Fieldnotes is a column where I drop into a new (or old) game and report back with raw notes, sharp takes, unfiltered, and sometimes unhinged thoughts. This week, I continue my Final Fantasy X journey on Switch 2 and arrive at the Calm Lands.
A lot has happened since the last Fieldnotes entry. I’ve made considerable progress in my Switch 2 Japanese playthrough of Final Fantasy X, thanks to the fact that it’s been a quiet couple of weeks with only one other review assignment to take care of. Playing through this game again, my main takeaway continues to be just how subtly sad the story is. It’s amazing how the story beats still get me even after all these years, and even after I’ve played through it multiple times.
I Want My Journey to Be Full of Laughter
After the Luca section and the blitzball tournament, we’re treated to the infamous laughing scene with Tidus and Yuna, which is just as cringey in Japanese as it is in English. 10/10. No notes. I love this scene.
Let’s talk about this scene for a bit, though. Final Fantasy X gets a lot of crap for the laughing scene, and I guess I kinda understand why? The laughing itself is cringey and painful to listen to, whether you’re playing with the English or Japanese dub. But look, that’s the whole point.
The scene starts right after Tidus has just learned a revelatory thing about Sin and his father Jecht. He’s all alone in Spira, a strange world he doesn’t understand, he’s still dealing with his daddy issues, and he literally has no choice other than to trust Auron and follow him. Tidus has had a rough go of it. And then here comes Yuna, whom we find out later has plenty of experience with sadness. She tells him that she’s practiced smiling when she’s feeling sad.
Tidus tries to force his face into a smile, then bursts out laughing because it’s so weird. When Yuna tells Tidus to try laughing, he gives it all. The laughter is completely forced at first and it even sounds painful. It’s also painful to watch, because of course it is. Here’s a boy who doesn’t really know how to deal with his feelings and he’s forcing himself to laugh to cheer himself up. Everything about it is painful.
But then Yuna joins in on the forced laughter as a show of solidarity. It’s still fake and painful, but eventually the silliness of the whole situation gets through to them and the laughter becomes genuine and beautiful. Yuna tells Tidus she wants her journey to be full of laughter — a line with huge meaning and significance that will only reveal itself later.
I, too, used to hate this scene and found it unnecessarily cringey. But now I love it. It represents the core of who Tidus and Yuna are as characters, how they’re able to bounce back from hardships so quickly, and their determination to face their problems head on. It’s why their relationship is my favorite part of Final Fantasy X.
Oh Tidus, You Sweet Summer Child
Later on, after the Mii’hen Highroad segment, Tidus and Yuna watch the sunset together. He senses that Yuna is troubled, and tells her that she’s just gotta focus on beating Sin right now. Everything else can wait.
The poor boy, of course, does not know what beating Sin really means. The summoners’ pilgrimage ends in the summoner sacrificing themselves to defeat Sin in order to bring the Calm. At this point in the story, everyone knows except him. Why don’t they just tell him? It’s too painful.
This brings me to the scene in Home, when Tidus finally learns the truth. All this time, he’s found it kinda odd that the Al Bhed seem so bent on kidnapping summoners to “protect” them from having to do the pilgrimage. Tidus says to the party that he’s confused. After all, if guardians do their job, the summoners will be fine, right?! Everyone is silent. Kimahri speaks: “It is quiet. Kimahri goes now.” And he walks off.
I love it. Kimahri’s just like, yeah nah I’m not explaining shit to this loser I’m out.
But seriously, Tidus’ revelation hits hard. Suddenly, the entire journey is reframed for both him and the player. Everything that Tidus has ever said to Yuna seems so ignorant in hindsight, and the fact that Yuna only smiles back at him makes things so much more painful. Ugh. We’re idiots.
“Wherever You Will Go”, by The Calling
Oh right, in all that excitement I forgot to mention that Seymour has also been introduced at this point. I have a friend who’s recently started playing Final Fantasy X for the first time and she said that she was shook when Seymour was revealed to be a bad guy. And I was like… really?! The game literally plays evil music every time he shows up! His house is so creepy and screams evil villain lair!
Anyway, Seymour’s evil and undead. The entire religion of Yevon is also pretty damn corrupt. As the party attempts to flee Bevelle. Seymour shows up and Kimahri stands up against him, telling the rest of the party to run. Auron is quick to accept Kimahri’s sacrifice, recognizing that they’re in a perilous situation and wanting to prioritize Yuna’s safety.
As they run off, however, Yuna stops. She can’t just leave Kimahri behind, because of course she can’t! Kimahri’s been protecting her since she was a little girl, dammit! Auron says that Kimahri’s a guardian. It’s his job to protect her. And then Tidus the MVP steps in with a baller move. He says, well yeah we’re guardians, and you know what that means? It means anywhere Yuna goes, he follows. Yuna catches his drift immediately and asks, “Anywhere?” “Anywhere!” Tidus confirms. And the two of them run straight back to Kimahri and Seymour. Wakka and Rikku are right behind them of course, and Lulu follows as well. Auron visibly sighs, but follows as well.
I love this! Once again, Tidus and Yuna are proving to have the cutest couple dynamic in any Final Fantasy game ever and I cannot get enough.
Suteki Da Ne
Finally, we get to one of the most iconic scenes in Final Fantasy X: the one where Tidus and Yuna fly underwater and kiss for 10 minutes. Now that the party finally has a chance to catch their breath, Tidus approaches Yuna and apologizes for all the dumb things he’s said. Cue the saddest scene in the entire game.
Tidus suggests that Yuna abandons the pilgrimage entirely and just be free. She entertains the notion for a while and asks what they’d do, where they’d go. Tidus, being the dumbass that he is, suggests that they go to his Zanarkand where they can watch him play a blitzball game, go back to his apartment, and just party all night. Wakka, Lulu, Rikku, and Kimahri would support Yuna’s decision to quit. Auron would take some convincing, but he could be persuaded too. Tidus talks about how beautiful the sunrise is. He knows she’d love it.
Then, Yuna cries. She can’t quit. She just can’t, she says in tears. It’s one of the most heartbreaking scenes in Final Fantasy history because Yuna’s determination and sense of responsibility is on full display here. Despite finding out that everything she’s ever believed in is a lie, despite being branded a traitor by the religion and maesters she’s had nothing but respect for, Yuna still can’t find it in herself to quit the pilgrimage. She owes it to the people of Spira, to her father. She understood what it meant when she decided to become a summoner. It’s not a decision she made lightly, and she can’t simply abandon it now just because of a tiny little thing like her entire world crumbling around her.
Tidus and Yuna crystallize their romantic connection by making out underwater while Suteki Da Ne plays, and I find that I am once again fully invested in their story. Perhaps even overly invested.
