Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV: the nature of Nozue Takeshi’s film gives away that this animated adventure is simply the beginning of a story; unlike what mostly happens, where it continues in sequels or a multi-volume series, the story here is completed in a videogame. That sense of incompleteness is compounded by the need for heavy exposition, as a magic-filled world with numerous countries, organizations, and factions needs to be introduced. The protagonist is a talented but troublesome soldier, who gets close to the center of a historic event in his war-torn country; in other words, a bit of a stock character. He is voiced (in the English version) by Aaron Paul with quiet intensity; Lena Headey, as a foreign princess, and Sean Bean, as the elderly and powerful king, are efficient. Some minor roles, however, are not that well performed, in particular the important role of the hero’s best friend, done by Liam Mulvey. The animation is uneven: when everything clicks, the world is beautifully realized, filled with wondrous details, and the characters are well-designed with impressive photo-realism. But not all characters and not all sequences get the same love, with animation at times getting clunky and the characters, less detailed. The action sequences are overly edited and can get visually very confusing, particularly the climatic battle.