Ask John: What is Final Fantasy: Unlimited?

Question:
I have been looking around the internet lately and keep hearing about this new anime show called Final Fantasy Unlimited. I was wondering what the show was about. Is it based off of one of the games and is it any good?

Answer:
Final Fantasy: Unlimited is, like a creature from the Final Fantasy games themselves, quite a strange beast. Created by Gonzo Studios, the creators behind Gatekeepers, Vandread, Hellsing, Real Bout High School and Blue Sub No. 6, the Final Fantasy: Unlimited anime TV series premiered on Japanese television on October 2, 2001 and was scheduled to air 52 episodes. Although the series’ ratings were on par with standard fan-oriented anime television series, expectations were apparently much greater for FF:U than the show was able to live up to. The final 25th episode is scheduled to air on Japanese television on March 26th. Gonzo has already confirmed that the story will continue, presumably in manga form, in a book titled Final Fantasy: Unlimited – After, to be released in Japan in late April, but has not yet announced any plans for new animation.

The Final Fantasy: Unlimited story begins with a pair of battling summon monsters appearing and fighting each other in present day Tokyo Harbor. The battle creates a dimensional rift is created between the “Outer World” of Tokyo and Earth, and a bizarre “Inner World.” As years pass, the scientist and explorer parents parents of pre-adolescent siblings Ai and Yu repeatedly venture back and forth between Tokyo and the “Inner World” to document and research. But one day, when their parents don’t come back, Ai and Yu enter the inner world themselves to find their parents. In the Inner World the brother and sister ally themselves with a mysterious young magic user named Lisa, adopt a pet chocobo, and often cross paths with the even more mysterious “Black Wind,” a young man with the ability to call forth summon monsters to battle the machinations of “The Count” who is seeking to rule all of the Inner World. Mixed into this danger fraught search is the resurrection of an ancient and terrible destructive force called Chaos.

While the series sounds like it has a great deal of story to work with, the animation suffers largely from a seeming lack of direction and an uncertain target audience. While the repetitive monster of the week battles that characterize the early part of the show could be forgiven as an introduction to a long 52 episode story, they are simply disappointingly unoriginal as half of a 26 episode long series. But perhaps the biggest complaint that most fans seem to have with the series is that the show is largely intended for children. To a large degree, the drama and philosophical depth associated with the Final Fantasy games is eliminated from the TV series. The TV series seems to often focus on simple adventure with unusual settings and bright colored, “cartoony” monsters designed to astonish 8 year old viewers. However, Lisa’s sensually curvaceous figure, and occasional glimpses of melancholy and grim drama seem to be intended for older viewers and fans of the games, and seem jarringly discontinuous with the childish flavor of the rest of the show. Given that FF:U does use traditional FF monsters and distinctly FF technology, and even music sampled directly from the games, Final Fantasy: Unlimited could best be summed up as “Final Fantasy Lite.” The series simply can’t decide if it wants to be a program for children or a series for young adult Final Fantasy fans, and as a result, doesn’t effectively succeed at being either.

Given that virtually every other Gonzo production has been licensed for US release, there’s good precedent for an American localization of Final Fantasy: Unlimited eventually. At the present time, though, I haven’t heard of any plans for an American release. On the other hand, there are a number of factors which may prevent the show from ever seeing American distribution. Simply because of the name “Final Fantasy,” FF:U is guaranteed to be a more expensive license than a similar original show without a name brand tie-in. This, coupled with the difficultly in marketing this odd show to a particular demographic, may make American translating companies think twice before committing themselves to a release.