After seeing the success of shows likeCastlevaniaandThe Witcheron Netflix, the time seems ripe for video game adaptations. Square Enix specifically has recently seen the release ofDragon Quest: The Adventure of Daiand also anticipates the release ofThe World Ends With You: The Animationsometime in Summer 2021. So why notFinal Fantasy?
How is it that the world has only seentwo feature-length filmsand yet not a single anime adaptation? It almost seems like the game series was built to be made into a long-form, episodic series. On top of that, the creativity and imagination that goes into an anime series is perfect for capturing some of the more cinematic moments fromFinal Fantasy.The more thought given to the subject, the more a person can see exactly whyFinal Fantasyand anime were made for each other.
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The Art Style
In some ways,Final Fantasyand many anime already have the same art style. Amnesiacspikey-haired heroes, androgynous villains, and wackily-oversized weapons are hallmarks of both. This is in part due to the rise of Tetsuya Nomura’s popularity as a character designer after the smash success of the originalFinal Fantasy 7(he debuted withFinal Fantasy 6).Looking at characters released in subsequent games in the series it’s clear to see the anime aesthetic continue to dominate.
This makes the transition from video game series to anime virtually seamless. There are many, many two-dimensional drawings of the characters from each installment ofFinal Fantasythat Nomura has worked on. While he did not create characters in entries 1 through 5, he did draw all of the character artfor theDissidiaseriesofFinal Fantasyfighting games. These drawings are also in an anime style, so again the designs are already there.
The Stories and Music are Already Written
As fans, people love to critique the content that we enjoy. This is all a part of the experience, but it’s important to remember how much work goes into any show, good or bad. In the case ofFinal Fantasythe process ofcreating stories for each seasonof the show would be more akin to chiseling marble than reinventing the wheel. The averageFinal Fantasygame will last a player 40-50 hours, this means that writers would simply need to cut out the fat and make each season hit only the most important plot points and battles of each game.
Taking a less is more approach to aFinal Fantasyseries could help a potential show feel like a greatest hits reel of the entireseries. This would mean that many side quests would of course end up getting snubbed in order to fit into a 10-15 episode season, but would feel like an all killer, no filler situation as a result. Additionally, most cutscenes in the mainline series of games are typically fully voiced and animated. This means that a large part of the series is already story-boarded in some form, allowing for yet another starting point for a potential studio looking to adapt the properties.
The Series Structure Lends Itself Well to an Anthology Format
The “Final” inFinal Fantasyis a lie. The series will outlive the majority of audiences that enjoy it today in many additional iterations. However, it' worth noting that the way the series is structured lends itself perfectly to an anthology series. Each major numbered entry in the seriesfollows a new cast of heroesin a wholly original story.
The shared elements of the series are typically the spells, creatures, and names of certain characters (Cid, for example), and of course, chocobos. Each season in a potential animated series couldbase itself upon each numbered entry in the series. This would help to keep the series brisk in its pacing and fresh each season. It also allows newcomers to enter any new season without the need to catch up on several seasons in order to catch up.
The Fanbase is Already Established
A show’s success financially speaking is typically directly correlated to the number of people that watch it. There’s a reason thatFinal Fantasygames continue to be made: people buy them. It’s likely that many of these same people would also watch television shows based upon the same games they’ve already purchased.
Looking at the amount of merchandise already surrounding the series this claim is likely valid. Financially, adapting these series makes sense because unless Square Enix severely flubs the execution on these then there’sa very low risk of them failing.
Animated Adaptations Could Add Depth to the Characters
Much like how a well-written side quest in a video game, taking the time to tell smaller stories on the side can help to color in themotivations and personalities of characters. AFinal Fantasyseries could do the same with a couple of well-placed episodes unique to the show. By adding scenes from the talent behind a potential series that show could have it’s own unique side stories that are faithful to the original game but also flesh the characters out in its own way. The possibilities are endless, but nothing’s final.
