Destiny and Sacrifice......     May 29, 2007     reviewed by lalynne    

Ayashi no ceres a mythological love story...It started when Aya Mikage reach 16 years old and the bloodline of Ceres was in her.Mikage Family try to kill Aya to stop Ceres in killing all of them..While Mikage was shown up in the body of Aya's beloved twin,Aki..Then Ceres appears to have revenge in Mikage family and get back the hagoromo once stole of her love,Mikage to enter heaven...And then Aya fell inlove to a man named Toya,who doesn't know all about his past....Then the fairy meets the feather....

lalynne also recommended: Fushigi yuugi, Pichi Pichi pitch,
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It Runs In The Family.     Oct 25, 2007     reviewed by TheReviewer    

Ayashi no Ceres is a brilliant show of Yuu Watase's artwork and storyline. She put a lot of dedication and research into this piece, and it shows greatly.

The main character Aya starts off as typical teen who dyes her hair and wants to go with friends to the nearest karaoke bar, but throughout the story, she starts to change, but who wouldn't if your family was trying to kill you? Aya is by no means a static character, and her changes make the reader sympathize towards her as well as the other tragic heroes of the manga.

The manga revolves around tragedy, horror, and the faint of heart shouldn't read this. However, next to the blood and horrid transformations of goddesses, there lies a beautiful love story and love triangles galore.

Ayashi no Ceres is a beautiful piece of work with stunning plot lines, real-life characters, and stunning visuals. Yuu Watase really outdone herself.

TheReviewer also recommended: Fushigi Yuugi, Alice 19th,
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Pretty good.     Sep 11, 2007     reviewed by demonic_kitten    

Ceres has an amazing storyline that is intriging and makes you want to watch all 24 episodes in one sitting. I loved it, though I thought it was better in Japanese with English subtitles. The only downfall to the story is that the main character is a little slutty and not exactly a good role model. Aside from the one downfall the anime was good and I would recommend buying the series if you're interested in it.

demonic_kitten also recommended:
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Moving and Suspense!     Jun 20, 2007     reviewed by Koneko    

Yuu Watase-san has a way with stories. This one truly calls out to all those who have ever felt estranged, lonely, cut off, different and calls to them to be strong no matter WHAT! The drama is high with each volume and each character is complex and real. ^_^ But don't worry, Watase-san knows how to interrupt those serious moments with some comedy. The romantic twists and turns will make your head spin so get ready for love quadrangles. ^_^ This is a manga that must be read and reread.

Koneko also recommended: Fuushugi Yuugi,
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Dramatic love story     Jun 05, 2007     reviewed by Pink Cherry    

I've only read 2 volumes but loved them. Great story. I especially enjoyed the whole hatred between Aya and Yuhi. I love that he was told the tube was ready for him he walks in she is naked and she punches him. yeah good balance of drama and comedy

Pink Cherry also recommended: Absolute Boyfriend,
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Celestial Maidens; Ayashi no Ceres     May 25, 2007     reviewed by machina    

I can really only speak on the manga for this series, being that I have only seen one DVD of the anime; but I must state that I was greatly surprised by the similarities between the two. Most times you can find quite a bit of differences between the manga and the anime series, but this one held true to the story and dialog as far as I could tell.

This title captures the essence of adolescent romance and the hardships that come with it, while at the same time throwing supernatural mischief into the mix. Throw in some reincarnated angels and power hungry bastards and you have Ayashi no Ceres.

The Mikage family, a rich and powerful family in modern day Japan; with a dark secret. They are the descendants of a powerful maiden, a maiden from heaven; and a tribesman with a terrible hunger for blood. Each year, on the 16th birthday of the Mikage females, they are tested; and if the test is failed.. execution quickly follows.

Ayashi no Ceres follows the struggle of 16 year old twins, Aya and Aki Mikage. Both riddled with past lives, corruption and deceit. Can they find solace in their friends and families, or will those very groups cause their downfall?

machina also recommended: Angel Diary, MARS,
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aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaMAZING     Jan 06, 2009     reviewed by *vampire kisses and werewolves tears*    

this was an amazingly beautiful story!!! i fell in love and never wanted it to end...but sadly it did.:( waaah.i dont care who you are YOU will LOVE this manga!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Ayashi No Ceres     Oct 11, 2008     reviewed by ChocoMilkTea    

Ayashi no Ceres presents a beautiful love story, which intertwined with great action and characters makes for a sad, yet heartwarming story that can grip your heart.

It starts off very peacefully, with Aya Mikage and her twin brother Aki spending time with their friends, celebrating the twins' 16th birthday. However, this peaceful day is interrupted by Aya falling off a bridge, down on the highway underneath. Miraculously, she lands without getting a scratch, and she's saved from cars on a collision course by a mysterious, red-headed man. And that day marks the end of the happy days for the two.

They are summoned to the family mansion to celebrate their 16th birthday, but instead, they end up being the victims of the Mikage family's gruesome rite of killing off female descendants with strong tennyo powers in them. Said powers suddenly awaken, preventing her from getting killed.

From here on, the story goes darker, deeper and angstier as we're thrown into the mess that Aya suddenly finds herself in, being hunted by her own family all of a sudden. She has to deal with the fact that her twin brother has turned into a reincarnation of an evil man from the past, and she has to make sure Ceres doesn't take over her body completely. This leads to some great action scenes, as Ceres emerges to fight the Mikage family from time to time, with her astounding powers.

And then there's the love, the beautiful, yet sad love that is Aya's and Toya's love - Toya is the guy who saved her, but also a Mikage henchman, which means he's out to get her. However, he slowly falls in love with her, and her with him, despite the two of them being enemies. Now they must find a way to live out their love without the Mikage family or Ceres, who has a vendetta against the Mikages, getting in the way. Of course, there's Yuhi, and there's actually some mutual love between Yuhi and Aya as well, creating a love triangle that can rip Aya apart.

The characters in the anime are all very realistically portrayed. From Toya's quest to find his place in this world to Aya's struggles to remain herself through all that happens around her. The love that slowly develops between Toya and Aya is never forced, and their relationship progresses nicely over the course of the series.

The side characters are all good too, and despite not having so major roles, they fulfill them excellently, and they are portrayed very well too. Most of the characters you will see have some depth to them, which causes your heart to be with them as well, and not only Aya and Toya.

I'm also fond of the character development that takes place during the course of the series - at the end I could see how much they had matured, obviously having learned a few things about life and love during the events that took place during the course of the series.

Studio Pierrot did a nice job on the animation, and despite it being a bit old, it's very good. The lighting effects are very well done, though the same can't always be said about the special effects - they had their moments they too, though. The overall detail is very good, but there's one thing that bugged me, and that was the fact that their hair seemed transparent when in front of their eyes. You can't see your eyes through a layer of hair >_<

There's one thing you should look out for though - there's some moments of nudity in the series, and I know that some people don't really like that. So now you've been warned.

The soundtrack fits right into the sad love tone of the series, with astounding and gripping piano pieces that amplify the sad mood, and the OP theme is one of the best I've heard. I didn't really like the ED themes; they didn't quite keep to the overall tone of the series. But all in all the soundtrack was astounding, and the only reason for you not to like it is if you don't like piano music.

All in all, Ayashi no Ceres is a sad yet heartwarming anime about love, with some great action intertwined into it, making for a blend that I found absolutely incredible. It had the characters and soundtrack to back it up, too.

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Ayashi no Ceres, Ceres Celestial Legend     Aug 02, 2007     reviewed by Audria    

Captivating art, heart aching romance, just the right blend of adventure, and out comes Ayashi no Ceres!

Audria also recommended: Fushigi Yugi, Alice 19th, Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden,
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