Aerith's death: post Compilation.

[X-SOLDIER]

As one of the most tragic and iconic moments in the original game, I was wondering if the Compilation changed how you felt about Aerith's death.

While Advent Children works to give closure to the events after her death, I find myself with very different feelings about her death looking back on Crisis Core. During the time of the original game, I think I was most saddened by the event of her death itself but thinking about it through Crisis Core into FFVII, it's evolved a little bit, along with Cloud's story where I'm still saddened by her death, but her continued spiritual existence softens the blow, expecially because she and Zack are both there for Cloud later on.

What's different is that I feel its effect on Cloud MUCH more strongly. Crisis Core does such a good job of showing Cloud's fragile mental state, and after seeing his best friend killed by someone affiliated with ShinRa, before moving into the game, there's just so much more to him that's apparent in subtle ways. When Sephiroth kills Aerith in front of him, moreso than Aerith's demise, I feel a connection with Cloud's state of mind as he's watching something else just disappear in front of him, and there's nothing that he can do about it.

With that, the focus on his mental state of helplessness during Advent Children started to mean a lot more to me than it did to me when they were originally released out of order.


Anyhow, that's just my feelings. What about the rest of you?



X

 

[Makoeyes987]

Didn't change a damn thing.

Flower girl's dead. There's nothing to be said.

I already kinda figured Cloud was hit hard by Aerith's death by the whole reaction and him saying, "maybe I can meet her there..." while reaching his hand up in the ending. Obviously he felt very strongly about her and being unable to protect her. Hell he was gonna kill her if he hadn't stopped himself.

 

[Alex Strife]

To me, the Compilation has lessened the importance of her death. When she died, in the OG, it was like "Alright, she died; and not because she sacrified herself for some big reason. She just freaking died, and there's nothing you can do about it. Period".

Then in AC(C) they go "well yeah, but spiritually speaking, she survived". I don't have anything against her; I like her as a character, but it felt cheap. Sort of bringing her back to life without bringing her back to life.

 

[Super Mario]

As Mr. Bond once said: 'The job's done, and the bitch is dead.'


As long as we successfully avenged her from that prepubescent mama's boy, then we're cool.

 

[Terrafig]

There's this line--

...Shut up. The cycle of nature and your stupid plan don't mean a thing.
Aerith is gone. Aerith will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry...... or get
angry...... What about us...... what are WE supposed to do? What about my pain?
My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!

One might argue that the last several sentences are over the top, but it still reminds me of W.H. Auden's "Stop all the Clocks".

Definitely a huge impact without the compilation.

The only thing that occurs to me regarding Aeris' death when I think of the compilation is "Please. Just let her die."

 

[Masamune]

Her death had a sense of finality about it in the OG, as was intended by the creators. Little did we know, all along, she could dip in and out of Cloud's consciousness whenever he needed a pep-talk.

 

[Shademp]

Aeris' death no longer has any impact on me because she
1) Talks with Cloud in Advent Children
2) She cures an entire town of people from the Geostigma by summoning her healing rain.

The latter makes me feel like she is more useful "dead" than alive. Whether or not she actually could have summoned that rain had she been alive, the fact that she did it while dead is enough to lessen the impact of her demise.

In fact, I would barely call her dead. She calls to people's phones. Summons a purifying rain. Talks to the children at the aisle in the church! This flower girl ain't dead, she is just missing a physical body.

The Compilation, Advent Children especially, ruined her tragic death for me. It will never be the same, no matter how much I play the original game and try to ignore the movie. Sorry, that's just how it is for me.

EDIT: Excellent idea for a thread X-Soldier. Good call.

 

[Octo]

I think it lessens the impact somewhat. I don't know how they could have found a way around it in AC...unless they did a flashback or something. They had to include Aeris.

Clouds reaction to her death was very powerful in the OG, but he did have some optimism at the end, he felt like Sephiroth had been vanquished and that one day they'd all be in the lifestream together "maybe I can meet her there..." Not that he was over the moon or something, but I think he had some sort of closure.

In AC though all that went out the window. Cloud was back in mourning even before Kadaj and Co showed up. So I have to ask "If geostigma hadn't happened, Aeris wouldn't have put in an appearance, and Cloud would have never recovered"

Personally, I would have it that Cloud became 'emo' after Kadaj showed up, because he thought he had avenged Aeris and to find he hadn't would have been devastating.

EDIT:
For the rest of us, when someone has died, that's it. They're gone and we are the ones who have to fight the sadness of our loss, with our friends and family. Basically, if you could communicate with your dead grandpa whenever you were upset, death wouldn't be a problem for anyone, just a minor inconvenience

 

[Mariketsu]

As one of the most tragic and iconic moments in the original game, I was wondering if the Compilation changed how you felt about Aerith's death.

While Advent Children works to give closure to the events after her death, I find myself with very different feelings about her death looking back on Crisis Core. During the time of the original game, I think I was most saddened by the event of her death itself but thinking about it through Crisis Core into FFVII, it's evolved a little bit, along with Cloud's story where I'm still saddened by her death, but her continued spiritual existence softens the blow, expecially because she and Zack are both there for Cloud later on.

What's different is that I feel its effect on Cloud MUCH more strongly. Crisis Core does such a good job of showing Cloud's fragile mental state, and after seeing his best friend killed by someone affiliated with ShinRa, before moving into the game, there's just so much more to him that's apparent in subtle ways. When Sephiroth kills Aerith in front of him, moreso than Aerith's demise, I feel a connection with Cloud's state of mind as he's watching something else just disappear in front of him, and there's nothing that he can do about it.

With that, the focus on his mental state of helplessness during Advent Children started to mean a lot more to me than it did to me when they were originally released out of order.


Anyhow, that's just my feelings. What about the rest of you?



X

^ This. I totally agree with you X, it gives a lot more to it.

~ Raz

 

[Max Payne]

To me, the Compilation has lessened the importance of her death. When she died, in the OG, it was like "Alright, she died; and not because she sacrified herself for some big reason. She just freaking died, and there's nothing you can do about it. Period".

Then in AC(C) they go "well yeah, but spiritually speaking, she survived". I don't have anything against her; I like her as a character, but it felt cheap. Sort of bringing her back to life without bringing her back to life.

There's this line--

One might argue that the last several sentences are over the top, but it still reminds me of W.H. Auden's "Stop all the Clocks".

Definitely a huge impact without the compilation.

The only thing that occurs to me regarding Aeris' death when I think of the compilation is "Please. Just let her die."

Her death had a sense of finality about in the OG, as was intended by the creators. Little did we know, all along, she could dip in and out of Cloud's consciousness whenever he needed a pep-talk.

Aeris' death no longer has any impact on me because she
1) Talks with Cloud in Advent Children
2) She cures an entire town of people from the Geostigma by summoning her healing rain.

The latter makes me feel like she is more useful "dead" than alive. Whether or not she actually could have summoned that rain had she been alive, the fact that she did it while dead is enough to lessen the impact of her demise.

In fact, I would barely call her dead. She calls to people's phones. Summons a purifying rain. Talks to the children at the aisle in the church! This flower girl ain't dead, she is just missing a physical body.

The Compilation, Advent Children especially, ruined her tragic death for me. It will never be the same, no matter how much I play the original game and try to ignore the movie. Sorry, that's just how it is for me.

I think it lessens the impact somewhat. I don't know how they could have found a way around it in AC...unless they did a flashback or something. They had to include Aeris.

Clouds reaction to her death was very powerful in the OG, but he did have some optimism at the end, he felt like Sephiroth had been vanquished and that one day they'd all be in the lifestream together "maybe I can meet her there..." Not that he was over the moon or something, but I think he had some sort of closure.

In AC though all that went out the window. Cloud was back in mourning even before Kadaj and Co showed up. So I have to ask "If geostigma hadn't happened, Aeris wouldn't have put in an appearance, and Cloud would have never recovered"

Personally, I would have it that Cloud became 'emo' after Kadaj showed up, because he thought he had avenged Aeris and to find he hadn't would have been devastating.

Everyone of these posts is right on the money. FF7 was better without this particular brand of metaphysical bullshit.

Why should Cloud feel so terrible if Aerith can just pop into his fucking head and tell him everything is ok? He can literally see the dead person in question and she consoles him in person ffs.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I'm one of those people who came to FFVII via Advent Children and Crisis Core; I only played the OG after watching the movie and playing the PSP game. The result is that Aerith's death in the game didn't have the impact on me that the game's designers intended. First off, I knew it was coming; secondly, I didn't think of her as dead so much as having moved on to another plane of existence. Dyne's death was much more moving for me. That said, each time I play the game her death scene moves me more. No last words, no explanation of what she was trying to do, no closure - she's just gone.

I would have found Aerith's role in AC better if it had been confined entirely to Cloud's imagination.

 

[Octo]

Exactly, the last time Cloud sees Aeris he'd about to chop her head off, and the time before that he was beating the shit out of her. He is going to be feeling fucking awful.

In real life*, there are instances where the last time you spoke to someone you were arguing, or you said something hurtful, and then the next thing you hear they've been in a car crash and died. Maybe it was your fault because they were 'driving angry'. And you are NEVER going to have them say 'I didn't blame you' You've just got to figure it out on your own.

Its just not the same is it?

*This never actually happened to me, but there was one time where I basically told my dad to 'fuck off and die**' and then he took longer coming home than usual, and that was the longest 2 hours of my life.

** This was justified though - he was being a cunt.

 

[Makoeyes987]

I find Aerith's death just as moving as Cid's, Yang's, Palom, and Porom's. I mean those deaths there were truly heart wrenching and the sense of loss you had when they sacrificed themselves was truly horrible. Because you never saw them again.

Oh wait.

 

[Max Payne]

Biggs, Wedge, and Jessies deaths are TRULY sad and moving, because of how brutal and cruel their deaths were :/

 

[Marle]

Gotta say I agree with a vast majority of what's already been said; they've cheapened her death via AC. On the other hand though, fans would have thrown a fit if she didn't make as many appearances as she did. :\

So, it's a tough call.

 

[Makoeyes987]

Eh, fuck Wedge. He was just a fat fuck anyways.

I don't see Aerith's death cheapened, so much as made like every other death in FF.

When Tellah died, when did we see him again? During the final battle encouraging the heroes to not give up.

When Galuf died, when did we see him ag ain? During the final battle encouragin the heroes to not give up.

When Aerith died, when do we see her again? During the TRUE final confrontation with Sephiroth, encouraging him to not give up.

So they made Aerith's unique FF death more along the lines of every other death. I mean, that's fine. But meh. At the very least, the original game remains the same. You can't change what's already been done, and in that game. It was pretty damn saddening.

 

[Masamune]

Gotta say I agree with a vast majority of what's already been said; they've cheapened her death via AC. On the other hand though, fans would have thrown a fit if she didn't make as many appearances as she did. :\

So, it's a tough call.

There's always flashbacks.

 

[Octo]

Biggs, Wedge, and Jessies deaths are TRULY sad and moving, because of how brutal and cruel their deaths were :/

And also how you could be a total shitbag to them even as they were dying

 

[Marle]

Somehow I doubt that would've sated many fans. There are still tons that want SE to 'bring her back' and felt that it was unfair and cruel that she died.

So, in a way, they did bring her back. But for those of us who understood and appreciated the meaning behind her death, it ruined a lot of it.

 

[Max Payne]

Eh, fuck Wedge. He was just a fat fuck anyways.

When did you become Omega?

I don't see Aerith's death cheapened, so much as made like every other death in FF.

That's not cheapening it? IN FF7 Aerith's death was sudden, horrifying, and final. It was painfully representative of real life and how cruel it can be.

Now she's just another ethereal animu presence.

 

[Octo]

Somehow I doubt that would've sated many fans. There are still tons that want SE to 'bring her back' and felt that it was unfair and cruel that she died.

So, in a way, they did bring her back. But for those of us who understood and appreciated the meaning behind her death, it ruined a lot of it.

These people are retards. These people are the ones who piss themselves at a pantomime when Captain Hook comes out, and then their parents complain.

I was fucking devastated when Tseng "died", and I would have been more than a bit pissed off to see Rufus, Aeris and Sephiroth in revived in AC without him. But I am also a fully grown adult human being (kinda) and I would have just fucking accepted it.

 

[Marle]

These people are retards. These people are the ones who piss themselves at a pantomime when Captain Hook comes out, and then their parents complain.

Not arguing with you there.

I would have loved more Aerith flashbacks to be honest; it would mean seeing parts of the game redone in HD *EXCITE*

 

[Max Payne]

Yeah, people that bitch and moan about bringing Aerith back just don't realise how irresponsible that would be in terms of fiction and general literature.

 

[Marle]

I'm pretty sure there was an online petition or some shit like that. Pretty LAWL worthy. XD

 

[Shademp]

The same theory that applies to Aerith is also true for Zack, in my case at least. I no longer care about the death of Zack.

The death scene in the original game was brutal and silent at the same time, just like death is in real life. Sudden, unexpected, unfair. This was an ex-SOLDIER, a First Class guy even, and he died because he let down his guard for one second, which he did because he felt a compulsion to check that Cloud was alright.

Then Crisis Core...and then Advent Children Complete... Just...damn it all.