I never said anything about IX's storyline! Nor did my friends for that matter. Where did you guys get that idea? 0.o To be honest, I can sort of see where my friends are coming from. None of them are really serious gamers (nor am I...that much), and when one goes from "wowz, we're bombing a reactor," and "we are having a sword fight before engaging in teen angst," to "let's jump rope with the hippo," it doesn't seem quite the same. Let me reiterate: I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH FFIX. I HAVE NOT PLAYED ENOUGH OF IT TO HAVE A PROBLEM.
WAAAAHCAPSLOCK. The only thing I will say about my experience with FFIX is that this game seems to have many more comic and/or light parts.
The best sword fighting mini-game ever was in FFIX. And yeah, FFIX is fricking hilarious.

Btw, you said your friends thought FFIX was childish. That implies they thought the storyline was childish as that is what truly defines such things.

Whosiewhatie? What'd you do to my fangirlish name? As for the
'n00b' reference, I think that the day I stop being a n00b part of me might die a little.
Fangirlish? I thought it was just a splodge on a keyboard.

IMO, Quina's Theme > 90% of character themes. Hence, Quina>Steiner by default. Hence, KH>FFIX, by your logic.
Quina's cool but Steiner is God.

Hence:

Final Fantasy IX >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KH