Ys (イース) are two different anime series, released as original video animation series, both of which are based on the video game series Ys. The first series spans seven episodes and covers the general plotline of the first game of the series, Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished. The plot centers on Adol Christin as he journeys to the island of Esteria in search of adventure. Upon arrival, he learns that a dark priest known as Dark Fact has been tearing the island apart in search of six mystical tomes of power, the Books of Ys. The second series picks up immediately after the end of the first and follows the second game, Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter. With Dark Fact's apparent defeat, Adol sets out to solve the mystery of the mysterious books of Ys by going to the source: the floating island of Ys itself. Along with Feena and Reah, Adol makes the journey to the floating island and picks up another companion, Lilia. Also present is Dalles, attempting to resurrect the demon god Darm once again. Ys I and YS II video games are often called BOOK ONE and BOOK TWO respectively. Not to be confused with the naming conventions of the games they were based on, the first animated series was split into two parts: BOOK ONE covers episodes 1-4 while BOOK TWO covers episodes 5–7. Since BOOK TWO refers to the second half of the Ys I series, the Ys II anime was named "Castle in the Heavens".

Episodes

Book One (episodes 1–4)

Book Two (episodes 5–7)

Castle in the Heavens (episodes 8–11)

Book Three

Nihon Falcom Corporation and Marvelous Entertainment were producing a new, four episode OVA series based on the Ys universe. The first episode was set for a late 2006 debut in Japan, but was never released.

Availability

Both series are available on DVD in English, having been released by Anime Works / Media Blasters. They can be purchased separately, or in a three-disc box set, entitled Ys Legacy. The English releases are the subject of some contention, since the dubbed audio track has multiple and frequent changes to the music and character names ("Dark Fact" changed to "Dark Factor" and "Lilia" changed to "Lillian", for instance), and pronunciations of various names are inconsistent, sometimes within the same scene. Included on one of the discs is what appears to be a preview for an anime based around Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys. This was created by Falcom as a "pitch" trailer to shop around to various animation studios, to see if anyone was interested in producing the series. They had no takers, however, so this trailer is all that exists of the rumored Ys TV series.