cloud fan, as a matter of fact. Which only makes it funnier.

 

[Blade]

Actually the problem has existed for a lot of older Final Fantasy cutscenes. Many characters are based on Asian facial models.

Rikku and Yuna look Asian, Tidus looks Asian, Cloud looks somewhere between Asian and Chinese.

I think they started reworking their models when they did Final Fantasy XII.

 

[Unlucky]

Actually the problem has existed for a lot of older Final Fantasy cutscenes. Many characters are based on Asian facial models.

What 'problem'? FF character faces being based on Asian faces is a 'problem'?

And Chinese are Asians.

 

[Glaurung]

What 'problem'? FF character faces being based on Asian faces is a 'problem'?

And Chinese are Asians.

It's not a "problem", but non-Asian customers might feel alienated if every single one of the characters have Asian facial features, the same way that a whole caucasian (or any other ethnicy) cast might alienate customers from other races.

I know it's silly, and personally I can relate perfectly to any character's emotions and predicaments regardless of gender, race or even species, but market figures are there.

If I remember well, Sazh wasn't very popular in Japan because he looked Afro-American, hence the customers had a hard time relating to him, and in general, people in Japan didn't like Snow because he was "too American" for their taste.

So, you see, these two characters were a problem for the inner market (in fact, they don't know what to do with Sazh in LR and it shows), but they are perfectly fine for the exterior.

 

[ForceStealer]

It was only a "problem" in FFX because the field models and those in the rendered scenes had such different faces.
Even then, though, it was more amusing than anything.

 

[Wolfhart]

I am quite a big Räikkönen fan, on top of being a Cloud fan, as a matter of fact. Which only makes it funnier.

What about Alonso?

 

[Unlucky]

But no one was even talking about FF characters having Asian faces, much less taking issue with it-- so where did that "problem" come from?

The only thing that was brought up was when Tres and I disagreed on a certain Asian dude bearing a resemblance to Cloud and it's got nothing to do with his race.

 

[Wolfhart]

I just found out that there's a link to this thread in one of the weekly roundups! That was funny to read, thank you!

 

[Wolfhart]

Today it was my father's turn... He was falling asleep during the movie so he didn't understand much of it but... here are some of his comments/conclusions:

• He called Cloud "Clous", and it turned into Santa Claus
• Cloud's phone is great because it still works underwater
• Reno is a fool
• Conclusions:

1. Two persons were dead (Aerith and Zack)
2. Everything was Mother's fault
3. As Geostigma was cured with water, the truth is they just needed a bath (I'm sure we've all heard this joke before but it was funny that my father said it )

That's all I remember at the moment!

 

[Torrie]

So, I've watched ACC with my friend Julia today. She isn't familiar with Japanese aesthetics, attention to detail, and ways of telling a story in general, but my comments about FF7 and the characters finally convinced her to watch the movie. We armed ourselves with two bottles of cider, some fruit and cookies, and I prepared mentally for giving lightning-quick explanations of the lore.

Spoiler: Lots of comments below!

"Ohhh is that Cloud? I definitely like his motorbike."

"The red-haired guy is cool. Wait, he's got a ponytail? Ugh, that makes him half-cool."

"Are Shinra good guys or bad guys? I don't get it."

"Marlene is such a wonderful girl. Is Cloud, like, her brother?"

"The red-haired guy's got the point! Ok, I take it back. He's actually very cool. What's his name again? Renault?"

"Calls from 7th Heaven? Is someone's calling from the afterlife?"

"Kadaj is Sephiroth! KADAJ IS SEPHIROTH! AAHHHH! Does Rufus know?"

"Is that Zack? His dead best friend?"

(during Tifa's fight)
"I'm not usually that empathetic when I watch action films with real actors. But these ones... I feel for them. Like, for real."

"What do the glowings balls do???"

"So Cloud's ill too. Should have vaccinated, I'm telling you."

"Ooooohhh who's that pretty girl in pink?"

"But Cloud and Sephiroth are gonna be friends again, right? No??? But they used to be friends, didn't they?! But I thought... They would..."

"Cloud's got such a cool phone. It can work underwater."

"So all these three guys are Sephiroth. Like, pseudo-Sephiroth."

"You know, Bahamut is supposed to look scary, but it's actually quite cute."

(lots of laughter during Reno and Rude's scenes)
"How do they manage to make it dramatic and funny at the same time?!"

"Whoa! So many cool characters! They're like Guardians of the Galaxy!"

"Look! A kitty on a doggo!!! Tell me all about them!!!"

"Awwww Tifa understands Cloud. It's so sweet."

"I feel as if I'm getting wiser by watching a movie I would have never chosen to watch by myself and by thinking about things I've never given a thought before."

"That blonde girl must be Scarlett Johansson."

"Are Reno and Rude an official couple? I'd rather they should be!"

"Can we have a short break? There's been so much action I'm overwhelmed."

(during the final battle)
"So much violence it's making me crazy!"

"Is Kadaj going to die? But why?? He's realized he was in the wrong, hasn't he? Wait, what? He's not completely human?? Why are there so many dead people in this movie?!"

"The ending is so touching."

"THIS MOVIE HAS GIVEN ME SO MANY FEELS. I NEED A HUG."

Verdict: she says if she had watched it on her own, she wouldn't have understood up to a half of it, and it would have taken at least two or three times to make sure. But it was so much fun, even if I had to get angry about the awkward translation and explain a ton of things as we were progressing with the story. Watching ACC with friends - 10/10 would recommend.

 

[Glaurung]

Torrie, your friend really understood the movie and all the Compilation