Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals
ファイナルファンタジー
(Fainaru Fantajī)
Genre Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy
OVA
Director Naoto Kanda, Tomihiko Ohkubo
Studio Madhouse Studios[1]
Licensor
Episodes 4
Released
Chapter 1: March 21, 1994[2]
Chapter 2: May 21, 1994
Chapter 3: June 21, 1994
Chapter 4: July 21, 1994
November 24, 1998 (North America)
Runtime 30 minutes each

Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals (ファイナルファンタジー Fainaru Fantajī?) is an anime OVA based on the Final Fantasy series of console role-playing games. It was released in Japan in 1994 and distributed by Urban Vision in 1998 in North America.[1] Urban Vision no longer holds the license to this series, and it has not been relicensed in North America.

Legend of the Crystals takes place 200 years after the events of Final Fantasy V. It is divided into four thirty minute OVA episodes spanning two VHS tapes. To date, there has not been a North American DVD release.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The story takes place on the same world as Final Fantasy V, named Planet R, set two hundred years in the future, where three of the four crystals have been stolen. The original heroes in Final Fantasy V are now legends of the past, and a new evil, Deathgyunos, has risen on the Black Moon and must be dealt with. Mid, a recurring character from Final Fantasy V, contacts a new hero and heroine: Prettz (Pritz) and Linaly (a descendant of Bartz). They eventually meet the sky pirate Rouge and Commander Valcus, commander of The Iron Wing.

Several visual differences exist between the anime and the game on which the setting is based. For example, chocobos appear featherless and somewhat alien in appearance.[3] The character Linaly eventually unleashes a powerful wave of chocobos, resembling an ultimate spell or summon. Chocobos have been available as summoned creatures in previous Final Fantasy games, usually at lower levels. This would indicate Linaly's spell is a significantly magnified version of such a lower level spell, amplified by the power of the Wind Crystal.

Of particular note is the amount of comedic material inserted into the series. In this way, Legend of the Crystals appears to be both a parody and a homage to Final Fantasy V.[citation needed] Intense action sequences are laced with over-the-top stunts, witty one-liners, and incongruous elements.

[edit] Characters

The OVA introduces several original characters as well as a few characters who made an appearance in Final Fantasy V.

The main protagonist Prettz is a headstrong and reckless young man with feelings for Linaly who rides a motorcycle and uses a katana and spiked bombs as his weapons. The other protagonist Linaly Klauser is a brave, young, blue-haired girl, the direct descendant of Bartz and a novice in the art of summoning (she can only summon Chocobo), and became a vessel for the Wind Crystal after the others were taken. Supporting characters include: Valkus is the bumbling general of the Tycoon air force, leading the flag-airship Iron Wing, who, despite his aggressiveness and large size, is fiercely loyal to Queen Lenna; Rouge, a scantily clad pirate captain, with a love for all things shiny, who attempted to take the Wind Crystal from Prettz and company, but was captured by Tycoon and held prisoner until Queen Lenna offered her a full pardon if she agreed to aid the others; and Mid, Cid's grandson, an engineer who returns as a ghost to aid the heroes with his advice and general knowledge of historical events important to the series, and, although apparently unable to physically manipulate the world in this state, is clever enough to convince his living allies to complete tasks with words alone.

The antagonist of Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals is Ra Devil, a powerful wizard intent on gaining the power of the Void for his own ambition. He steals Cid's brain away in hopes of using its knowledge of the four Crystals to his advantage, assuming his true form, Deathgyunos, once he succeeds.

[edit] Production

[edit] Music

The original score was composed by Masahiko Sato and contains numerous cues to Nobuo Uematsu's original soundtrack to Final Fantasy V including the opening and the chocobo theme.[3]

[edit] Characters and voice actors

Character Japanese Japanese Voice Actor English Voice Actor
Prettz (プリッツ ) Rica Matsumoto Matt Miller
Linaly (リナリー) Yūko Minaguchi Sherry Lynn
Valkus (バルガス) Shigeru Chiba John DeMita
Rouge (ルージュ)) Fumi Hirano K.T. Vogt
Ra Devil (ラーデビル) Kenichi Ogata Michael Sorich
Queen Lenna (レナ) Hiroko Kasahara Barbara Goodson
Mid (ミド) Etsuko Kozakura Julia Fletcher
Gush Hassam (ハシム) Kei Tomiyama John Hostetter

[edit] References