Ayashi no Ceres

The series, by Ms. Yuu Watase, is a rather gory and romantic tale about a celestial being (an angel for you slow ones) whose robe (hagaromo) was stolen. This robe allowed her back into heaven. The man who stole her robe, then lied he didn't know where it was, 'forced her to be his wife' (as Ceres, the angel, put it) and the main storyline follows the fate of her decendents.

In modern day Tokyo (I'm guessing, they never really do say), we have Aya and Aki Mikage on the eve of their 16th birthday. Aya decides to go get her fortune told, and doesn't realize how real and true it is. The next day, she and Aki go to their grandfather's only to be shown a mummified hand, which does have a great signifigance in the story. Well, much blood, kisses, and floating occurs, and we meet the Aogiri's, who also have some of the celestial blood in them. This goes to that, and it ends up being a very good series. Along the lines of being a very good celestial followup to Ms. Watase's first major series, Fushigi Yuugi.

I admit the plot caught my attention, and it started off well, but as the story goes on the series seems to drag at an incredibly slow speed. The images are very graphic and gory. Knowing it is an occult series, I'm still surprised at the vulgarity displayed.

The story is unbelievably touching. As short as the anime is the story was fully developed into something finished. You can't possibly expect continuation of it which is really rare in the anime. For the number of times I've watched it so far (above 3 or 4 times) I'm still crying on some of the episodes. Toya was my favorite character. As for the others they were very well developed too. All of the main characters were very likable except for Shiso Mikagi which is not a surprise. The opening song is very beautiful and sad. I still listen to it from time to time which says much since I watched this anime long time ago (like 3 years ago I think). I highly recommend this anime since the story is not only original but very interesting and heartbreaking too.

I absolutely adored this movie. The graphics are beautiful and contain true emotion, even as you watch. The storyline, although extensive, has enough curves and turns to remain entertaining. After reading the manga, i found the animation on T.V to be thrilling and enriching. Ayashi no Ceres is most definitely a great watch, especially after reading the series. Even though there are several violent moments that quite gory and disgusting, the drama just adds to the plot and you find yourself intertwined with the characters. Even friends of mine who despise Japanese Animation have loved Ayashi No Ceres, it is addicting and thrilling, while maintaining a youthful and light feeling.

This is my favorite show/anime/anything ever.. I love the manga and the anime and everything Yuu Watase does. The depth in this and the classic beauty meshed with drama and action is something I have not seen in shoujo anime for a while now.

And Lia.. this isn't just about nudity and hot guys. Also, if a woman character cries that does not make her weak. If everything happened to me that happened to Aya, hell, I'd do a lot more than just cry.