Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals
Encyclopedia
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
. Urban Vision does not have the license to this series now, 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.
Several visual differences exist between the anime and the game on which the setting is based. For example, chocobo
s appear featherless and somewhat alien in appearance. 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.
The main protagonist
Prettz is a headstrong and reckless young man with feelings for Linaly who rides a motorcycle and uses a nodachi
and spiked bombs as his weapons. The other protagonist Linaly 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 Linaly 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.
's original soundtrack to Final Fantasy V including the opening and the Chocobo theme.
Episode I - Wind Chapter
Episode II - Fire Chapter
Episode III - Dragon Chapter
Episode IV - Star Chapter
In VHS format, Episodes I and II were contained on the first video, with episodes III and IV on the second, later released as a boxed set.
Notably, the majority of the voice actors used also did voices for Tenchi Muyo!
described it as notable for being the first sequel to a Final Fantasy title, but stated it "did not become a favourite addition to the Final Fantasy Legacy", citing its animation as "nothing special" and noting its reliance on comedy over dramatic story telling. T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews called it "a cruel mockery of all Final Fantasy stands for", citing it as basing the storyline off the "weakest" title in the series, and citing the finale as anti-climactic and the villain disappointing. Animefringe criticized it as one of several failed attempts to translate Final Fantasy to film, calling it a "lacklustre and drawn-out retelling of Final Fantasy V".
However, GameSpot
described it as a worthy adaptation of the series, and noted while the animation was "somewhat simple", the story was immersive and praised it for not meandering to include all aspects of the game. EX praised the title heavily, noting the similarity to Square's existing characters helped lend credence to the Final Fantasy title. They additionally noted with exception to the backgrounds the animation was good, and the dubbed voices for the English version were believable, notably Linaly's and Prettz's, and added "Final Fantasy provides a good balance of action, adventure, and just enough humour to make the characters personable."
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
OVA based on the Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series of console role-playing games. It was released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1994 and distributed by Urban Vision
Urban Vision
Urban Vision Entertainment Inc., an American based production/distribution company created in Los Angeles, California formed in July, 1996 by Mataichiro Yamamoto to help introduce the alternative animation genre known as anime or Japanimation to mainstream media....
in 1998 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Urban Vision does not have the license to this series now, and it has not been relicensed in North America.
Legend of the Crystals takes place 200 years after the events of Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy V
is a medieval-fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom . It has been ported with minor differences to Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance...
. It is divided into four thirty-minute OVA episodes spanning two VHS tapes. To date, there has not been a North American DVD release.
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, chocobo
Chocobo
A is a fictional creature from the Final Fantasy video game series. The creature is a large and normally flightless galliforme/ratite bird capable of being ridden and otherwise used by player characters during gameplay...
s appear featherless and somewhat alien in appearance. 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.
Characters
The OVA introduces several original characters and a few characters who made an appearance in Final Fantasy V.The main protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
Prettz is a headstrong and reckless young man with feelings for Linaly who rides a motorcycle and uses a nodachi
Nodachi
A nodachi is a large two-handed Japanese sword. Some have suggested that the meaning of "nodachi" is roughly the same as ōdachi meaning "large/great sword". A confusion between the terms has nearly synonymized "nodachi" with the very large "ōdachi"...
and spiked bombs as his weapons. The other protagonist Linaly 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 Linaly 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
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
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
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
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.
Music
The original score was composed by Masahiko Sato and contains numerous cues to Nobuo UematsuNobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
's original soundtrack to Final Fantasy V including the opening and the Chocobo theme.
Episodes
Legend of the Crystals is separated into 4 individually titled episodes:Episode I - Wind Chapter
Episode II - Fire Chapter
Episode III - Dragon Chapter
Episode IV - Star Chapter
In VHS format, Episodes I and II were contained on the first video, with episodes III and IV on the second, later released as a boxed set.
Voice actors
| Character | Japanese | Japanese Voice Actor Seiyu Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and... | English Voice Actor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prettz | (プリッツ) | Rica Matsumoto Rica Matsumoto is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer who was born in Yokohama, Japan. Her name is also sometimes romanized as Rika Matsumoto. She was one of the original members of the popular vocal group JAM Project. After the way of the stage, she embarked on voice acting and a singing career... |
Matt Miller Matt K. Miller Matthew Kermit Miller is an American playwright, stage, film, and television actor and voice artist. He is also known as Kermit Miller and Kermit Beachwood.-Career:... |
| Linaly | (リナリー) | Yūko Minaguchi Yuko Minaguchi is a Japanese seiyū from Tokyo who is affiliated with Aoni Production.-Notable voice roles:* Princess Apricot in Bosco Adventure * Yumi in Blue Sonnet * Yawara Inokuma and Kaneko Inokuma in Yawara!... |
Sherry Lynn Sherry Lynn Sherry Lynn is a veteran American voice actress, known for young girl roles in animation and video games. She is represented by Arlene Thornton & Associates... |
| Valkus | (バルカス) | Shigeru Chiba Shigeru Chiba is an actor and voice actor. He has also worked as a sound effects director and music director. He is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce.... |
John DeMita John DeMita John DeMita is a California based Voice, Television and Film Actor. He is married to Julia Fletcher. He is most recognized as the voice of Dosu Kinuta on the hit anime series Naruto. He can also be recognized in the many films he has done... |
| Rouge | (ルージュ) | Fumi Hirano Fumi Hirano is a Japanese voice actress and essayist who is best known for voicing Lum Invader in the anime series Urusei Yatsura. Fumi attended Tamagawa University in Machida, Tokyo where she graduated with a degree in Theatre from the Department of Fine Arts in the College of Humanities... |
K.T. Vogt |
| Ra Devil | (ラーデビル) | Kenichi Ogata | Michael Sorich Michael Sorich Michael John Sorich is an American voice actor who is also a screen actor, writer, director and voice director.- Biography :... |
| Queen Lenna | (女王レナ) | Hiroko Kasahara Hiroko Kasahara Hiroko Kasahara is a popular seiyū and J-pop singer.She sang the ending theme song of the PlayStation 2 RPG, Shadow Hearts, titled Ending Theme ~ Shadow Hearts, and the ending theme of the PC and Playstation 2 visual novel Ever17: the Out of Infinity, titled Aqua Stripe- Notable voice roles :*... |
Barbara Goodson Barbara Goodson Barbara Goodson is an American actress known mostly for her versatility in voicing original and dubbed cartoons. She is voted one of the ten best women to do the voices for young males in cartoons... |
| Mid | (ミド) | Etsuko Kozakura Etsuko Kozakura , better known by her stage name , is a Japanese voice actress from Mizuho and works at Ohsawa Jimusho. She is married to fellow voice actor Jin Domon.Etsuko also voices Tuffy in the Tom and Jerry series.- Notable voice roles :* Atashinchi - Yuri Ishida... |
Julia Fletcher Julia Fletcher Julia Fletcher , sometimes credited as Julia DeMita, is a voice actress whose throaty, articulate vocals have graced many popular animated works and video games... |
| Gush | (ガッシュ) | Hiroshi Naka Hiroshi Naka is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with Production Baobab. He is originally from Ōita Prefecture.- TV anime :*Baki the Grappler *Clannad *Comic Party Revolution *Cowboy Bebop... |
John Hostetter |
| Hassam (Linaly's Grandpa) | (ハシム) | Kei Tomiyama Kei Tomiyama , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator from Anshan, Manchukuo. During his life, Tomiyama was affiliated with Aoni Production and Production Baobab.... |
Notably, the majority of the voice actors used also did voices for Tenchi Muyo!
Tenchi Muyo!
, is a Japanese anime, light novel, and manga series created by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi.The generally accepted translation of the title is No Need for Tenchi or Useless Tenchi, though at the time of its appearance it was also translated variably as No Heaven and Earth and This Way Up...
Reception
The film has had mixed reviews. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
described it as notable for being the first sequel to a Final Fantasy title, but stated it "did not become a favourite addition to the Final Fantasy Legacy", citing its animation as "nothing special" and noting its reliance on comedy over dramatic story telling. T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews called it "a cruel mockery of all Final Fantasy stands for", citing it as basing the storyline off the "weakest" title in the series, and citing the finale as anti-climactic and the villain disappointing. Animefringe criticized it as one of several failed attempts to translate Final Fantasy to film, calling it a "lacklustre and drawn-out retelling of Final Fantasy V".
However, GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
described it as a worthy adaptation of the series, and noted while the animation was "somewhat simple", the story was immersive and praised it for not meandering to include all aspects of the game. EX praised the title heavily, noting the similarity to Square's existing characters helped lend credence to the Final Fantasy title. They additionally noted with exception to the backgrounds the animation was good, and the dubbed voices for the English version were believable, notably Linaly's and Prettz's, and added "Final Fantasy provides a good balance of action, adventure, and just enough humour to make the characters personable."