Everything Is Final Fantasy

Ponyo: An Introduction

We spend nearly an hour and a half setting up our conversation about Ponyo, a silly kids movie where a boy falls in love with a fish! But is it so simple? Let's dive into

Phoenix Downbeat: Home, Sweet, Home & Dear Friends (FFV)

We dive into a pair of iconic Final Fantasy pieces of music from FFV - Home, Sweet, Home & Dear Friends from FFV. How does Nobuo Uematsu use relatively simple techniques

Final Fantasy IX: Dark City Treno

We continue with FFIX including a battle we totally forgot about, a reunion with Tantalus, a visit to Dark City Treno and more inner-monologuing especially from Dagger an

Phoenix Downbeat #36: FFXI Suite

We listen to and analyze six pieces of music from Final Fantasy XI. With all of us having limited experience with the game itself, we pull primarily from Distant Worlds a

Phoenix Downbeat #35: WEIRD MUSIC

We listen to some weird, cooky, odd, strange, silly, and spacey music from the first nine Final Fantasy games. What makes a piece of music weird? What storytelling techni

Phoenix Downbeat #34: Distant Worlds

We discuss the history of Final Fantasy music live in concert, most especially the long-running Distant Worlds series. Then we listen to an analyze the song Distant World

Phoenix Downbeat #32: Battle Themes I-VI

We listen to and analyze the primary battle themes from Final Fantasy I-VI. Distant Worlds, Black Mages, and Pixel Remasters all get involved in the conversation as we di

Phoenix Downbeat #33: Chrono Battle Themes

We listen to and analyze the battle themes from Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, and Super Mario RPG. Then each of us brings two other non-Final Fantasy pieces of battle mus

Phoenix Downbeat #31: Dancing Mad

We listen to and analyze Dancing Mad, the masterpiece final boss battle music from Final Fantasy VI. What techniques does Nobuo Uematsu use to invoke Bach fugues and whic

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: The Ancient Warrior

Nausicaa must race from the toxic jungle back to the Valley of the Wind to tell everyone what she has learned but once again the forces of industry and violence and power

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: The Pejitei Pilot

Nausicaa saves and meets the Pejitei Pilot who seems to think he is the hero of this story. He wonders about her as she discovers a deep truth about the world.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: The Toxic Jungle

Our hero crosses the threshold into the toxic jungle and fully embraces her mantras of non-violence. Plus, we witness a strangely beautiful vision. 

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: Complicated Pacifism

This Studio Ghibli classic carries a powerful message of non-violence but it is also a complicated question when our hero is moved to take a life. 

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: An Introduction

We continue our series on Studio Ghibli & Hayao Miyazaki with an introduction to and examination of the first few minutes of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind; a true ma

Phoenix Downbeat #30: Battle Themes | FFVII, Tactics

We listen to an analyze some truly iconic Final Fantasy battle themes from FFVII and Tactics. We begin with Trisection and the oddly titled Run Past Through the Plain bef

Phoenix Downbeat #29: Battle Themes X | IX | VIII

We listen to and analyze the battle themes from Final Fantasy X, IX, and VIII. How does Nobuo Uematsu use those unmistakable rhythms and clever instrumentation to create

Phoenix Downbeat #28: Battle Music | XVI | XV | XIII

We listen to and analyze three different Final Fantasy battle music pieces from three different composers. Working backwards in time, we start with Masayoshi Soken's comp

Phoenix Downbeat #27: Crystal Chronicles

We take a detour from the main series to discuss the OST for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. A pair of folks songs steal our hearts, bagpipes and kazoos give our heroe

Castle of Cagliostro: Vigilantes vs. Rogue Cops

We conclude our conversation on Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro and get into why we have so much more sympathy for the vigilante hero than the rogue cop.

Castle of Cagliostro: A Caper Within A Caper

We continue with Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro as our hero shows himself to be as much MacGyver as he is James Bond. Also, we respond to critiques of Clarisse as a "dam