Cheap Ys - Book One (DVD) Price

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Customer Reviews of Ys - Book One

YS? YES. GOOD? NO.
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.

Another Great D&D style Fantasy Adventure!
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.