Calling and Reminiscence

By FF_Goddess and Anastar

Calling

At the end of Advent Children, Cloud sees Aerith near the doorway of the church. Once Cloud sees her, the whole world essentially melts away. His attention immediately focuses on Aerith. Everyone else, including the children, the other members of Avalanche, and Tifa, fade into the background and are completely ignored. Aerith tells Cloud that everything will be alright, smiles tenderly at him, and then walks into the light. In reply to her, Cloud says:
   
"I know. I'm not alone... not anymore...."
  
Cloud's words clearly imply that he has been feeling alone until now, even during the last two years. If Cloud had indeed been involved in a love relationship with Tifa during that time, then why was he feeling alone? If anything, feelings of loneliness would indicate that something important was actually missing in Cloud's life until now. Since Cloud was able to re-establish a connection with Aerith during Advent Children, the most obvious thing missing from his life during the last two years was Aerith. His words clearly imply that Cloud is no longer alone because he has been reunited with her.

After saying that he is no longer alone, Cloud gives a beautiful smile. The movie then proceeds to a music video entitled Calling while the credits are shown. During this music video, Cloud rides off on Fenrir down a sunlit highway as if he is going somewhere. Cloud rides for miles down the highway, and then the camera angles up toward the sun, the light shining brightly. When the camera angles away, a small bit of pink which appears to be the corner of Aerith's ribbon is shown on the lower part of the screen.

The bright light is reminiscent of the white space which always signified the presence of Aerith throughout the movie. The pink corner of Aerith's ribbon can be seen overhead as Cloud travels on through various terrain such as desert, forest, and grassland, as if she is traveling with him, and the light follows during a majority of the way. The corner of pink can still be seen momentarily at the bottom of the screen as the camera transitions back to focus on Cloud.

Then Aerith is shown standing alone in a large, beautiful field of yellow flowers. For the first time, she is seen without white space so that she appears very tangible and real. It's quite interesting that Aerith is shown all by herself within this expansive field of flowers, since some people like to believe that Aerith and Zack were reunited as a couple in the Lifestream. If Aerith and Zack had truly rekindled their love for one another, then why isn't Zack shown with Aerith as she appears to be waiting for Cloud?

The camera then passes back to Cloud, who is entering the outskirts of the flower field. For a brief moment, their images overlap, as seen in the screenshot below:

As their images overlap, we are once again given the impression that Aerith's presence is always with Cloud, as the corner of her ribbon overhead during his travels also suggests. After this, Aerith is shown again in the flower field, suddenly turning as if she senses the approach of someone. As Cloud begins riding through the flower field, the pink ribbon can be seen on his arm, fluttering in the wind. Flowers stretch for miles and miles around him, and the camera follows him no further.

During this entire video sequence, a song entitled Calling, by Kyosuke Himuro, plays in the background. This song was especially picked by Tetsuya Nomura, who said this about the song:
 

"In the scene where it plays I'm trying to portray the message of the film and Cloud's feelings through silence and the song. I think people will feel the persuasive power of the song when they view the scene." ~Tetsuya Nomura

So at the end of Advent Children, Cloud and Aerith basically have their own music video with a song that speaks of love and sadness. According to Nomura, the lyrics of Calling are supposed to portray Cloud's feelings as well as the message of Advent Children. Here are the lyrics of the song, which have heavy CloudxAerith overtones:
 
"Calling" by Kyosuke Himuro
   
I wonder how many sleepless nights you have to count, before you find your way
After how many lives are lost, will the strife end?
Clowns that cannot be saved, just tumbling atop of history
Like someone said one day before
The answer is in the wind.
 
How many times does your face have to be hit as you turned it away, before you stop pretending that you don't notice?
How much pain must you endure, before you smile freely?
If you're going to accept defeat again, still bound by rusted chains
Like someone said one day before
The answer is in the wind.
 
With your voice strained and your hands gripping tightly
Waiting for the time when your destiny is sure to change
With the faint power of a tiny love
Always waiting for your sadness to be embraced
 
Pitiful frauds working their puzzles of lies
Foolish romanticists who gracefully entertain with clumsiness
The premonition of the coming of the day when history will tell you nothing
Like someone said one day before
The answer is in the wind.
 
With your voice strained and your hands gripping tightly
Waiting for the time when your destiny is sure to change
With the faint power of a tiny love
Always waiting for your sadness to be embraced.
 
The lyrics of Calling speak of Cloud's pain and sadness, which clearly contradicts the idea that Cloud has been involved romantically with Tifa during the last two years. Instead, Cloud's pain and sadness have always been associated with the loss of Aerith. The song also repeatedly tells us that, for Cloud, "the answer is in the wind", an inference which is far more suggestive of a spiritual presence such as Aerith's than of a real life relationship with Tifa. As discussed earlier, Aerith's presence is in fact shown to be with Cloud throughout the music video. A small corner of Aerith's pink ribbon even accompanies Cloud as he rides Fenrir over various terrain, as if it is riding with him in the wind, as the song suggests.

Calling does not show Cloud riding back to the Seventh Heaven to be with Tifa. Instead, Nomura ended Advent Children, Cloud's story, with a video showing Aerith's presence to be with Cloud, and Cloud riding out to a flower field to be with Aerith. Evidence that Cloud actually visits Aerith in the flower field is given in the scene which immediately follows the Calling video as shown in the screenshot below.

Taking center stage are flowers picked from the same flower field where Aerith stood, their bright yellow color drawing the viewer's eye first and foremost. In addition, numerous photographs of that same flower field are scattered all over the top of Cloud's desk and tacked to the walls. The number of flower field pictures along with the freshly picked bouquet make it clear that Cloud visits there often, and that Aerith continues to be an important part of Cloud’s life. After all, it's unlikely that Cloud would take so many pictures of the flower field during a single visit. Since Aerith is visible only to Cloud during Advent Children, one also has to wonder if Aerith is perhaps visible to Cloud in these pictures.

The camera then zooms in for the final scene of the movie, which is shown below. The flowers from the flower field, which obviously represent Aerith, are positioned directly in front of pictures of other members of Avalanche who continue to be a part of Cloud's life. This is highly suggestive that Aerith continues to be included in Cloud's current life, as well.

If the creators had indeed wanted to show that Cloud was now ready to “move on”, that closure had been brought to his relationship with Aerith, and that he was now ready to settle down with Tifa in a loving relationship, such a message would have been easily portrayed by showing Cloud returning to the Seventh Heaven and taking Tifa into his arms. Instead, Cloud is shown alone on his motorcycle riding out to a flower field where Aerith is waiting for him and evidence that he visits her often. Furthermore, Aerith is shown in the video by herself as she waits for Cloud, with Zack nowhere in sight.

So Cloud and Aerith basically have a music video dedicated to their story at the end of the movie while no special mention is given to Tifa whatsoever. She is only seen along with Cloud's other friends in the photos on his desk, with the bright yellow flowers from the flower field where Aerith was standing in front along with numerous photos of that same flower field. Cloud and Aerith are clearly given precedence during the ending of the movie, with no insinuation that Cloud has romantic interest in Tifa. This is further reinforcement of the idea that Cloud is no longer alone because he has been reunited with Aerith.

The bonus video Calling is all about Cloud and Aerith. It not only shows Cloud going out to a flower field to be with Aerith, but it also shows flowers from the flower field on Cloud's desk along with numerous photographs of the flower field. This clearly implies that Cloud visits the flower field often to be with Aerith, which can only mean that Aerith continues to be a part of Cloud's life. This message was also implied by Nomura in "Distance" when he made the following statement:

The words “memetic legacy” are used a lot in the film…but in Advent Children, rather than focusing on memories we wanted to show that consciousness is what lives on. We took the ending of the game and expanded on that idea. Even if they’re dead, their consciousness is still with us. As for Cloud…he sees Aerith several times throughout the film. It’s not that he sees her because he feels her presence. He sees her because her consciousness…lives on inside him. ~ Nomura; Distance Interview

Nomura's words tell us that Aerith lives on inside of Cloud. It's not that Cloud is "mired in the past" and "lost in memories" of Aerith. Instead, Cloud is actually able to see Aerith and to be with her because her consciousness lives on inside of him. This would be a very intimate relationship that introverted Cloud would never be able to have with anyone else. Aerith continues to be with Cloud in the present. There's no need for Cloud to "move on" when Aerith will always be with him. The subtle clues in Advent Children all point to Cloud continuing to love Aerith and keeping her alive in his heart, a message which is clearly reinforced by the bonus video Calling.

The video Calling can be seen on YouTube at the following links: 

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children - Calling - submitted by riceboi913

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Part 15 (credits 2/2) - submitted by bladeshocker

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children - Kyosuke Himuro - Calling - submitted by ZeromusX
 

Reminiscence

Another video entitled Reminisence of FFVII is included along with the Advent Children DVD. This video primarily shows different cutscenes from the original game, but it also contains a series of phone calls made to Cloud as he rides around on his motorcycle. Basically, we get a chance to see what Cloud was up to during the time he was shown traveling about in the video Calling. Once again, Cloud isn't shown at the Seventh Heaven with Tifa. Instead, he is out riding around by himself in his typical lone-wolf style. During this segment, Cloud is shown talking with his friends via cell phone at various locations. Here is the dialogue of those phone calls:
 

Call 1

In Case of Tifa, Yuffie had complained that the members of Avalanche didn't see each other much in the two years between Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children. So, doesn't it make sense that Yuffie would want to hold a reunion party for them? The final scene of Advent Children shows a photo taken with the members of Avalanche along with Denzel and Marlene, so there was obviously a get-together at some point. Since Yuffie provided the "Closed for Business" sign, it's very likely that Yuffie was planning for that reunion to take place tomorrow. They probably all met up at Seventh Heaven, had a little party, and snapped the picture.

During the last call in Reminiscence, which is shown below, Cloud is heard speaking to Tifa. This call takes place outside of the flower field where Aerith was shown to be waiting for Cloud during Calling. It's very obvious that Cloud has stopped at the flower field, since the picture is still and no movement is seen on the road. Unlike the other calls in Reminiscence, only Cloud's part of the conversation is heard during this call, as though it's being overheard by someone else... perhaps Aerith? 

Cloud: Hey, it's me. I've only got one more package to deliver to Midgar. Has there been any more requests...? No, turn that one down. I'm making tomorrow a holiday. Nothing special... Say Tifa, can you close the shop? Not hard is it. OK. Let Denzel and Marlene know, too. See you later, then.

~Transcript of all calls taken from FFVII Web Novels

It's very interesting that Cloud asks Tifa to close the shop tomorrow while he's parked on the highway right next to Aerith's flower field, where Aerith was shown to be waiting for him during Calling. Apparently, Cloud has more important things to do today... like meeting with Aerith!

CloudxTifa supporters like to believe that the last conversation in Reminiscence indicates that Cloud plans to spend his holiday with Tifa and the kids. However, remember that Yuffie had given Cloud a "Closed for Business" sign. Is Yuffie the type of person to send Cloud a "Closed for Business" sign so that Cloud can take Tifa out for a date? It's far more likely that Yuffie wants the Seventh Heaven closed for business so that she can hold a reunion party for the members of Avalanche tomorrow. CloudxTifa supporters also claim that the last phone call suggests that Cloud intends to spend more time with Tifa and the kids. However, Cloud only speaks about taking one day off, not spending more time with Tifa and the kids, and it's very likely that the day off was spent at a reunion party with the other members of Avalanche.

Reminiscence also shows Cloud's motorbike parked outside of Aerith's flower field as he makes the phone call to Tifa telling her that he's taking the day off tomorrow, rather than rushing home today. The sun is still shining brightly in this scene, so it appears to be happening during early or mid-day. Since Cloud says that he only has one more delivery to make to Midgar, it's easy to assume that Cloud has stopped outside the flower field to spend the rest of the day with Aerith.

More Advent Children Essays

Advent Children Love Triangle FAQ

See these essays for more discussion of Cloud and Aerith in AC:

Aerith Lives in Cloud's Heart

Devotion and Doubt

Evidence that Cloud Still Loves Aerith

Cloud's Guilt and Aerith's Manifestations

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