Extensive list of ACC changes/additions SPOILERS

[sekiharatae]

I'm calling this "extensive" rather than "complete" because it's entirely possible I missed some.  However, I think I got the bulk of them down.  Just a few general (and one or two cracky) things to start off (non-spoilers, unless you haven't seen any of the trailers):

The way music is used has been changed, sometimes for the better, and sometimes not.  On the whole, the music has been dropped further into the background, so the sound effects (weapons clanging, people grunting, etc.) are clearer.  That's a plus, but I found I missed the volume and energy in some of the fight scenes.

While the remnants pretty much survive fight scenes without getting dirty or bloody, the rest of the characters are no longer so fortunate.

Loz provides his own sound effects.  When he fires his motorcycle machine gun, he yells the equivalent of "rattatattatatta".  I'm also pretty sure he says, "VROOM!" when he guns his motorcycle down that cliff at the beginning of the movie.  (It doesn't show in the subs, unlike his machine gun noise, but it sounds like he does it to me.)

Masamune now has its very own sound effect.  It makes a sort of metallic hum all the time.

Voice acting for Marlene, Denzel and Moogle Girl is very good.  I think I still prefer the original Marlene, but I don't have any complaints about the new one (I'm just used to the old).

Now for the more serious spoilers:

1. Insertion of a scene after we see Nanaki and his cubs, but before the Northern Crater.  Kadaj and Shinra are coming up the elevator to the floor they spend time on during the Bahamut scenes.  Kadaj pushes Shinra's wheelchair over toward the open wall, and the two talk.  
2. Scene at the Northern Crater is more drawn out.  No additional images, really, just a longer span of time filled with gunshots etc.  And we hear Kadaj speak his line from the trailer.
3. The Midgar/Edge city panorama is different.  We see more of Edge, and more effort was taken to make the people more individual (less generic).  The children the camera focuses on during Marlene's monologue are different, and we also see adults sick with the stigma.
4. The Meteor monument speaks for itself; there is no flashback to the actual Meteor Fall as a clue to what it is meant to represent.
5. We see "Moogle Girl" during Marlene's monologue.  She is with her little brother.  Her brother has the stigma, and is more ill than she is.  She tries to protect him from the sight of an adult dying rather graphically from geostigma right next to them.
6. Geostigma as pictured on Cloud and Denzel is unchanged; however, as pictured on other random individuals, it is far more grotesque.  It results in pustules and a slime somewhat like gangrene, as well as black vapor and a painful, eruptive death.
7. Tifa is listening to what sounds like a newscast during her initial scene in the bar.  The rest of the scene is unchanged.  Shinra, Lifestream, and Geostigma are all mentioned on the radio.
8. There is a red Medical Science book on Cloud's desk.  It has several post-its or tabs marking the pages.
9. In between the fight with Yazoo/Loz and Cloud's arrival in Healin is a small scene focused on Denzel. He is in bed staring at two pictures on his nightstand.  One is of him and his parents; the other is of he and Marlene holding hands while standing in front of Fenrir.  Cloud is on the other side of Fenrir, almost like he didn't mean to be in the picture at all, but was getting ready to leave.   Denzel's line here seems to indicate he thinks he's the reason Cloud left:  the final straw.
10. Not really new, but it was never clear before:  The Healen Lodge sign has a subtitle which reads, "Geostigma sanatorium and love of silence"   (I also thought it was Healin in the US version but it's Healen on the blu-ray.)
11. After running past Cloud and having the door shut in his face, Reno pushes the door back open as he says his "so you're good" line.  Cloud shuts it again halfway through and locks Reno out. 
12. President Shinra's Healen scene is very different, with a great deal more dialogue.  He talks about lifestream, mako reactors, mako energy... and Sephiroth.  Shinra is very good at deductive reasoning, and has a theory about geostigma (which we know is correct).  Cloud's expressions are more varied, and better detailed (i.e. they're nicer to look at).   
13. Scene inserted after Tifa and Marlene arrive at the Church.  Reno and Rude talking (as in trailers) before Kadaj arrives in Healen.  Kadaj does not appear in person; there is a rumbling and black mist/smoke starts to come in around the door.  Screen goes black and Kadaj says, "I found you."
14. Scene inserted after #13, wherein Denzel receives a phone call at the bar.  It's apparently Tifa telling him that she and Marlene are at the church.  He says he'll be waiting for them.  He then has a flashback to finding Cloud's phone (as described in Case of Denzel and pictured in trailers).  He snaps out of it at the sound of a motorcycle and goes running outside to see Cloud, but it's Yazoo. 
15. Cloud has a Fenrir (wolf head) charm on his phone.  (Not sure if it's new or I never noticed.  Looks like Denzel breaks the cord when he pulls the phone off the handlebars.)  All of the calls appear to be from Seventh Heaven, and he also has a wolf image on the phone display.
16. Moogle Girl has a scene in the alley by Seventh Heaven.  She's carrying her brother on her back and they're both covered with a blanket.  She gets knocked down, and at first people are willing to help her, but a man gets geostigma ichor on his hand and becomes disgusted/irate/frightened.  Denzel is the only one to approach after that, handing her the moogle doll.  She is upset, and having resituated her brother on her back, snatches the doll and pushes Denzel away.  She is crying.
17. The scene with Cloud and the Buster sword on the cliff is extended, with scenes from Crisis Core's ending inserted.  (Most notably the scene where he tilts his head back and screams.) Sephiroth then has a voice over during Cloud's geostigma episode, and we hear his line from the trailer about Cloud being a puppet.
18. Interaction between Denzel and the Moogle Girl when she pulls him off to join Yazoo's group is different.  She's in a group of children running by Denzel and stops.  She apologizes for her behavior before, and thanks him.  Then she says tells him her brother is gone, and then pulls Denzel up to join the group. 
19. There is different music during the scene in the Church after Cloud passes out.  The imagery seems changed, too, but I'm not quite sure how.  Lots of white screen.  (Could be just a different feel because of the music.  It's still the two of them passed out in the flowers, with the wolf nearby.)
20. Scene in the truck between Denzel and the Moogle Girl.  He wants to know who is going to cure them; when she doesn't know, he says it doesn't matter anyway.
21. When Reno and Rude leave to search for the kids, Cloud looks at the pictures on Denzel's nightstand and has a flashback to finding him at the Church.  In the scene he puts Denzel on the bike and gets on in front of him.  When Denzel collapses, he takes the boy's hand and wraps it around his waist, but Denzel is shaking.  Close up of Cloud's hand wrapped around Denzel's.  (Very touching scene.)
22. In the Forgotten City, Yazoo is not present for the scene with the materia.  Loz digs around in the chest while Kadaj talks about how much Cloud's rebellion against mother upsets things.  Marlene attempts to sneak away and is stopped when Kadaj essentially chops a tree down in front of her.
23. Kadaj has additional dialogue after the children drink the tainted water. 
24. In the scene where Vincent saves Cloud, his face is visable as he shoots at Kadaj from under the swirling cape.
25. Scene with Cloud and Marlene at the bar when he takes her home.  She asks if his arm hurts, and he says it does.  She asks if he left because he couldn't find a cure for Denzel (when he is surprised she knows he was looking, she tells him he should clean his desk).  He says he left because he didn't think he could take care of anyone once he was sick.  Marlene then imitates Barret as she lectures Cloud.  (This is adorable.)  Several clips from this exchange are used in the "Safe and Sound" trailer.
26. The scene between Shinra and Kadaj is different.  Kadaj pulls the materia out of his arm as they talk.  At one point he all but shoves it in Shinra's face, and at another he tosses it up and down.  At the end of their discussion he puts it back in his arm and summons Bahamut.
27. Cid's fight with the shadow creepers is cut.  He simply arrives -- we don't see a parachute, but he lands lightly in front of Tifa as if he was using one -- and skips straight to bragging about his airship.
28. Tifa is leading Denzel away when he notices people on the ground around them, suffering from the stigma.  He has a flashback to the day his parents died.  When he opens his eyes, Tifa is holding his hand, and quietly encourages him to keep/get moving.  Then they are attacked by shadow creepers.  (Cid's fight is essentially transferred to Tifa.)  Much of this scene features in the various trailers. 
29. Cloud saves Denzel from the creepers and Tifa from being squashed by buildings.  More details in this post here.
30. Denzel leaves to go wait in the bar with Marlene.  On the way there he encounters creepers attacking people in the alley.  His geostigma spikes with pain, and then he uses a pipe to clear a path so he can get home.  (Scene with the hydrant in the trailer(s).)
31. Insert during the falling scene to show Tseng and Elena running to get into place before firing their nets.
32. Instead of Reno climbing the building to get to Shinra, there is a scene in the street with the president and his Turks regrouping.
33. Scenes from the trailers involving Yazoo/Loz and the Turks in helicopters are inserted after Kadaj and Cloud are forced onto different roads, but before the motorcycle fight in the tunnel.  Sorry to anyone wanting some serious Turk action; these are purely comedy relief.  Also, Yazoo is insane.  Elena does get a bit more airtime as she and Tseng are in one 'copter, while Reno and Rude are in the other. 
34. The helicopter waiting behind Reno and Rude when they set off their explosives has been removed.  This is due to Yazoo's actions in #33 destroying their helicopter.  Nice continuity, though!  (Cloud probably wishes the Turks would quit "helping" as their explosions cause issues for him.  The ruined helicopter almost crashes into him.)
35. When Cloud takes a tumble and tears his sleeve off, Fenrir is very obviously stratched and damaged.
36. Cloud's fight with Sephiroth is extended.  There are more scenes of them trading blows, instead of just lots of scenes of the two of them slicing through the chunks of building falling around them.
37. Cloud has a white screen exchange with Zack in the middle of his fight with Sephiroth.  Additional details in this post here. 
38. Cloud's final attack is essentially the same as in AC (i.e. his weapon splits into pieces, he zips between pieces and attacks Seph) but it's far more detailed.  The rendering is spectacular.
39. After Denzel tells Marlene that Cloud promised to come home, the phone rings.  Denzel runs to answer (followed by Marlene) and becomes excited.  He hangs up and says, "Let's go!" to Marlene. She agrees, and they run out into the street.  The sounds of other phones ringing are heard, and other people join them as they run toward the church.  Marlene and Denzel are holding hands, and as they meet up with Moogle Girl, Marlene extends a hand to her as well.  The three continue together, arriving at their destination in front of a rather large group of children and adults.
40. There is no longer a scene in the credits with Aerith standing in a field of flowers, watching as Cloud drives by.  There is a much larger field of daisies, however.
41. The same close-up of Cloud's desk is shown after the credits, then the image shifts to the cliff where Zack died.  The buster sword is missing, and more daisies are growing in its place.  Footsteps are heard approaching, and then Denzel asks if it's a grave.  Cloud answers that no, it's the place where a hero began his journey.  Scene then changes again to the pool in the church.  Aerith's flowers are growing around the edge, and the buster sword is planted close by.

ETA:  I feel quite stupid, as I could not figure out how to change to English.  [smacks self].  Now it's after 3 in the morning, and I have to choose between much needed sleep (only 3 hours last night), or rewatching certain scenes...  Thanks to nrgburst for asking me about the language again, so I went and looked... again.  Sadly, I'd rather watch in Japanese. =(

ETA:  Now 4 AM.  Still rather watch in Japanese, but updated this based on the English.  I guessed pretty much right.  Go me!

Comments

[windrider1.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this. there are so many versions/fake synopsis on the net, it's nice to get one so concise and revealing. Thanks!!

[windrider1.livejournal.com]

Also #19 They are waaaaaaaaay closer in ACC than in the original. I just looked at the scene. (see icon for earlier version :P)

[sekiharatae.livejournal.com]

LOL. I don't think that's what I was noticing, but I like it just the same. =)

[windrider1.livejournal.com]

She also still has her gloves on in this version. They were mysteriously missing in the original. :P

[nrgburst]

I posted on my own LJ yesterday about this, but I hate putting up spoilers! Why didn't you just switch it onto English voiceover?

[sekiharatae.livejournal.com]

Because it doesn't have one? O.o I'm going to have to go look again and say I feel stupid, but it didn't have one that I saw. Only option I have is Japanese with Japanese subtitles.

I didn't get the XIII demo version, but I wouldn't think that would change the movie.

Very confused...

[sekiharatae.livejournal.com]

ROTFLMAO... Ok, obviously, I'm insane to think that when they put "setup" and such in English that they would put "English" as a language selection in English.

[nrgburst]

Yes, it does! Change the voice options in set-up. There are no English subs, which is retarded- Why would Japanese people need Japanese subs?- but there is definitely an English voiceover.

[sekiharatae.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I found it this time. I feel quite the idiot. I plead lack of sleep and odd ideas about having the word English written in English. ^^;

[nrgburst]

No worries- why the hell did they make the buttons on the menu so damn tiny anyway? They're practically impossible to read. And since they had the English voiceover, they already had an English script so...why didn't they add English subs too? *shakes head at Squenix*

[sekiharatae.livejournal.com]

I now have to seriously consider whether or not to buy the NA release as well. Was planning to (it's actually a running joke with my husband -- he spent $7500 on a new computer, and I spent $75 (total) on two copies of the same movie), but it would just to be to read the subs while watching Japanese dialogue. Sometimes the translations are different (closer to the Japanese than the dub is), but not sure it's worth it.

We have a projector. It's like watching it in a movie theater. =D

I saw you commented on it, too, so can I just share that I love Cloud's geeky side? I was tickled to death at the medical book.

Need sleep now...

[nrgburst]

Agreed- I prefer subs to dubs anyday!

3 copies of the same movie? lol I don't know about yours, but my husband would sooo never let me live it down! Still, your position seems super-strong. $7500! Holy @#$%!

Friending you BTW, hope you don't mind...

[sekiharatae.livejournal.com]

It's um, actually four copies total. ^^;

Special edition DVD
Collector's edition DVD
Japanese Blu-Ray
NA Blu-Ray

And yeah, he finds this highly amusing. (I find it rather silly myself...) (^_^)

But, as long as he's getting that new comp, he doesn't have room to talk. I may be obsessed, but my obsession is cheap compared to his.

He wanted a 30inch monitor and it required some sort of special graphics card. The two together hiked the price. Or that's his story.

[shojobot.livejournal.com]

Marlene attempts to sneak away and is stopped when Kadaj essentially chops a tree down in front of her.

this made me lol irl. I don't know why.

'Got here via ctlove while impatiently waiting for my copy to get here, and I can't thank you enough for the comprehensive run-down! When I didn't want to be spoiled for the original film, it was pratically shoved in my face by LJ, but now I'm having to stalk message boards and random blogs for even the smallest snippet of info (most of which are confused, mistranslations, anyway). This list was very helpful!

Do you mind if I ask if most/all of the English cast is the same?

[sekiharatae.livejournal.com]

As it was late when I watched it in English, I only watched a few of the new scenes. However, it sounds like the same voice actors. Cloud and Tifa I know are the same. Zack is the same as Crisis Core. I don't think they got a new person for Marlene (which they did in Japanese), but Denzel sounded a bit different. Will have to rewatch when I'm more awake. ^^;

I don't think they redid Aerith's voice, either. Which is sad, but she didn't get any new lines, so that's probably why.

[qwi-xux.livejournal.com]

This is awesome, thank you! And they added that Cloud had been looking for a cure for Denzel? That is SO SO SO AWESOME.

[sekiharatae.livejournal.com]

Yes they did, and it is wonderful. Cloud character development for the win! And the interaction with the kids was great.

Sorry I didn't PM you. I figured you'd already seen the cloti moment I posted, and these could wait. ^^;

[qwi-xux.livejournal.com]

Oh, please, this is just as good as a PM. Better, because everyone gets to see it. ^_^ I can't wait to get a chance to see it myself. I want to watch "Case of Denzel," too.

I also think it's really cool they expanded on Moogle Girl a bit.

[calen-greenleaf.livejournal.com]

A great list; I watched a couple of clips on Youtube, but without sound as I can't, at the moment. This post filled out what I didn't watch yet. Thanks for posting. :)

~Cal

[sekiharatae.livejournal.com]

Most welcome!

[kookyz.livejournal.com]

I have problems with dubs in general, but I didn't think ACC [and AC] was that bad. I like Marlene's english recast. I thought she did good. :P

[sekiharatae.livejournal.com]

I'll have to watch again with the English on, and it's not four in the morning. =)

But for her Japanese recast, while she did a great job, there was just something about the girl in AC that I liked more. I think maybe the new voice sounds older? If I'd never heard the previous one, I'd be in love with the new, I'm sure.

[kookyz.livejournal.com]

Actually there's a few voices in AC/C that I could do without. I never really liked Cook. She sounds bored half the time, and I don't know. It doesn't sound genuine... though I thought it was fine (minus the dilly dally shilly shally part) when Tifa was letting Cloud have it in the bedroom.

...I just realized how that sounded but you know what I mean. ;)

But I didn't really think the dub in general was all that bad. :)

Yeah, the Marlene's Japanese recast has a higher voice. Like, HIGHer. What I really liked about the English recast was that she did an adorable job when she imitated Barrett. I just found it so cute. It's not something I would've caught in the Japanese version. ;D

[kookyz.livejournal.com]

Well actually now that I watched the movie again... there were some horrible deliveries here and there.

I like Burton, but the "This is where a hero began his journey" line delivery was awful. lol Also liked AC Denzel better. ;p

Hahah sorry, I'm like spamming your post.

[sekiharatae.livejournal.com]

LOL, yes I do know what you mean, but I've been writing smut and now that line has all new meaning. (face palm) I really think they should have worked harder there to fit a line that gave the right meaning without sounding moronic. I mean... "Stop letting your memories shackle you! Dragging their weight around with you everywhere." or... "Quit dragging your feet, Cloud." or something.

I always watch AC in Japanese. There are only a handful of English voices I think fit: Vincent, Seph, Reno, Rude, and the president. Well, Zack seems a fair match (no pun intended) as well, although the Japanese voice still seems to manage a more playful delivery.

I can hear why they chose the people they did, though. There's almost always a similarity in pitch. Tifa's voice loses some of the caring and emotion it has in Japanese, though; and Cloud sounds too sullen. Gah... I can't explain what I like/don't like. (Can't find the right words.)

That said, I like Marlene's new English voice better than her old one. =) Which is funny as it's the opposite reaction I had to her Japanese voice.

[kookyz.livejournal.com]

YES. SMUT.



Yeah, they should've really worked on that.

And yeah. Those voices fit pretty well. I thought AC Yuffie was alright too. (I didn't really like DoC Yuffie). I like Rock Gomez! (He did Gippal for FFX-2 8D) I thought he as alright with Zack. There were moments in CC that just clicked. :D

Yay new Marlene! There are also a lot of accented characters that I really can't help but love in the English dub, because I don't really catch it in Japanese (Cait Sith, Cid, Barrett...) . Yeah, it's hard to explain what works and what doesn't for me either. ;p

Ohh and I wanted to mention:

#7 - I totally dig Tifa's ghetto blaster there. 8D

#19 - The track change to the beginning of "Heart of Anxiety" definitely changed the mood. If memory serves me right, it played in Nibelheim, and I thought that just pointed another finger to the direction of Cloud and Tifa's connection.

[ener.livejournal.com]

#19: Yeah, 不安な心/Anxious Heart played a lot in the game when it pointed towards Tifa and Cloud's relationship/feelings. It played a lot in the beginning when they make it blatantly obvious how she feels for him, and they played it throughout the Nibelheim bits. /nerd

I think it was fitting since it's the next best thing to an OTP song! ;)

(Gotta admit, hearing that and then new arrangements of the old FF7 songs just makes me want a remake even more. As if the beginning scenes with the old flashbacks didn't get me to begin wtih... resisting the urge to buy Japanese FF7 on PSN to see how they screwed up the translation 12 years ago!)

[yuenmei.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for posting these! I am smugly happy that Aerith is no longer in the credits. Bah.

[sekiharatae.livejournal.com]

I am too! Largely because I'm tired of reading rants about how Cloud is obviously leaving Tifa to go see Aerith, and that's why he's in a field and blah blah blah.

[sha-shannon.livejournal.com]

Random but I noticed (or I think I did) Zack and Aerith were closer together in the last scene lol. o__o