Ayashi No Ceres

Director
Yuu Watase
Production
Bandai, WOWOW, Studio Pierrot
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
24 episodes
Year
2000

Ceres Celestial Legend (Ayashi no ceres)

By Kaede
26th Aug 04

Ceres Celestial Legend, a hit anime in Japan, based on the mangas written by Yuu Watase, author of Fushigi Yuugi. What more needs to be said?

Ceres Celestial Legend, or Ayashi no ceres, as it is sometimes called, is a horror-romance anime. Or I should say, heavy on the horror and romance. Fantasy and humour also factor in as well.

Based on Japanese legend, an angel was bathing one day and a human man took her hagaromo, her celestial robes. Without her robes, she could not return to heaven. She ended up marrying the man and having his children. He became angry, enraged, irrational. He was killed by the angel, named Ceres, and she later died too, leaving her children behind. Now, years later, her revenge will finally be complete...

Aya Mikagi is a normal young japanese girl. She dies her hair blonde and enjoys karaoke. She has a twin brother named Aki and the two are very close. Life is perfect. This all changes on their 16th birthday.

Invited out to the main Mikagi household, to their grandfather's house, the two receive a very unusual gift.. a severed hand. Aya feels something rise up inside her at the sight, a bright light emanates from her. Her brother suddenly has cuts bursting out all over his body. When Aya comes back to herself she begs her grandfather to get help for him.

He tells her Aki will be fine. And that she must die.

For in Aya, Ceres has been reincarnated to try, once again, to wreak her revenge on the Mikage family, her ancestors. In Aki, the progenitor, her husband has begun to rise to power.

Life becomes a nightmare for Aya. Her family is trying to kill her. Her brother is locked away. Her father throws himself in front of her to take bullets meant for her. Her mother, believing that Aya killed her husband, attacks her and Ceres comes out in full force, sending her into a coma.

With aid from another celestial descendent, Suzumi, Aya manages to get through. Suzumi's brother in law, Yuuhi, is assigned as a bodyguard, basically, for Aya, being the same age as her.

Another stranger comes into the mix, a man who saved Aya yet works for the Mikage, Toya. A man suffering from amnesia, he is assigned by Aya's cousin, Kagami, to keep watch over Aya and protect Aki. He didn't expect to fall for Aya.

Despite how bad everything was, Aya still had hope, because Aki was there. Or he was for a while.. once the Progenitor finally takes his place in Aki, all appears to be lost.

Now, with a new "family" of Yuuhi, Suzumi, and Mrs Q (a servant of the others), she must search for Ceres' hagaromo while evading capture by the Mikage. Her search leads her to others that are reincarnations of celestial beings including a girl named Chidori.

Her search also brings to her turmoil in her love life. Her love for Toya is difficult and Yuuhi is in love with her as well.

If you are looking for an anime with horror and romantic angst, this is the anime for you. Balanced out wonderfully by humorous scenes and characters, the tale spins out about Aya and her search for the hagaromo and really her search for finding herself.

Out of a 10 point scale, I would give this an 8. The story appears to skip a big space of time, but this is only in the anime. The manga is much different, and in my opinion, better, but the anime is a good way to start off the series.

My favourite part.. the crushing of the grandfather's skull.. yes there is indeed horror for all you horror fans out there. So watch this anime, I think anyone would love it just as I do.

-- Kaede 26th Aug 04

Ayashi No Ceres Images