A lot of folks in the PlayStation community, myself included, have Final Fantasy XIV on the brain. After all, the third expansion, Shadowbringers, will be in early access this coming Friday. So while those of us ready to roll with Shadowbringers are drooling with hype, Square Enix has been doing some cool stuff to promote the upcoming launch. That includes a set of commercials airing in Japan featuring anime montages directed by famous and rising animation directors.
This series of brief advertisements has a collective branding: Final Fantasy XIV: CHOOSE YOUR LIFE. Three commercials are planned, and the second one was released today on the official Japanese Final Fantasy XIV YouTube channel. The third commercial is planned to coincide with Shadowbringers‘ wide release on July 2, 2019. Each commercial features wild anime interpretations of the Final Fantasy XIV experience, and each smash cut introduces a new scene with a new art and animation style. Some of the animation talent involved includes Yuhei Kashiwagi, Takasaka Kitaro, Yasuhiro Aoki, Koichiro Kono, Airi Taguchi, Yoshimitsu Abe, and Yoshinuro Ukelele. Music from band Have a Nice Day! accompanies both commercials.
Of course, both commercials end with actual in-game footage of Shadowbringers, showing off some of the things you can do in the new expansion. This includes some brief looks at the new races coming to the game, and goofy activities such as Mahjong. Square Enix has an official landing page for CHOOSE YOUR LIFE, which is all in Japanese but provides links for each commercial. You can check it out right here – click away!
Fans of anime and Final Fantasy XIV should definitely check these out, as the animation quality is some top-notch fan service for anyone into Square Enix’s long-running MMO. These videos are a nice treat for the fans, although now I’m really hurting for an actual, full Final Fantasy XIV anime. Hey, there’s that Daddy of Light movie, why not drop some more transmedia projects?
Source: Square Enix
