Final Fantasy IX: The Animated Series (?)

[MATGSY]

Today in "news I wasn't expecting": https://kidscreen.com/2021/06/21/cyber-group-lines-up-final-fantasy-ix-series/

Paris-based Cyber Group Studios has inked a co-development and co-production deal with Japanese video game company Square Enix to adapt its fantasy/adventure title Final Fantasy IX as an animated series for eight- to 13-year-olds.


In addition to producing the show, Cyber Group will also handle worldwide distribution, licensing and merchandise.


The company is putting the finishing touches on a project bible, and plans to begin pitching it to broadcasters in the coming months, says Pierre Sissmann, CEO of Cyber Group Studios.. While episode count and length had not been finalized at press time, Sissmann says the goal is to begin production by the end of 2021 or beginning of 2022.

The senior social media manager for S-E retweeted it:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1407054188710879234

 

[Xblade13]

That's... random lol

 

[KudoTsurugi]

Didn’t see it coming, but that’s pretty awesome
I wonder which VAs they’ll get for the cast Maybe some of the VAs from games past will get to reprise, or will they go the FF7 Remake route and wipe the slate clean?

Looking at the website for the studio producing the series with Square, Cyber Group Studios, they’ve got a few shows under their belt ranging from Preschool shows to the 6-12 demographics, some of them also being co-productions with other studios. Examples include Sadie Sparks (co-produced with Irish studio Boulder Media), Droners (a 2D-CGI hybrid series with Supamonks), Taffy (a 2D series co-produced with Turner) and a CGI series based on Zorro, Zorro: The Chronicles(made with, of course, Zorro Productions).

Here’s their website for their other productions.

 

[Squood!]

Huh. Didn't expect this. But hey, more FF9 exposure.

Now if we could get a KH animated series confirmed.

 

[Keyblade Knight 1st Class]

One of my favorite (non VII) FF games finally getting some love.

 

[KudoTsurugi]

I guess another question is how faithful or loose the adaptation will be Also what platform it’ll be put on

 

[Ballad of Caius]

I can't believe FINAL FANTASY IX is getting an animated series before KH does. Like, seriously: the intellectual property full of Disney still hasn't gotten an animated series

 

[Zettaflare]

Interesting. If they are willing to do animation for FF9 I would like to see series based on games like FF8 and FF10

 

[Zul]

for eight- to 13-year-olds.

It's a rather...morbid story, then again I played FF7 at 7 years old and FF9 at 10 years old.

Also yeah, this is the last news I'd ever expect from SE.

 

[Elysium]

What in the world...

Should've been a remake announcement. :/ But I ain't gonna say no! Most of the FF games were like anime series to me, which is why I enjoy them. They're perfect for TV series, imo.

 

[Rydgea]

Yeah, IX's themes aren't exactly kid stuff. The set dressing (that's more of a callback to sprites of the S/NES era than to soften the blow of said themes) often misleads people, but it's still a game aimed at teens and older audiences. I can't say I'm surprised that it's being pitched as a show for younger folks, since it always seems to be misunderstood based on surface value alone, but hey, I love FFIX, so I'll keep tabs on this.

Also, IX is so referential, I almost never recommend it be someone's first FF despite it being my fav, and to have it be the first game in the canon to get its own animated series just seems wild. I mean, I'm assuming it will be a much larger in scope and accessibility than the Brotherhood FFXV miniseries.

 

[MATGSY]

Eh, 13 year old is like shonen anime age. I wouldn't worry that much.

 

[KudoTsurugi]

Eh, 13 year old is like shonen anime age. I wouldn't worry that much.

Hopefully it’s going for the older end of that demographic in that case

 

[Jochira]

The 8~13 year part is turning me off, kinda sad, since VI and IX are my fav entries.

 

[Ballad of Caius]

I would like to see series based on games like FF8 and FF10

Honest to god I hope they make animated series and not live action ones. God, it would be disgusting to see FINAL FANTASY VIII given the Winx Club/PowerPuff Girls treatment

 

[KudoTsurugi]

It’ll be a matter of how Square and Cyber Group want to proceed with this series that’ll determine whether or not it’d be good or not.

Characters have died in kids TV shows before, even if temporary in some cases. Heck, even shows like Big Hero 6’s animated series still carried over the fact that Tadashi is dead from the movie. They could’ve retconned if they wanted to, but they didn’t.

Honest to god I hope they make animated series and not live action ones. God, it would be disgusting to see FINAL FANTASY VIII given the Winx Club/PowerPuff Girls treatment

That depends, do you want it in the more realistic style of the games like the Advent Children and Kingsglaive movies or the more stylised look of the Before Crisis and Brotherhood OVAs?

 

[Rydgea]

That depends, do you want it in the more realistic style of the games like the Advent Children and Kingsglaive movies or the more stylised look of the Before Crisis and Brotherhood OVAs?

I'd love to see a 2D anime of the series from a studio (like Ufotable) that matches the level of quality that SE prides themselves on from their Image Studio Division / Visual Works arm. Unlimited had the best quality to date, but the VII OVAs and Brotherhood looked pretty basic.

 

[KudoTsurugi]

I think Ufotable is busy with Demon Slayer at the minute, but it would be pretty neat if they lent a hand.

Also, turns out Kohei Horikoshi(author of My Hero Academia) is a fan of Final Fantasy 9, even did a drawing of Freya after hearing the news:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1407692208845721607

 

[Rydgea]

I'm just wishing for a studio with that caliber of output is all.

Also, that drawing is bomb. I've just recently been chowing through the MHA manga, and his style would lend itself so well to a manga, again, as if my dreams suddenly achieved tangible form. Kohei Horikoshi is so good at drawing all different types of styles and making them look cohesive in the same universe, it would be cool to see him do a panel with all the different IX species.

 

[Noivern]

I think you guys are going a bit wild with the assumptions here. Another exemple of a french-based animation aimed to kids in a similar age is Miraculous Ladybug, which can get somewhat dark at times.

That being said, just because they want to make an animation of FFIX, that doesn't translate to a proper adaptation. A lot could be done with the setting, I suppose?

But FFIX is pretty light in tone compared to most classic games, it doesn't feature as much death as II or IV, nor has the darker undertones of all games past VI, and all the references it has could lend quite well to put cool sneak peeks here and there to the other games. I think this could end up going pretty well.