The Fall 2023 Manga Guide

Final Fantasy XIV: Eorzea Academy

What's It About? 

Alisaie is a student attending Eorzea Academy, an exclusive institution created by the merger of former rival schools the Academy of Light and the Academy of Darkness. However, frequent quarrels between the students prove that a bitter divide remains between the Class of Light and the Class of Darkness. Worried about the ongoing conflict, headmistress Tataru decides it's time for some bold solutions to raise morale. Let the school games begin!

The Final Fantasy XIV: Eorzea Academy manga is based on the Final Fantasy XIV MMORPG and has a story and art by Esora Amaichi. The English translation is by Stephen Meyerink with lettering by Arbash Mughal. Jennifer Sherman edited the English version. Published by Square Enix Manga (September 19, 2023).

Is It Worth Reading?

MrAJCosplay

Rating:

Full disclosure: I have never played Final Fantasy XIV. I only recently became a Final Fantasy fan in the past couple of years, and thanks to the constant remakes that have come out, I've got to experience various RPGs with wonderful stories. So I will go on record and say that the Final Fantasy XIV spinoff probably isn't for me. I can already Final Fantasy XIV fans pick up this book from the name brand alone. However, what are you left with when you remove the fanservice and the apparent character insertions?

You're left with a rather cute and wholesome slice-of-life story with a bit of a competitive edge. The story takes place at an Academy that used to be separated into the Class of Light or the Class of Darkness students. These two classes used to have a bitter rivalry, but now they're forced to share the same building. What do you think it's going to happen? To bring everyone together, our adorable principal comes up with the genius idea of stroking the flames of that competitive rivalry and having everyone engage in competitions, culminating in a grand winner. It sounds forced, and in some ways, it is, but it does lead to some rather fun moments between the characters.

The comedy is surprisingly strong here, with just the right amount of slapstick and reactive humor. Even though I have no idea who any of these characters are, I appreciate their designs, with the principal's design being my favorite. The banter gets a little repetitive at times, but it does have a lot of heart here, and even though I didn't understand every reference thrown into my face, I didn't feel like the book was trying to rely strictly on them. However, if a relatively average slice of life is what I ended up reading, then I can only imagine how great this probably is for people who are more familiar with Final Fantasy XIV, so give it a shot when you can.