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OtapediaFinal Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals - Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals, is a four-part original video animation (often abbreviated to OVA) based on the popular series of Japanese role-playing video games known as Final Fantasy, which is developed and produced by Square Enix. It was released in 1994 in Japan and later distributed by Urban Vision in 1997 on VHS in North America, though they have since lost distributing rights.

The OVA takes place 200 years after the events depicted in the Final Fantasy V game. The OVA series was directed by Director Rintaro, but was aided by Naoto Kanda and Tomohiko Ohkuda. Production for the OVAs is credited to Tetsuo Daitoku, Yuji Takae, and Yojiro Shirakawa. The plot was written by Satoru Akahori and the music scored by Masahiko Sato. The OVA was released to mixed reviews overall. Some praised it, saying that it was a work that captured the essence of the original Final Fantasy characters that also acted as a good sequel to the events in the story of the mainline title Final Fantasy V. On the other hand, others criticized that it had an unoriginal, uncompelling plot with animation that left them desiring more.

Plot

The OVA series takes place in the same setting as Final Fantasy 5, a world that goes unnamed in the original game, but is referred to as Planet R in the OVA. Three of the four powerful, magical crystals have been stolen. The cast of Final Fantasy 5 became legends of the planet and have created a legacy that was then written into history. A new antagonist named Ra Devil has risen from the Black Moon and sets out to retrieve all of the crystals. The Black Moon is the place that Ra Devil originally inhabited before morphing into Deathgyunos. Mid (a ghost from the past) contacts Prettz and Linaly, the two main protagonist characters of the story, who eventually meet the leader of the sky pirates, a lady named Rouge, and Valkus, the general of the air force and commander of the great ship called the Iron Wing. These four characters work together and become the next generation of the Warriors of Light to face off with Deathgyunos and save the world once again.

Characters

  • Prettz- The male protagonist of the OVA series. He is a stubborn and reckless young man. He has feelings for Linaly and rides a motorcycle. His weapons of choice are nodachi and spiked bombs.
  • Linaly- The female protagonist. She is a brave young girl with blue hair and the descendant of Bartz Klauser, the protagonist of the original Final Fantasy V game. She is an amateur summoner and is only capable of summoning a Chocobo. She becomes a vessel for the Wind Crystal after the others were taken.
  • Valkus- A General of the Tycoon air force and commander of an airship called the Iron Wing. He is incredibly loyal to Queen Lenna and his imposing stature and aggressive behavior are great when it comes to intimidating enemies.
  • Rouge- A sky pirate captain who is infatuated with treasure and is motivated to always acquire more of it. She attempted to take the Wind Crystal from Linaly and her party, but was unsuccessful and ended up captured by Tycoon and thrown in jail. She was pardoned by Queen Lenna on the condition that she would help others in their quest.
  • Queen Lenna- The Queen of Tycoon. She orders the other main characters to stop Ra Devil from becoming Deathgyunos by retrieving the crystals. Since she is the queen of Tycoon, it might be inferred that she is a descendant of Lenna from the original Final Fantasy V game.
  • Mid- The grandson of Cid and an engineer that appears as a ghost that aids the party with his vast knowledge of history and important events. Though he is a ghost, he is able to convince others to carry out tasks that he is unable to, like physically manipulating the world.
  • Ra Devil- The main antagonist of the story and the commander of the Black Moon. He is bent on achieving godlike powers and stealing the four crystals. He manages to steal and take control of Cid’s brain to achieve his goals.

Episodes

The Legend of Crystals OVA was divided into 4 chapters on two VHS tapes. Episode 1 and 2 were on the first tape and Episode 3 and 4 on the second tape.

    1. Wind Chapter
    1. Fire Chapter
    1. Dragon Chapter
    1. Star Chapter

Reception

The OVA had mixed reviews after its initial release. It was praised as some since it continued the story of a mainline Final Fantasy video game and acted as a sequel. GameSpot staff stated that it was a quality piece of work, despite the animation being somewhat basic. Charles McCarter of EX praised that since the characters were similar to those from Final Fantasy games, and it gave the OVA credibility and substance. However, it was criticized as being unremarkable and rather unnoteworthy when compared to the various other content within the Final Fantasy franchise. Many criticized its plot and story, like Adam Arnold of Animefringe, who called it a "lacklustre and drawn-out retelling of Final Fantasy V". Ramsey Isler also stated that it "did not become a favourite addition to the Final Fantasy Legacy ''.

Links

Square Enix Official

TOM Shop

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