I'm starting to think that Cloud falling off the reactor in to the Church is symbolism. Tifa tries to save him and implies that she has feeling for him. However, it doesn't matter cause he falls into what is sure to be his death. However he lands safely into Aerith's church. A church is kinda a symbol too as in Christianity's, as it is a key to salvation through Jesus. Tifa was afraid that he would go to a far away place. Maybe it foreshadows that he left his feelings to Tifa behind for his new feelings to Aerith? I think it was meant that Tifa couldn't help him to safety but Aerith is able to as well. I mean it seems he trusts Aerith more than Tifa eventually and is closer in intimacy to her than Tifa. Any thoughts?

I was thinking about it too but not for Cloud's fall.Well it might be true since there is symbolism in AC like in the ending where Cloud bathes Denzel with Aerith's water which symbolizes christening.I was thinking about the scene in the movie where Cloud has just found Tifa half-dead but his Geostigma makes him faint and falls next to her.but as we can see Cloud's head is near to her stomach,well uterus i'd rather say and so i was thinking if that means Tifa is like a mother to him,something i've read many times but also like a sister.Well dunno but that's what i think :) But about Cloud's fall i don't know might be true but then come and think of it again.In the movie Cloud is after Kadaj and breaks the church's door in order to get inside and then because of their fight the building almost collapses and the flower bed is destroyed.Does that mean Cloud is moving on and forgets Aerith?I don't really think so

:cleris:

Look at it as a cliche, perhaps.

Clouds are generally found in the sky.
Aerith is an anagram of I Earth.

So the 'cloud' fell to 'earth.'

On top of which, there's the cliche of, "I think I've fallen for her..."

Cloud was "the calamity from the skies".

I do not think there's much of a symbolism there. In my opinion, that was just a way to make their (official) meeting memorable.

I've always seen Aerith's church as a place of comfort or safety for Cloud. He falls and lands in her church in VII, wakes up, uninjured, and meets her for the first time. He goes to her church all the time in CoT and lives there in AC, so he obviously finds comfort in being there, perhaps because it's the place where he feels closest to her. And after Aerith heals him in the end of AC, he again wakes up in her church, in her flowerbed (of course it's flooded now T_T), like he did in VII.

There probably isn't much there in the way of symbolism, but I've always it seen as a place of importance or comfort for Cloud, probably because it reminds him of Aerith.

.....Hmmm, nice observation~ :gift: But I too won't recognise it as something symbolic, though. Kuraudo almost outspoken my words so I'll just drop some ideas related to this famous encounter of CXA:

In FF7-Anniversary Ultimania, in story playbcak of FF7, it says after Cloud fell to the Church, he had a moment of feeling peaceful in the conversation with Aerith.

In CC Ultimania, in the chapter of Interview, Nojima says they had no time in detailing "how the relationship of ZXA might grow", so he made the event represent "a crush falling to you."

.....Well, the first thread is out of question and the second one....is up to your explanation. *cough*resemblance*cough*

:)

I agree with Clerith-son. I mean, it could be interpreted this way, but like said before, its like cloud's comfort zone. The church is his new home and i would be natural for him to be close to it and find inner peace xD :cloud:

Huh, interesting...Just found the exact quote from aerithlove's translations (thanks aerithlove :huggle:):

Has anyone asked Nojima if the same went for Cloud and Aerith's meeting?

Here's the rest of Nojima's answer:

In any case, I agree with Angelalex's assessment, given what Nojima said about a similar meeting... Perhaps Nojima includes more subtle symbolism in regards to romance more than we think?

I am finally playing FF VII and yesterday i saw this scene.
I think it is a bit simbolic, but also made to be memorable..Both of them. I love Cloud's conversation with Aeris, so cute :fangirl: They are wonderful together :cleris: