Previous Part: Interlude—Training Room

Storyline text and attempted translations from...

Final Fantasy IV

ミストのどうくつ  Mist Cave  Cecil Cain  Misty Cave

Cecil and Cain must pass through this cave on their way to Mist Village. As the name suggests, a thick mist covers the cave.

The monsters are insignificant next to the party's combat prowess, but every so often, a mysterious voice is heard...

「ひきかえしなさい‥‥
『なにものだ!
: Turn back...
『Who goes there!?
Go back...!
{Cecil}: Who is it!?
「すぐに たちさるのです‥‥
{カイン}「この こえの ぬしが
 げんじゅうなのか?
: Leave at once...
{Cain}: Could this voice belong
 to the Genjuu?
Leave now...!
{Kain}: Is it a monster?

Near the far exit, the voice delivers an ultimatum.

「バロンの ものですね‥‥
{カイン}「だれだ!
「ここで ひきかえせば きがいは くわえません。
 そっこく ひきかえすのです。
{カイン}「すがたを みせないか!
「ひきかえすきは ないのですね‥‥?
: You come from Baron...
{Cain}: Who's there!?
: I will do you no harm if you return
 now. Turn back immediately.
{Cain}: How about you show yourself!
: Shall I assume you will not turn back...?
Ones from Baron......
{Kain}: Who are you!
Return now and I will not
harm you.
{Kain}: Show up!
Do you still wish to go
on?

As Legends of Localization notes, rewriting this question makes sense since Japanese はい and いいえ function more like "agree" and "disagree", particularly in response to negative questions, than like English "yes" and "no". The original question, at its most literal, asserts that they have no intention of, or no interest in, turning back, and asks for confirmation. Responding "yes" to a question like that, while it could be taken as "yes, I won't turn back, just like you said", usually means "yes, I will turn back after all" instead. Japanese はい is unambiguously "you are correct in saying that I will not turn back". For clear communication in English, it's safest to avoid that sort of negative question altogether, and if you're asked one, to avoid simple "yes" or "no" answers.

The English DS remake does something similar, making the quesiton about whether they choose to disregard these warnings.

『このボムのゆびわを ミストのむらまで
 とどけなくては ならないんだ!
「ならば‥‥しかた ありません!
{カイン}「きりが あつまる‥‥!
『We must deliver this Bomb Ring
 to Mist Village!
: Then... you leave me no choice!
{Cain}: The mist's gathering...!
{Cecil}: We must deliver
 this Package to the
 village of Mist!
Then I must!
The mist is gathering!

The mist becomes a Mist Dragon, and the first boss battle ensues.

This is a bit of a puzzle boss, though not much of one. Just don't attack when the dragon turns to mist...

ドラゴンは きりに すがたを かえた! The dragon changed its form into mist! Turned into mist!

...since it has no effect, and the mist will strike back. The in-battle dialog says as much if you attack anyway:

きりは すべての こうげきを むこうにする The mist nullifies all attacks. Do not fight now!
こうげきすれば ドラゴンのブレスに やられる! If we attack, the dragon's breath will get us! Fighting when mist will
じったいを あらわしたときが たおすチャンス! Our chance to beat it is when it takes form! freeze you with Breath!

After a delay...

もとに もどる! いまがこうげきの チャンス! It's changing back! Now's our chance to attack! Now! Get ready to fight!

This should be trivial unless you're careless.

The Mist Dragon has no weaknesses and absorbs Holy (not that it matters). It changes forms every fourth turn, attacking for three turns when solid and taking no action, except to counterattack with Chilling Mist if attacked, for three turns when mist.

The DS remake leaves this battle mostly unchanged, except for giving the dragon a weakness against Dark for Cecil to take advantage of.


ミストのむら  Mist Village  Cecil Cain  Village Mist

A few steps after they enter the village...

『ゆびわがひかる‥‥!? 『The ring is glowing...!?       Package opened
      automatically......

And a small horde of Bombs fly out and set the village on fire...

{カイン}「これは!
『このために ぼくらは ここまで‥‥
{カイン}「このむらを やきはらうため‥‥
{Cain}: What!?
『We came all this way to...
{Cain}: To burn the village down...
{Kain}: What?!
{Cecil}: We've brought this
 Package to...
{Kain}: Burn the village?
『なぜだあッ! バロンおうーッ!
「エーン エーン‥‥
『WHY!? King Baron!
: *sob* *sob*...
{Cecil}: Why?

Cecil turns toward the source of the crying sound.

The moved line in the NA version has Cecil turning before he hears anything. Huh? Without anything to break the text apart, I suppose it would look like he were the one crying out otherwise, but still.

『あれは? 『What's that? Mommy! Mommy!
{Cecil}: Who's that?

Cecil walks toward the sound, and Cain follows. They find a young green-haired girl in a blue dress crying over a woman who appears to be dead.

おんなのこ「おかあさんの ドラゴンが
 しんじゃったから‥‥おかあさんも‥‥
 エッエッ‥‥
Girl: Mom's dragon died...
 so mom did too...
 *cries*...
Girl: My mom's dragon fell
 so my mom did too...
『!
{カイン}「そういえば きいたことがある。
 まものをよびだす ちからをもつもの‥‥
 たしか しょうかんし!
『まさか ぼくたちが あのドラゴンを
 たおしたから このこの ははおやも‥‥
『!
{Cain}: Come to think of it, I've heard of them.
 Those with the power to conjure monsters...
 Summoners, as I recall!
『You can't mean that because we beat
 that dragon, this girl's mother...
{Kain}: I've heard of the
 people with the power to
 summon monsters.
 They are Callers!
{Cecil}: We defeated the
 dragon, so her mother is
 gone also.

The girl backs away.

おんなのこ「じゃあ おにいちゃんたちが
 おかあさんの ドラゴンを!
『まさか‥‥きみのかあさんを
 ころしてしまうことに なるとは‥‥
Girl: Then you're the ones who
 got mom's dragon!
『We had no idea that it... would
 mean killing your mother...
Girl: You! You've beaten
 my mother's dragon!
{Cecil}: We didn't mean to
 do this to your mother.

Cecil looks upset...

But I think the NA text really fails to convey how horrified he is. It's bad enough that the town's on fire thanks to him, but this? Cain, on the other hand, seems fairly calm, though it's unclear whether that's because he's more callous than Cecil or because he's better at controlling his reactions.

{カイン}「どうやら へいかは このむらの
 しょうかんしを ぜんめつさせるため
 おれたちを ここまで‥‥
『なんてことだ‥‥
{カイン}「‥‥かわいそうだが このこも
 やらねば ならんようだな。
{Cain}: It appears that His Majesty
 sent us here to wipe out this
 village's Summoners...
『How horrible...
{Cain}: ...I feel sorry for her, but it would
 seem we must kill this girl as well.
{Kain}: His Majesty wanted
 to wipe out the Callers
 of this village and used
 us to do it.
{Cecil}: Incredible!
{Kain}: I'm afraid we must
 do away with her too.
『{カイン}!
{カイン}「やらねば おれたちが やられる!
『こどもだぞ!
{カイン}「へいかに さからえるか?
『こんな さつりくを くりかえしてまで
 へいかに したがうきは ないッ!
『{Cain}!
{Cain}: We're dead if we don't!
『She's a child!
{Cain}: Can you defy His Majesty?
『I'm not so eager to obey His Majesty
 that I would repeat such slaughter!
{Cecil}: {Kain}!
 She's just a kid!
{Kain}: You dare to
 renounce your loyalty to
 His Majesty?
{Cecil}: Forget it!
 Never again will I follow
 such an order!

The EasyType replaces こんな さつりく (konna satsuriku, such slaughter) with こんなこと (konna koto, such a thing), adding euphemism and avoiding an uncommon term.

Cecil gets in Cain's face.

{カイン}「フッ そういうと おもったぜ。
 ひとりで バロンを ぬけるなんて
 させやしないぜ。
『{カイン}?
{カイン}「いくら へいかに
 おんがあるとはいえ りゅうきしのなに
 はじるまねを できるわけなかろう。
『じゃあ {カイン} おまえも‥‥
{カイン}「だが バロンは せかいいちの
 ぐんじこく。
 おれたちふたりが いきがったところで
 どうにもなるまい。
 ほかのくにに しらせ えんごを
 もとめんとな。
 {ローザ}も すくいださんと!
『ありがとう {カイン}。
{カイン}「べつに おまえのためじゃないさ。
『?
{Cain}: Heh, I figured you'd say so.
 I'm not about to let you skip out
 on Baron all alone.
『{Cain}?
{Cain}: Much as I may owe His Majesty
 my gratitude, I cannot heap shame
 upon the name of the Wyrmknights.
『Then you'll also...?
{Cain}: But Baron is the world's
 strongest military power.
 The two of us acting out won't
 accomplish a thing.
 We have to let the other countries
 know and seek their backing.
 And rescue {Rosa} too!
『Thanks, {Cain}.
{Cain}: It's not like I'm doing it for you.
『?
{Kain}: Well, {Cecil}.
 I knew you'd say so.
 I won't let you do it
 alone.
{Cecil}: {Kain}?
{Kain}: I owe His Majesty
 much. Still, I cannot
 disgrace the Dragoons.
{Cecil}: Then will you...
{Kain}: But Baron is the
 mightiest country in
 the world.
 It's impossible for us
 to challenge his might
 alone. We must gather
 other countries.
 And you know...
 We must rescue {Rosa}!
{Cecil}: Thank you, {Kain}.
{Kain}: Not for your sake.

The EasyType changes two of Cain's potentially confusing words to simpler and more straightforward alternatives: いきがる (ikigaru, to put on airs or act bold) becomes はむかう (hamukau, to rise up against), and えんご (engo, backing) becomes たすけ (tasuke, assistance).

Cain glances to the side before turning back to Cecil and changing the subject.

{カイン}「それより ここはあぶない。
 はやく むらを でないと。
 あのこは どうする?
『ぼくらが つれていくしかあるまい!
{Cain}: More to the point, we're in danger here.
 We've got to hurry out of the village.
 What should we do with the girl?
『We have little choice but to take her along!
{Kain}: Let's get out
 of here fast!
 What about that girl?
{Cecil}: We can't leave her
 here alone!

They walk over to the girl.

『さあ ここは きけんだ。
 ぼくらと いっしょに‥‥
おんなのこ「いや!
『Look, it's dangerous here.
 Come with us and...
Girl: No!
{Cecil}: Listen.
 It's dangerous here.
 Come with us. ......Okay?
Girl: No!

Honestly, what was he expecting? They just killed her mom and set her village on fire, so now she'll just trust and listen to them? Not a chance.

The girl backs away. Cain pushes Cecil aside and advances on her.

{カイン}「やむをえん むりやりでも!
おんなのこ「ちかよらないで!
{Cain}: We'll use force if we have to!
Girl: Don't come near me!
{Kain}: Let's take her!
Girl: No!! Go away!

Ah, Cain. Master of tact and diplomacy.

The girl backs away several more steps.

『まってくれ! 『Wait! {Cecil}: Wait! Please!

Cain and Cecil approach her again. Predicably, she doesn't take this well.

おんなのこ「もう いやあ!
 みんな! みんな だいっきらい!
Girl: I've had enough!
 All of you! I HATE YOU ALL!
Girl: Go away!
 I hate you!
 I hate you all!

In my opinion, the DS remake, while it goes a bit overboard with Cecil's screaming-WHY-at-the-sky initial reaction, handles the rest of this scene masterfully. The grief-stricken girl mostly just sits there until she's had some time to work through it, Cecil plainly emotes his devestation as he realizes what he's done, a wary Cain overplays the part of a heartless soldier to maneuver Cecil into being the first one to suggest defying orders, then the two of them get so caught up in their discussion that they completely forget about the girl until they make up their minds to leave the area, at which point they're in such a rush that they drive her into a panic, and, best of all, the girl, upon realizing that fleeing isn't going to get her anywhere, lets her fury explode into a rage-summoning that she can't control rather than let them have her. It's every bit as emotionally-charged and dramatic as it ought to be.

Out of curiosity, I tried looking for a Japanese-language version of the scene on YouTube, and found one from the mobile version (which is a port of the DS version). Cecil's screaming at the sky is far more subdued, though I also felt that some later parts of the scene, which should have been more heated, seemed overly calm. As for another thing I'd been wondering about, I also noticed that the Japanese text is almost entirely identical to the original SFC version of the game. The only part that seemed to be changed at all was Cecil's line about bringing the girl with them. The original line almost feels like "I guess we can bring her along, if we really have to." It was revised to something more like "Of course we'll bring her with us!" It might be interesting to scrutinize a full playthrough for that sort of thing...

A battle against the girl begins. She's not happy.

She also has 60,000 hit points in this battle. Must be eating her Wheaties.

おんなのこ「もう いやーーーーっ!! Girl: I'VE HAD ENOUGH!! Girl: NO!!

She Summons a Titan, which then damages Cecil and Cain with an with an earthquake. More problematically, the quake gets so out of control that it rearranges the surrounding terrain. Cecil regains consciousness later to find the girl lying nearby. Cain, however, is nowhere to be found.

『よかった このこは ぶじか‥‥
 !!
『Thank goodness, the girl's safe...
 !!
{Cecil}: Oh...
 She is all right.
 !! ...{Kain}!
『{カイン}? 『{Cain}? {Cecil}: {Kain}?
『{カイン}! 『{Cain}! {Cecil}: {Kain}!
『いつまでも ここには いられない‥‥
 このこを つれて にげないと‥‥
 {カイン}‥‥いきていてくれ!
『I can't stay here forever...
 I had best escape with the girl...
 {Cain}... please be alive!
{Cecil}: I can't stay here
 any longer.
 I have to escape from
 Baron with this girl.

Cecil takes the girl with him as he leaves the area. An apparent rockslide blocks the way between Mist Village and the location where he woke up, so he has little choice but to continue east, where the valley leads to a desert.



Previous Part: Interlude—Training Room

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