Ys (anime)

Ys
Cover artwork from the DVD Legacy collection of the anime series Ys
イース (Īsu)
Genre	Fantasy, Adventure
Original video animation
Directed by	Jun Kamiya Takashi Watanabe
Music by	Yuzo Koshiro Mieko Ishikawa Falcom Sound Team JDK
Studio	Tokyo Kids
Released	1989 – 1991
Episodes	7 (List of episodes)
Original video animation
Ys II: Castle in the Heavens
Directed by	Takashi Watanabe
Studio	Tokyo Kids
Released	1992 – 1993
Episodes	4 (List of episodes)

Ys (イース, Īsu^?) are two different anime 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 II (video game) 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.

It was reported that the Nihon Falcom Corporation and Marvelous Entertainment were producing a new, four episode OVA series based on the Ys universe. The first episode of this release was set for a late 2006 release in Japan, but that never happened. Either it has been delayed or canceled.

Both series are available on DVD in English, having been released by MediaWorks. 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.