Last Order: Final Fantasy VII
Encyclopedia
, also abbreviated as Last Order or LO, is a 2005 Japanese anime
original video animation
(OVA) produced by Madhouse
and released by Square Enix
. It was directed by Morio Asaka
and produced by Masao Maruyama
, Jungo Maruta, and Akio Ofuji. Tetsuya Nomura
acted as the supervising director. The OVA is an alternate rendition of two flashbacks found within the 1997 PlayStation
game Final Fantasy VII
. Last Order was released in Japan with Advent Pieces: Limited, a special edition
release of the film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, and is an addition to the North American and European limited collector's edition releases of Advent Children.
Last Order is associated with the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
, a series of prequels and sequels to the original Final Fantasy VII. Although not an official Compilation installment or canon
within it, the OVA has nonetheless been included in official guidebooks. The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII includes the games Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII
, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
, and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
, as well as the film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Last Orders soundtrack was released with the music of Before Crisis, and select songs were later remixed for Crisis Core. The OVA was created due to the success of promotional commercials for Before Crisis and production lasted six months. The 77,777 copies of Advent Pieces: Limited that were released in Japan sold out months in advance of the official release date. Last Order received a negative fan response due to changes in content and presentation from the original Final Fantasy VII game, and because of this, the crew working on Crisis Core avoided recreating certain scenes from Last Order.
The plot of Last Order encompasses two events that occurred before the main events of Final Fantasy VII. One storyline revolves around the Nibelheim scenario that focuses on Zack Fair
, Cloud Strife
, Sephiroth and Tifa Lockhart
. The other event follows Zack and Cloud as they run from the megacorporation Shinra. The OVA cuts back and forth between these two flashbacks, linked by the narration of Turk leader Tseng and his reflections on the Nibelheim event. Originally meant to focus on Zack, Last Order highlighted Tseng's feelings and position in the Shinra company, as well as his moral value
s.
organization, SOLDIER. Sephiroth, considered the strongest member of SOLDIER, is sent to investigate a Mako reactor in the secluded town of Nibelheim and is accompanied by the SOLDIER Zack and two grunts, one of whom is Cloud. While there, Sephiroth spends most of his time reading in the Shinra Mansion, which had previously been used by the Shinra scientist Hojo to conduct his experiments. Through Hojo's log books, Sephiroth comes to learn of his past, in which he was injected with Jenova's cells. The Planet had once been inhabited by the Cetra (or "Ancients"), who were almost completely destroyed by Jenova, an extraterrestrial life
form that crashed onto the Planet and began infecting the Cetra with a virus. When Jenova was unearthed by a Shinra science team, it was mistakenly identified as a Cetra. This caused Sephiroth to believe he was also a Cetra, and that humans had betrayed him.
's escape to Midgar with his unconscious friend, Cloud Strife
. During the Nibelheim event, Sephiroth, insane after discovering his origins, sets fire to the village of Nibelheim. After killing many villagers, he proceeds to the Nibelheim reactor where Jenova has been encased. Tifa, a resident of Nibelheim, attacks him soon after he arrives. Sephiroth knocks her aside and continues to Jenova's body, preserved in a large glass tank filled with liquid. Zack follows Sephiroth into the reactor and they engage in combat. Sephiroth is able to disarm and incapacitate Zack. Sephiroth returns to Jenova's body, but does not notice the military grunt Cloud approaching.
Cloud immediately impales Sephiroth with his sword, cracking Jenova's glass tank. He returns to Tifa and the two converse, while Sephiroth cuts off Jenova's head. He carries the head with him towards Cloud and they engage in battle. During the fight, Cloud is impaled through the stomach and hung over the reactor's core. In a feat of strength, he grabs Sephiroth's sword and moves himself down the blade to solid ground and hurls Sephiroth aside. Sephiroth abandons the battle and jumps into the reactor core with Jenova's head in an attempt to reach the "Promised Land". Although Zack and Cloud survive the ordeal, they are taken to the Shinra Mansion by Hojo for experimentation.
The other event detailed in Last Order illustrates Zack and Cloud's escape from Shinra. While at the Shinra Mansion, Cloud had succumbed to Mako poisoning caused by a surge of memories flooding through his mind, rendering him in an unconscious, non-reactant state. Zack escapes with Cloud from the Shinra Mansion with the intention of returning to Midgar, the headquarters of Shinra. Shinra orders their paramilitary and the Turks to find and eliminate the two escapees. Tseng decides to capture them alive.
On a bluff overlooking Zack and Cloud, who had hitched a ride on a truck, Shinra operatives decide to ignore orders to wait for the Turks. One takes aim on the incapacitated Cloud. Zack jumps in front of Cloud, yelling at him to escape.
Other roles include Keiji Okuda, Atsushi Imaruoka, Ryūji Mizuno, and Daisuke Kirii as members of Shinra's military unit who attempt to apprehend Cloud and Zack. Yōhei Tadano and Katsuhisa Hōki voice villagers at Nibelheim.
and directed by Morio Asaka
. The decision to create Last Order arose from the positive reaction towards a popular promotional clip created by Madhouse for the game Before Crisis. Madhouse was chosen to produce the OVA partly because of their success with the clip and because the president of Madhouse was very enthusiastic about the project. However, the main reason for choosing Madhouse was that the company "understood the significance" of making a Final Fantasy VII animation, as it was considered a large responsibility to animate "the most popular game in the FF [Final Fantasy] series". Tetsuya Nomura
, the character designer for the Final Fantasy VII series and co-director of Advent Children, acted as the supervising director. He had the right to reject or accept concept drawings for Last Order. As a result, Nomura had a large quantity of images redrawn, to the extent where "the entire production was in jeopardy".
Production lasted six months. The production crew considered the most challenging part of creating the OVA to be making "Nomura's drawings move on screen". Because Last Order was hand-drawn, the crew faced difficulties creating uniform lines. Another issue was the overall feel of each scene; original drawings were done by several artists, resulting in various scenes having different styles. Producer Akio Ofuji explained that they "wanted to make sure the final product was of very high quality, so [they] worked with the production company day and night, straight through to the deadline". Nomura and Ofuji agreed that many scenes showing important events and feelings in Final Fantasy VII had been fragmented and disjointed, and so they had decided that those scenes would be the subject of Last Order, giving the audience of Advent Children (the film Last Order was released with) a "more enjoyable understanding". They used the film as an opportunity to portray Zack "properly" as a "handsome, light-hearted man [who] was in everyone's memory".
Last Order also details Tseng's growth and his feelings and position towards his job and the depicted situations, wherein he attempts to "get his own ideas of justice heard" but later abandons his moral values "in order to carry out a cruel mission". Ofuji commented that "those are the kind of scenes we wanted people to be more aware of".
Last Order was originally released with the "Ultimate Edition" of the Advent Children movie, Advent Pieces: Limited, in Japan by Square Enix
on September 14, 2005. The OVA was included in the North America
n collector's set, referred to as Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Limited Edition Collector's Set, released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
on February 20, 2007. The North America release did not come with an English dub
so the OVA is subtitled. Last Order was not included in the release of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete, a director's cut
of Advent Children with extra footage.
The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is a series of prequels and sequels to the original Final Fantasy VII game. Last Order is not part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and is considered an outside work. However, it has been associated with the Final Fantasy VII series since its creation, and is mentioned alongside official installments in official guidebooks and Ultimanias. Compilation titles include the film Advent Children and games Before Crisis
(mobile phone
), Dirge of Cerberus
(PS2
), and Crisis Core
(PSP
). Like Last Order, Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode: Final Fantasy VII (a mobile phone spin-off of Dirge of Cerberus) is an outside work associated with the Compilation.
, including the ending theme entitled "Last Order". The music was combined with the music from Before Crisis on a single soundtrack and released in Japan on December 19, 2007. The soundtrack was later made available in North America by Square Enix. Tracks 13 through 27 on the disc contain the score from Last Order, while tracks 1 through 12 contain music from Before Crisis. Select tracks on the soundtrack of Crisis Core contain music and remixes of music from the OVA.
29,500, or US$
300, each while the North American collector's edition retailed for $49.95.
Overall, Last Order garnered positive feedback from Western critics. Chris Carle of IGN
noted that Last Order was "the true meat of the new extras [in the Advent Children collector's set]… a traditionally animated chapter for FF [Final Fantasy] fans that centers on the story of Zack and Cloud" and that "it adds even more dimension to the story [of Final Fantasy VII]". Todd Douglass Jr. from DVD Talk
called Last Order "the real reason to check out the Limited Edition release for Advent Children" and commented that as "a long-time anime fan and lover of Final Fantasy", he "was enthralled by every minute to be had in Last Order." However, Hideki Imaizumi, the producer of Crisis Core, stated that they had received "considerable negative feedback" from fans, who were displeased with changes made to the Nibelheim event in Last Order. Due to this, the scene was redone for Crisis Core, and the production crew was careful to avoid making the same decisions.
OverClocked ReMix
's four-disc tribute album
, Voices of the Lifestream
, has a disc entitled Order. The name was chosen to coincide with Last Order, and the music is themed after it.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
original video animation
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
(OVA) produced by Madhouse
Madhouse (company)
is a Japanese animation studio, founded in 1972 by ex–Mushi Pro animators including Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. It has created and helped to produce many well known shows, starting with TV anime series Ace o Nerae! in 1973, and including western favourites Ninja...
and released by Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
. It was directed by Morio Asaka
Morio Asaka
is a Japanese anime director.A graduate of the Osaka Designers' College, he is a member of the studio Madhouse. His noted works include, among others, Cardcaptor Sakura , Galaxy Angel, Gunslinger Girl, Last Order: Final Fantasy VII and Nana.-Directorial style:Asaka has covered a wide range of...
and produced by Masao Maruyama
Masao Maruyama (film producer)
is a Japanese film producer, animation developer, the co-founder, board of directors member, and producer of Studio Madhouse, one of the leading animation production companies in the world...
, Jungo Maruta, and Akio Ofuji. Tetsuya Nomura
Tetsuya Nomura
is a Japanese video game director and character designer working for Square Enix , best known for his work on both the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series.-Time before Square:Nomura was born in Kōchi, Japan...
acted as the supervising director. The OVA is an alternate rendition of two flashbacks found within the 1997 PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
game Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
. Last Order was released in Japan with Advent Pieces: Limited, a special edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
release of the film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, and is an addition to the North American and European limited collector's edition releases of Advent Children.
Last Order is associated with the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is a series of games and animated features developed by Square Enix based in the world and continuity of Final Fantasy VII...
, a series of prequels and sequels to the original Final Fantasy VII. Although not an official Compilation installment or canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
within it, the OVA has nonetheless been included in official guidebooks. The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII includes the games Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII
Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII
is a Japanese action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in 2004. It was the first original game to be produced by Square Enix exclusively for mobile phones, and was released on NTT DoCoMo's FOMA iMode line of phones on a monthly subscription basis...
, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
is an action role-playing third-person shooter video game developed and published by Square Enix in 2006 for the PlayStation 2. It is part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII metaseries, a multimedia collection set within the universe of the popular 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII...
, and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. First released in 2007, the game is a prequel to the video game Final Fantasy VII and is also the sixth installment in metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII which includes products related to the game...
, as well as the film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Last Orders soundtrack was released with the music of Before Crisis, and select songs were later remixed for Crisis Core. The OVA was created due to the success of promotional commercials for Before Crisis and production lasted six months. The 77,777 copies of Advent Pieces: Limited that were released in Japan sold out months in advance of the official release date. Last Order received a negative fan response due to changes in content and presentation from the original Final Fantasy VII game, and because of this, the crew working on Crisis Core avoided recreating certain scenes from Last Order.
The plot of Last Order encompasses two events that occurred before the main events of Final Fantasy VII. One storyline revolves around the Nibelheim scenario that focuses on Zack Fair
Zack Fair
is a fictional character from the Final Fantasy series by Square Enix. He first appeared as a non-player character in the role-playing game Final Fantasy VII. In the story, Zack is a late member from the paramilitary organization SOLDIER developed by the megacorporation Shinra Electric Power Company...
, Cloud Strife
Cloud Strife
is a fictional character and the main protagonist in Square's role-playing game Final Fantasy VII and several of its sequels and spin-offs. His original design was created by Final Fantasy VII character designer Tetsuya Nomura...
, Sephiroth and Tifa Lockhart
Tifa Lockhart
is a player character in Square Enix's role playing game Final Fantasy VII. Created by character designer Tetsuya Nomura, she has since appeared in the fighting game Ehrgeiz and cameo appearances in other titles, as well as the CGI film sequel to Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children and related games...
. The other event follows Zack and Cloud as they run from the megacorporation Shinra. The OVA cuts back and forth between these two flashbacks, linked by the narration of Turk leader Tseng and his reflections on the Nibelheim event. Originally meant to focus on Zack, Last Order highlighted Tseng's feelings and position in the Shinra company, as well as his moral value
Value theory
Value theory encompasses a range of approaches to understanding how, why and to what degree people should value things; whether the thing is a person, idea, object, or anything else. This investigation began in ancient philosophy, where it is called axiology or ethics. Early philosophical...
s.
Background
Last Order explores situations shown and referenced within Final Fantasy VII and other Compilation titles. The world of Final Fantasy VII, referred to as "the Planet", is dependent for its survival on a flow of spirit energy called the Lifestream. The megacorporation Shinra Electric Power Company eventually rises to power and begins extracting the Lifestream through Mako reactors, killing the Planet. Shinra uses the Mako as an energy source and to manipulate the strength and abilities of their paramilitaryParamilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
organization, SOLDIER. Sephiroth, considered the strongest member of SOLDIER, is sent to investigate a Mako reactor in the secluded town of Nibelheim and is accompanied by the SOLDIER Zack and two grunts, one of whom is Cloud. While there, Sephiroth spends most of his time reading in the Shinra Mansion, which had previously been used by the Shinra scientist Hojo to conduct his experiments. Through Hojo's log books, Sephiroth comes to learn of his past, in which he was injected with Jenova's cells. The Planet had once been inhabited by the Cetra (or "Ancients"), who were almost completely destroyed by Jenova, an extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
form that crashed onto the Planet and began infecting the Cetra with a virus. When Jenova was unearthed by a Shinra science team, it was mistakenly identified as a Cetra. This caused Sephiroth to believe he was also a Cetra, and that humans had betrayed him.
Plot
Narrated by Tseng, leader of the elite espionage and assassination division known as the Turks, Last Order switches between the Nibelheim incident and ZackZack Fair
is a fictional character from the Final Fantasy series by Square Enix. He first appeared as a non-player character in the role-playing game Final Fantasy VII. In the story, Zack is a late member from the paramilitary organization SOLDIER developed by the megacorporation Shinra Electric Power Company...
's escape to Midgar with his unconscious friend, Cloud Strife
Cloud Strife
is a fictional character and the main protagonist in Square's role-playing game Final Fantasy VII and several of its sequels and spin-offs. His original design was created by Final Fantasy VII character designer Tetsuya Nomura...
. During the Nibelheim event, Sephiroth, insane after discovering his origins, sets fire to the village of Nibelheim. After killing many villagers, he proceeds to the Nibelheim reactor where Jenova has been encased. Tifa, a resident of Nibelheim, attacks him soon after he arrives. Sephiroth knocks her aside and continues to Jenova's body, preserved in a large glass tank filled with liquid. Zack follows Sephiroth into the reactor and they engage in combat. Sephiroth is able to disarm and incapacitate Zack. Sephiroth returns to Jenova's body, but does not notice the military grunt Cloud approaching.
Cloud immediately impales Sephiroth with his sword, cracking Jenova's glass tank. He returns to Tifa and the two converse, while Sephiroth cuts off Jenova's head. He carries the head with him towards Cloud and they engage in battle. During the fight, Cloud is impaled through the stomach and hung over the reactor's core. In a feat of strength, he grabs Sephiroth's sword and moves himself down the blade to solid ground and hurls Sephiroth aside. Sephiroth abandons the battle and jumps into the reactor core with Jenova's head in an attempt to reach the "Promised Land". Although Zack and Cloud survive the ordeal, they are taken to the Shinra Mansion by Hojo for experimentation.
The other event detailed in Last Order illustrates Zack and Cloud's escape from Shinra. While at the Shinra Mansion, Cloud had succumbed to Mako poisoning caused by a surge of memories flooding through his mind, rendering him in an unconscious, non-reactant state. Zack escapes with Cloud from the Shinra Mansion with the intention of returning to Midgar, the headquarters of Shinra. Shinra orders their paramilitary and the Turks to find and eliminate the two escapees. Tseng decides to capture them alive.
On a bluff overlooking Zack and Cloud, who had hitched a ride on a truck, Shinra operatives decide to ignore orders to wait for the Turks. One takes aim on the incapacitated Cloud. Zack jumps in front of Cloud, yelling at him to escape.
Cast
- Kenichi SuzumuraKenichi Suzumurais a Japanese voice actor who was born in Niigata Prefecture, but raised in Osaka Prefecture. He is currently affiliated with Arts Vision. He made his television animation debut on Macross 7 in 1994...
voices Zack FairZack Fairis a fictional character from the Final Fantasy series by Square Enix. He first appeared as a non-player character in the role-playing game Final Fantasy VII. In the story, Zack is a late member from the paramilitary organization SOLDIER developed by the megacorporation Shinra Electric Power Company...
, a 1st class SOLDIER who faces Sephiroth and is brutally defeated. After being experimented on by Hojo, Zack attempts to escape Shinra with his friend, Cloud. The production crew used Last Order "to portray Zack properly" as light-hearted and young. Suzumura noted that Zack felt more "alive" in Last Order in comparison to his appearance in Advent Children. - Takahiro SakuraiTakahiro Sakuraiis a voice actor who was born in Aichi. He is a member of 81 Produce; his height is .Many of his roles are handsome men. However, he has also voiced reluctant heroes as well as the occasional villain...
voices Cloud StrifeCloud Strifeis a fictional character and the main protagonist in Square's role-playing game Final Fantasy VII and several of its sequels and spin-offs. His original design was created by Final Fantasy VII character designer Tetsuya Nomura...
, a Shinra grunt who fights against Sephiroth after seeing his friends, Zack and Tifa, hurt and Nibelheim destroyed. Nearly dead due to his wounds, Cloud is experimented on by Hojo and lapses into an unresponsive state. - Toshiyuki MorikawaToshiyuki Morikawais a prolific Japanese male voice actor from Yokohama, Kanagawa, was affiliated with Arts Vision. Lately, however, he has become the head of that a voice actor company he founded in Apr 2011. His name is also sometimes mistranslated as Tomoyuki...
voices Sephiroth, a 1st class SOLDIER and a past friend of Zack. After discovering his origins, Sephiroth goes insane and "betray[s] those who had believed in him". He attempts to bring Jenova (his "mother") and himself to the "Promised Land". - Junichi SuwabeJunichi Suwabeis a Japanese voice actor working for Haikyo. His most known roles involve, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques , Archer , Keigo Atobe and Omega ....
voices Tseng, the leader of the Turks who narrates the OVA. Originally, the OVA was intended to focus on Zack, but Tseng became the "real highlight". Last Order elaborates on Tseng's changing feelings towards his job, as well as where he places his moral values. - Ayumi ItoAyumi ItoAyumi Itō is a Japanese actress who received her big break in 1996, when she was cast as the central character of Ageha in Shunji Iwai's hit movie, Swallowtail Butterfly. The following year, she won her first Japanese Academy Award for 'Rookie of the Year'...
voices Tifa LockhartTifa Lockhartis a player character in Square Enix's role playing game Final Fantasy VII. Created by character designer Tetsuya Nomura, she has since appeared in the fighting game Ehrgeiz and cameo appearances in other titles, as well as the CGI film sequel to Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children and related games...
, a resident of Nibelheim and a childhood friend of Cloud. In a fit of rage, Tifa tries to kill Sephiroth, but he blocks her attack and mortally wounds her. - Hiroshi FujiokaHiroshi Fujioka, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor known for playing the hero Takeshi Hongo in the tokusatsu superhero series Kamen Rider, and later the Sega Saturn mascot Segata Sanshiro. Fujioka is a cultural icon in Japan, even having the minor planet 12408 Fujioka, discovered by Akimasa...
voices Zangan, Tifa's martial arts instructor. After Tifa is injured by Sephiroth at the Mako reactor, Zangan retrieves her and carries her to safety. - Keiji FujiwaraKeiji Fujiwarais a Japanese voice actor from the Tokyo Metropolitan area who is affiliated with Air Agengy.His best known projects include Crayon Shin-chan as Hiroshi Nohara, Eureka Seven as Holland, Fullmetal Alchemist as Lieutenant-Colonel Hughes, Zoids: Chaotic Century as Irvine, Final Fantasy VII Advent...
voices Reno and Taiten KusunokiTaiten Kusunokiis a male Japanese voice actor and actor from Machida, Tokyo. He is affiliated with Miki Productions.-Television animation:*Bleach as Edrad Leones, Zommari Leroux*Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z *Digimon Savers as Commander Rentarō Satsuma...
voices Rude. They are both members of the Turks under Tseng's command and operate as partners. - Nachi NozawaNachi Nozawawas a Japanese seiyū, actor, and theatre director from Tokyo. He was affiliated with Office PAC at the time of his death. His real name was...
voices Professor Hojo, the head of Shinra's science department. Hojo takes Zack and Cloud for experimentation, instantly dismissing Tseng's discontent about using them. - Daisuke NamikawaDaisuke Namikawais a Japanese voice actor who is affiliated with Across Entertainment.He started acting in 1984. He is sometimes mistaken for fellow voice actor Daisuke Hirakawa, as their names only differ by one character when written in kanji. Despite his wide range of voice casting, he is usually cast as young,...
voices Turk (Rod), Ginpei SatoGinpei Satois a Japanese voice actor in numerous anime and non-anime works.He is most known for his role as Saïx of Organization XIII and as Jin , who are both voiced by Kirk Thornton in their respective English dubs....
voices Turk (Two Guns), Hōchū ŌtsukaHochu Otsuka, also known by the his stage name , is a Japanese voice actor from Okayama Prefecture, affiliated with the talent management firm Crazy Box. He is the official Japanese dub-over artist for: Gary Oldman and Jean-Claude Van Damme....
voices Turk (Martial Arts), Mayuko AokiMayuko Aokiis a Japanese voice actress who has worked on several anime and video game productions. Mayuko Aoki also sang the FINAL FANTASY X-2 VOCAL COLLECTION / YUNA * 4 tracks* .- Roles :Anime:* Aquarian Age - Sign for Revolution - Yoriko Sannou...
voices Turk (Shotgun), and Megumi ToyoguchiMegumi Toyoguchiis a voice actress, born on January 2, 1978 in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. She is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce.-Trivia:* Toyoguchi is the only seiyū to have the distinction of appearing in every anime in the Saturday 6 p.m...
voices Turk (Gun). These characters are all Turks under Tseng's command that originally appeared in Before Crisis.
Other roles include Keiji Okuda, Atsushi Imaruoka, Ryūji Mizuno, and Daisuke Kirii as members of Shinra's military unit who attempt to apprehend Cloud and Zack. Yōhei Tadano and Katsuhisa Hōki voice villagers at Nibelheim.
Production and release
Last Order: Final Fantasy VII was produced and scripted by MadhouseMadhouse (company)
is a Japanese animation studio, founded in 1972 by ex–Mushi Pro animators including Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. It has created and helped to produce many well known shows, starting with TV anime series Ace o Nerae! in 1973, and including western favourites Ninja...
and directed by Morio Asaka
Morio Asaka
is a Japanese anime director.A graduate of the Osaka Designers' College, he is a member of the studio Madhouse. His noted works include, among others, Cardcaptor Sakura , Galaxy Angel, Gunslinger Girl, Last Order: Final Fantasy VII and Nana.-Directorial style:Asaka has covered a wide range of...
. The decision to create Last Order arose from the positive reaction towards a popular promotional clip created by Madhouse for the game Before Crisis. Madhouse was chosen to produce the OVA partly because of their success with the clip and because the president of Madhouse was very enthusiastic about the project. However, the main reason for choosing Madhouse was that the company "understood the significance" of making a Final Fantasy VII animation, as it was considered a large responsibility to animate "the most popular game in the FF [Final Fantasy] series". Tetsuya Nomura
Tetsuya Nomura
is a Japanese video game director and character designer working for Square Enix , best known for his work on both the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series.-Time before Square:Nomura was born in Kōchi, Japan...
, the character designer for the Final Fantasy VII series and co-director of Advent Children, acted as the supervising director. He had the right to reject or accept concept drawings for Last Order. As a result, Nomura had a large quantity of images redrawn, to the extent where "the entire production was in jeopardy".
Production lasted six months. The production crew considered the most challenging part of creating the OVA to be making "Nomura's drawings move on screen". Because Last Order was hand-drawn, the crew faced difficulties creating uniform lines. Another issue was the overall feel of each scene; original drawings were done by several artists, resulting in various scenes having different styles. Producer Akio Ofuji explained that they "wanted to make sure the final product was of very high quality, so [they] worked with the production company day and night, straight through to the deadline". Nomura and Ofuji agreed that many scenes showing important events and feelings in Final Fantasy VII had been fragmented and disjointed, and so they had decided that those scenes would be the subject of Last Order, giving the audience of Advent Children (the film Last Order was released with) a "more enjoyable understanding". They used the film as an opportunity to portray Zack "properly" as a "handsome, light-hearted man [who] was in everyone's memory".
Last Order also details Tseng's growth and his feelings and position towards his job and the depicted situations, wherein he attempts to "get his own ideas of justice heard" but later abandons his moral values "in order to carry out a cruel mission". Ofuji commented that "those are the kind of scenes we wanted people to be more aware of".
Last Order was originally released with the "Ultimate Edition" of the Advent Children movie, Advent Pieces: Limited, in Japan by Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
on September 14, 2005. The OVA was included in the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n collector's set, referred to as Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Limited Edition Collector's Set, released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
on February 20, 2007. The North America release did not come with an English dub
Dub localization
Dub localization, also often simply referred to as localization, which is a form of a voice-over. It is the practice of voice-over translation altering a foreign language film, art film or television series by voice actors to further adapt the material for a "local" audience.Dub localization is a...
so the OVA is subtitled. Last Order was not included in the release of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete, a director's cut
Director's cut
A director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials, comic book or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit...
of Advent Children with extra footage.
The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is a series of prequels and sequels to the original Final Fantasy VII game. Last Order is not part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and is considered an outside work. However, it has been associated with the Final Fantasy VII series since its creation, and is mentioned alongside official installments in official guidebooks and Ultimanias. Compilation titles include the film Advent Children and games Before Crisis
Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII
is a Japanese action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in 2004. It was the first original game to be produced by Square Enix exclusively for mobile phones, and was released on NTT DoCoMo's FOMA iMode line of phones on a monthly subscription basis...
(mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
), Dirge of Cerberus
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
is an action role-playing third-person shooter video game developed and published by Square Enix in 2006 for the PlayStation 2. It is part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII metaseries, a multimedia collection set within the universe of the popular 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII...
(PS2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
), and Crisis Core
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. First released in 2007, the game is a prequel to the video game Final Fantasy VII and is also the sixth installment in metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII which includes products related to the game...
(PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
). Like Last Order, Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode: Final Fantasy VII (a mobile phone spin-off of Dirge of Cerberus) is an outside work associated with the Compilation.
Music
Last Orders score was composed, arranged, and produced by Takeharu IshimotoTakeharu Ishimoto
is a Japanese video game composer, synthesizer programmer, and musician currently working at Square Enix. He joined Square Enix in 1999 as a synthesizer programmer on Legend of Mana, and worked for them on several games. In 2002 he moved to become a composer, beginning with World Fantastista...
, including the ending theme entitled "Last Order". The music was combined with the music from Before Crisis on a single soundtrack and released in Japan on December 19, 2007. The soundtrack was later made available in North America by Square Enix. Tracks 13 through 27 on the disc contain the score from Last Order, while tracks 1 through 12 contain music from Before Crisis. Select tracks on the soundtrack of Crisis Core contain music and remixes of music from the OVA.
Response and cultural impact
Only 77,777 copies of Advent Pieces: Limited were produced in Japan, and they are no longer available, having been sold out months in advance of its release. They retailed for ¥Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
29,500, or US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
300, each while the North American collector's edition retailed for $49.95.
Overall, Last Order garnered positive feedback from Western critics. Chris Carle of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
noted that Last Order was "the true meat of the new extras [in the Advent Children collector's set]… a traditionally animated chapter for FF [Final Fantasy] fans that centers on the story of Zack and Cloud" and that "it adds even more dimension to the story [of Final Fantasy VII]". Todd Douglass Jr. from DVD Talk
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
called Last Order "the real reason to check out the Limited Edition release for Advent Children" and commented that as "a long-time anime fan and lover of Final Fantasy", he "was enthralled by every minute to be had in Last Order." However, Hideki Imaizumi, the producer of Crisis Core, stated that they had received "considerable negative feedback" from fans, who were displeased with changes made to the Nibelheim event in Last Order. Due to this, the scene was redone for Crisis Core, and the production crew was careful to avoid making the same decisions.
OverClocked ReMix
OverClocked ReMix
OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs with new technology and software, as well as by various traditional means...
's four-disc tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
, Voices of the Lifestream
Voices of the Lifestream
Voices of the Lifestream is an unofficial tribute album released by OverClocked ReMix in honor of Nobuo Uematsu's score for the popular video game, Final Fantasy VII. The album was released on September 14, 2007, to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII...
, has a disc entitled Order. The name was chosen to coincide with Last Order, and the music is themed after it.