Final Fantasy: Unlimited Vol 1by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Studio
Credits Grade: 9 The original story is from the Final Fantasy game series, but Final Fantasy: Unlimited seems to be a nice stand-alone series. A gateway to another world appears one day bridging modern-day Japan and a strange world they call Wonderland. The similarities, and indeed take-offs, from Lewis Carroll's works (namely Alice in Wonderland) are obvious but take on a life of their own (as nonsense tends to do). Some things are paralleled while some are completely new and fantastic. The whole concept of order vs. chaos in a nonsense-type world is very Lewis Carroll (stories, poems, and real life).Twins Ai and Yu (pronouced, amusingly enough, "I" and "You" though they are common Japanese names) travel to Wonderland to find their parents who explored it after it's appearance twelve years ago. They are accompanied by a young woman named Lisa who gives no reason for her going but helps protect them with her powers. They stumble across a mysterious and brooding man, Kaze of the Black Wind, and even though he does not travel with them, he is going in the same direction so meets them often — and thus ends up rescuing them often though that is not what he is ever intending to do. All of this has draw the attention of Earl Tyrant, the self-proclaimed God of Wonderland. The Earl does not want anyone trying to make order other than himself — but his "order" is really Chaos. He commands the four Gaudium Lords as well as Kaze's rival/enemy, Makenshi of the White Etude, and sends them accordingly to dispatch of these outsiders. Sounds interesting yet? It gets better! Ai and Yu help the story flow, but the attention is drawn to the conflict that opened the anime — the battle(s) between Kaze and Makenshi — of which we will most certainly see a lot more. There are four episodes on this DVD in which we see three different Soil attacks from Kaze's Magun (a weapon that is part of his arm and holds his heart). Each creature/attack is made by combining three types of soils and this they do different things. Phoenix expodes from inside the enemy, Typhoon compresses space itself, and Shiva freezes anything in its way. Their appearances are part of what makes these attacks so great — Phoenix of course looks like a firey, part-mechanized bird, and Typhoon is circular in shape but with a distinct eye that finalizes the attack. It is Shiva that really caught my eye though; the namesake for Shiva is the third Hindu diety (and the third attack) who is known as the Destroyer and carried a trident (ever hear of the Spears of Shiva with regard to torture/rites of passage? that's what I thought of when I saw this Shiva with ice spikes coming out in all directions). I love how anime will throw things in from various religions and mythologies and make it work with the story. It really is amazing. It's a very interesting and unique blend of 2-D animation and 3-D CGI. The 3-D stuff is detailed and visually stunning and fits well in two ways: with the 2-D itself without really looking 3-D (in a cheesy way) and providing another texture to Wonderland and the fantasy aspect of this anime. As for the 2-D art, parts of it are excellent ... especially when it pertains to a main character. However, some things are done too simplistically, lacking the details to fully bring this anime to life (and this gain a 10 rating) ... like the clothes on the kids and some of the hooded and masked characters that are so plentiful. Even the bird of happiness could use a little more detail, but the Chocobo is really cute and fun as well as helpful for helping them catch the subway on time. And the subway! Wow! Now that's an amazing ride, with eyeballs, and spirals, and UV colors on the outside but regular comfy insides. If you're looking for eye candy, Lisa, Kaze, and Makenshi are it. I personally can't make up my mind if I like the gun-slinging Kaze or the sword-weilding Makenshi better — both are totally drool-worthy! There's also our "guide", the lovely Fabula who helps at odd times and provides transitions from episode to episode. The soundtrack is gorgeous and blends perfectly with what is happening in the story. The opening and closing are pretty and fun (respectively) but nothing spectacular. Watch the end credits at least once though as the chocobos are very funny. The first episode I watched twice. Well actually, I watched it once subbed and then watched it with the voice actor commentary (which meant I wasn't really watching at all). The commentary was vaguely interesting, but could have been done in less time and as a stand-alone extra rather than over the episode and been just as good. I then proceeded to watch the next three episodes dubbed. I almost never do that, but the dub is just that good. Vocal quality and sound for the Japanese and English are excellent matches, and all the voice actors do a marvelous job. I must say I'm really impressed with the job ADV is doing getting voice actors lately. The sub is excellent as well, but I think what drew me more to the dub was two things: Lisa is voiced by Shawn Sides who also voiced Jun in The Devil Lady (another anime I love the dub of!), and I actually preferred the slightly deeper and more forceful voice for Kaze (James Brownlee). Along with the commentary, the extras include production sketches, key animation backgrounds, and preliminary illustrations, all of which are nice to be able to see. If you're looking for a good anime that will provide a real escape from reality then Final Fantasy: Unlimited is it. The mixture of rules, chaos, nonsense, and child-practicality make the story a real adventure that is fun to watch. The total presentation is so good, it will pull you into the story allowing you to fully absorb and enjoy the fantasy. Whether you're a fan of the game or have never played, this anime will amaze and entertain you. I can't wait to see volume two — especially since episode four ends on an enormous cliff-hanger! Written: January 16, 2004
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