Post by Dale on Aug 8, 2007 1:52:26 GMT -8
I have to say, for an online fanfiction series, Bob Bergman’s The Amazing Final Fantasy Race 1 was exciting to read. It included the basics of the real show — the two-person-team, race-around-the-world (or, in this case, race-around-worlds) format. Eleven teams from various Final Fantasy games journeyed to many different cities and countries in different Square-Enix video game worlds, including those of Parasite Eve and Kingdom Hearts. The Detours and Roadblocks really tested the teams’ strengths and weaknesses, and those, along with racing smarts and simple luck, resulted in eight eliminations. Now, with the finale coming up soon, we are left with the final three teams — Amarant & Lani, Shinra & Rufus, and Yuna & Rikku.
But hold on. We can’t forget the eight teams that fell by the wayside. What impressions did they leave? Did any of them deserve their eliminations? We can find out if we take a look back on the teams that just missed the final three.
Jenova & Sephiroth: The first team eliminated was a “mother”/“son” team from Final Fantasy 7. Jenova would mainly race if motivated by promises of food from Sephiroth. The deformed Ancient and her “son” started out in the back of the pack, but they made their way up to the front with a quick Detour completion. I expected them to finish in, at most, fourth on the first leg. Unfortunately, they were done in mainly by Jenova’s struggle with the auction Roadblock. She failed to bid for the right item and, when said item came up, she didn’t place a bid at all. This allowed every other team behind them to pass them up. For this reason, I think this team deserved to be eliminated first — Jenova may have been stupid to take the auction Roadblock, but Sephiroth should’ve pushed harder to talk her out of it and offer to do it instead. It was probably just as well, though. Jenova had been a liability to Sephiroth from the get-go, so it was better they get eliminated early to spare Sephiroth any further humiliation.
Tifa & Paine: This was a women’s team with each member from a different game. Tifa was from Final Fantasy 7, while Paine was from Final Fantasy 10-2. They did all right for two young women who’d just met. They won the first leg easily, with almost no problems. On the second leg, however, they fell apart, with Tifa losing time at the merchant Roadblock trying to find a merchant after the other teams had already taken easier-to-find ones. But what really did them in was literally being slipped up by Auron & Jecht on the final run to the Pit Stop — they dropped their backpacks behind them and Tifa & Paine tripped over them. I don’t think this team really deserved to be eliminated, as it came from bad luck at the Roadblock and a bad break on the way to the Pit Stop, but they were. They were pretty boring, though, as all they ever talked about was Tifa’s supposed obsession with her breasts.
Squall & Rinoa: Next up was a dating couple — the hero and heroine of Final Fantasy 8. This team seemed to have Squall doing most of the work, as Rinoa pushed the first two Roadblocks on him. It must’ve worked, as they won the second leg (in part due to a time penalty incurred by Amarant & Lani). They met their end on the third leg, though. It was losing Rinoa in a time portal leading to the End of Time with another team (Steiner & Beatrix), and taking so long to find a way to get her back that caused this team’s elimination. Rinoa actually contributed on their final leg and did nothing wrong, except passing out after doing a drinking contest Roadblock. I think Squall was the most responsible for their elimination, and I think he’s the only member of their team who truly deserved it.
Strago & Relm: This was a grandfather/granddaughter team hailing from Final Fantasy 6, and they were certainly a Sentimental Favorite of mine. They were quite the funny team with Relm’s funny one-liners to her grandfather. They went through a lot of hardships and setbacks — including Strago actually dying on the second leg! — that resulted in them constantly finishing in seventh place. This all ended on the fourth leg. It was trusting Auron & Jecht, the least trustworthy team in the whole race, that ultimately killed them. They literally rode on their shoulders for most of the leg. But just a few feet from the Pit Stop, Auron & Jecht quite literally threw them off, allowing the last-place team to pass them up, and then, Auron & Jecht themselves to take the last qualifying spot. I really loved this team, but for trying to ride another team’s coattails rather than race themselves, they deserved their elimination. But Strago probably deserved it more than Relm — Relm had the bad idea to trust Auron & Jecht, but Strago knew it was a bad idea, yet just stood idly by while Relm carried out her plan. He was ultimately — and surprisingly — more responsible for their loss than she was.
Edgar & Sabin: Right on the heels of one team from Final Fantasy 6 falling went the other team from that game being eliminated. This was a team of fraternal twin brothers who flirted with women for information on flights and getting tickets for the best possible ones. They were certainly another Sentimental Favorite of mine. What killed them on the fifth leg was a bad Detour choice. They chose to do the Glide Detour that neither of them had any experience with. It’s for bleeding so much time doing that Detour and not cutting their losses and going for the sure thing that I have to say that this team deserved to be eliminated. They were the strongest team in the race up to their elimination, though, so it was a shame they had to go so early.
Fujin & Raijin: The other team from Final Fantasy 8 was a team of two friends, one known for her loud, one-word sentences, and the other known for his tendency to end a sentence with “ya know?” They were another team of Sentimental Favorites, and pretty damn good racers, actually winning two legs in a row, but they also proved themselves to be untrustworthy after tricking Yuna & Rikku and Shinra & Rufus out of a joint first-place finish. Ultimately, they collapsed utterly with Raijin’s careless mistake at the Branches Detour on the seventh leg (the sixth leg was a non-elimination leg). Because of his slip-up (and a well-deserved karma slap by Yuna & Rikku), they wound up in a footrace to the Pit Stop with Auron & Jecht, and they lost it when Fujin injured her knee. I was sad to see this team go, but they did deserve elimination. Well, I’m not sure about Fujin, but Raijin sure did.
Auron & Jecht: This was a team of two “grizzled old guys” from Final Fantasy 10. Auron was known as being the former guardian to Braska and Yuna, and Jecht as the father of Tidus and former guardian to Braska. These two were essentially the villains of the race, and they were absolutely horrible throughout their entire time in it. Almost the entire time, they practically got off on eliminating other teams — or trying to — with dirty tricks such as tripping people with their backpacks, throwing people behind them, or setting up fake clue boxes rather than running their own race. They personally eliminated Tifa & Paine, Strago & Relm, and, to a lesser extent, Fujin & Raijin. As truly abhorrent as these men were, however, and as much as I want to say that they deserved to be eliminated due to their own mistakes . . . I can’t. It was the bad luck of an unfortunate leg injury Jecht got after colliding with Fujin just before she and Raijin were eliminated that resulted in their downfall. On the following leg, the eighth leg, Auron & Jecht just couldn’t move fast enough on Jecht’s bad leg to beat a penalty incurred by Shinra & Rufus — and they ended up losing by thirty-six seconds! Because of this, I have to say they did not deserve to be eliminated the way they were. I was still glad they were eliminated, though.
Steiner & Beatrix: This team was a couple of knights in love from Final Fantasy 9, and a definite Sentimental Favorite for me. They were a pretty strong team that only finished low one time (in eighth place on the first leg) before turning out some very good finishes. They did a great job working together, even winning a leg with a Fast Forward, and got through eight legs of the race unscathed. But things all came crashing down on them on the ninth leg of the race, when the failure to realize that a map they were reading was completely and entirely backwards sent them on a wild goose chase too far in the wrong direction. Despite making up a bit of time by choosing a luck-based Detour that Steiner was really good at, they still arrived last at the Pit Stop on that leg and became the eighth and final team eliminated. They did deserve their elimination for not picking up on the mistake with the map — or at least following Amarant & Lani, the team that did figure it out — much sooner, but I was still sad to see them go. They were my favorite team in the whole race and, of all eleven teams who started out on the race, they had the best teamwork and best overall team dynamic, unquestionably. Plus, they showed throughout their time in the race that they were truly in love with one another and will definitely have a long, blissful life together.
And there it is — my impressions of every team eliminated this season. The only teams I really disliked were Jenova & Sephiroth and Auron & Jecht, with Squall & Rinoa as runners-up for being as dull as dishwater. I found all the others quite likable, though. Some very diverse personalities and humorous dynamics between teams and team members made this first season quite enjoyable to read.
Now, with this final three, I think we have a pretty good balance in terms of team composition. We have one men’s team (Shinra & Rufus), one coed team (Amarant & Lani), and one women’s team (Yuna & Rikku) fighting it out for the big prize. So with the race now down to crunch time, the final three teams will have to rely on making very, very few mistakes to win. Based on that fact, I’d guess that either Amarant & Lani or Shinra & Rufus have it in the bag, as they’ve made the fewest mistakes of the final three teams, whereas Yuna & Rikku always seem to make a ton of mistakes (although so far, they have been learning from them). Amarant & Lani fight like dogs and bicker like ninnies wherever they go. Shinra & Rufus cleverly use their resourcefulness to get ahead. And Yuna & Rikku, as dumb as they sometimes can be, do their best to run the race while just having fun with each other and with the tasks as they go.
By the end of this season’s finale, one of these teams will be walking away with a well-deserved prize of one-million gil. Will it be Amarant & Lani, Shinra & Rufus, or Yuna & Rikku? The final episode will decide it all on The Amazing Final Fantasy Race 1’s season finale, and I’ll be there to find out! I hope you will, too!
But hold on. We can’t forget the eight teams that fell by the wayside. What impressions did they leave? Did any of them deserve their eliminations? We can find out if we take a look back on the teams that just missed the final three.
Jenova & Sephiroth: The first team eliminated was a “mother”/“son” team from Final Fantasy 7. Jenova would mainly race if motivated by promises of food from Sephiroth. The deformed Ancient and her “son” started out in the back of the pack, but they made their way up to the front with a quick Detour completion. I expected them to finish in, at most, fourth on the first leg. Unfortunately, they were done in mainly by Jenova’s struggle with the auction Roadblock. She failed to bid for the right item and, when said item came up, she didn’t place a bid at all. This allowed every other team behind them to pass them up. For this reason, I think this team deserved to be eliminated first — Jenova may have been stupid to take the auction Roadblock, but Sephiroth should’ve pushed harder to talk her out of it and offer to do it instead. It was probably just as well, though. Jenova had been a liability to Sephiroth from the get-go, so it was better they get eliminated early to spare Sephiroth any further humiliation.
Tifa & Paine: This was a women’s team with each member from a different game. Tifa was from Final Fantasy 7, while Paine was from Final Fantasy 10-2. They did all right for two young women who’d just met. They won the first leg easily, with almost no problems. On the second leg, however, they fell apart, with Tifa losing time at the merchant Roadblock trying to find a merchant after the other teams had already taken easier-to-find ones. But what really did them in was literally being slipped up by Auron & Jecht on the final run to the Pit Stop — they dropped their backpacks behind them and Tifa & Paine tripped over them. I don’t think this team really deserved to be eliminated, as it came from bad luck at the Roadblock and a bad break on the way to the Pit Stop, but they were. They were pretty boring, though, as all they ever talked about was Tifa’s supposed obsession with her breasts.
Squall & Rinoa: Next up was a dating couple — the hero and heroine of Final Fantasy 8. This team seemed to have Squall doing most of the work, as Rinoa pushed the first two Roadblocks on him. It must’ve worked, as they won the second leg (in part due to a time penalty incurred by Amarant & Lani). They met their end on the third leg, though. It was losing Rinoa in a time portal leading to the End of Time with another team (Steiner & Beatrix), and taking so long to find a way to get her back that caused this team’s elimination. Rinoa actually contributed on their final leg and did nothing wrong, except passing out after doing a drinking contest Roadblock. I think Squall was the most responsible for their elimination, and I think he’s the only member of their team who truly deserved it.
Strago & Relm: This was a grandfather/granddaughter team hailing from Final Fantasy 6, and they were certainly a Sentimental Favorite of mine. They were quite the funny team with Relm’s funny one-liners to her grandfather. They went through a lot of hardships and setbacks — including Strago actually dying on the second leg! — that resulted in them constantly finishing in seventh place. This all ended on the fourth leg. It was trusting Auron & Jecht, the least trustworthy team in the whole race, that ultimately killed them. They literally rode on their shoulders for most of the leg. But just a few feet from the Pit Stop, Auron & Jecht quite literally threw them off, allowing the last-place team to pass them up, and then, Auron & Jecht themselves to take the last qualifying spot. I really loved this team, but for trying to ride another team’s coattails rather than race themselves, they deserved their elimination. But Strago probably deserved it more than Relm — Relm had the bad idea to trust Auron & Jecht, but Strago knew it was a bad idea, yet just stood idly by while Relm carried out her plan. He was ultimately — and surprisingly — more responsible for their loss than she was.
Edgar & Sabin: Right on the heels of one team from Final Fantasy 6 falling went the other team from that game being eliminated. This was a team of fraternal twin brothers who flirted with women for information on flights and getting tickets for the best possible ones. They were certainly another Sentimental Favorite of mine. What killed them on the fifth leg was a bad Detour choice. They chose to do the Glide Detour that neither of them had any experience with. It’s for bleeding so much time doing that Detour and not cutting their losses and going for the sure thing that I have to say that this team deserved to be eliminated. They were the strongest team in the race up to their elimination, though, so it was a shame they had to go so early.
Fujin & Raijin: The other team from Final Fantasy 8 was a team of two friends, one known for her loud, one-word sentences, and the other known for his tendency to end a sentence with “ya know?” They were another team of Sentimental Favorites, and pretty damn good racers, actually winning two legs in a row, but they also proved themselves to be untrustworthy after tricking Yuna & Rikku and Shinra & Rufus out of a joint first-place finish. Ultimately, they collapsed utterly with Raijin’s careless mistake at the Branches Detour on the seventh leg (the sixth leg was a non-elimination leg). Because of his slip-up (and a well-deserved karma slap by Yuna & Rikku), they wound up in a footrace to the Pit Stop with Auron & Jecht, and they lost it when Fujin injured her knee. I was sad to see this team go, but they did deserve elimination. Well, I’m not sure about Fujin, but Raijin sure did.
Auron & Jecht: This was a team of two “grizzled old guys” from Final Fantasy 10. Auron was known as being the former guardian to Braska and Yuna, and Jecht as the father of Tidus and former guardian to Braska. These two were essentially the villains of the race, and they were absolutely horrible throughout their entire time in it. Almost the entire time, they practically got off on eliminating other teams — or trying to — with dirty tricks such as tripping people with their backpacks, throwing people behind them, or setting up fake clue boxes rather than running their own race. They personally eliminated Tifa & Paine, Strago & Relm, and, to a lesser extent, Fujin & Raijin. As truly abhorrent as these men were, however, and as much as I want to say that they deserved to be eliminated due to their own mistakes . . . I can’t. It was the bad luck of an unfortunate leg injury Jecht got after colliding with Fujin just before she and Raijin were eliminated that resulted in their downfall. On the following leg, the eighth leg, Auron & Jecht just couldn’t move fast enough on Jecht’s bad leg to beat a penalty incurred by Shinra & Rufus — and they ended up losing by thirty-six seconds! Because of this, I have to say they did not deserve to be eliminated the way they were. I was still glad they were eliminated, though.
Steiner & Beatrix: This team was a couple of knights in love from Final Fantasy 9, and a definite Sentimental Favorite for me. They were a pretty strong team that only finished low one time (in eighth place on the first leg) before turning out some very good finishes. They did a great job working together, even winning a leg with a Fast Forward, and got through eight legs of the race unscathed. But things all came crashing down on them on the ninth leg of the race, when the failure to realize that a map they were reading was completely and entirely backwards sent them on a wild goose chase too far in the wrong direction. Despite making up a bit of time by choosing a luck-based Detour that Steiner was really good at, they still arrived last at the Pit Stop on that leg and became the eighth and final team eliminated. They did deserve their elimination for not picking up on the mistake with the map — or at least following Amarant & Lani, the team that did figure it out — much sooner, but I was still sad to see them go. They were my favorite team in the whole race and, of all eleven teams who started out on the race, they had the best teamwork and best overall team dynamic, unquestionably. Plus, they showed throughout their time in the race that they were truly in love with one another and will definitely have a long, blissful life together.
And there it is — my impressions of every team eliminated this season. The only teams I really disliked were Jenova & Sephiroth and Auron & Jecht, with Squall & Rinoa as runners-up for being as dull as dishwater. I found all the others quite likable, though. Some very diverse personalities and humorous dynamics between teams and team members made this first season quite enjoyable to read.
Now, with this final three, I think we have a pretty good balance in terms of team composition. We have one men’s team (Shinra & Rufus), one coed team (Amarant & Lani), and one women’s team (Yuna & Rikku) fighting it out for the big prize. So with the race now down to crunch time, the final three teams will have to rely on making very, very few mistakes to win. Based on that fact, I’d guess that either Amarant & Lani or Shinra & Rufus have it in the bag, as they’ve made the fewest mistakes of the final three teams, whereas Yuna & Rikku always seem to make a ton of mistakes (although so far, they have been learning from them). Amarant & Lani fight like dogs and bicker like ninnies wherever they go. Shinra & Rufus cleverly use their resourcefulness to get ahead. And Yuna & Rikku, as dumb as they sometimes can be, do their best to run the race while just having fun with each other and with the tasks as they go.
By the end of this season’s finale, one of these teams will be walking away with a well-deserved prize of one-million gil. Will it be Amarant & Lani, Shinra & Rufus, or Yuna & Rikku? The final episode will decide it all on The Amazing Final Fantasy Race 1’s season finale, and I’ll be there to find out! I hope you will, too!
