Final Fantasy Unlimited: Phase 1 (DVD)

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For many years, the "Final Fantasy" video game series has been a part of my life. I've played every "Final Fantasy" title released in the United States until X-2. I love the action, the adventure, the story, and the characters. I especially love the Chocobos. "Final Fantasy Unlimited: Phase 1" continues a great tradition of fantastical plot. It has earned the "Final Fantasy" title.

I love the way that this series is presented. It brings a smile to a veteran gamer's face. All the aspects that made the video games great are present in the anime. The series has short scenes of highly computerized animation at crucial points. This seems very reminiscent of the cut scenes in the video games. After a fight, the familiar victory music begins to play. And best of all, a plot seems to slowly unwind around a strange hero-like character with no discernable past. I have been tempted to watch this series while holding a video game controller (just for the feel of things).

I do not know if previous "Final Fantasy" experience is required to enjoy this anime. Every individual I know has watched or played at least one of the games. From my reactions to the series, I would have to say so. This continuity between the different forms of media seems to heighten the experience. It produces an instant nostalgic attachment to the series.

This does not mean that the series is bad by any means for the non-gamers. The series has a solid and intriguing plotline, and amazingly beautiful artwork that simply mesmerizes the viewer. "Final Fantasy Unlimited" produces a mysterious story that uncovers itself slowly, one layer at a time. This timely process makes every bit of information that much more valuable.

My favorite character, and mystery, is Kaze. Each character in the series seems to have some strange secret. Kaze seems to have many more than the average character. Kaze shows up out of nowhere, and vanishes just as quickly. He seems to speak very little, and carry a very big gun. I find his broken sunglasses to be a very nice touch in his character design.

By the end of "Final Fantasy Unlimited: Phase 1" I am left with more questions than answers. "Who or what is Kaze?" seems to be the largest of my questions at this point. Anyone that can summon Shiva needs to be taken seriously.

Video:
The video aspect ratio is 1.33:1 (full-screen on 4:3 monitors). The animation in this series is truly amazing. The opening scene with two dragons fighting is absolutely breathtaking. I am awed at the quality of animation in this series. This series utilizes, what seem to be two styles of animation. The first seems to be bright vibrant lined anime that is on par with such series as "Chobits". The second is a highly detailed computer animation that is used to animate such things as the dragons. It is a truly beautiful style, which I have not frequently encountered in anime.

Two animation styles may seem very strange. This series makes it work though. The contrast between the two styles adds necessary emphasis to certain points in the story. It is a very sound technique to heighten the experience. This disc contained no noticeable errors. This is good because it would have blatantly detracted from the overall experience.