Final Fantasy: The Series
Overview:
Now ten years since it first aired, Final Fantasy the TV series proved to be a landmark series in pop culture history. A unique mixture of Japanese, American and British talents in cast and crew, the series was a ground-breaking series albeit one that was an experiment that wouldn’t be repeated on such a scale. Born of a computer game series that was obscure out of its native Japan, the series would come into its own part of TV history, famous for being something that had never been done before.
Creation:
The brainchild of a combination of Squaresoft, Nippon Television, The Jim Henson Company and the BBC, the idea for an adaptation for the famous video game series came when Nintendo pushed the sixth instalment of Final Fantasy on its SNES console. Feeling that the JRPG genre had great potential to break into Western markets, Squaresoft managed to convince Nintendo to push for a mass marketing campaign in the US and Europe, the budget for that alone being one of the largest for a single game in 1994. The gamble paid off as Final Fantasy VI became the biggest selling game of the year with great critical acclaim that created further interest in the genre to the extent that series like Earthbound were translated and released in their entirety.
Such was the popularity of the series at home and abroad, and its opening up foreign markets for mass exports of the genre, that it started something revolutionary. The early 1990’s was the period of a mass explosion of interest in adapting video game to various other media, usually to questionable effect. This would in turn be seen as an opportunity by Nippon Television to make a stake in overseas markets. Representatives from the network approached Squaresoft to ask about an adaptation for Final Fantasy VI but talks between the two companies soon raised the point that it would be far too expensive and an alternate was called for.
In this, the alternative was realised when plans for the seventh instalment of the series were focused upon. The decision to take away the series from its Fantasy roots and go for a more Sci-Fi and modern feel alleviated some budget concerns while taking the series in a bold new direction. Plans to take the series once more outside Japan and as a result contacted several networks in the US but many were reluctant to take part in such an ambitious project although the special effects company Foundation Imaging was contacted to organise the visual effects of the series after an impressive run on the initial series of Babylon Five.
The saving grace for the series when the offer to help take on the show was met by the BBC of Britain whose decision came from the failure negotiations between the BBC and the Fox Network for the proposed Doctor Who project collapsed due to Fox being unwilling to commit to a new series. The three sides, Squaresoft, Nippon Television and the BBC, started script work for the show in mid-1995 after Squaresoft focused a great deal of its resources on creating and fleshing out the concept for the series. With the idea hammered out, Squaresoft presented the series Bible to Nippon Television and the BBC in July 1995 with agreements for script treatment being met at in August.
With the original concept in hand, various writers used by the BBC and Nippon Television were able to hammer out a twenty-four episode series in short order, the final product being finished in September 1995 and production following a month afterwards.
Differences From the Initial Concept:
Despite working in conjunction with Squaresoft to try and hem close to the idea they had created, it was inevitable that changes were to be made. Needing to streamline the story, various aspects were dropped entirely in order to make the final product adaptable to television. Among these changes were:
- The dropping of a main character named Nanaki and his own part in the story. The character and his concept were deemed too expensive and impractical for a television series as well as detracting from what needed to be a much more contracted plot.
- There merging of two characters into one as one scientist character from Nanaki’s own plot was merged with Shera, a character that was originally attached to Cid. The reasoning being that the exposition regarding how the Lifestream worked was best to hear but Shera’s character was found unnecessary after further changes.
- A subplot concerning Cid’s attempts to go into Space was dropped as it was deemed too expensive and instead the focus was simply on Cid being a great pilot and innovative engineer. This was the major reason behind the dropping of the Shera character.
- A subplot that focused on ‘Great Materia’ was changed to several background events of Hojo researching them before and after the discovery of the Promised Land. In order to further tighten the story, the plot of the Great Materia was shifted to the background and instead changed to be a ploy by Hojo instead of a plan to stop Meteor by Shinra.
- The Golden Saucer location was dropped entirely due to being far too expensive. The plot point of a key to the Temple of the Ancients was shifted towards a map that was in the hands of Lord Godo.
- Another location named Gongaga was dropped as instead, hints providing doubts over Cloud’s memories were provided from interactions between Tifa and other cast members as well as fractured flashbacks in several episodes.
- Also for expense reasons, large beasts called ‘Weapons’ were dropped and their role in the story taken away as the special effects budget was already large dealing with other aspects of the story.
- From being an optional character in the initial stages of the game, Yuffie was upgraded to appear early on in the series with her role expanded greatly.
- Mideel was changed from a tropical island to the Principality of Sea Land as a Mako Reactor to help tie it in with a later story aspect, much to the disappointment of the cast.
- Various other minor changes were brought in to make the series more suited for television viewing, not quite on the scale of the previous ones.
With the script sorted out and locations being scouted, calls for casting were sent out, with the focus once more being on opening up Western audiences to the experience of Squaresoft’s works.
It was decided for the filming to be mostly in Britain to save on already large costs. Filming began around London in March of 1996 with scenes being filmed around the country with the slums of Midgar taking place in Glasgow and the upper plates being filmed in London. Locations such as Kalm were filmed in more rural areas with the city of Wells being the location of choice. Liverpool was used as the port of Junon and its polluted sea.
Brighton was used as Costa Del Sol to some disappointment from some of the cast who had hoped for Spain. Some locations were also changed for convenience such as the tropical town of Mideel was changed to be filmed at the Principality of Sea Land, an in story a sea bound Mako reactor. Pinewood Studios served as the majority of the interior shots for the series and several of the more extreme exterior environments such as the Northern Crater. A series of scenes and flashbacks were filmed in Japan to make up for Yuffie’s back-story and to take some of the filming budget burden away from the BBC while several other scenes were shot at locales to aid with flashbacks for the character.
Crew:
Fighting scenes were choreographed by a relative newcomer to the scene in the form of Tetsuo Shimaguchi who was joined by Donnie Yen in helping choreograph the non-sword fight scenes while also directing eight of the twenty-four episodes. Special effects were handled by Foundation Imaging but were remastered on the 10th anniversary DVD release due to the aged look of what had been ground breaking effects at the time.
The music was handled by the BBC Symphony Orchestra for the most part although the original compositions by Nobuo Uematsu were used in full throughout the series, the song ‘Cloud’s Theme’ becoming the opening and closing theme for the series, albeit different parts of the composition for each. British composer Murray Gold was also given his first major job in the BBC by helping compose several pieces of background music that went down almost as well as the major themes of the series.
Cast:
The focus of casting the series focused on younger actors or those with long term television careers, largely to save on cost. Although quality certainly wasn’t sacrificed as the actors selected each brought their all to the roles they were selected for. All Japanese actors in the series volunteered to learn English enough to do their parts without a dub while all undertook training to help with their fight scenes when practical.
Casting was a mixture of British, American and Japanese talents with the decision being made to cast several Americans in order to help appeal to that market when it came to finding a network to broadcast the show. Initial designs for the characters for the games were referred to but only as suggestions, with Cloud’s hair shot down by producers from the outset.
Casting began for most parts straight away with the first part taken was that of Cid. Takeshi Kitano had been contacted by Nippon Television to gauge his interest in directing some of the episodes. Looking over the script, Kitano found he liked the part of the rough edged Cid and auditioned, getting the part as well as continuing with his original intention as he he went onto direct four of the episodes of the series.
The casting for Cloud eventually selected Ewan McGregor to go into the role, an already accomplished actor in British television and cinema who flung himself into the role, playing several of the previous games in the Final Fantasy series to understand its history and taking sword fighting lessons. The role of Aeris Gainsborough eventually went to a relative unknown French actress, Audrey Tatou who had travelled to the UK specifically to get to the audition. She was eventually selected due to being able to give what the casting agents called an ‘alien’ performance, mixed with her general appearance and atrong French accent that allowed her to stand out from the rest of the cast; it felt that she would be best to suit the role.
The role of Barret fell to the inexperienced bodyguard Michael Clarke Duncan who travelled to auditions set up in Hollywood for the role. Despite only having experience in commercials, his size, mixed with an audition that had him choose to emphasise some of the characters softer traits over his aggressive ones, made Duncan the eventual choice for the role. At the same auditions, Duncan would meet the woman chose to play Tifa, Hilary Swank. Swank’s gymnastic background was an asset as she proved more than able to answer the demanding martial arts training that the role demanded.
In Japan, the roles of Sephiroth fell to long time villainous actor, Shun Sugata who quickly went to Britain to scout out the location and his fellow actors, joining McGregor in his sword lessons. The young actress, Kou Shibasaki was selected for the role of Yuffie and her energetic and giddy take on the character went onto provide a stark contrast for the darker roles she would take on later in her career.
Each role would later go onto be fulfilled as the casting process continued with a mixture of British, American and Japanese actors taking up the various parts. Of special note was Mark Hamill who was selected of the role for Professor Hojo. Although having largely settled into voice acting for the most part in the 90’s, Hamill tried out for the role to test the waters and did amazingly well, his take on the character showing few signs of the Joker and taking on a much more subdued and threatening performance. Despite his surprise at being offered the role, Hamill took it on with a great deal of enthusiasm.
One of the more determined actors trying to get a role proved to be Heath Ledger, then still working in Australia, travelled to Tokyo after his agent recommended him the role of Rufus Shinra, being the right age for the role. His determination marked Ledger out as a remarkable young actor and was given the part after a stunning audition. Less dramatic was Christopher Eccleston filling out the role of Reeve Tuesti, having a long record of acting in television and films and provided a decent audition.
Casting for all parts took place over a period of five months and when it was done, all the actors were flown into London to start filming the series. The final cast for the series was:
Cloud Strife – Ewan McGregor
Aeris Gainsborough – Audrey Tatou
Tifa Lockhart – Hilary Swank
Barret Wallace – Michael Clarke Duncan
Reeve Tuesti/Cait Sith – Christopher Eccleston
Cid Highwind – Takeshi Kitano
Yuffie Kisargi – Kou Shibasaki
Sephiroth – Shun Sugata
Professor Hojo – Mark Hamill
Elmyra – Zoe Wanamaker
President Shinra – Patrick Macnee
Rufus Shinra – Heath Ledger
Tseng – Sonny Chiba
Reno – Masanobu Ando
Rude – Michael Jace
Elena – Eliza Dushku
Heidegger – Brian Blessed
Bugenhagen – Pat Morita
Lord Godo – George Takei
Zack Fair – Christian Bale
Dyne – Sean Bean
Production:
The filming of the series would take just under a year in total, going from March 1996 through to February the following year. Despite the scale and risks involved, no major accidents took place during filming and it was regarded as a very enjoyable and memorable experience for all involved. When filming was completed, each member of the cast was given a small reward by being given s small scale model of the Highwind airship to commemorate their role in the show.
Post-production took three months in total, finishing off the editing of the show and putting into the final format. The show would eventually first air on Nippon Television in July 1997 with the broadcast on the BBC following the next month. The final network to broadcast it was HBO who first started showing episodes in late August.
Episodes:
(1) First Blood:
The series opens on the sight of a shot of Aeris, looking down onto a glowing mako well in Midgar before the sound of a car backfiring pulls her away to start walking the streets of the city. The camera pulls back to reveal the sight of Midgar (A very well done Henson model with some computer animation) before focusing back down to the city where the audience first sees Cloud and AVALANCHE. The episode then runs through an attack on a Mako reactor with Cloud and Barret soon establishing their characters before the successful completion of the missions see them go to Seventh Heaven and the focus changed to establishing Cloud and Tifa’s relationship. With that done, the episode ended as AVALANCHE once more set out to attack a Mako reactor.
(2) The Flower Girl:
The episode opens with the second Mako reactor attack succeeding up to AVALANCHE being accosted by President Shinra and ambushed by SOLDIER members. During the battle, Cloud is separated from the rest of the group and forced to flee to one of the sectors where he is hidden by a flower girl called Aeris. In return, he protects her from a Turk attack and escorts Aeris home where they slowly bond. Upon reaching her home, Cloud meets her mother before staying the night and heading off in the morning. Aeris accompanies him to Sector Seven only to see Tifa being dragged away by Shinra troops. Cloud and Tifa help rescue her where she reveals that she uncovered information about an attack to bring down Sector Seven to destroy AVALANCHE. The episode ended with the three rushing to Sector Seven as the Turks set up ther explosives.
(3) Fall Of A Sector:
The episode starts with a battle raging around Sector Seven as Shinra and the Turks try to bring down one of the towers holding up the plate of the sector. A running battle that lasts the episode ends as the group slowly climb up the tower while interspersed with scenes of people fleeing the Sector. Finally, AVALANCHE makes it to the top only to arrive too late to stop the bomb being set by Heidegger who escapes with the Turks who have also kidnapped Aeris in the ordeal. Managing to escape from the collapsing Sector in time as other AVALANCHE members died in the assault, Cloud, Tifa and Barret return to Aeris’ house to regroup where they hear about her background from her mother. Discovering that she is an Ancient, the group resolve to head out to Shinra Tower in an attempt to rescue her. The episode ends with Barret saying goodbye to his daughter before the group start on the journey to the tower itself.
(4) Rising Up The Tower:
The episode opens up with the group having started their journey up a secret passage way to the top surface of Midgar. Having climbed up amongst the debris of Sector Seven, the group makes their way towards Shinra Tower. Finding a secluded stairway, the group make their way up the stairs, much to Barret’s annoyance before finally making it up to the sixtieth floor, breaking into the security room to find a camera overlooking a board meeting of Shinra that reveals their plans to blame the Sector collapse on AVALANCHE as well as use Aeris to find the Promised Land due to her being an Ancient. Seeing Professor Hojo leave to perform experiments, the group breaks into the laboratories and manage to rescue Aeris from the mad scientist as Cloud comes across a piece of JENOVA (An effect which won Foundation Imaging several awards), causing him to have a mental breakdown just as the Turks lead an assault to recapture AVALANCHE. The episode ends with the group being recaptured by Shinra forces.
(5) Escape:
The episode opens with AVALANCHE being brought before President Shinra who informs them of the company’s plans to use Aeris to find the Promised Land to drain it of Mako for power. Informing them of a public execution for their crimes, AVALANCHE is then taken away to their cells to wait. While planning for an escape, the power in the tower goes off and allows the group to escape, the bloody remains of their guards and eventual discovery of President Shinra’s corpse leading Cloud to believe that Sephiroth was the one behind the attack. Before they could make any further investigations however, the appearance of Rufus Shinra and reinforcements for the tower force them to retreat, fighting their way down to the garage where they steal several vehicles and after a chase through Midgar, break out of the city to freedom. After deciding to pursue Sephiroth for the good of the Planet, the episode ends with AVALANCHE stepping out into the World.
(6) Memories Of Cloud:
The episode opens with AVALANCHE arriving at Kalm, taking a rest from their travels as the group talks about Sephiroth. The scene then changes to a flashback from five years ago as Cloud relates his memories of when Sephiroth went insane. Having been inducted into SOLDIER, Cloud’s first mission had been to return home to investigate a rash of monster attacks with Sephiroth and various low ranking Shinra soldiers. Arriving in Nibelheim, Cloud stays the night with his mother before being guided by Tifa to the Mako reactor where he and Sephiroth uncover the experiments performed by Professor Hojo, leading to Sephiroth’s own discovery of his origins and connections with JENOVA. Seeing his entire life as a lie, Sephiroth goes insane over the next few days as he confronts the history of his ‘mother’ and resolves to use her to his own ends. Finally snapping, Sephiroth kills almost everyone in Nibelheim before heading off to the Mako reactor to claim JENOVA’s remains, Cloud in hot pursuit. After a confrontation with Sephiroth in the reactor however, Cloud’s memory fades at that point and the scene cuts back to Kalm where the group decide to try and follow Sephiroth and try to find out what he is up to. The episode ends with a Kalm resident telling the group that he saw a man in black head towards the port city of Junon and AVALANCHE head out to follow.
(7) The Girl From Wutai:
The episode opens with a flashback of the war between Midgar and Wutai, the final days of the conflict where Lord Godo signs the peace treaty as his young daughter watches. The scene cuts back to the present day where AVALANCHE comes across a village which is sitting on a Mako rich area. A Shinra force is nearby in a bid to drive them off and the villagers appeal to AVALANCHE to help them drive off their attackers. Seeing it as an opportunity to strike at Shinra, Barret latches onto agreeing to attack the army unit despite the need to press on. The next scene changes to another flashback where Yuffie trains with her father, an argument breaking out between them as she wants to help Wutai become a great nation despite the treaty with Shinra while her father advises prudence in the face of the threat of further loss. Another shift to the present shows the attack on the Shinra forces by AVALANCHE who’re joined by Yuffie as she saves Cloud from an attack in the battle although she also steals some of his material in the fight. When the Shinra forces are defeated, Yuffie discovers who the group are and offers to go with them to help fight Shinra. The group try to shrug her off but her insistence and Aeris growing to like her sway the argument. One final flashback sees Yuffie flee Wutai, taking only her equipment a family crest with her to show who her family is. The episode ends in the present with the group leaving for Junon, Yuffie being deliberately ignored by Cloud as she travels along with him.
(8) The Polluted Port:
The episode opens up with AVALANCHE reaching Junon and rescuing a young girl called Priscilla from an attack by a Sea monster. Hearing of Rufus Shinra travelling to the Western Continent, AVALANCHE decide to smuggle aboard his ship to help follow Sephiroth with Cloud breaking into the army facility to get a uniform for himself as Rufus goes through his inauguration. Cloud is mistaken for a regular soldier and has to take part in the parade, running into a drunken Reno and Rude with the newest Turk member, Elena along the way. Arriving at the port to be put onto Rufus’ guard for the ship, Cloud discovers the rest of AVALANCHE has managed to sneak into onboard with their own disguises. Cloud meets each member in time, learning about their own hopes and ambitions for the road ahead before finally meeting with Barret as an alert goes throughout the ship that an intruder was seen on board. The episode ends as AVALANCHE meets up and discovers that the intruder that the announcement was talking about wasn’t any of the group but Sephiroth.
(9) Journey To The Golden Sands:
The episode opens with the previous confrontation with Sephiroth and his taunting of AVALANCHE, daring Cloud especially to avenge the death of his mother and Tifa to do the same for her father, to follow him to the Promised Land where they would see his plan come to fruition. He leaves them with a fragment of JENOVA to battle while he escapes, the group coming out victorious as the monster vanishes and the ship lands at Costa del Sol amid the aftermath of the attack felt on the ship. Quickly getting out before being spotted by Shinra forces, the group spend the day at the resort where they find Hojo taking part in research over an unusually large Materia fragment found at a nearby reactor. He mentions the ‘Reunion’ and remains ambivalent about Sephiroth’s possible goal while the group has to let him go or risk alerting Shinra forces to their presence. The group heads out as it’s discovered that Yuffie stole from a local store and the episode ends as they quickly make their way to a train on to the next location and Barret grows distraught as it’s announced that their next stop is Corel Town.
(10) The Pain Of Barret:
The episode opens as the group arrives at the shanty town Corel, Barret increasingly depressed as people slowly start to recognise him. He reluctantly reveals to the group that he was once a leading citizen of Corel who voted for Shinra to make a reactor in the town for its benefits over coal. A flashback reveals that something went wrong with the reactor and Shinra burnt down the town, saying it had attacked them first. His best friend Dyne having disappeared in the attack, Barret fled with his daughter to Midgard to raise as his own and join AVALANCHE. The remaining townspeople still blame Barret for the attack and tell him to get out before he’s seen by Dyne who survived the attack and took over the remains of the town, his sanity long since lost. Realising he needs to see Dyne and confront his past. Seeing him makes Barret realise that Dyne has long since gone insane from grief and hatred and the two fight, Barret coming out the winner as he begs for Dyne to come with them to fight. Dyne refuses as he realises he’s killed too many to go one and leaves the care of Marlene in Barret’s hands before killing himself, his death making Barret realise his own tactics against Shinra had also resulted in innocent deaths he couldn’t justify. Leaving Corel Town to recover after Dyne’s death, the episode ends with AVALANCHE still following Rufus and Barret alone as he tries to come to terms with his actions.
(11) A Village From The Ashes:
The episode starts with AVALANCHE getting off at the next stop, a location that shocks Tifa and Cloud as it’s revealed to be Nibelheim. Investigations into the town show that no one remembers either of neither them nor the events which led to its destruction. Barret snaps from his previous pressure and finally gets someone to reveal that Shinra rebuilt the town and is using it to hide the true events of Sephiroth’s disappearance. Furious at this, Cloud starts to experience memories of Sephiroth’s attack that conflict with his previous memories. Their appearance alerts local Shinra forces and the Turks arrive to kill or catch them, forcing AVALANCHE to fight their way out into the mountains near Nibelheim. The episode ends with the discovery of a man named Cait Sith who offers to help guide them through the mountains in order to escape from Shinra.
(12) Journey Across the Mountains:
The episode starts as AVALANCHE makes their way across the Nibelhiem mountain range, the group forced into a cave to escape a sudden heavy downpour. Having to spend the night in the cave, Cait opens up about his own past, claiming to be on the run from Shinra for stealing money from their accounts. Yuffie warms up to him after learning this as one by one, the group starts to reflect on what they’re trying to do. Yuffie thinks back to her childhood and remains firm in her plans to steal materia to help Wutai regain its power. Barret considers his actions and their repercussions as he looks to gain redemption by saving the Planet from Sephiroth’s actions. Tifa and Cloud both want revenge against the man who destroyed their lives and Aeris simply wants to discover more about her heritage as she starts to attune to the Planet more than ever, listening to the spirits dying and being reborn. With the threat of Sephiroth lingering, AVALANCHE resolve to carry on following him and stopping his plans. Morning comes and Cait Sith shows the group a quick way to Rocket Town, the episode ending as an airship passes over the heads of AVALANCHE, Rufus Shinra onboard.
(13) The Pilot:
The episode starts with AVALANCHE walking into Airstrip Town as they hide from SHINRA forces. They discover that SHINRA are there to try and take the airplane, the Tiny Bronco, of the famous pilot Cid in order to track down Sephiroth. Cid refuses and is taken into custody before Rufus takes control of the plane itself. AVALANCHE arrives and hide in a house where they come across Bugenhagen, a friend of Cid who recognises them as rebels against Shinra and implores them to save Cid and the plane to help on their quest. Noticing that the group has more personal vendettas and issues with Shinra or Sephiroth, Bugenhagen reminds them all of the most valuable thing at threat, the Planet. He gives them an in depth explanation of the Lifestream, building on what the audience has already seen and heard before imploring AVALANCHE to stop Shinra before the Lifestream has been damaged beyond repair. With Bugenhagen’s words in mind, AVALANCHE strike and manage to pull off the rescue in a series of running fights, escaping with Cid in the plane before they’re overwhelmed by the approaching forces. Cid reveals that Shinra were planning on using the Tiny Bronco to scout north where Sephiroth had been seen, telling everyone to meet him in the Promised Land. With Shinra forces in hot pursuit, Yuffie suggests that they travel to Wutai in order to clear their minds and work on where to go next. The group agrees with the episode ending as Cid makes his presence know with a blunt speech on why he’s going to fight Shinra and telling Cloud to fasten his god damn seatbelt.
(14) Travel to Wutai:
The episode starts with AVALANCHE landing in Wutai as Yuffie leads them onwards to her father’s castle. Lord Godo is less than happy to see his daughter bringing rebels to Shinra in his household though and instantly orders them to leave. Yuffie protests but Godo orders her to go as well, telling her to recognise that Wutai can never again regain the strength it once had and that bending the knee to Shinra is the only way to survive. Staying the night in a small house of Yuffie’s, Aeris hears the voices of the Lifestream call out as the Temple of the Ancients is under assault by Sephiroth and the group realise they have to act quickly. Yuffie sneaks out and steals a map from her father’s house that she believes indicates the Temple of the Ancients. She is caught however and Lord Godo demands that she end her pointless rebellion, that there was no hope in fighting the strength of Shinra and that the Wutai she had known as a child was long dead. Yuffie answers by telling her father she isn’t looking for a war, that what she’s doing now is to help the Planet. She’ll fight Shinra, not out of a wounded pride, but to liberate people from its oppression. With that, she throws down a crest of Wutai, saying that she’ll not put her nation in danger and so renounces her country and father completely. In response, Godo allows her to leave with the map, simply telling her that although she will have to bear the consequences of standing against Shinra, she will always have the love of her father. Yuffie meets back with AVALANCHE and the episode ends with them planning to go to the Temple of the Ancients.
(15) Temple Of The Ancients:
The episode opens with AVALANCHE arriving at the Temple, a large overgrown construct in a jungle. During the exploration of the Temple, Cloud and Aeris are separated from the rest of the group during part of the temple roof falling in. The two carry on with the search with Aeris asking to meet the real Cloud. Cloud is confused by this but Aeris lets him know that she’ll be there when he finds out and that she’s eager to see who he really is. The two make their way through the Temple to find what the Lifestream had warned Aeris about, the Black Materia, a shard of Materia the Cetra had created in the outcome they lost the war with Jenova and would destroy the Planet rather than allow its evil to spread further. On its pedestal are runes telling of its only counter, the White Materia that summons Holy, found in the Forgotten Capital of the north. Just as Cloud reaches out to take it, a vision of Sephiroth appears, revealing that the power of the Black Materia would bring down Meteor, forcing the Lifestream to repair the Planet where he would asorb the energy and become a God before sailing amongst the stars as a new Jenova. Mocking Cloud for thinking he could stop him, Sephiroth uses his influence over Cloud to get him to attack Aeris. The rest of AVALANCHE arrive just in time to stop him, knocking Cloud out before taking him back on board the plane. He wakes up to be told that Aeris has gone north to find the only counter to the Black Materia. The episode ends with AVALANCHE starting to follow her, Cloud reading her farewell letter and the reveal of the Promised Land next to the Forgotten Capital.
(16) To The North:
The episode starts with AVALANCHE being forced to land in the wasteland of the north. Only having Aeris’ letter to go by, Cloud manages to figure out the clues that lead them to a hidden tunnel that leads to the Forgotten Capital. At the entrance, they find an abandoned house with recordings that show Aeris from her childhood. The recordings were made by her father, Professor Gast, regarding his relationship with the last living Ancient from the Forgotten Capital. Having fallen in love with her, Gast had a relationship with the woman and raised Aeris until a task force led by Hojo killed Gast and took Aeris and her mother back to Midgar for experimentation. Having watched the recordings, AVALANCHE then head on through the tunnel to the Forgotten Capital with the episode ending with a shot on Aeris quietly praying on a raised platform.
(17) Tragedy:
The episode opens with the most shocking moment in the entire series as Aeris dies in the first scene with Sephiroth descending from above and stabbing her through the chest. Struck dumb with shock, AVALANCHE are unable to stop Sephiroth from stealing the White Materia and escaping, instead having to fight a fragment of JENOVA instead. While they come out victorious, AVALANCHE are devastated by the loss of Aeris and hold an impromptu funeral in a lake in the Forgotten Capital. The group reacts to the death of one of their own as Cait Sith starts work on translating runes on the buildings that point towards the Promised Land. The audience sees his true colours by seeing him contact Shinra and giving them their co-ordinates before going back to AVALANCHE where they decide their next course of action is to follow Sephiroth’s trail which leads through a mountain range to the north. The episode ends as a subdued AVALANCHE makes their way through the mountains while high above, Rufus Shinra and others fly after them in an airship as Hojo speculates over the presence of the sheer size of Materia in the region.
(18) Who Is Cloud?
The episode starts with Cloud hearing Sephiroth taunt him over the death of Aeris while also leading him onwards towards the Promised Land. AVALANCHE finally emerges out into a Mako rich area, the Promised Land, before Sephiroth appears and creates a mass hallucination that shows Nibelheim as it was five years ago. Sephiroth shows them things in a different light as Cloud remembers it, omitting him completely as he instead sees someone else in his place. Cloud’s already weak psychological condition breaks down completely when Tifa reluctantly confirms that she had never seen Cloud when Nibelheim fell but is quickly silenced before she can say anything else. Taunting him as a failed clone and experiment, Sephiroth manages to destroy the fragile remains of Cloud’s mind before convincing him to hand over the Black Materia to Sephiroth’s physical form that’s kept in a block of solid Mako. Sephiroth then summons Meteor, the ensuing Mako discharge causing the area around them to collapse. Forced to flee, AVALANCHE are split into groups with the episode ending with Reeve leading Barret and Tifa into a trap.
(19) Rescue Operation:
The episode opens several days after the summoning of Meteor with Tifa and Barret waiting execution by Shinra, under guard by the Turks. When Reeve reveals his part in their capture, Barret demands to know what the Hell he’s thinking, betraying them and serving Shinra who now more than ever are close to bringing the Planet’s downfall. Reeve responds that AVALANCHE still deserves to pay for the crimes they committed and that he’s loyal to Shinra. A speech from Rufus, telling Barret and Tifa of how they’re to die to calm the populace before revealing he has plans to secure the lives of a small sector of the populace to rule over once Meteor has fallen should their plan of destroying Sephiroth fail, causes Reeve to reconsider his actions however. As the time for execution comes, Tifa and Barret are rescued with Cid and Yuffie making a dramatic entrance from the Tiny Bronco, bursting through the wall and allowing for a long enough distraction for Tifa to pull herself free and attack the Turks as Yuffie frees Barret. The trio manage to escape after Reeve provides a crucial distraction before going with them, saying that AVALANCHE presents the only hope for the Planet to survive. After the group escapes, Reeve tells everyone else that Cloud had been tracked down to a small village in Mideel. The episode ends with the group rushing towards the Mako station before Shinra forces reach it.
(20) Rediscovery:
The episode begins with AVALANCHE touching down in Mideel and rushing to Cloud only to realise why Shinra hadn’t come for him, he’d been turned into a vegetable after what had happened in the Promised Land. Having been sent through the Lifestream, the effect had worked in breaking his mind utterly. An aerial attack from Shinra suddenly blows the Reactor apart though, Tifa and Cloud being unable to escape in time and falling into the Lifestream itself. There, the Lifestream reflects Cloud’s tattered psyche and memories back to himself and Tifa, allowing her to pick up the pieces. She sees that he had failed to join SOLDIER when he had left Nibelheim, instead becoming a low ranking guard. He was present at Nibelheim for Sephiroth’s mental breakdown but it was a SOLDIER member named Zack who Cloud had imposed his likeness on during the memories. Cloud had been the one to defeat Sephiroth after Nibelheim had burned down while Tifa’s martial arts teacher had taken her to safety. Captured by Shinra forces afterwards, Zack and Cloud spent five years as experiments subjects for Hojo before they escaped. Zack died in the attempt to get Cloud to Midgar with shattered psyche of Cloud taking on several of the traits of his fallen friend. His memory properly restored, Cloud realises that he isn’t a mere clone and his own man. Embracing Tifa, they rise through the Lifestream and are picked up by AVALANCHE as they search through the wreckage of the former Mako plant. Tifa explains what had happened in the Lifestream and Cloud swearing that he’ll never come under Sephiroth’s control again, urging AVALANCHE to take the fight to him before it’s too late. The episode ends with the group agreeing to go north to fight Sephiroth when they get a garbled report from Midgar of a new emergency and the group decides to head there first to help and gain some redemption for their earlier acts, despite Cid’s confusion.
(21) Fall of Shinra p. One:
The episode opens with the Tiny Bronco touching down near Midgar and AVALANCHE discovering a group of people that had escaped from the city. Apparently Hojo had declared that he had found a way to shield Midgar from Meteor, using Large Materia in the city’s Mako reactors to dramatically increase their power output to create a force field. After he had gained control over the reactors however, Hojo had shut himself off in his lab, unable to be contacted as the Mako reactors were slowly reaching their critical mass and the only way to shut them off was through Hojo himself. Realising that they hadn’t much time, AVALANCHE make their way into the city through the destroyed Sector Seven, Cloud, Tif and Barret reflecting on Biggs Wedge and Jessie as he does so before promising to redeem themselves for their actions against Midgar. They make their way through the detritus and up the secret passage to surface of Midgar, seeing the rioting take place as desperate people try to force their way out of the city despite the best attempts of Shinra troops. Reeve manages to get them into SHINRA headquarters where they fight a series of running battles through the building before reaching Hojo’s sealed off lab, not even Rufus Shinra being able to get in as the top brass worry about the Mako reactors. The episode ends as of AVALANCHE use Barret’s gun capabilities to blast through the wall as opposed to the door. The episode ends as Reeve goes into another part of the laboratory to enact a plan while the rest of AVALANCHE confront Hojo who’s shown to have mutated under his own twisted experimentation.
(22) Fall Of Shinra p. Two:
The episode opens with Hojo showing his true form as a misshapen mutant after his experiments before exploding at AVALANCHE, revealing that he knew about Sephiroth’s plan and was inspired by it. After realising what Sephiroth was planning when Meteor struck, Hojo decided to jump the gun and recreate the effect, using the Large Materia to send the Mako Reactors into critical mass and then absorb the ensuing Mako to become a God before Sephiroth and the new JENOVA. With that, he attacks AVALANCHE and an all-out battle takes place before Hojo is finally killed. Before AVALANCHE can escape, they’re cornered by Rufus with the Turks in tow. Rufus thanks AVALANCHE for their help but reveals that he’s going to go through with Hojo’s plan with he and other Shinra executives taking the scientists place to become Gods. This proves to be the breaking point for the Turks who walk away, telling Rufus they’re not going to be a part of his schemes anymore. Now without his guard, Rufus still retains his arrogance until AVALANCHE reveal where Reeve was, taking over the system and shutting down the reactors before hacking into the security camera system and showing Hojo’s break down to all of Midgar, the exposure of Rufus’ plan just being a happy accident. Realising that he’s now exposed as the monster he is, Rufus flees with the Shinra board, with the people of Midgar baying for their blood. Now with their path clear, the episode ends with AVALANCHE giving a goodbye message to Marlene and their loved ones before stealing the Highwind airship and heading north to fight the final battle.
(23) The Final Battle:
The episode starts with AVALANCHE touching down outside the Forgotten Capital. They each take the time to prepare for the upcoming battle in their own way in a montage to Aeris’ theme. Their preparation done, AVALANCHE set out towards the Northern Crater where Sephiroth resides. Along the way, they’re beset by visions from Sephiroth who tries to attack their psyches like he had done with Cloud but they all fight it off, responding with renewed strength from their struggles and burst through Sephiroth’s first line of defence. Making their way to the Promised Land, AVALANCHE confronts Sephiroth who faces off against them in his JENOVA form, a twisted figure more the abomination of Jenova than Human. The battle rages in physical form and mental as Sephiroth attempts to use his foe’s guilt and flaws against them. But through their struggles, each member of AVALANCHE has found the strength to overcome his attack and each one lands a devastating blow upon Sephiroth until only Cloud remains. Realising Sephiroth’s tricks for what they are, Cloud gives one final speech on how AVALANCHE was able to overcome their flaws and seek to better themselves while Sephiroth had sank down into insanity, showing how his aspirations for Godhood were nothing more than a sick joke. Still refusing to acknowledge his flaws, Sephiroth attacks one last time before he’s cut down and killed by Cloud. The episode ends with Cloud taking the White Materia from Sephiroth’s body and summoning Holy.
(24) A New World:
The episode starts with Meteor bearing down on the Planet, getting close to Midgar as it falls. Holy takes effect and strikes at Meteor. The effect is limited though and Meteor continues to power through as AVALANCHE arrives in Highwind. They see Holy slowly lose the battle to Meteor and it seems that despite everything, all is lost. Before everything ends though, the Mako reactors in Midgar burst into life, the Lifestream springing from it as it strikes Meteor, finally taking effect as Meteor slowly disintegrates. In the depth of the Lifestream, Aeris is seen and gives AVALANCHE one final farewell before she and the Lifestream recedes back into the Planet. The Highwind touches down as Dawn breaks over a new world, AVALANCHE celebrating their victory and saying goodbye to Aeris in their own way. After savouring the moment, the group realises that there’s still work to be done with Barret being the first to leave the group to check up on Marlene. Reeve leaves with him, asking him if he wants to help find a new source of energy to break away from the violence of the past. Cid decides to help Yuffie get back to Wutai to help with getting that nation back on its feet with the fall of Shinra. Cloud and Tifa stay behind, looking out over Midgar as the Sun rises, the episode, and series, ending with Tifa asking Cloud what was going to happen next and him simply holding her hand in response as the two look out over to Midgar.
Impact:
The series was a success when first broadcast, gaining high ratings in its slot for both Nippon Television and the BBC. It was also picked up by the HBO network to broadcast in America where it received similar success. Despite this though, no further attempts were made for a sequel series or a continuation of the Final Fantasy series in general as the process had been deemed too expensive for long term plans.
Regardless of continuing the series or not, Final Fantasy was a landmark television series in all three countries, spawning interest in further Japanese culture that would see an export of its shows and games into American and European markets. Science Fiction shows also gained another breath of life with the darker aspects being seen as one reason why it was successful. Other shows following its path of allowing some risks with Star Trek Voyager being influenced by a darker take on science fiction in its later seasons. Greater chances were taken on other shows the following years in order to take advantage of the popularisation of the genre, one series in particular, Firefly, was given some leeway during its four season run after initial doubts were overcome due to the lasting popularity of Final Fantasy.
The series had brought about much greater interest in the Final Fantasy series as a whole, being released in its entirety in compilation sets throughout the US and Europe for the PlayStation console. The actual game that was produced first specifically for the PlayStation console wasn’t based off the TV series or its initial plans, instead releasing an entirely new game under the name of Final Fantasy VII, with realistic graphics and focusing on an entirely different story. The game proved to be the second highest selling on the console (Beaten by GT by mere thousands in sales) and solidified JRPG’s as one of the most popular genes in gaming.
The BBC saw strong ratings throughout the series, the series adding a dimension of Science Fiction that hadn’t been seen on British television for some time. The stock of the various actors rose considerably on the international stage. Such was the success that the BBC decided to start the Doctor Who series following a similar dark direction. Based off his work in the Final Fantasy TV series and Sharpe, Sean Bean was cast in the role as the Ninth Doctor with a new setting in the middle of the Time War. The series started broadcasting in 1999 with Bean remaining in the role for four years before leaving on a high point with the franchise continuing to this day.
Legacy:
The Legacy of the Final Fantasy TV series was seen through its great success, effect on Science Fiction for television and the popularisation of the JRPG that saw a large number translated for home consoles. The series was eventually remastered and put onto DVD in 2007 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the show and was on the bestselling charts for months as old fans enjoyed it and new fans were introduced to the series in full.
Eventually, the show itself as taken back to its original format, finally being released under the name of Final Fantasy IX as part of one of the games that would be part of the PlayStation Two console’s launch. All major cast members we attended in full to the release of the game in Tokyo, all relating the enjoyment they had while filming the series. Final Fantasy IX went on to break records as the fastest selling game in history and the PlayStation Two became the bestselling console in its generation in no small thanks to it.
The game itself was much closer to its original concept back in 1995 than the TV series, both offering an interesting insight into how one adaptation was needed to suit another medium. Despite the differences, it was largely welcomed for being the idea which inspired it all, going hand in hand with a concept that revolutionised the gaming industry and had a long term effect on popular culture itself.
(Something I did largely as a whim and an exercise of adapting FF7 into a TV series. Eventually turned into this. Hope you enjoyed.)
Weeaboo 