andreasvillarreal
Although the lines of the characters are awful most of the time (kuroi kaze is so full of himself!!), I must say that some of the characters are unforgettable, for instance Earl Tyrant, the death lords of Gaudium and, of course, Makenshi. But, what truly makes FFU a great anime is the soundtrack. The music is sumptuous and sometimes epic (the theme illustrating Makenshi's fighting scenes is truly incredible) and also provides some comic relief or accompanies battle scenes, for instance the one where Kaze loads the Demon Gun, with fast-stripped beats. Honestly, it is the main reason for the high grade that I am giving to the show because, in my point of view, the action is too repetitive and the same scenes are reused far too much. Despite that, I think the fans will be delighted to discover that an anime has managed to recreate the unique atmosphere of Final Fantasy.
mysteryboy2k
Warning: Review may contain comments about the plot that some may consider to be spoilers, but it is not my intention to spoil the plot. Like most who have seen this series, I'm a big fan of the games and bought the series because of that. However, I never expected for them to make an Anime of any of the games for every Final Fantasy has a different story, and Unlimited also has a new setting. But, Final Fantasys do have similar characters or plot twists and that is what makes something a Final Fantasy. Unlimited does exhibit some of these elements, however they are not as easy to spot. Like the games there is a magic-wielding women whom the narrative centers around. This is Lisa, who can use her Kigen arts to help those she loves, much like Aeries from FFVII or Yuna from FFX. This character is supported by man with a troubled past and is Kaze: The Black Wind. He is much like Squall or Auron. However, this relationship is complicated with the characters of Yu and Ai. Other character types make appearances here but are diluted from those of the games. Other elements are present, including a Cid character, Chocobo and even Cactuar. It even has a system that explains how people can use magic: Soil, which is similar to Mako in that sense. The plot contains many intricate sub-plots that en-richen the story and characters like the Final Fantasy games and some of the these sub-plots are inspiring because they are so out of the blue that you feel some respect for the writers.This newfound respect can be short lived however, for after viewing the entire series it becomes apparent that some story arcs are unfinished, even ones that are the focus of some episodes.Even the final twist at the end (oh come on, its Final Fantasy there had to be one) is a little disappointing because it was not hinted at during earlier episodes.Even despite these shortcomings, FF:U is quite rememberable (in a good way) and contains some elements of the other final fantasys and I can recommend it, though only to those of you that are open minded.
Jason_Norcross
I've seen a lot of bad reviews about this anime from what I like to call "Anime Snobs." As with any product there will be those who refuse to accept any deviation from the tradition (ie Star Wars fans hating the newer prequels coming out). Here is the truth of the matter: Final Fantasy: Unlimited had me excited from beginning to end.Sure it had a lot of slow moments in the beginning where it was trying to find itself, however the characters suck you in a refuse to let go. If you can get past the animation (which could've been better) and the mix between hand-drawn characters and CGI graphics you'll see FFU for what it is: A Masterpiece! Rating 10/10
nzilla
I am an otaku and a fan of the Final Fantasy games. I liked the Final Fantasy movie, but hated the old OVA series. This is in many ways worse than the old series. From the begining this series looks like it might be a somewhat decent and entertaining fantasy, but after a few episodes you will see that this is not much better than Pokemon. The digital cell animation is cutesy and digital-looking. The 3D is blocky and out of place; much worse than the awful 3D in Candidate for Goddess. The characters are one-dimensional, whiney, and annoying. The voice acting, while pretty good, isn't anything particularly special. The story is cliched, much more "like a videogame" than the video games. Deffinately geared towards children. The only redeeming qualities are some surreal landscapes and semi-interesting homages to the games. 3/10