Wonderland: Journey into the Darkness
From Final Fantasy Wiki
Wonderland: Journey into the Darkness is the first episode of Final Fantasy: Unlimited.
Contents |
[edit] Story detail
[edit] Prologue
Final Fantasy: Unlimited opens on the Japanese port town of Sadogashima (based on the real island of the same name) where, in the middle of nightfall, a strange purplish-black pillar appears in the Sea of Japan, which would come to be known as the Pillar of Darkness. Meanwhile, at a research laboratory, the appearance of the Pillar is causing havoc with seismic activity sensors, which, in turn, causes havoc with geologist Joe Hayakawa and his team. It is then revealed that the Pillar of Darkness is clearly visible to other surrounding countries, including China, Korea and even Russia.
Returning home, Joe is shocked to find his pregnant wife Marie Hayakawa, also a geologist, outside setting up equipment to observe the Pillar, which is causing heavy storms in the surrounding area. Marie insists that she be there with him so that they can record any information they find, especially with the event being the "first [of its kind] in all of history". Suddenly, all attention returns to the Pillar as it begins swelling to the side.
From this swelling appears a huge, crimson dragon-like creature, with a head with the appearance of a triple gun barrel. Assuming it means harm, military ships and planes arrive to destroy the dragon, but it quickly lays the forces, and their ammunition, to waste with a huge energy beam. As if this destruction wasn't enough for Joe and Marie to witness, things are only about to get worse, as the other side of the Pillar of Darkness is swelling in a similar manner.
From this other swelling appears another dragon, brilliant white, more streamlined in appearance and with a head (and wings) resembling a sword. At first unsure whether this "Sword Dragon" has come to aid the "Gun Dragon", the two quickly turn on each other, each charging up large energy beams aimed squarely at the other. The twin beams are fired, apparently destroying both dragons. But this surge of energy apparently causes a reaction in the Pillar of Darkness, a reaction that seems to affect Joe and Marie...
[edit] The Interdimensional Train
Flash forward to twelve years later. Late at night, two children, a boy and a girl, converse about the current state of affairs in Sadogashima. It turns out that sometime after its appearance, the Pillar of Darkness became a tourist attraction, with boat rides on offer to get closer to it. But the influx of tourists has apparently seen a recent decline, seemingly due to rumours of disappearances during said boat rides. The conversation comes to a halt as it appears that the two children have found what they were running about looking for: the entrance to an abandoned subway station.
The children wait for a few minutes until, as unlikely as it seems, a train does pull up, albeit one far from ordinary. As the kids hurry to board it before it departs, a shadowy figure is seen to board the next carriage along. Once it has departed, the kids meet with the person behind the shadowy figure: a woman named Lisa Pacifist. The kids introduce themselves too: the girl is Ai Hayakawa, while the boy is Yu Hayakawa, her twin (though considered younger) brother. The ride goes without a hitch, at least until their arrival at their destination: Wonderland.
[edit] A New World
After exiting the train (a challenge, considering it's docked vertically) and climbing the abnormally long spiral staircase, during which time Ai surmises that Lisa is searching for her boyfriend, and Yu reveals that he and Ai are searching for their parents Joe and Marie, respected Wonderland physicists and authors of the best-selling book Day of Conjunction, detailing their first (of many) trip(s) to Wonderland (caused by the Pillar of Darkness) and their experiences therein, the trio finally reach Wonderland proper which, defying all expectations, looks surprisingly normal (excepting the sky): a playground and surrounding apartment complex is their first sight.
However, Yu is the first to realize that Wonderland is very different from Earth, as when he touches the slide, it dissipates into thousands of insects that fly away. Lisa and Ai venture further, finding that the majority of the city buildings seem to be formed by tree roots, and are inhabited by anthropomorphic insects, which creeps Ai out (to say the least).
The group spot a strange airship in the sky, which fires a large crystal at them as it passes by. After evading it, it turns out that it was merely a container for a large, fungoid monster. The monster attempts to attack the trio, but Lisa invokes a mysterious power that not only stops its attack, but holds it in place. Lisa then uses her power to throw the monster over her head and defeat it. Having witnessed this impressive feat, rather than thanking Lisa for saving her life, Ai uses the opportunity to say that "[she] knew there was something strange about [Lisa]!". Lisa quickly attempts to defuse Ai's suspicions, explaining that it was a "small Kigen Arts trick", something "like a martial art". Ai and Yu show opposing signs of being impressed: Yu - very, Ai - not so much.
Exploring elsewhere, Yu finds a yellow bird-like creature who he promptly attempts to befriend by offering it a bar of chocolate. His plans are foiled by Ai, who admonishes him for wasting "[their] precious food supply". Suddenly, the bird approaches Ai, clamps down on her hair with it's beak, and proceeds to yank on it, sending Ai careening into Yu and entering a daze, after which it quickly flees. Yu recovers and gives chase to the yellow creature. Calling out to it with a simple nickname ("Mr. Birdy") and asking it if it had seen his parents, Yu trips over something. Looking back, said something is revealed to be the leg of an unconscious man trapped behind some roots.
[edit] The First Summoning
As Lisa and Ai catch up to Yu, the man stirs. Upon seeing the three, he first asks where he is. After hearing from Ai that he is in Wonderland, he asks the trio if "that scoundrel" is here too, but they have no idea who he is talking about. When Lisa asks the man his name, it is discovered that he has amnesia, being unable to recall anything about himself. Lisa, Ai and Yu show pity, but before they can talk further, they are caught in an earthquake, which is quickly revealed to be caused by the fungoid monster from before, which had not only survived, but has now transformed into something much more powerful.
Lisa tries to tell the man to escape, but naturally he cannot move, and seems to become further trapped behind the gathering rubble. Lisa and the twins attempt to outrun the monster, but cannot do much due to the much larger monster easily closing the distance, and end up trapped at the end of a cliff, which the monster proceeds to smash. Lisa is left hanging onto the cliff-face for dear life, with Ai and Yu clinging to her. The monster prepares to finish them off, but suddenly, who should appear but the amnesiac man from before, perfectly unharmed. As Lisa and Ai wonder how he survived, Yu takes charge and shouts for the man to help them. This appears to activate a golden gauntlet on his right arm, which then transforms into a large golden triple-barreled gun called the "Magun".
The man then uses the Magun to face off against the monster. Loading each barrel with a bullet containing a coloured soil-like substance called "Soil", the man then fires, but the monster seemingly blocks the attack. But then it begings to expand, larger and larger, until it bursts in a fiery explosion from which rises the majestic Phoenix, which flies up into the sky, and shatters part of it, which quickly repairs itself.
With this done, and the three travelers having made their way back up to the top of the cliff, the man suddenly remembers something: his name, Kaze. However, unknown to them, a mysterious, shadowy figure wearing a mask is watching them from behind a higher pillar, and utters a single word: "Unlimited..."
[edit] Characters
[edit] First appearance
- Kaze
- Kumo (unnamed)
- Ai Hayakawa
- Yu Hayakawa
- Lisa Pacifist
- Joe Hayakawa
- Marie Hayakawa
- Chobi (unnamed)
- Oscha (unnamed)
- Fabula (outside episode)
