Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Also Wally Wingert confirmed that he would play Rufus on his webpage. William Norman Grigg noted the seven-branch candle holder, the "Kinara," was not used in African traditions, and suggested a symbol of Judaism was borrowed to match the seven principles of Kwanzaa.^[17]. Walter Roberts was the narrator in E3 2004 and Steamboy trailers (according to iMDB). In contrast, the African American Cultural Center considers Kwanzaa not a religious holiday, but a cultural one which does not require people to compromise their religious beliefs.^[16]. Square-Enix's reluctance to release the names of any voice actors is evidence of this. Some are concerned that Christians who choose to celebrate Kwanzaa are diluting their love for Christ^[15]. It is also believed that a lack of appropriate English voice actors is the cause of the significant delay of the American, British, and Australian releases of the movie. Bennetta believes that Kwanzaa is ill-designed as a holiday representing African-Americans, noting that the Swahili language used in Kwanzaa is spoken in eastern Africa, while most African-Americans are descended from the people of West Africa, over 2700 miles away.^[14].

It is widely speculated by fans that the characters that appeared in Kingdom Hearts will be voiced by the actors who voiced them in that game. William J.
. Black civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson wrote, "the whole holiday is made up! You won’t find its roots in Africa or anywhere else."^[13]. Due to the delay, many fans have resorted to downloading fansubs over BitTorrent and/or importing the Japanese R2 version in order to watch the film. 2). [2]. Others refuse to celebrate Kwanzaa because it is not a true African tradition." (Jackson, p.

It was mentioned that it is taking extra time in completing the bonus supplements. In the book Kwanzaa (2005), author Sara McGill states, "there are many people of African descent who do not know the purpose of Kwanzaa or how to celebrate it. In an article for the website The Digital Bits, it was hinted that the movie is at least on track to be released by the end of 2006. Some criticize Kwanzaa because it is not a traditional holiday of African people, and because of its recent provenance, having been invented in 1966. Currently there is no known date for when Advent Children will be released in the North American market, though many online retailers, mostly those specializing in sale of anime dvd titles, list March 28, 2006 as the most common unconfirmed release date. The origins of Kwanzaa are not secret, and are openly acknowledged by those promoting the holiday.^[12]. Fans have pointed out that the idea is a questionable one, given the track record of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, which bankrupted Square Pictures after the movie made a substantial loss. There has been criticism of Kwanzaa's authenticity and relevance, and of the motiviations of its founder, Karenga.

The time was changed again in early November to a January release date (with initial confusion given that many retail outlets got different release dates and information that didn't match), with a limited theatrical run before the release of the DVD. Karenga's most recent interpretation emphasizes that while every people have their various holiday traditions, all people can share in the celebration of our common humanity: "Any particular message that is good for a particular people, if it is human in its content and ethical in its grounding, speaks not just to that people, it speaks to the world."^[11]. But days before the United States release, Square Enix changed the date to November 2005, in a move that would indicate that Square Enix was trying to release the DVD during the lucrative holiday sales times. In fact, it offers a clear and self-conscious option, opportunity and chance to make a proactive choice, a self-affirming and positive choice as distinct from a reactive one."^[10]. Originally, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was scheduled for a September dual-release in both Japan and North America, with Japan obtaining a special release of the DVD with more extras and collectable offers than the US release (which is the norm in Japan where rabid Otaku are known to pay more for collectables and there is a defined market for these items.) The official website for the English version of Advent Children even had a countdown clock to the release of the DVD. And it is not an alternative to people's religion or faith but a common ground of African culture...Kwanzaa is not a reaction or substitute for anything. Once Jenova's cells are erradicated through the healing power of Aerith's Great Gospel, the illness is cured. Currently, according to the Official Kwanzaa Website authored by Karenga and maintained by Organization US, which Karenga chairs, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday.

Once implanted within the Lifestream and once the Lifestream breached the Planet's surface during the ending of Final Fantasy VII, Jenova's cells are distributed to the surface populace. In 1997, Karenga changed his position, stating that while Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday, it can be celebrated by people of any race: "other people can and do celebrate it, just like other people participate in Cinco de Mayo besides Mexicans; Chinese New Year besides Chinese; Native American pow wows besides Native Americans."^[9]. This is also how materia/magic is made (since the Lifestream has infinite knowledge, in a concentrated form the knowledge is used as magic for living beings). In 1977, in Kwanzaa: origin, concepts, practice, Karenga stated, that Kwanzaa "was chosen to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society."^[8]. Once the body dies, the stream within the body reconvenes with the larger stream, bringing back knowledge and information. Bush's 2004 Presidential Message: Kwanzaa 2004, like in several previous messages, he said that during Kwanzaa, "millions of African Americans and people of African descent gather to celebrate their heritage and ancestry.". The Lifestream gives life by breaking itself into smaller streams allowing people to live. In President George W.

It is explained that the body itself has a Lifestream born of the larger Lifestream encompassing the planet. In a 2003 interview Karenga asserted that 28 million people celebrate Kwanzaa. After Cloud and company defeat Sephiroth and Jenova inside the Northern Crater in Final Fantasy VII, Jenova's cells are distributed within the Lifestream. According to a marketing survey conducted by the National Retail Foundation in 2004, Kwanzaa is celebrated by 1.6% of all Americans^[7], or about 4.7 million. What geostigma is exactly was widely speculated upon amongst fans of the game prior to the film's release; however, in the movie it was revealed geostigma is actually the negative side-effects of one's body overexerting itself in an attempt to purge Jenova's cells from within. It is unclear how many people celebrate the holiday. Geostigma is a term used to describe the illness plaguing the inhabitants of the film world of Advent Children. To them, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to incorporate elements of their particular ethnic heritage into holiday observances and celebrations of Christmas.

This story was never released in English, which led to many fan-based sites to do their own translating [1]. Frequently, both Christmas trees and kinaras, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African-American roots, share space in kwanzaa celebrating households. It helps to uncover some of the mysteries around the beginning of the movie, and its location. Today, many African-American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with Christmas and New Year's. Case of Tifa
Shortly after the release of Case of Denzel, Nomura and his team released a second story, Case Of Tifa, which consists of Tifa's account on what happened after Meteor was destroyed, up to and including part of Denzel's story. They felt that doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Denzel then goes on to tell his story of how he became an orphan, the events of that fateful day in which the Lifestream emerged to save the Planet from Meteor, when he got Geostigma, and how came into the care of Tifa, Cloud, and Marlene. At first, observers of Kwanzaa eschewed the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values and practice with other holidays.

He is interviewing to become part of Reeve's new World Restoration Order, an army devoted to rebuilding the Planet. The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is "Habari Gani"^[5], Swahili words for "What's the News?" ^[6]. One day Denzel shows up in Johnny's store to have a private meeting with Reeve Tuetsi. A model Kwanzaa ceremony is described as a ceremony which includes drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the "African Pledge" and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast. However, her attention is mostly focused on caring for the children orphaned by the many recent tragedies. Libations are shared, generally with a common chalice, "Kikombe cha Umoja" passed around to all celebrants. Many started going to Tifa's new 7th Heaven, also rebuilt in Edge, because they saw her as something of a feature attraction. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors.

Impressed by Tifa's decisiveness as to how to get on with life while everyone else still seemed at a loss, Johnny would start telling his customers stories about how wonderful Tifa was, and soon he lost business because of it. Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth, especially the wearing of the Uwole by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. Johnny, the bumbling regular of Tifa's 7th Heaven bar from the original game, has opened up his own bar in the newly built city of Edge. These principles correspond to Karenga's notion that "the seven-fold path of blackness is think black, talk black, act black, create black, buy black, vote black, and live black." ^[4]. Case of Denzel
These episodes are told indirectly through the perspective of Denzel, the young orphan featured in Advent Children. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, which are explained by Karenga as follows:. Various fan translations are available online. Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called "The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa", or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba), which Karenga claimed "is a communitarian African philosophy" consisting of Karenga's distillation of what he deemed "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." These seven principles comprise Kawaida, a Swahili term for tradition and reason that Karenga used to refer to his synthesized system of belief.

Written by Kazushige Nojima, they are being released in episodes on the Japanese Advent Children website, and are currently only in Japanese. According to Karenga's 1977 Kwanzaa: Origin, Concepts, Practice, the holiday was developed "to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society." In 1967, a year after Karenga proposed this new holiday, he publicly espoused the view that "Jesus was psychotic" and that Christianity was a white religion that blacks should shun.^[2] However, as Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so as not to alienate practicing Christians, then claiming in the 1997 Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday." ^[3]. There is a small series of stories taking place between the time Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. It is a celebration that has its roots in the civil rights era of the 1960s, and was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with what Karenga characterized as their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study around principles that have their putative origins in what Karenga asserts are "African traditions" and "common humanist principles.". A close up of his desk is shown with a new photograph of him and the AVALANCHE crew together (notable because the picture that was originally shown, only showed Tifa, Marlene, Denzel, and on the side; the new picture implies that Cloud is holding on to his new happiness) and a small bouquet of flowers (from the field shown earlier) laid in front of it. Kwanzaa is also sometimes spelled "kwaanza". The last scene shows Cloud's desk at 7th Heaven filled with postcards, letters and photographs of the places he has visited. At the time there were seven children in Karenga's United Slaves Organization, each wanted to represent one of the letters in Kwanzaa^[1] Also, the name was meant to have a letter for each of what Karenga called the "Seven Principles of Blackness".

Cloud rides further into the horizon towards the flower field, smiling. An additional "a" was added to "Kwanza" so that the word would have seven letters. We see her at first from the side, but she turns her head eventually to face the camera, and, many speculate, to face Cloud. The choice of Swahili, an East African language, reflects its status as a symbol of Pan-Africanism, especially in the 1960's, though most African-Americans have West African ancestry. As the song reaches its climax, a flower field is shown that Cloud appears to be approaching and the camera pans out to show Aerith standing in this field. The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza", meaning "first fruits". This scene features images of Cloud travelling on his motorcycle, Fenrir, through various landscapes. Karenga, a political activist, created Kwanzaa in California in 1966, during his leadership of the black nationalist United Slaves Organization (also known as the "US Organization").

A small cutscene is shown after the main credits to "Calling" by Kyosuke Himuro. . not alone.". Karenga calls Kwanzaa the African American branch of "first fruits" celebrations of classical African cultures. I'm.. It was founded by black nationalist Ron "Maulana" Karenga, and first celebrated from December 26, 1966, to January 1, 1967. Cloud watches them leave, smiles, and says, "Yeah.. Kwanzaa consists of seven days of celebration, featuring activities such as candle-lighting and pouring of libations, and culminating in a feast and gift-giving.

She and Zack walk out the door and into the light, finally at peace. Kwanzaa (or Kwaanza) is a week-long secular holiday honoring African-American heritage, observed from December 26 to January 1 each year, almost exclusively by African-Americans in the United States of America. Knowing he is alright now, Aerith turns back and smiles at Cloud, revealing her face for the first time in the movie. Hannity & Colmes (FOX News), 12/06/2005. Aerith stands up and walks to the door, where Zack is leaning. Is Kwanzaa a Racist Holiday? By: Sean Hannity; Alan Colmes. His eyes widen and his mouth falls open slightly. Hannity & Colmes (FOX News), 12/22/2004.

Everything else stops. Should African-Americans Celebrate Kwanzaa? By: Mike Gallagher; Alan Colmes. He then looks up and scans the church, doing a doubletake when he sees Aerith crouching by two children. Tolerance in the News: Kwanzaa: A threat to Christmas? By Camille Jackson | Staff Writer, Tolerance.org, 12/22/2005. It is here where Cloud smiles for the first time in the movie. Tavis Smiley (NPR), 12/26/2003. He cures Denzel, the last child with Geostigma, by bringing him into the newly formed pool in the middle of the church and pouring some water on Denzel's head. Interview: Kwanzaa creator Maulana Karenga discusses the evolution of the holiday and its meaning in 2004 By: TONY COX.

He awakens in Aerith's church in Sector 5, surrounded by his friends and the children. Rituals of race, ceremonies of culture: Kwanzaa and the making of a Black Power holiday in the United States,1966--2000, Keith Alexander Mayes, PhD, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, 2002. Cloud calls out, "Mother?" Aerith then replies "Again? I wonder how many times I've been called 'Mother' today?" Zack, seeing this, asks Aerith "Isn't it nice to be yearned for?" Finally, he explains to Cloud that his place isn't here with them, and that he must return home. Brown, PhD, CORNELL UNIVERSITY, 1999. Lying in a blank expanse, Aerith puts her hand on Cloud's forehead. The US Organization: African-American cultural nationalism in the era of Black Power, 1965 to the 1970s, Scot D. Denzel and Marlene are shown in Tifa's bar holding hands and looking out the window, Denzel asking "Cloud is coming back...right?". A program to raise the faith level in African-American children through Scripture, Kwanzaa principles and culture, Janette Elizabeth Chandler Kotey, DMin, ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY,1999.

Seeing the area where Cloud was fighting explode, the crew onboard the Sierra react in shock, and Tifa calls out to Cloud. URL accessed on December 20, 1999.. Loz and Yazoo raise their hands, a blue aura surrounding both of their arms, and as Cloud makes his swing, they unleash a final blast, and the explosion covers the entire roof. New American. He turns, his lips distorted into a snarl as he charges them, scraping his sword on the roof of the building. ^  The True Spirit of Kwanzaa, Norman Grigg. Cloud rises up again, ready for one last go. ^  Official Kwanza Website FAQ, op.cit.

As Cloud stands in the rain, smiling, he is suddenly shot from behind by Yazoo, who along with Loz, has survived the Turks' blast (although they too are being taken by the purifying water). cit. She says (referring to Aerith) "You were with us all along, weren't you? Thank you.". ^  Peterson, op. A drop of water catches Tifa's eye, and she looks up, smiling. URL accessed on September, 2000.. The party onboard the Sierra are shown celebrating. The Textbook League.

Rufus is shown in an alley, sitting in his wheelchair, surrounded by Elena, Tseng, Rude, and Reno, and is also cured by the healing rain. ^  The Kwanzaa Hoax, William Benetta. Scenes are shown throughout Edge of the sick children with Geostigma being cured with this rain, a large scale version of Great Gospel. URL accessed on December 29, 2004.. It begins raining. FrontPage Magazine.com. Mistaking Aerith for "mother", he makes the motion of reaching out to the sky, and joyfully returns to the Lifestream, leaving Cloud behind, victorious. ^  Kwanzaa -- Racist Holiday from Hell, Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson.

Kadaj, dying in Cloud's arms, hears the voice of Aerith, telling him to return home. URL accessed on 2005-12-30.. Cloud says, "Stay there for me, trapped in memories" Sephiroth just smiles and replies, "I won't just be a memory..." before his wing wraps around him and crumbles, revealing a wasted away Kadaj. ^  The Official Kwanzaa Website - Founders Message. The defeated Sephiroth floats over Cloud with a newly formed single black-feathered wing. URL accessed on 2005-12-29.. The new limit break consists of him manifesting 6 swords and dashing through Sephiroth with each one.) to defeat Sephiroth. ^  The Official Kwanzaa Website FAQ.

Cloud removes Sephiroth's blade from his shoulder, and states, "I pity you who understands nothing." Sephiroth leaps into the air and Cloud declares, "There's nothing that isn't important to me!" right before he leaps into the air, separating his sword into six pieces and performs a new Limit Break (Translates to " Omnislash Version 5," a variation of Cloud's infamous ultimate Limit Break from Final Fantasy VII. URL accessed on 2005-12-29.. Scenes of Aerith, Zack, Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel are flashed by. ^  The Official Kwanzaa Website. He asks Cloud what is most important to him, so that he can have the pleasure of destroying it. URL accessed on 2005-12-29.. Sephiroth tires Cloud to exhaustion, and as Cloud collapses on a wall, Sephiroth stabs him below the shoulder. 110, cited at Believersweb.org.

Sephiroth commenting that Cloud has become stronger. ^ Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture, p. An awesome fight scene follows, and Cloud battles Sephiroth for some time,including performing "Cross Slash" against him, but Sephiroth successfully dodged it. URL accessed on 2005-12-29.. He would use it to travel the stars until he finds another planet to crash into, just like Jenova did. 21, cited at Believersweb.org. Sephiroth reveals to Cloud that the spirits of people who died with Geostigma would stain the planet, thus allowing him to control it. ^ Kwanzaa: origin, concepts, practice, p.

(background music changes to Sairin: Katayoku no Tenshi, a reprised, rock-orchestra version of One-Winged Angel). ^ "2004 Holiday Spending by Region", 'Survey by BIGresearch, conducted for National Retail Foundation', 14 October 2004. Cloud jumps down after him, and tries to finish him with one strike, but Kadaj stops him by raising his hands and instantly transforms into Sephiroth while the Masamune forms in his grasp at the point of Cloud's impact. ^ Kwanzaa Greeting. However, instead of admitting defeat, Kadaj throws the container containing Jenova's remains Cloud, who slices it open out of reaction, allwoing Kadaj to absorb the contents as he falls. ^ A Model Kwanzaa Ceremony. Kadaj hangs from the edge of a building with one hand, with Cloud standing above him. ^ The story of Kwanzaa.

Kadaj drops his sword and falls from the building. ^  [18] The Quotable Karenga, p.25, University of Sankore Press, 1967. The Sierra flies off, which puts a small smile to Cloud's face, before he finally defeats Kadaj with his other Limit Break, Finishing Touch. ^ Believers web. Vincent reveals that Kadaj is in fact a "Larva" of Sephiroth, meaning that one day he would turn into Sephiroth. Imani (Faith) To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. However, Tifa and Vincent manage to convince everyone not to interfere, because this is Cloud's fight. Kuumba (Creativity) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

He had named it after his assistant Sierra (Shera in English localizations). Nia (Purpose) To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. Cloud continues to pursue Kadaj, and confronts him again in a one on one battle, which is almost cut short due to the rest of the party arriving in the Sierra, Cid Highwind's new airship. Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together. This rain water is thought to be Aerith's final limit break, Great Gospel. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) To build and maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together. A drop of water falls and Aerith's voice is heard, softly encouraging him "Let's go, Cloud". Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

Water wells up from the created hole and rises into the air, both physically harming Kadaj and healing Cloud of his Geostigma. Umoja (Unity) To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race. He misses, but hits the still blooming flower garden. Cloud manages to catch up to Kadaj in the Church, where Kadaj tries to attack Cloud with magic. Its speculated that this is a sign of their friendship and also to show their grief for Aerith's death.

He removes his sleeve to reveal a pink ribbon which all of the party members have tied to their arms. A duel on the cycles gives Kadaj a head start, and slashes at Cloud's infected arm. Rude had made a "refinement of Shinra technology," AKA strapping a bunch of TNT and fireworks together, which detonates and damages Loz and Yazoo. There is a chase scene on a partially constructed highway, where Loz and Yazoo both try and stall Cloud, who fail due to a timely arrival of Reno and Rude.

Before Kadaj can celebrate, he notices Cloud is hot on his tail. Rufus is then saved by Tseng and Elena, who quickly shoot nets to break Rufus' fall. Kadaj still manages to retrieve it but doesn't know it has been hit. After a few missed shots, he manages to hit the box, causing its contents to spill.

Rufus changes his target to the falling Jenova container. Kadaj leaps off the exploding buidling in order to try and save the box from hitting the ground. He then quickly pulls out his shotgun out from his jacket, and begins to fire at the gas pipe above Kadaj's head. Surprisingly, Rufus easily dodges it, and in the process he loses the bandages covering his head and allows himself to fall of the ledge.

He tosses it off the edge of the building, and in a blind rage Kadaj fires a materia blast at Rufus. He also reveals the remains of Jenova that is sealed in a black box, which he had been hiding on his lap under the blanket. Meanwhile, Rufus reveals to Kadaj that he really isn't as weak as he was leading everyone to believe, jumping out of the wheel chair and throwing off the white blanket he had been wearing. With that, he goes through Bahamut's Mega Flare and finally takes it down using his Limit Break "Climhazzard".

He takes her hand, and she gives him the strength he needs to push through. With the help of the entire party boosting Cloud into the sky toward Bahamut, Cloud has a vision Aerith reaching out to him, helping to get Cloud through Bahamut's largest attack. But, "Braver" is not powerful enough to defeat Bahamut. At first, Cloud performs his limit break "Braver" to hit Bahamut down the ground.

Bahamut wreaks havoc on the newly constructed Edge until Cloud joins in. Cloud nods as the boy turns to run back to the bar. Denzel then says he'll go back to the bar too, asking Cloud if he'll return. Cloud tells Tifa that he returned Marlene to the bar, and that the sin feels lighter, to which she smiles.

The members each protect them in turn, finally with the arrival of Cloud on Fenrir. Denzel awakens from his zombie-like state after Denzel and Tifa are knocked unconscious from one of Bahmut's blasts. A sort of nostalgic scene ensues when the other Final Fantasy VII party members (Barrett, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie, Cid, and Vincent) show up at this point to battle Ex-Bahamut, as Tifa protects the possessed Denzel. The Turks rescue some of the possessed children from Bahamut's first blast and then proceed to engage in a fierce melee with Loz and Yazoo, though they ultimately come out on the bottom.

Reno and Rude appear to call out Yazoo and Loz, and to add to the confusion, Kadaj then summons Bahamut Sin. Loz and Yazoo have used the children as human shields while they search for Jenova's head in a memorial statue dedicated to Meteor's destruction of Midgar. Kadaj has unleashed numerous Shadow Creeper monsters to attack the people, and is seen in an incomplete building with the wheelchair bound Rufus.
The two return back to Edge, where they find the city in havoc.

Hand in hand with Marlene, they head back to the city. This slightly confuses Cloud, but he says he'll give it a try and let Vincent know how it goes. Vincent just replies that he had never tried. As the flashback ends, he asks Vincent if his sin can be forgiven.

She pauses and says, "Have we lost to our memories?" Cloud just hangs his head and says, "But...we just let her die." Aerith's voice is then heard, suggesting to Cloud that he should forgive himself instead of drifting away. Tifa has obviously had it with Cloud, and lectures him, speaking her thoughts about how he is pained by past failures, and how he always wants to be alone. Hesitating, Cloud decides instead to go talk to Rufus. Rude tells them that the children have been taken to Ajit.

It is here Cloud has a another flashback of what happened prior to arriving to the Forgotten Capital. After having a discussion about their current situation, Marlene comes and yells at Cloud when he says he wants to back down from fighting again. Vincent says he had also saved Tseng and Elena by nursing them back to health after they had been tortured by Kadaj's gang. This leads to a battle, in which Cloud is defeated by the three, but saved by Vincent Valentine.

During the battle of one VS three, Cloud performs his limit break "Blade Beam" against the "Quake" magic attack from Loz. Kadaj begins calling him a "traitor" and is about to execute him when Marlene calls out Cloud's name, distracting Kadaj and allowing Cloud to grab his sword. Kadaj "controls" the children, using them as a human shield, and making them surround Cloud, ensuring that he cannot escape. Suddenly, he is confronted by a hail of gunfire.

Cloud hangs his head and asks to be forgiven, but Aerith just giggles and asks "By whom?" Cloud tries to turn around to face her, but the vision ends. She puts a hand gently on his arm, asking him why exactly he came. On his way, riding on his motorcycle Fenrir, Cloud has a vision of Aerith, standing back-to-back with him in a field of flowers. Reno and Rude return, telling Cloud and Tifa that Kadaj has taken the children to The Forgotten City of Ajit.

Cloud does not answer, which clearly frustrates Tifa. She confronts him about his Geostigma, asking him if he wants to die alone. As it gets late, Tifa wakes up, finding Cloud staring out the window. They do, entering a trance-like state, the pupils of their eyes becoming narrow slits like those of Kadaj.

He takes a drink and tells the children to follow suit. He then walks into the very lake where Aerith was laid to rest two years prior, and as he does so, corrupts it, turning it black. They take the children to the Forgotten Capital, Ajit, where Kadaj tries to persuade them that the planet is inflicting this disease upon them and that they should rally together against the planet. The three members of Kadaj's gang begin kidnapping the children who are infected with Geostigma, including Denzel.

They are found by the Turks Reno and Rude who bring them back to 7th Heaven. Cloud returns to the church where he discovers Tifa unconscious and his materia stolen, and collapses next to Tifa due to the effects his Geostigma. After a hard fought battle, Tifa is knocked unconscious, and Loz kidnaps Marlene and steals Cloud's materia. Loz arrives at the church, attacking Tifa while searching for the location of Jenova.

It is here they discover that Cloud has Geostigma and does not have the will to fight it. Tifa and Marlene go looking for Cloud at the church where Aerith spent time and grew her flowers, and where Cloud has apparently been living. Vincent Valentine suspects that the trio is seeking to obtain the remains of Jenova to create another Sephiroth, and suggests that Geostigma is the result of Lifestream inside one's body battling the Jenova cells within it. He somewhat knows Cloud, referring to him as "brother" and "traitor," most likely due to the fact that, though they are both "bound" by Jenova and Geostigma, Cloud is trying to stop Kadaj and his crew rather than embrace their efforts to further the virus.

The leader of the trio, Kadaj, claims that Geostigma is due to the Jenova cells corrupting the Lifestream. Three unknown figures appear and begin searching for Jenova's remains to complete the Reunion. He is coordinating searches by the Turks for the effects that Sephiroth had left on the planet. The president of the former Shin-Ra company, Rufus Shinra, is confined to a wheelchair, due to the energy draining effects of geostigma.

In the center is a monument to Midgar's destruction - Meteor. The survivors of Midgar have begun to build a new home on the edge of the city, aptly named 'Edge'. With them is a boy named Denzel, who Cloud, Tifa, and Marlene have taken in as their own. While Barrett is away to settle his past, Marlene Wallace, Barrett's adopted daughter, is entrusted to the care of Tifa.

Tifa's bar is now an orphanage for the infected children. He had lived with her along with Barret Wallace and Marlene Wallace for a while in their newly recontructed bar, 7th Heaven in the city of Edge. However, he has established his own delivery service with the aide of Tifa Lockhart. Cloud Strife, who is also infected with the disease, has secluded himself from the world, still haunted by Aerith Gainsborough's death.

It is proving to be fatal, and children seem to be at greater risk. Two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, the Planet has begun healing itself from the devastating attack from Meteor, but a strange disease known as "Geostigma" ("Seikon-Shoukougun" or Star Scar Syndrome in Japanese version) has arisen. The information below was compiled using various sources such as the FF7:AC IMDB Page, trailers, the Japanese release of the film, and the short stories contained in "On the Way to a Smile" written by Kazushige Nojima.. .

The film's soundtrack, scored by Nobuo Uematsu, was released on September 28, 2005. This was the first announced title in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Special Editions of this movie have been released, including the Ultimate Edition "Advent Pieces: Limited", which includes the OVA Last Order: Final Fantasy VII. However, due to the release date being pushed back several times, the timer was removed.

The official Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children website placed a countdown, showing the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds until the final release. The movie received the Honorary Maria Award at the Festival Internacional de Cinema de Cataluña on October 15, 2005. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2005, and the release dates for North America, Europe, Australia, and other countries are TBA. Its official theatrical release date was on September 10, 2005 as the grand public opening.

It is slated to be released on DVD and on a UMD disc for the PSP handheld console. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (Japanese: ファイナルファンタジーVII アドベントチルドレン) is a CGI-animated film based on the successful PlayStation game Final Fantasy VII that is set two years after the events of the game. Riichi. Miwa Hashiguchi.

Masahiro Watanabe. Kenji Arai. Yukiko Nakamura. Tesshin Murata.

Masakazu Morita. Mayuko Aoki. Jun Ishii. Isamu Tachihara.

Akihiko Kikuma. Mechanical & Creature Designer: Takayuki Takeya. Art Direction by: Yusuke Naora. Original music composed by: Nobuo Uematsu.

Scenario Writer: Kazushige Nojima. Co-producer: Shinji Hashimoto. Producer: Yoshinori Kitase. Co-director: Takeshi Nozue.

Director: Tetsuya Nomura.