Origins sounds rather hard, and I dunno if I want to play Ark first...

Thanks in advance,,,

Honestly, I don't know. The problem with Ys 1 and 2 is that they were originally made by a developer who at that point was inexperienced in game design, and as a result, there are some strange game design decisions with them. For example, in Ys 1:
* Around the middle of the game, there is a boss that has been known to drive players batty to the point of quitting at that point. The boss in question is a horribly designed boss who is invulnerable for what feels like unbounded periods of time, and who them might be vulnerable briefly before turning invulnerable again. (This particular boss *does* make a reprise appearance in Ys Origin, but the fight has been improved and is now fair rather than frustrating.)
* By the time you fight said boss, it is actually intended that you would be at max level. As a result, in the portion of the game that follows this boss fight, experience is useless. Furthermore, there are no more shops, and you permanently lose access to all of the game's shops once you start the next area, making gold useless. As a result, there's no longer any point to killing enemies that aren't in your way, and the game is far from over at this point.

Of note:
* Speedruns of Ys 1 actually do reach max level by that bat boss.
* I saw a TAS of the boss rush mode, and the TAS actually deliberately took extra time before the fight with that boss in order to get better RNG for that boss.

Ys 2 is better than Ys 1, I think, but it still isn't perfect; in particular, I note that the endgame suddenly requires you to be a minimum level when the game doesn't require such a thing earlier.

I'd say that Memories of Celceta is the easiest Ys game, from that perspective it's a good choice for beginners.

There isn't such a big interconnecting story between the Ys games, so if you're not sure if this series is something for you, you can basically jump in with any game you like. My favourite one is the latest western release Ys VIII which is also good for beginners.

Exception: Ys 2 is a continuation of Ys 1, and Ys Origin is a prequel to both that has a lot of references to the first two games (in fact, the entire game takes place in a dungeon you explore in Ys 1). The references even include boss and musical references.

Right, Ys 1 & 2 were meant to be one bigger game in the beginning, but got split before original release. You can only buy the Chronicles version in a package, so it's not much of a deal.

I recommend to play those before the prequel "Origin".

You can play any Ys game in any order you want. Seriously. It's up to you. I understand OCD, and I do know how people will obsess over the seemingly tiniest things, like playing game series "in order", and I'm not trying to be dismissive of those folk, but, honestly, feel free to play the Ys games (or any other game series, for that matter) in whatever order you choose, even skipping games in the series that don't feel interesting to you.

As for Ys, specifically, it's a series that has been released out of order in itself, especially since Nihon Falcom started revising earlier titles with Oath in Felghana. Even Ys VIII takes place right after Ys IV (Memories of Celceta) and before Ys V (which, by the way, is the only title, to this day, to not have an official Western release/localization, so you're either fluent in Japanese or you resort to piracy and use the unofficial translated SNES/Super Famicom ROM, if you *really* care about playing the whole series in "order"). Ys is a series that has been made, from the very beginning, as something you can pick up, play and enjoy with no previous knowledge of the lore or the world/character building (mind you, all of these ARE in the Ys games), mostly because each title is pretty much self-contained, and despite a few references to previous games, they tell their own story and you can piece whatever timeline you want after playing each game, even if you do so out of order. The only exception to this formula, as you may have noticed by now, are Ys I & II, which have been included in various bundles ever since 1989, when the first Ys I & II was released in Japan -- in fact, the version GOG sells is a remake of that same bundle, the newest one there is, Ys I & II Chronicles+ --, and it's the only "two" titles you should actually treat as a single one. Everything else can definitely be played "out of order" and you won't be missing out on anything, really.

As for wanting to play Origin first, well, it's your prerogative. Personally, I'm of the opinion prequels don't make sense when you play them before the games they came *after* (release-wise), because you'll be missing out on A LOT of references and lore you won't be able to get, since when they made prequels they expected players to be somewhat familiar with the series, already. Still, this being Ys, and if you really care about the timeline in such a strict manner and still want to play it first, you absolutely can. The Ys games have a reputation for being ultra hard (which they are), but all of them have Easy -- and, in some cases, Very Easy -- modes that I wholeheartedly recommend to newcomers. Don't get discouraged by the games being extremely difficult, because you can play them on Easy and still enjoy the story, the soundtrack and the (stellar) gameplay.

The first game is janky, but it's short and the level ceiling gives it an arcade-y feeling. People say it's really tough, but this only applies to a couple of bosses in the game. Keep trying and you'll eventually get it, so I don't think it justifies the reputation the game gets, especially considering how easy it is to abuse the savestate function outside bosses.

The second game improves on a lot. If nothing else, Ys 1 is worth playing through because it allows you to really dig into its much superior sequel.

The music in both games is phenomenal, and you're introduced to recurring bosses and characters. Ys Origin is also best enjoyed having played 1 and 2 first, and that one is widely considered to be one of the best in the series.

I'd say it makes sense to start with Ys 1 both from a story perspective, as well as a gameplay point of view. Start with the "worst" game in the series and your gameplay experience can only go up from there.