I might be going too "controversial" here but boy. I really don't like any of this.
For years, I've always been pretty indifferent to the Sephirot hype, at most raising an eyebrow when he was introduced in unrelated things without seeming reason. I always reasoned "well, he's that popular, must be a reason behind it, whatever."
There are interesting details that Omi has fairly brought up and applauded (or criticized) through the whole of the game. But all of that concerned more the use the plot made of him than what he is as a character. Moreover when most of what we see of the actual Sephirot is a flashback, instead of Jenova's meatpuppet he's been except for the couple of moments where he came to the surface to seethe at Cloud. And there are very good moments there despite the roughness! But half of it is Jenova, and in the balance, my feelings about Sephirot as a character is... a very perplexed meh?
Supernova also falls flat for me, and I can't buy the comments about it. Sure, it is spectacular and we see similar cataclysmic scenes illustrating spells in many FFs. But it feels so much on the nose, trying so hard to drag the player into it, this isn't any continent, any planet, any solar system, it's
Sol, mang! I don't know, it takes me out of the fantasy. The original JP cutscene might have been shorter and less of a show, but I feel it wouldn't stick so much like a sore thumb.
And if it was truly a vision of the past, how can one reconcile the image the game has built up of Jenova as a parasite with straight up destroying the Sol system? What does it win by destroying all resources in a place before anyone even knows they must defend themselves from something? Sure, Sephirova is waiting for Meteor to destroy this planet now, but that's with the intention open up that can of tasty tasty Lifestream soda and slurp it. It's a method, not the goal. No, it doesn't feel like the blocks are quite there to support that interpretation.
@GilliamYaeger 's "this is actually Jenova pulling the Cetra's memory of losing Sol to cosmic randomness before fucking out to FFVIIland" still doesn't quite work for to me, but it at least it sounds more plausible.
About the ending, I just prepared an essay here in which
asdfsfagtarhgrashreshjargtarwehtrkrw45ryw6sadgfasggsfahdh. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
I suspect that had I played the game right now instead of following this thread, my homicidal anger would have been strong enough to throw me through time at every moment anyone had hyped Sephirot at me to slap them shut TerminalMontage style, and barge into Sakurai's office yelling "Go on, put Sephirot in Smash. I dare you, I
double dare you." Because that is not the great character I thought everyone was swearing up and down they were smashing their meat at. I keep a tally of all the times I'm disappointed on you and your tastes, Gamers, and your sins are many and horrendous. No Gamergates for you, marching into the casket down the secret basement for three decades, now.
