Anime Review: Ys

Review Ys Written by Warpshadow Rating fair

In a previous article I mused about how fantasy anime tends to go for comedy a lot more than you think it would. When watching Ys I am reminded of why that is so. Often times this stuff is so silly that it is hard not to make fun of it.

The land of Esteria is thrown into chaos when monsters suddenly appear and threaten to destroy the whole country. A young wanderer named Adol Cristen learns of the country and is oddly compelled to help the land with it's plight. Even though no ship will go there because the country is surrounded by storms Adol still tries to make it there. When he finally makes it there he hears of a legend. That legend states that when danger threatens a brave soul will come from far beyond Esteria to save the land. Could Adol be the person of legend?

Ys is based off of a video game and a pretty old one at that. That means that the plot is minimal at best and the show runs like a list of clichés of how video game rpgs work. Often times destiny is used as a substitute for character motivation. The animation is decent although it is a bit dated. In short this is a very cheesy Oav. There are two groups of people that should see this, fans of the video game and people looking for good mst3k material. Anyone else should stay away.