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2-20-2007 |
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9-14-2005 |
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5 years ago. That is when three mens lives were changed forever.... Sent to Nibelheim to investigate a series of monster attacks, and the Mako Reactor, Sephiroth, Zach, and Cloud head straight into their destinies. It starts out as a simple investigation, until Sephiroth begins to learn about how he was really created. In a fit of insane madness, he destroys the entire town, and heads to the reactor for his "mother". Zach tries to stop him, and is mortally wounded. Cloud then takes the charge, and manages to see Sephiroth destroyed, but at the cost of his life. They are then made to be specimen's of the demented Hojo of Shinra, and thus the entire town is made to look like nothing ever happened. when they break out, they have one though on their mind: Freedom.....Their Last Order.
Last Order: Final Fantasy VII is a small anime film released with the Japanese version of Advent Children, as well as the American release of the Advent Children special edition. The story of Last Order is basically the events that happen in Cloud's flashback of Nibelheim during Final Fantasy VII, as well as the escape from the Shinra Mansion. The film itself is something of a great piece. The animation is rather stunning, and greatly detailed. The action is similar to that of Advent Children, and pretty non-stop. The character designs are very close to that of the original game. Each one of the main characters look very much like the Final Fantasy VII counterparts. You can easily recognize even the extras in the film, such as the photographer who takes Zach, Tifa, and Sephiroth's picture. Where the film has issues with the fans, as well as critics was the story itself. There are three major points that are different from the game itself. The most noticeable difference was how Sephiroth is killed. In the original game version, Cloud is shown as throwing Sephiroth into the chasm of the reactor. However in the film version, though Cloud mortally wounds Sephiroth, it is Sephiroth who jumps into the chasm with Jenova's head. Another difference is where Tifa finds her father. In Final Fantasy VII, even before clouds flashback, Tifa is shown as finding her father inside the Mako Reactor. The first time you see this is before the very first boss fight with Guard Scorpion. In the film, it shows Tifa finding her father outside the reactor, and even adds some dialog to the scene. Another difference is when Cloud saves Tifa. In the game, there is no dialog between him and Tifa, but in the film there is quite a bit of talking between them. And the final noticeable difference is when Cloud and Zach are escaping. In the game, Zach dresses Cloud in a SOLDIER uniform. In the film, it appears that cloud is still in his original uniform. None of these really matter, when it gets down to the nitty gritty of it. Outside of the uniform thing, everything else is remembered by Cloud in the original game. As we all know, the first flashback was less than accurate, so who is to say the second one was no different. Cloud might have thought he killed Sephiroth, but perhaps being so wounded he did not remember clearly. It might also be Jenova manipulating him into believing he did and saw these things differently. Who knows why it was changed. In all honesty, the film is a good one to watch. Though you really do not need to buy the special edition to get it. The voicing is still in Japanese with English subtitles. You can save yourself a lot of money by burning it from the internet. It does shed a bit more light on what happened to Cloud and Zach at the time that they escaped, and what happened in Nibelheim 5 years ago. But there is definitely more light shed on this in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
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