Another title done by Yuu Watase, comes a darker series than Fushigi Yuugi, targeted for a more mature audience.
Synopsis:
Ayashi no Ceres is about a girl named Aya Mikage and her twin brother Aki who live a normal
life until their 16th birthday. At their birthday "party", they are given a mysterious present that will change their lives forever.
Aya learns that she possesses the
blood of the "Tennyo" also known as "heavenly maiden". When she is in a severe situation,
her body will be taken over by Ceres, who is a reincarnated spirit seeking revenge on the Mikage clan.
By fate, Aya and Aki are now denied to ever see each other, because of the danger they will both face if they meet again.
Aya is also hunted down by her grandfather and other family members who are trying to kill her,
because of the threat she now holds towards the family. With the help of Suzumi Aogiri, who also possesses
Tennyo blood, and her brother-in-law Yuuhi, a young man assigned to protect Aya,
they hope to keep from her away from danger. However, a mysterious man has been saving her in times of mishap.
Who is he and what is his connection to her and the Mikage clan?
Rating Key:
Excellent
Good
Average
Bad
Not worth your time
= half a rating
Story-
Music-
Characters-
Video and Sound Quality-
Series length- 24 episodes
Released in the U.S.?- Yes
This series contains-
Action, Romance, Drama, bloody violence, nudity, and mature themes.
Some facts about this title-
* In the U.S., this series is called "Ceres Celestial Legend"
Where can you purchase this series?
DVD Empire,
Animecastle,
Best Buy, Suncoast
With a complicated plot, this series has a lot of intense drama and reality mixed in. Being a show created after Fushigi Yuugi, the animation is much more recent and the colors are more neutral and dark to fit the mood of the story. The time period is modern-day and the fighting is also more modernized than Fushigi Yuugi's, so there will be guns involved.
The story starts off with a fairytale being told to the child version of Aya, involving a celestial maiden who came from the heavens to bathe in a stream. However, the hagoromo (magical robe) she hung on a tree nearby, which was her key to returning to the heavens, was stolen by a young man. Without any way back home, she was then forced to become that man's wife, producing many children of human and Tennyo blood. Aya is amazed by this story, but little does she know that it is to become a part of reality... The two lovers of this past life end up reincarnated in spirit inside brother and sister (Aki and Aya) in modern day, and now one of the lovers has detested against the other. Now by fate, these two siblings are forbidden to ever meet again after the awakening of Ceres.
This series gets quite intense and depressing on an emotional level as well as having some bloody and gory scenes. Some scenes I even had to look away or cover my eyes, because it was too painful to watch, but that just shows how well-done and realistic the animation can be. Even the second ending song gives me a sad, melancholy feeling.. However, the music for this series is beautiful and makes everything more emotional. Despite the little bits and pieces of comedy thrown in around the beginning of the series, it overall is considered a deep and dramatic show. The intense scenes and events that you think would only occur in a fairytale feel so realistic in their modern day setting, that it almost seems too tragic and unreal. On the other hand, if you're into a story like this with a lot of depth and drama, and can handle some adult themes and violence, then you should find this title very interesting and difficult to stop watching, despite the dark and dramatic plot.
My Final Opinion: With an intense plot and gripping storyline, this is a great series for those who like darker drama. Just be prepared for the violence, blood, and tear jerkers.
Screenshots: Here are some high quality shots I took of this series.
