Ys - Book One

Rating:
Summary: A new anime that won't disappoint!
Review: Hiya boys n' girls! I was a big fan of the Ys video game for SNES, so when i saw an anime version i just had to get it. I was a bit worried, but i was pleasantly surprised! The DVD layout is like a video game and the soundtrack reminds you of a videogame as well(rock on!) and the anime is old-school traditonal animation (killer!). The english cast was VERY well done. The story focuses on the beginning of how our hero Adol gets involved being a savior and such. Most animes seem to be schucked out with the same old predictable plots, and it was fun to get back to the basics-swords, skeleton guards, retardedly evil villans! Trust me, if you're a fan of old-school anime then please pick it up (you can thank me later)! I think there's one more DVD to follow, and I'm gonna get me a copy!

Rating:
Summary: Another Great D&D style Fantasy Adventure!
Review: I've always had a deep fondness for stories about the heroic Knight who undertakes a daring quest, offers aid to those in need, rescues damsels in distress, slays the dragon, fights evil with sword in hand, and fulfills the prophecy. If you too dream of these things, then get this DVD along with Record of the Lodoss War. This DVD was an impulse buy, I just saw it and decided what the heck? I was not disipointed. This action-packed fantasy adventure draws you right into the story. True, the plot is not overly in-depth (The brave soul must find the secret behind the endless attacks of the evil beasts), but come on, it's based on a video game. I thought the story was well thought out and interesting. I also found the voice acting to be excellent. The art work was beautiful, and I was impressed with the soundtrack. The soundtrack is mainly classical style (synthesized) and Pop. To me, the art work and music of an anime film are the most important. This film delivers the not only great artwork and music, but great acting, story, and action as well. If you like Lord of the Rings, Record of the Lodoss War, Swordfighting, Sorcery, D&D, RPG, and/or Mythology, then Ys is for you.

Rating:
Summary: YS? YES. GOOD? NO.
Review: If you've never heard of Ys (pronounced "ease" with a heavier "s" sound) all you need to know is that it was an RPG back in the days of the SNES (and perhaps earlier). The game was never a smashing success, at least, not the way that Zelda and Final Fantasy were. However, the soundtracks to the Ys games (especially the orchestrated ones) are among the best in the RPG world.

I have never played the games all the way through, but from what I can piece together, this 4 episode DVD is trying to follow the games. This is why I thought the movie was so lacking. It was too slaved to formula. Talk to somebody about next destination, go there, fight boss, get book of Ys, repeat.

Obviously, the animation is low-budget and the acting isn't all too good either.

I primarily bought this DVD to see if it would feature the soundtrack from the Ys games. Yes, it does. Sometimes orchestrated, sometimes not. Still, they never play a song all the way through, which is sad, because like I said earlier, the Ys soundtracks were awesome and would make some EXCELLENT movie music. This movie particularly likes to use "First Steps Towards Wars" (one of the best Ys songs), but they never play it completely through.

There is some humor in this DVD. Two scenes come to mind. The first one is in episode one. Adol is forced to work for this guy that'll help him get to Esteria (Ys). One of Adol's odd-jobs involves carrying a live cow on his back. Absolutely hilarious. The second part is a line of dialogue in episode four. "There's a head on your head!" Adol says to his friend who is running from a bunch of cow-demons.

There is also an outtakes feature in this DVD, not all of them are really funny. Most of them deal with character name pronunciation problems and slurred speech. There are a few gems, though.

This DVD is really for younger audiences, although the rating of 13 and up says otherwise. The violence really isn't that bad.

For those that remember the Ys games, I recommend that you pass on this DVD and purchase the Very Best of Ys soundtrack, containing songs from various Ys games.

Rating:
Summary: YS? YES. GOOD? NO.
Review: If you've never heard of Ys (pronounced "ease" with a heavier "s" sound) all you need to know is that it was an RPG back in the days of the SNES (and perhaps earlier). The game was never a smashing success, at least, not the way that Zelda and Final Fantasy were. However, the soundtracks to the Ys games (especially the orchestrated ones) are among the best in the RPG world.

I have never played the games all the way through, but from what I can piece together, this 4 episode DVD is trying to follow the games. This is why I thought the movie was so lacking. It was too slaved to formula. Talk to somebody about next destination, go there, fight boss, get book of Ys, repeat.

Obviously, the animation is low-budget and the acting isn't all too good either.

I primarily bought this DVD to see if it would feature the soundtrack from the Ys games. Yes, it does. Sometimes orchestrated, sometimes not. Still, they never play a song all the way through, which is sad, because like I said earlier, the Ys soundtracks were awesome and would make some EXCELLENT movie music. This movie particularly likes to use "First Steps Towards Wars" (one of the best Ys songs), but they never play it completely through.

There is some humor in this DVD. Two scenes come to mind. The first one is in episode one. Adol is forced to work for this guy that'll help him get to Esteria (Ys). One of Adol's odd-jobs involves carrying a live cow on his back. Absolutely hilarious. The second part is a line of dialogue in episode four. "There's a head on your head!" Adol says to his friend who is running from a bunch of cow-demons.

There is also an outtakes feature in this DVD, not all of them are really funny. Most of them deal with character name pronunciation problems and slurred speech. There are a few gems, though.

This DVD is really for younger audiences, although the rating of 13 and up says otherwise. The violence really isn't that bad.

For those that remember the Ys games, I recommend that you pass on this DVD and purchase the Very Best of Ys soundtrack, containing songs from various Ys games.

Rating:
Summary: This is why I enjoy anime and RPGs so much. Excellent!
Review: It's too bad, Ys didn't get the recognition it deserved back in the early 1990s, when Ys Books I & II, as well as Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, all were released across the trio of 16-bit consoles of the day (Genesis, SNES, TG-16). Even without an anime to suppliment the RPGs, they were very anime-like in story and characters.

This anime was actually done in the early / mid 1990s, and consists of the 7 episode "Book I" (We get the first 4 of those 7 here on this DVD), and there's also a 'Book II' forthcoming. As a fan of "Record of Lodoss War' (OAV), this should please those fans, as well as fans craving more of the fantasy / RPG types of anime. This series couldn't have come at a better time, abelt. 10 years late to the years Ys originally came out here., with RPGs as a genre seeing a huge acceptance now, even if it isn't a mainstream genre.

The dub here (as with a lot of dubs these days) is great! They've really bought the characters, and world of Ys to life. The soundtrack here, music-wise.....it rocks! That's one of the unique things about the Ys series and it's music, be it on this anime, or on the RPGs themselves. They always did the unique (Hard-driving rock music), not the cliched (orchestra, lots of brass), with RPG soundtracks.

Overall, a great anime OAV series so far!

Rating:
Summary: A little old, but good
Review: Ys Book One reminds me of some of the older Japanese animes. The animation's a little rough, but all in all I say it's pretty good. It sort of has a classic old-fashioned legend-like story line - and I kinda like that. I'll be getting the next one when it comes out.