Final Fantasy: Unlimited - Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy: Unlimited is a Japanese anime television series based on the popular role-playing video game series known asFinal Fantasy , which is developed and produced by Square Enix. It was directed by Mahiro Maeda and produced by Makiko Iwata, Takeshi Sasamura, Shinji Nakashima, and Yuma Sakata. The series was written by Atsuhiro Tomioka while the music was composed by Akifumi Tada and Shiro Hamaguchi. The anime series consisted of 25 episodes and first aired in 2001. The story follows the main protagonists Ai and Yui, a combination of brother and sister twins, who find themselves in a parallel world in search of their parents.
Characters
- Ai Hayakawa - Yu's twin sister and the child of Joe and Marie Hayakawa. Ai is a lively and curious 12-year-old girl with a positive and outgoing personality. She has red hair and wears a pink and red school uniform.
- Yu Hayakawa - Ai's twin brother and the child of Joe and Marie Hayakawa. Yu acts like an adult and is always cautious and suspicious. He has brown hair and wears a white and blue uniform.
- Lisa Pacifist - A 22-year-old woman whom Ai and Yu meet on the subway that takes them to Wonderland. She protects them and helps them in their search for their parents in Wonderland. She has the power to manipulate spirits using her Kigen Arts, and uses this special ability to protect the twins from the various monsters they encounter during their journey.
- Black Wind – A being of incredible power who lost his world before arriving in Wonderland. He suffers from amnesia and generally keeps a low profile. Black Wind's right arm contains a mysterious weapon known as the Magun. He wears a blue cape that covers most of his upper body and the lower half of his face.
- Makenshi - Another being with incredible power who lost his world before arriving in Wonderland. Makenshi acts as a rival to Black Wind and carries an equally mysterious weapon, though it takes the form of a sword instead of a gun.
- Chobi - A chocobo encountered by Yu and Ai during their first journey to one of the inner worlds. Later in the series, Chobi gains the power of flight, a unique characteristic among chocobos.
Plot
Final Fantasy: Unlimited follows 12-year-old twins Ai and Yu Hayakawa, who travel to a parallel dimension called Wonderland to find their missing parents, Joe and Marie Hayakawa. The series is divided into two main sections based on the twins' mode of transportation. In the first section, the twins use a ghost train to reach a new world in each episode, braving the dangers of the world and fending off attacks from the Gaudium Lords or Omega.
The story is told from the antagonist's perspective through periodic sequences of Earl Tyrant's discussions with his lords. Earl Tyrant is the embodiment of Chaos, who seeks the two protagonist children and a powerful and destructive force called Omega. Omega's power is rivaled only by that of the Unlimiteds, immortal beings possessing immense power. If Earl can defeat the Unlimiteds and absorb them, he will be able to rule Wonderland unhindered.
In the second half of the series, the twins join the Comodeen, a rebel faction determined to thwart Earl Tyrant's plans. They board the Jane, a submarine, and head to Telos, the only place in Wonderland stocked with gravity-defying flight water. They need this water to pilot the Silvia (an airship) and reach Earl's flying fortress. The series reaches its climax when the Earl himself attacks the Comodeen, destroying Jane and capturing the protagonists. Confronted by Chaos itself, Kaze and Makenshi, the only two surviving Unlimiteds, join forces and destroy it, ending its reign of terror over Wonderland.
Reception
The series was ranked 18th out of 20 in an anime ranking known as Anihabara in Japan for the month of November 2001. Outside of Japan, the series received mixed reviews, with some praising its gripping plot and visual power. Others criticized its lack of originality and said it did not live up to the standards of the Final Fantasy brand. Carlos Ross of THEM Anime Reviews stated that "The style is firmly rooted in Saturday morning, but at least it's better than Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals ."
Related media
A novel titled Final Fantasy: Unlimited - Sou no Kizuna (literally "Final Fantasy Unlimited - The Bonds of Two Souls") was inspired by the series. It was written by Sho Katigiri and illustrated by Kazuto Nakazawa. Final Fantasy: Unlimited Before is a CD drama that depicts the destruction of Kaze and Makenshi's worlds in a flashback. A serialized web novel After Spiral was also released. A book titled Final Fantasy: Unlimited After - Gakai no Sho (literally "Final Fantasy: Unlimited - Chapters of the Outside World") was published in 2002. A radio drama titled FF:U After 2 - Risa tachi kira reta kusari was also broadcast on December 26, 2002, by Avex. Two video games have been released related to the series: FF:U with U, a role-playing game, and Final Fantasy: Unlimited on PC Adventure - Labyrinth.
