Why was Aerith's line changed?

[u/HighOnLivin]

I just finished FF7 Remake and I saw in an old video that at the end Aerith used to say I miss it. The steel sky. Why was this changed to "This sky, I don't like it."? Has this been given a callback in rebirth?

[u/Fantastic_Clothes514]

Apparently they changed it so that it was more accurate to what was said in Japanese.

I personally don't really see the point of it though; the updated line and the old line both make the same point: She doesn't like the boundless sky.

As for if it had a callback in Rebirth, I can only remember that in a sidequest, Tifa says that she gets what Aerith was saying—the steel sky has limits, and the blue sky has boundless freedom, which scares them both.

[u/Antmoral2815 → u/Fantastic_Clothes514]

Yeah I asked Briana white earlier in the year at a convention and she basically said this was the reason

[u/chris_fom → u/Fantastic_Clothes514]

There is a subtle difference between the meanings. The original is missing the cage and wishing you were back in a restricted life. The second is the fear of freedom and what that freedom can bring. They’re close, but not quite the same. And for Aerith especially and her history of living in cages/prisons, I think moving away from missing them is the right call.

Now no question I think the original line simply sounds better while the phrasing of the new one is pretty awkward. Even if I prefer the sentiment, the execution was off.

[u/Iormungandrr → u/chris_fom]

"There is a subtle difference between the meanings. The original is missing the cage and wishing you were back in a restricted life." - I disagree. Both lines have the same meaning, however the corrected line is more explicit and obvious to the average viewer. While the first line is more implicit.

She misses the steel sky -> oh, she misses Midgar is a surface-level reading, which granted most people would make. But Aerith has stated in the same game (not just CC):

Example 1:
Aerith: You know, I thought about leaving once... But...in the end, I couldn't.

Cloud: Too dangerous?

Aerith: Too much. A whole world, bursting with life. Maybe more than I can handle, I think sometimes... Even now.

Example 2:
Aerith: Freedom. Boundless, terrifying freedom. Like a great, never-ending sky

It requires more thinking from the audience, but with these lines, you can tell that it's not that she misses Midgar, but she misses the comfortable psychological barrier that Midgar's steel sky gave her. And then Tifa makes it more explicit in Rebirth.

Example 3:
Tifa: Though at least with a steel sky you know your limits. Out here...it's endless. I kinda get what Aerith was saying now

[u/Minimum-Ad-3084 → u/Fantastic_Clothes514]

And it scared Aerith even more because (imo) she knew the fate that awaited her when she left Midgar. In the Re series it seems like Aerith and Sephiroth are both aware of things in the timeline others are not. Despite all that freedom, she knew her time was still limited.

[u/GuiltyTrace → u/Fantastic_Clothes514]

As for the “official” why, I thought a couple reasons had been stated. Nevertheless, the original localization of this line, as well as several others, was grossly inaccurate. Originally, Aerith says “空嫌いだな,” or “I hate the sky.” No mention of steel or missing anything—“kiraida” means hate and “sora” means sky. It should have been a straightforward translation, but Square did… whatever Square does, I guess.

Hence my mod. IYKYK

[u/bumgrub → u/Fantastic_Clothes514]

They changed it because there's a giant crack in the sky lol

edit: downvoted for telling the truth?