This is something that really bothers me too. Spell animations are extremely sub-par when compared to Final Fantasy XI. Take Stoneskin for example. I always loved this animation in XI, it would fill your screen. But in XIV, it just looks like a gravestone pops up in front me. For a game that touted its graphics and animation capabilities they couldve done a much better job in this department. I read up a few posts about casting animation. Wheres the ether and sparkles of casting flowing around me!? I'm still playing and i'm pulling for you Yoshi. But this is something that absolutely must be addressed.