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While I absolutely love this date, I think one of my favorite things about it is that the devs made sure to include basically every major aspect of it in other non-optional cutscenes. If you get the date, you are reinforcing those moments (or this date will be reinforced later, depending on which happens first) but even if you DON'T get the date, the devs wanted to make SURE you got those moments between Cloud and Aerith solidified in canon. Cloud is hesitant to sit by Aerith even though she wants him to because he's hung up on the Zack issue? As you pointed out, we saw it in Nibelheim. Aerith acknowledges that the Cloud she's with isn't fully the "real" Cloud and she wants to find and meet the real one? She says in the Sleeping Forest that he needs to focus on himself - the one she's "trying to find". Aerith makes a clear move and indicates that she likes Cloud and is ready to move on from Zack? Happens in the church at the end of the dream date. The intimate hand-holding? Happens at the end of the game after they tag-teamed Sephiroth and showed what a power couple they truly are. Even the minor moment of Cloud taking Aerith's hand and leading her off the gondola is backed up by him ALWAYS briefly taking her hand and leading her forward for her big moment after she sings, regardless of who your date was. The devs were not messing around with this. They wanted everyone to know that regardless of which date you got or which date you insist is canon, all those moments remain intact and undeniable.

Great analysis! Love it! Thank you for the vid! Aerith understands Cloud. She knows when it's him & not him. "And I'm trying so hard to find you." I thought that line was just as meaningful as "Right now, I wanna be with you." It was a double whammy. She was really trying to tell him that she already made her choice. She wouldn't be 'trying so hard to find him,' if she was conflicted about Zack! It's odd how in both dates, Tifa & Aerith lied or ommitted knowledge of Zack's death. I really believe in Tifa, that she didn't lie. Zangan always said Tifa had a pure heart. ToTP supports that. What I think happened was she had a girl-talk(revealed in pt. 3) & told Aerith the truth and both of them came to the conclusion of "very possible" because of Cloud's unreliable memory. They don't know for sure but they know Cloud is very delicate right now. Aerith didn't want to ruin their date with Zack's death. She wanted Cloud to know she absolutely chose him over Zack not just because he's dead & can't have him. So she latches onto his arm tight right after, and admits subtly, "I don't want to lose you too." An interesting reach would be that Cloud is clued into this somehow or notices from her body language that she knows he's dead. But he's emotionally smart & perceptive enough to understand that Aerith 'wanted him to know' between both of them alive, she chose Cloud. ❤️ And perhaps in that moment he didn't know for sure, but in the end where he sees the different worlds & sees that Aerith totally could be with Zack if she wanted, he 💯 knows she chose Cloud! The kiss is gunna be epic in part three in their spot in the church! I keep imagining Barret saying to Clotis, "Fire comin'! There's a fire comin'!" 🎀

Great video~!! I was surprised that you didn't touch on Cloud's "words drowned by fireworks" when his lips were moving (as I think Aerith doing it in Gongaga led up to this cinematography direction) but maybe you're waiting for the Ultimania plus to finally confirm it haha

This scene is so perfect. The way Cloud grabs Aerith's hand, locks their fingers together and looks at her nervously is a chef's kiss to this scene. Cloud who has been ostracized his whole life, who is so reserved and has trouble opening up and express his feelings nervously looks at Aerith and you can practically feel his heart pounding. Also the way Aerith smiles at Cloud and leans on him is just peak romance moment.

I'm pretty sure Aerith only references searching for Cloud in sleeping forest in english version, which is interesting considering that usually the english translation is deliberately downplaying clerith. But it doesn't really matter because kobito tsunagi happens again at the end of the game canonically, which is an obvious proof that Aerith gondola date is the canon one.

Thank you for our weekly prescribed dose of Clerith 🩷 it's funny that some Clotis think we would be disappointed with this date. I actually think it should be the opposite haha. This scene literally could not have been more perfect. I wept from the cuteness 😭

Great Analysis!

I really love the parallels between the Cloti and the Clerith dates. In the Cloti date, Cloud has a question in his mind and he didn't found the answer at the end of it. He says that "she(Aerith) must still have feelings for Zack"(not exact quote). And the answer to the question can be found in the Clerith date where Aerith tells Cloud that it is him she's looking for. Yes, he reminded her of Zack, but Cloud is not Zack and that's okay. At the beginning, Cloud seemed distant and is constantly drowning in some thoughts, but after Aerith's assurance to him he became confident, so confident he held out his hand for Aerith as well. I just love how all of these played out.

Yeeey! Here we go with another fantastic Clerith video. Thanks as allways for this!!

8:04 okayyyy. Closed-up flustered Aerith is so freaking cute! You made her heart skip a beat, Mr.Cloudy.

At first I was impartial, I analyzed each Tifa and Aerith scene logically. Pointing out that the game was pushing Aerith was met by accusing me of being clerith. I asked for arguments everytime as to why Aerith is not the canon choice and was given what accounts to "trust me bro fr". When I confronted all they said was "clerith". Even last month some guy was adamant that hollow isn't about Aerith. Not once he talked about the lyrics, context or references, only falling back to some misinterpreted dev interview. Your videos expands on many of the arguments I used and go beyond. Most videos doing the same for Tifa fall into bias and are banking on "she's alive" basically.

13:10 The 'you' is italicized which gives it emphasis, so for me gives it a completely different you.. like the real you, actual you, you you. YOU. If that makes sense. so the english line, for me, is completely fine and it makes sense. i like it better than the japanese lol

I didn't play the og game so a have a question: the date companion is optional like in the rebirth? I'm sure about clouds feelings towards Aerith, but i'm still gathering the pieces about what Aerith feels, because while in rebirth we have a Lot of material to base on, i'm not so sure about the og. And i'm talking about non optional stuff

The reason I love the Clerith date in comparison with Tifa, is that he is so much more shy and broken with Aerith. Cloud is basically a kid who has been tortured for the last five years. This representation of him seems much more realistic of how someone like that would be. With Tifa, he's just a bit too relaxed, too well formed. Doesn't work for me. The fact that these two broken people are healing one another, is the core magic of this game.

I do hope that someday we get a clerith kiss scene, but I think their handholding was absolutely precious. Very sweet, I love watching it every time I see it.

Ah, my weekly Clerith hit. Thanks fella!

When should they kiss if ever? According to you.

Aerith and Cloud gondola scene is pure perfection imo and I couldn't have asked for more. I too agree that it was not the right time for a kiss. But honestly... that handhold we got... man. I can't get over that. So much better than most kiss scenes I've seen so far anyway. The reservation and the way he finally squeezed her hand after all... perfection.

This is naturally a heavily debated scene because of its implications in the context of the "shipping wars" (this felt so cringe to type lol). I think for a lay person, it's not unreasonable to interpret Cloud's initial aloofness as him being disinterested or even annoyed by Aerith. But, when the two bump into each other and almost settle into a kiss, they BOTH back off (not just initiated by Cloud) and both perfectly mirror each other's actions as they sit down and look away. This is important to emphasize b/c at this point, it should be clear to the viewer that Aerith is romantically interested in Cloud, even more so after her dialogue about wanting to meet (the true) Cloud. If Cloud was completely uninterested, I would expect Aerith's movements to be out of sync and not mirror Cloud's own movements. Instead, the fact that they're perfectly in sync and perfectly mirror each other I think must indicate that their feelings must similarly mirror each other's, which is to say Cloud also feels very strongly about Aerith as well. As mentioned by the video, there are a number of complex emotions brewing within Cloud. At this point, he isn't sure if Aerith's feelings for him (yes, even someone as emotionally dense as Cloud realizes that Aerith has feelings for him) are because of the parts of Zack she sees in him or because of Cloud's own self. Cloud also feels some level of guilt over forgetting about Zack and especially that Zack was "head over heels" for Aerith because Zack couldn't stop talking about how much he liked her. Additionally, this guilt is compounded by Cloud thinking that Zack died at Nibelheim and that Aerith deserves to know, both potentially taking precedence over his own feelings for Aerith. All of these naturally conflict with any romantic feelings Cloud might have for Aerith. Aerith naturally intuits all of this because of her exceptional emotional intelligence and her deep bond with Cloud, hence why she doesn't seem bothered. Aerith then assures Cloud that even though she was initially drawn to him because he reminded her of Zack, she doesn't feel that way anymore and instead wants to be with Cloud/meet the real Cloud, assuaging Cloud's insecurities. So the first part of Cloud's conflicted feelings has been placated, but he still feelings guilt over potentially "stealing" his friend's girl and of Aerith not being aware that Zack is dead, hence why he's still reserved and asks Aerith if she talked with Tifa. Aerith answers that they didn't talk about anything important which could be interpreted a number of ways that I won't touch on too much b/c of potential game 3 spoilers, but the crux is that it isn't the right moment to address what they talked about. Instead, Aerith wants to re-emphasize that she wants to cherish the moment with Cloud by showing her affection for him, which Cloud reciprocates not just by letting Aerith lead but by taking charge and holding her hand with interlocking fingers, the classic "koibito" skinship that symbolizes the romantic nature of the moment in Japanese culture. I think this is a significant change in the dynamic of their relationship because it now shows that Cloud is okay with revealing his true feelings and okay with sometimes taking the lead as well instead of letting Aerith take the lead all the time. Despite Aerith herself having done so to push Cloud out of his comfort zone in the past and to help break down his walls, Aerith never oversteps and never "forces" too much onto Cloud. Instead, she's always pushed just enough to allow parts of the "true" Cloud to emerge and decide his own actions (this is not debatable, and I have receipts from the Ultimanias and dev statements to back this up). Circling back to the moment where Cloud and Aerith almost kissed, Aerith shows interest but doesn't force it on him and is okay with letting things develop at a pace that Cloud is comfortable with. But with Cloud now being ok with taking the lead at times, I think this shows that if Cloud and Aerith do kiss in the future, it would have to be initiated by Cloud himself. I personally suspect it can only happen after Cloud awakens his true self and can be fully in control of what he wants to do, including how to develop whatever relationship he has with Aerith. When the gondola ride ends, Cloud takes Aerith's hand to guide her off the gondola. Aerith thanks Cloud, but Cloud responds that he didn't really do anything which could be interpreted on the surface level as the gondola ride not being that meaningful or that he felt like he didn't do enough to show his affection for Aerith. I think the latter makes much more sense given everything we covererd. Aerith doesn't really mind and moves on to the subject of the fight the next day to not let Cloud dwell on any lingering insecurities and uncertainties he might feel. I also have some thoughts on how this gondola date contrasts with the Tifa gondola date, especially when considering the context of the music used for both scenes and its intent according to the composer, but I'll refrain from sharing since this video is only focused on the Aerith gondola date. It would also take a brave soul to be willing to seriously address the topic given how highly contentious the subject is lol. On the subject of localization differences, especially in important cutscenes, between the different languages, I think it's almost guaranteed to be done on purpose at this point. Maybe not for every difference but definitely for the important ones. I say this because the dream date church scene clearly has the sound of Aerith holding back tears after she hugs Cloud in the JP, FR, and DE versions of the scene, but NOT the EN version. I can't see how this isn't purposeful so it stands to reason that there must also be other differences that are purposeful as well. As for why SENA chose to have these differences, I speculate that it's done to both make certain statements more ambiguous and to "soften" the original intent. As for why SENA felt the need to do that, well I don't want to speculate too much, but I have my suspicions that it's related to the "shipping wars" (again, so cringe to type).

Another great video, it amazes me how people who claim to be FF7 fans can still be so full of spite and denial towards a major part of the story, even when presented with well researched evidence.

For me, holding off on the flat out kiss just builds it perfectly to what will happen in 3. Come back to this comment in a few years. You’ll see I’m right

I believe that while the Tifa kiss happened that the Aerith version is a setup for a payoff in the third act. That’s just how these things tend to go

We appreciate you! 💯

Don't let them gaslight you! Good thing we have @mlwrpg

Cloud and Aerith being platonic wasn't even a take before remake. It's just people with cognitive dissonance moving the goalpost and trying to rationalize what is unfolding before them in 4k: Cloud and Aerith falling in love. ❤❤

11:37 I had a feeling that at this moment Cloud looks like a sullen, offended child, an almost imperceptible irritation on his face demonstrates his feelings and attitude towards Aerith's words that he reminds her of someone whose name he doesn't even want to say on her date. Cloud's facial expressions are made at a very high level with such an unnaturally beautiful face, it is a pity that some people pass by this detailed animation and pay attention only to open gestures. Thank you very much for this video and analysis, as well as for your contribution to the FFVII community, such channels are worth their weight in gold)

This video was 🔥 🔥

Do you think in part 3 we’ll get Aerith motioning him to sit next to her and he finally does it? 🥺 Always look forward to your Clerith vids, thank you 😍

Can you make an analysis about the songs hallow and no promises to keep? I think there are a lot of misunderstandings and distortions about these 2 songs. I love watching your analysis videos.

I’ve been waiting for this for ages 🥲

CLERITH FANs, The Ending we Love to see in FF7 Part 3, the Song from The Temptations My Girl is absolutely gold for Clerith AI generated images converted to AI videos, Took several tries to get the images of Cloud and Aerith from the game to actually look a little bit similar. As a Clerith Fan, I hope that the final installment of the FF7 series will end with Cloud and Aerith Reunited. Lets Hope Clerith Fans it will happened. Do it Square Enix th-cam.com/video/ZYXkcUFN8u8/w-d-xo.html

As always a very well placed and perfect analysis on Cloud and Aerith date. Enjoyed your video, keep it up bro

Perfect timing on this. This was so wonderful, thank you so much. ❤

💛 🤎 🖤 + ❤️

19:00 i love the vulnerability that just shows so perfectly in the moment he looks at her here

I forget if ive shared this under your videos before, but this is my personal analysis of the date. At the start of the date, he sits apart from her because he's both shy and unsure how she feels about zack right now. Yet at the first sign of possible danger, his first instinct is to move her out of the way of it(similar to when theyre falling at the end of chapter 13 and his first instinct is to pull her in close and take the full force of the fall himself). After getting so close that they were mere inches away from kissing, both of them get very shy and sit down. However, they are visibly closer than when the date started. They start having fun, but aerith can see that something is still keeping cloud from being fully in the moment. She can tell he's probably thinking about her and zack. Knowing this, she tells him that his similarity to zack was what peaked her interest, but also reassures him that that's not why she's with him now and that she's happy with him now. She tells him that she's trying to find him(don't let this distract you from the fact that cloud acts less and less like his soldier persona when around aerith due to liking her, relating to her, and her natural ability to break down his barriers). Cloud starts to bring up zack again, but aerith tells him tifa didn't tell her anything as a way to keep this *their* moment. You can see he's trying to think what to do next in that moment. That's when aerith gets in close to him and hugs his arm, sharing a sweet moment. He then holds her hand, which is extremely meaningful(and frankly, more intimate than the tifa date imo) because he's had a fear of rejection ever since he was a kid, and he's carried them with him into his adulthood. He definitely wanted to be closer to aerith earlier in the date, but an action involving that level of vulnerability to hold hands with aerith like that is scary for him since he has this fear of rejection. But he allowed himself to be vulnerable with her and actually took the step of holding her hand, showing her that he truly cares for her deeply(loves her). He turns to her with what I consider a very vulnerable look, and she responds by reciprocating and holding his hand back. A few moments later, they hold hands tighter. My favorite thing about this date is the vulnerability we see from both cloud and aerith

I remember when rebirth first came out and i saw the date, i *knew* that hand holding had significance. I even said it was more intimate than the cloti kiss. When i learned about the significance of it, i had a reaction of "i knew it!" Meanwhile, i soon ran onto clotis who said "cleriths are going crazy over handholding"

thank u for posting this. I missed my babies 💔💔

Anybody who says that Cloud's and Aerith's date scene was just them being friends I have a challenge for you next time you are with a friend interlock your fingers with them and lay your head down on their shoulder and just see what happens! lmfao

Always looked forward to your clerith videos ❤

Wow amazing analysis video. Bravo!!! ❤❤❤❤🎉🎉😊😊

CLERITH FANs, The Ending we Love to see in FF7 Part 3. The video is AI generated of what we Clerith Fans want to see in the ending of FF7 Part 3. Reuniting Cloud and Aerith. AI generated images converted to AI videos, Took several tries to get the images of Cloud and Aerith from the game to actually look a little bit similar. As a Clerith Fan, I hope that the final installment of the FF7 series will end with Cloud and Aerith Reunited. Lets Hope Clerith Fans it will happened. th-cam.com/video/ZYXkcUFN8u8/w-d-xo.html

15:30 I don't want to participate in discussions who's better (for Cloud), Tifa or Aerith. I just want to throw something in regarding the suppossed discrepancy between Tifa being a strong, independent character while still longing for a hero. That's not really a discrepancy or an inconsistency in her character in my eyes. Having to be strong and independet the whole time can be exhausting and longing for someone to rescue you for once can be extremly attractive. In my eyes, Tifa hoping for Cloud to be her hero is her way of expressing that she hopes that he could be the one she can allow herself to let her guard down and be vulnerable because he'll be there for her even if things go south.

I think the “Zerith” killer (for me anyway) is when Cloud asked her if she spoke to Tifa, Aerith remembers talking to her about Cloud and Zach but then tells Cloud “yeah but not about anything important/special. So, wouldn’t Zach be important or special to her? Hmm 🤔 Not anymore 😅

The Ending that CLERITH Fans loved to see in FF7 part 3, this is my AI video depicting what we really want for the ending. th-cam.com/video/ZYXkcUFN8u8/w-d-xo.html

it feels like that last scene aerith and zack was not holding hands, it felt like zack is telling cloud dont worry ill protect her till you get here

The English dub is amazing butttt come on, how can it be sooo different from the Japanese dialogues?T^T Anyways, one of the things that I love most on Clerith's Gondola date is how upon riding, Aerith offers her hand to Cloud and he reciprocated it when they're leaving. It's an adorable exchange💗

Cloud asks Aerith to wake up too. Aerith and Myrna even have similar designs. Bubbly, green eyes, red jacket, hair tied up.

I am suprise of this scene. Is that suppose to be « the spot » of Cloud and Tifa? The spot of there childhood memory about the promise they make? But, it now share bye Cloud and Aerith.. it’s meen a lot.. never ever .. Cloud and Tifa got to Arith place ( whatever places) and share moment. It could easily be a great moment of Cloud and Tifa by returning in they town and share great memories. Up here..that was a big opportunitie but no.. its a new memorie of Cloud andAerith togerher. Aertih want to know Cloud and Cloud share to her.. it’s cute! ( sorry, i speak french normaly)

For some reason I just love watching cloud giving every thing he had to protect Aerith when he swings his sword to stop sephiroth🥹🥹 and I can watch that in this video over and over again 🙏thank you