I think that the Mana series has taken a dramatic left turn to Trash City. The older installments were really good, each one had a good fantasy story, with pretty good gameplay(for the time). I mean, Square(at the time) was know for 2 main series on the NES and SNES: the Final Fantasy and Mana series. Now, with Square's main focus on the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest/Warrior series, the Mana series has been pushed aside, which means less time to make a good story. The games released now for the series are less than pale imitations of its predeccessors. I just hope in the future, Square remembers this series and brings it back to its former glory.