Ys

Episodes

Book One (episodes 1–4)

"Prologue" – Overrun by monsters, the island of Esteria has become isolated from the rest of the world. A dark vortex surrounds the island, preventing any ships from entering or leaving its waters. A young adventurer, Adol Christin, hears of this and journeys to the port town of Proma Rock and seeks passage to the island. In the town he meets a sea captain named Norton who gives him a job on the docks, promising to help Adol get to Esteria in return. After working for Norton for some time, Norton gives Adol a small boat with which to sail to Esteria. Adol heads that way, but the vortex destroys his ship. He is shortly after found on the shores of Esteria by a local named Slaghf and nursed back to health. When he awakes, he is sent to speak with the fortuneteller Sarah Tovah who recognizes him as the hero of legend who will liberate Esteria from the forces of darkness. She gives him a crystal dagger, of which she knows nothing about but feels it will be important.

"The Book of Hadal" – Although somewhat skeptical of Sarah's story, Adol agrees to journey to the town of Zepik to meet with Sarah's aunt Jebah Tovah. He soon comes to a destroyed village and fears that it is all that remains of Zepik. A traveling poet, Luther Gemma, who tells him Zepik is some distance away and this village is actually former mining town, Rastin, that was destroyed when the monsters first appeared years before. Together they head to Zepik, but not before Luther wonders aloud why monsters would be so bent on stealing every last piece of silver from the destroyed village when they first struck. After arriving in Zepik, Adol meets Jevah, who is skeptical of Sarah's claim that he is the hero of legend. Despite this, she tells Adol of six ancient tomes, the Books of Ys. Each was guarded by a priest of the two goddesses that formed the island of Esteria, at that time known as Ys. Now they are each locked away in shrines throughout the island, but Jevah only knows the location of one, the Shrine of Solomon. Adol agrees to go there and, after fighting through a horde of the undead, arrives to find a young woman chained to the wall of the shrine. As he tries to free her a giant millipede (called Nygtilger in the game) attacks him. Adol defeats it, frees the young woman, and claims the first book, the Book of Hadal.

"The Book of Tovah" – Following after Adol, Sarah is accompanied by her cousin Goban Tovah, her friend Otto, and a girl named Leah. They arrive in Zepik before Adol returns from the Shrine of Solomon. Meanwhile, Adol learns the young woman he saved's name, Feena, and that she has amnesia and can remember nothing else. They return to Zepik and meet with Jevah. She takes the Book of Huddale and deciphers some of it, discovering that long ago there was a metal used by the ancients in their society. Adol remembers that Ruben mentioned that the monsters have sought out silver and wonders if there is a connection. Elsewhere, Sarah does some soul-searching and begins to feel guilty about getting Adol involved, but feels that fate is guiding him. Otto also helps to comfort her, revealing that the two of them are descendants of the six priests who once ruled the island. Outside of the village, two dark wizards, Jenocres and Dalles, convene and approach. Jenocres attacks two of the guards in the center of town, prompting an alarm. Once everyone is present, he smirks and makes a note of how foolish it is that every guard came to fight him. As this occurs, Dalles comes to the room Sarah is in and attacks her, turning her to stone. Both wizards then vanish. The next day, Adol is consumed with guilt over Sarah's fate when Goban appears and tells him to buck up. He gives Adol the Book of Tovah, saying Sarah had been guarding it and wanted Adol to have in case of her death. As Adol accepts the book, Jenocres appears and attacks. The two battle and Adol is about to be defeated when the crystal dagger begins to glow and strips Jenocres of his power. Adol takes the chance to finish him off, but the dagger shatters in the process. Goban hears people approaches and vanishes, but not before he informs Adol that he cannot stay because he is a thief. The next day, the town is holding a harvest festival, but Otto, Slaghf, and Adol aren't interested, instead staying in Sarah's room bemoaning her fate and trying to figure out what to do next. As they discuss, Leah appears and is drawn to Sarah's crystal ball. As she gazes into it, she declares that Adol must go to the Mines of Rastin in order to recover the third book, the Book of Dabby.

Book Two (episodes 5–7)

"The Book of Messa" – In the Tower of Darm, Dark Fact realizes that the goddesses have returned. Elsewhere, Adol meets back up with Goban and asks about the Tower of Darm. Adol is convinced the remaining books are there, but Goban tries to dissuade him from going there. Adol decides to drop it for the night and goes to bed, but is visited in his dreams by a being called Loda. He asks Goban about it the next morning and is told Loda is a tree with a soul that houses the memories of the goddesses. As they talk, Dogi arrives and informs them that Luther has gone missing. Immediately Dark Fact appears and informs Adol that he has captured Luther, along with the Book of Messa. Dark Fact challenges Adol to retrieve it from an abandoned temple in the nearby forest. Adol accepts and the party sets out. Meanwhile, Feena and Leah, now with their memories restored, decide it is time to "awaken". Cutting back to Adol and his party, the trio journeys to the Tree of Loda. There, Loda recounts the history of Esteria and the metal claria. Claria, it seems, is a type of silver that has magical properties, but also has the drawback of summoning evil to it. It can, however, do great damage against evil beings. Loda then bestows upon Adol an armor of Cleria and tells him to recover the remaining three books. The group moves on to the old temple and are attacked by a giant praying mantis (called Pictimos in the game). Elsewhere, Jevah discovers that Feena is one of the goddesses, as she disappears into the night in order to hook up with Leah and fulfill their destiny. Back at the temple, Adol defeats the giant beast and recovers the Book of Messa. As he looks at the cover, he comes to the realization that he can now read the ancient text.

"The Book of Gemma" – As the goddesses fly towards the Tower of Darm, Dark Fact and Dalles discuss the nature of evil. Dark Fact contends that wherever there is good, there must be evil and good will never be able to fully overcome the darkness. Dalles agrees, then attacks the two goddesses as they are some distance off, capturing Leah. Back in the forest, Adol decides it is time to go to the Tower of Darm and is accompanied by Dogi and Goban. They enter the tower and are immediately in combat. Meanwhile, back in the village, Slaghf futilely argues against disbanding the army. Most of the villagers believe that the monsters are gone and that Adol must have already succeeded. In actuality, Dark Fact withdrew his forces hoping for that conclusion and plans to attack later that night. Back in the tower, Adol becomes separated from the others when he is sucked into a mirror, but finds Luther. Luther tells Adol the names of all six priests, including Fact, and how Dark Fact was once one of the most devoted followers of the goddesses, but was corrupted by the Cleria. He then tells Adol about the legend in detail of the hero who will save the island. When he finishes, Luther gives Adol the Book of Gemma and the two continue on through the tower. They soon are reunited with Dogi and Goban and fight through the floors. Eventually they encounter a snake-like rock monster (called Khonsclard in the game). Adol utilizes the power of the Cleria to defeat it, but once it is destroyed Luther, Dogi, and Goban vanish. Adol is left alone, but the voice of Feena urges him to press onward and tells him the way to the top of the tower.

Castle in the Heavens (episodes 8–11)

"Fallen Paradise" (失楽園) – Adol is flown to the floating island of Ys by the twin goddesses, Feena and Reah. After a violent arrival, he sees a bunch of monsters, and passes out. When he comes to, he awakes in the Doctor's office in the village of Lance with all his equipment and armor are gone except for the six books of Ys. His injuries have healed, and the doctor, noticing the books, comments about the mine. A young girl by the name of Lilia (Lilian in the English dub) tells about the abandoned mines of Rastini, and how she found a shrine in there. She offers to guide Adol, but he declines her offer, claiming it to be too dangerous. He travels off, but before he leaves, a villager named Sadah gives him a sword. While Adol's in the mines, he falls down a chasm, and ends up in the shrine he was looking for in the first place. At the same time, a group of monsters arrive in Lance Village to select the next human sacrifice. At the last moment, Lilia shields the intended victim and is chosen as the sacrifice. Despite the objections of her mother Banoa and the other villagers, Lilia goes with the monsters of her own free will. Deep in the underground Toal Sanctuary, Dark Fact appears before Adol. Instead of the evil sorcerer terrorizing Esteria in the previous OVA, he has reformed to the side of good, and gives Adol some more back story about the Black Pearl. He then gives Adol the power of the Six Priests, enabling him to use magic. When Adol returns to Lance Village, he finds out that the villagers have been offering human sacrifices to monsters to maintain peace. When he finds out Lilia's going to be the next sacrifice, he's determined to rescue her, much to the chagrin of the village elder. He reaches Lilia, who by that point is willing to sacrifice herself for the good of the village. Adol charges in and starts attacking the monster who's in charge of the sacrifice, Velagunder. Velagunder tosses Adol aside easily, and destroys his sword. Adol hears Fact's voice, and uses a fire spell against Velagunder, destroying him. When he brings Lilia back to the village, everyone is enraged because of the defiance against the monsters. Adol proceeds to tell them about the world outside of Ys, which enrages the villagers further to the point of knocking him unconscious and preparing Adol to be offered as a sacrifice.

"The End of the World" (世界果つるところ) – Feena and Reah, the two goddesses of Ys, their fate is revealed as they arrive in a destroyed shrine located in the glacier part of Ys, known as the Noltia Ice Wall. Lilia springs Adol out of his imprisonment in the village, as repayment for rescuing her previously, and the two run towards the glacier which is forbidden for the rest of the villagers to enter. Four villagers defy this law, and pursue Adol and Lilia into the glacier. Adol convinces the four to spare the lives temporarily so they may see for themselves past the glacier that the world does not end, but continues far into the horizon. They rest at the shrine where Feena and Reah made themselves home at. Lilia stays to rest with Feena and Reah while the four villagers and Adol head to the other side of the glacier. While they're away, the girls are attacked by Dalles, a wizard working for Darm. Feena and Reah tell Lilia to run, and give her a pendant to give to Adol when she sees him again. Lilia runs while Feena and Reah are taken before Darm, and are imprisoned inside a crystal. While Lilia's running, a group of monsters attack her, but one of the beasts turns on his comrades, allowing Lilia to escape from them and run where Adol was bound to be. Meanwhile, Adol and the villagers reach the other side, only to have their view of the surface be blocked by clouds. The villagers are about to smite Adol, when a monster comes up and tells the villagers to leave Adol to him, and to walk away. Adol begs for a sword, but the villagers comply to the monster's wishes, and leave Adol to his fate. Adol calls upon the power of the priests once again, and fights with magic fire balls. One of the villagers gets a change of heart, and decides to run back to help Adol out. The others follow suit, and as Adol and the monster are colliding projectiles, the clouds clear away to prove to the villagers that there is a world outside of Ys. The villagers start helping Adol fight the monster, to which Adol finishes off with a huge fire ball. Once they're done, a fatigued Lilia approaches the gang, and tells them the fate of the goddesses, and that they've been taken to Temple of Solomon. Adol gets determined to rescue them, and heads towards the village of Ramia and the Temple of Solomon. A jealous Lilia holds on to the pendant, and the villagers head back to Lance, carrying the injured Lilia.

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.