Synopsis:
The four elemental crystals of Earth, Water, Fire and Wind have long served as the pillars for Planet R's existence. These crystals are protected by four different countries, for if anything happened to them the world would cease to exist. Now three of the four crystals have already been stolen by dark forces, and only the wind crystal remains. A young girl named Linaly is the descendant of the wind crystal's guardians. She is tasked with the responsibility of protecting the last crystal, along eith her loyal friend Prettz (no, not the Japanese snack). But the evil ones will not rest until the last crystal is in their possession, and our young heroes must do everything they can to make sure that never happens.

Review:
I'm a huge fan of the Final Fantasy RPG series. I've played everything from FFIV to FFX, from Super NES to PS2... even the Gameboy editions! Countless FF novelties are strewn about our house -- art books, Kotobukiya figures, soundtrack CDs... oh yes, I LOVE Final Fantasy.

Imagine my utter disappointment after I watched Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals. Sure, the plot is styled after old school FF (in fact the Gameboy FF's and the older SNES / PS FFs have plots concerning crystals), but good gracious! Never in all my years of FF gaming have I encountered such unappealing characters. Almost everything about this anime is everything that the FF games are not.

FF: Legend of the Crystals begins with a brief introduction of the Planet R. Planet R is just like Earth, except that it can't survive without the uninterrupted power of the elemental crystals. Since three out of four crystals had already been stolen, it's up to our young heroes Linaly and Prettz to make sure that the last crystal does not fall into evil hands as well. It's a typical RPG plot, but instead of playing through it, you watch it -- which takes away more than half the fun. After all, what's so great about seeing an ugly boy (Prettz) and a non-descript girl (Linaly) solve predictable puzzles, fight the usual slew of generic monsters, and meet equally uninteresting people?

The art and animation quality range from so-so to a bit below average. Character designs are terrible, physically and personality-wise. While Prettz and company are already a boring and unsightly bunch, not even the non-humans are spared. The chocobo, a trademark FF creature, is portrayed like a hideous ostrich whose feathers had all been plucked off. Action and magic sequences are dully portrayed, and the animators seem to think that flashing Linaly's panties would give viewers a thrill... forgetting the wee fact that Linaly looks like a pre-teen with no semblance of a figure whatsoever. Just about the only good features of this series are the opening logos (which resemble the game logos) and the noteworthy musical scoring.

If you're an FF fan like me, skip this and spare yourself the frustration. If not, it's admittedly pretty ordinary anime fare.

Miscellanies:
This series is four episodes long.

Screenshots:

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