Finally got around to finishing Ys V. Now that I fully understand the story, I can honestly say it's probably one of the better plots in the series.
The difficulty was, of course, absolutely ludicrous--in the opposite manner I usually find difficulties ludicrous--but I compensated by anti-grinding (dulling?) and trying not to gain too many levels. Of course, just having healing potions makes it impossible to lose...

And I really don't see all the complaints people level against the sound track. It may not be the J-rock we're used to from Falcom Sound Team JDK, but it sounded like a mix of Final Fantasy and Zelda, which is hardly a bad thing. There were some really good RPG tunes in there.