Final Fantasy X: Romance's First Strike

Before the WOW romantic plot of Final Fantasy X-2, there was the first FInal Fantasy X!

 

Another romance story that I actually liked. Yowza. Of course the plot of FF-X was a far cry from the novels in the Romance section of a bookstore. (Anyone notice that it's basically the same man and woman on the cover? The only difference is whether they're brunettes or blondes!) The budding of the romance wasn't slow or fast, but nicely developed at a steady pace and in a way that didn't need words, yet it was noticeable! Usually stories need one thing or the other, clear visuals or descriptions, or both. If one was to describe the development of the romance in FF-X by way of cakes (Okay, too much Food Network channel), I'd say the ingredients were evenly distributed to make the perfect taste.

 

It didn't overflow onto the rest of the plot. Remember the pilgrimage to end the monster of Satan, Sin, and the tragic sacrifice of the summoners? With or without the love, FF-X goes into the category of drama with romance as a nice sidenote. The love between the main characters wasn't the total focus of the story as in other games, forcing every other aspect of the plot to revolve around this one growing intense love. (Okay, we get it. They're seriously in love and that's what's gonna save the world.) It would be difficult to separate the plot of FF-X into individual aspects, really, which is a good thing. A story that can be taken apart neatly is generally a story that doesn't need all of its parts to be told. Here, everything was important.

 

Romance is usually overdone, but it's a theme that never gets old. Final Fantasy X does cater to multiple preferences at the same time without exasperating anyone who's finicky. (Nobody look at me....)