Final Fantasy

Aside from the references, this anime isn't directly connected to the Final Fantasy V game. It takes place many years after the game, and though it is said that Linaly, the main female character, is a descendant of Bartz, this Bartz could very well be some random legendary hero.

There are job classes, though without the particular outfits and there are four crystals as in practically every Final Fantasy. The plot features the quest to protect the wind crystal after the others are stolen by a new enemy, a strange alien with advanced technology whose base is located in the black moon, a natural satellite of ... planet Gaia.

The story has its fair share of humor and amusing characters especially Pritz and Rogue. The plot is easy to understand even if you haven't played the game, but the references would be lost.

Overall it seems this anime has received more criticism than praise, possibly because people expected a sequel with more connections to the game. But if you look at it as a strand alone Final Fantasy story, it's not bad.

The art and sound are not the best, but to be fair the anime is rather old and has decent art for its time. Despite it not being one of the best anime out there, it's still enjoyable and I recommend watching it with an open mind, being ready to judge it on its own instead of holding it against the game.

For someone like me that has never played the games before, a lot of this anime's references will be utterly lost, however that doesn't stop it from being a fun and enjoyable anime in its own right.
The story is midly confusing (probably attributable to the short lenght and its links to the games) and moves quite quickly in places which certainly doesn't help those with no game knowledge, but that doesn't really detract from the overall experience.
This OVA is pretty much carried by its characters, which were interesting, varied and utterly insane: from a block-headed protagonist (who nevertheless remains endearing, despite his occasional displays of ... stupidity); S and M pirates (terrifyingly hilarious); the nose hair guy (also terriyingly hilarious, especially when the romance starts).
If you've played the games or know much about Final Fantasy in general, you will probably watch it with different eyes, but for a novice like me, I found this a thoroughly rib-tickling (for those who've seen it, pun intended) little series.

Based on the universe of Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals is a 4 OVA anime episode that basically forms a 4 chapter movie (and I do think is the best way to experience it). It is set 200 years after the events that unfolded in the game with a new story and characters to maybe fall in love.

Starting with the good, character design, art direction and animation are amazing, it has a lot of charm and uniqueness of the 90s anime era with an original touch, many artistic choices made these OVAs stand out from other animations in that regard and ... it’s easy to see some kind of inspiration from Nausicaa. The animation has plenty of dynamic shots that also make great use of negative space and geography that give a good sense of scale, like making places massive or more condensed. It has a Sci-fi aesthetic of that era that hasn’t been replicated since then, so watching these OVAs gave me nostalgic feelings that I wasn’t aware that I needed, so overall at least visually it has a lot to praise and love.

In regards to the story while is based on FFV its ties are quite light, almost non-existent, it doesn’t feel like a sequel but more like a spin-off which allegedly it’s what they were looking for while making these OVAs, still, I like how it is connected but I can see how for someone else it would be a turn-off, and that is difficult to argue upon. The tone’s also messy, it is not that the Final Fantasy series doesn’t have comedy and lighthearted subplots but Legend of the Crystals takes this whimsicalness to the point of being distracting. For instance, there’s a lot of female sexualization, I don’t mind it that much but in some instances it went to the point of being too much, like panty shots and panty jokes left and right through all the chapters, again it goes with the whimsical line they went to but if even I noticed it’s because it can be too forced sometimes, FFV has some degree of sexualization so I guess this should not be a complete surprise.

It has a colorful cast that makes things more fun, in the vein of the more modern Final Fantasy XIII the party it’s composed of an unlikely bunch of characters that don't get along that well between them but they have a great dynamic nevertheless. Although our main character Prettz can be quite annoying sometimes and be as one-dimensional as they come, on the other hand, we have Linary which feels like a Ghibli character and she is easily the most interesting character but sadly, even when she’s a key character she is ever sent to the background, the other characters are quite solid and fun, if only the main antagonist has the same charm as them.

Although these OVAs never go the heights the game went before and it has issues that can’t be overlooked and it isn’t that interesting, it has a great rhythm and never a dull moment. Its sense of art serves as a patch that hides some of its problems but still, it’s hard to see for whom these episodes were aimed, for fans of the game? or for newcomers that don't know the lore of the game and just want to watch something cool? It certainly missed the mark for a good shot between the two of them. I think that it serves as a new side story of FFV but sadly it isn’t an obligated view for anybody, still, if you’re fixed to watch them you’ll likely have a good enough time.