Final Fantasy: Unlimited: Phaze 5 (2001)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Maeda Mahiro
Music by Nobuo Oematsu

Features:

• Clean opening and closing
  
• Running audio commentary on episode #14 with voice actors Samantha Inoue Harte & Evan Slack
  
• Production sketches
  
• Key animation background
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Sibling rivalry
• Annoying child voice actor
• Annoying villains
• Mild violence & scary monsters
• Evil child Earl

Released by: ADV
Region: 1
Rating: 12+
Anamorphic: N/A; episodes appear in their original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Fans of the FF franchise should own; all others should at least rent.

We rejoin our heroes amid the clever ocean puzzle--a multi-dimensional trap made up of cubes of space from all over Wonderland, including a nasty patch of mud that threatens to suck the ship into nothingness. What's more, Cid has been transformed into a toad--will he lose his ability to pilot the ship and communicate with the crew? Then, in the depths of Wonderland, Oscha resurrects a dangerous foe and sends him after Our Heroes, who are, meanwhile, attempting to figure their way out of a cloudy level of the Cube. After some revelations about Madoushi and Makenshi, we are returned to focus on Ai and Yu and their quest to find their missing parents. We are also introduced to Clear, a fragment of Omega, but this one has a kinder heart and perhaps an answer to the problem of Omega.

On the one hand, there is little to tie this series directly to the Final Fantasy franchise other than chocobos and Kaze's ability to summon aeons, but on the other hand, that has essentially been true of all the FF games, too. What, other than chocobos, tied together any two of the games, until X-2? Besides, it's nice to see Shiva in a new form.

The characters of the show are quite interesting--if only we got to learn more about them. The underground organization Comodeen fights to liberate their worlds and other worlds from the swallowing power of Chaos; they and their ship help Our Heroes navigate Wonderland. Miles is one of them, and her skills are quite useful to Cid, the pilot of the ship. Two of the most intriguing characters are the mysterious Lisa, with her psychic powers, and Kaze, the powerful, distant gunner of the lone wolf type, who has lost his memories. The focus for the series is ostensibly the quest of Ai and Yu, two kids searching for their parents throughout the vast strangeness of Wonderland, but they often take a backseat to episodes focusing on new puzzles. In short, the characters have a lot of potential that isn't quite tapped--and Ai is just plain annoying at times.

The look of the show is good, if not outstanding. The typical two-dimensional digital animation blends well with the few special three-dimensional shots. Gonzo did a great job with the coloring, as well; you can't ask for a better transfer. The sound is also good, and both Japanese and English casts do a good job with their lines; the English voice, Jessica Schwartz, does a decent enough job, but has a rather annoying sharp pitch to her young voice, reminding viewers of Sailor Moon's less-beloved Rini moments. The sound effects are particularly well done, however, especially during action sequences. The music is great--not perhaps as fine as the grand creations featured in the games, but still quite nice; it is, after all, still Nobuo Oematsu.

The extras are nice: we get a commentary with two of the voice actors (who play Yu and Chobi), some production sketches, and some animation backgrounds. The DVD has a reversible cover with a really nice minimally colored image, and the booklet features several of the show's characters and a bit about them. Too bad the disc itself has only three episodes. We also get a clean opening and closing that should please fans of the show's look.

A strange mixture of fantasy and comedy, the show is a good bet for fans of the Final Fantasy franchise or fans of fantasy and adventure titles. Overall, the plot and ideas of the show are just not quite as well done as their promise might suggest; this is not to say it's a bad show--it isn't--but it's not as good as it could have been either. As it is, if you enjoy a bit of adventure, some picaresque action, and interesting character interactions, then check out Final Fantasy Unlimited.