Reincarnation: Ceres -- Celestial Legend -- 2 disk set.
Ages: Older Teens

An ancient legend has devastating and unfathomable consequences on 16 -year-old Aya Mikage. On her birthday, when she thought it was a normal celebration turns into a real-life nightmare when her own family tries to kill her and imprisons her twin brother Aki. Aya learns she possesses the blood of the celestial maiden and has the power to transform into the mysterious and powerful Ceres. Her world turned upside down. Aya sets out on a journey to discover the truth about herself and the disturbing history of her family line. From the creator of Fushigi Yugi , Yu Watase brings you the first 12 episodes of a tale about eternal love, cosmic retribution and celestial maidens with sublime supernatural powers.

Reviewed by: Editor - 12/04

I have always had faith in the artistic mastermind that is Yu Watase. As one of the leading female manga and anime artists in Japan, who wouldn't have faith in her? She has brought into being four of the most celebrated shoujo series in mangadom. This DVD is a compilation of the first two disks of her second series, Ayashi no Ceres, better known as Ceres: Celestial Legend.

The main character, Aya Mikage, is likeable enough: I have always had a bit of a problem with shouju heroines, and Aya is no exception; managing to get through the overwhelming odds with nothing but her cuteness and naiveté. (Of course, having two cute guys protecting you does even the odds a bit) A quick beginning plot summary: On Aya's 16th birthday, she and her twin brother Aki are summoned to her grandfathers house. There, her family imprisons Aki and tries to kill Aya. It turns out Aya possesses the blood of a heavenly maiden named Ceres that seeks revenge on the Mikage family. Her brother, alternately, possesses the blood of the man who captured Ceres and forced her to marry him.

The plot is very confusing unless you have read the manga, or posses such qualities that enable you to make sense of the endless barrage of information that streams your way in a matter of minutes. I believe it made it's start based off of an old story about an angel who came to earth. Still, even while knowing this, I found myself too often wondering "What? When did that happen?" and other such comments. Although I think the story is wonderful, I feel that the anime did not do a very good job of conveying the mood of the manga. Also, the beginning of the anime is very slow-paced. It takes a couple of episodes for the plot to really start, and it seems that some early issues never really get resolved.

Like most shoujo manga, the action is of a magical variety, and there is a whole bunch of heartbreak and angst. An aspect of the DVD I did not like, the menu screen, gave away most of the romantic plot in the first couple of seconds. Other then that particular spoiler, the menu screen was set up well, with easy-to-access options and a pretty pink fog that danced across the screen.

The art was unmistakably Watase's, complete with the large, shining eyes that predominate in her work. The anime company did a very good job in imitating her style. I found some of the movement to be a bit jerky, but that is to be expected in a shoujo anime. The English voices, as always, were not very good. (there is only one anime that I think has good English voices, and this is not it.) The subtitles were very good, although some parts were glossed over.

This anime contains mature themes. I would not recommend it for children younger then the age of 12. Later on in the series, I would up that age to 15 and less. While I will not go into detail here, I will say that there are many themes that are way too mature for a child, or even a preteen. I believe the recommended age limit for the manga is 16 and up, and I think the anime should be the same.

All in all, I would rate this DVD a 7 out of 10. I do not think it was as good as the manga, and I will not say it was the best manga/anime I've ever read/seen. In my personal opinion, I have read much better stories, and seen better shows. However, Ceres does carry in it a kind of charm that can only be found in a Yu Watase story, combining the fluffiness of shoujo with the darker sides of the supernatural and life itself. And I will say another thing; Ceres is one of the most interesting characters I have ever seen in a Japanese anime.

Reviewed by: Vivian B. - 01/05