NEVER EVER

Real me

What I need?
What you need?
Maybe it's all right
So long as I have desires
And am not satisfied

When Advent Children was first announced at the 2003 Tokyo Game Show -- back when a 2004 summer release seemed imminent -- it sent fans into a frenzy. Seven years later and the gang was back! Now they had the realistic look to match the incredibly human character the world fell in love with so long ago.

And -- for the first time -- they would speak.

It came as a surprise to both the film and Final Fantasy communities when Japanese Academy Award-winning actress Ayumi Ito was cast to play Tifa Lockheart. This project was to be the former model and well-respected actress' voiceover debut. Needless to say she plunged into the business head first, recording Tifa's lines for the motion picture Advent Children, the Playstaion 2 game Dirge of Cerberus, and the bonus anime Last Order. She later returned for Tifa's appearance in Kingdom Hearts II.

I was one of the many caught off guard by Ayumi Ito's initial performance. It was not by any fault of the actress, rather I did not play the Japanese version; my Tifa didn't speak Japanese. However, after having nothing but the Japanese trailers for another year, I really grew to love Ito as Tifa. She gave Tifa a voice that was both light and strong when it needed to be. She spoke to Marlene with an unparalleled sweetness, and choked out a strangled, heartbroken cry of desperation when she tried to reach out to Cloud. Ayumi Ito really set the bar for any actress that was to follow in her footsteps.

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What I lose?
What you lose?
Maybe I have heard enough people saying
That they knew the value of something
Only after losing it

As another former child model and current film actress, Rachael Leigh Cook took the reigns for the English version. Ironically, the western hemisphere received Kingdom Hearts II before the Advent Children, and fans were given their first taste of Tifa's English-speaking doppelganger on MTV of all places.

I'll admit that the MTV interview made me hopelessly biased towards Rachael Leigh Cook long before I saw her full performance. She was eloquent, enthusiastic and had a refreshing understanding of the entire project--especially the beautiful fighter she portrayed. Cook really highlighted the things I loved about Tifa; "she's a caretaker", Cook said in the interview. She's "strong physically and emotionally". Honestly, she could have totally butchered the role and I would have loved her anyway.

Fortunately, Rachael Leigh Cook does an excellent job conveying the emotion of Ayumi Ito's original performance to a Western audience. Her deep understanding for the character shines through in her passionate performance as the freedom-fighter-turned-super-mom. Even if I didn't have a distinct voice for Tifa when I first played the game all those years ago, I know that when I play it again, I'll hear Rachael Leigh Cook.

In December 2006, Rachael Leigh Cook took home Spike TV's Best Supporting Female Performance for her role in Kingdom Hearts II. Being Spike TV, such a title doesn't hold much weight, but it's nice to see her work as Tifa recognized nonetheless.

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Inspired by Ayumi Hamasaki's "Real me" (RAINBOW); popular unofficial translation courtesy of Divine Ayu.

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NEVER EVER is a fansite designed and maintained by Stacey Anne and is in no way affiliated with Square Enix, Sony, Ayumi Hamasaki or Avex. No infringement is intended with the making of this site; this is just the work of a fan wishing to share her appreciation. All lyrics featured on the site written by Ayumi Hamasaki; translations courtesy of Divine Ayu and Centigrade-J.