This week’s review is about Ceres Celestial Legend, a manga series presented in fourteen volumes by author and artist Yuu Watase, the same mind behind the Fushigi Yuugi. Classified as a fantasy shoujo series, Ceres Celestial Legend, also know as Ayashi no Seresu, it ran from 1996 to 2000, and has been made into an anime series that has become quite popular for the fantasy content as well as the drama concerning the characters. Beautifully drawn, and unique in the plot line, Ceres Celestial Legend earns more good points than bad when it comes to the series as a whole.

The plot of this manga series revolves around Aya Mikage, who finds out on her sixteenth birthday that she is the descendent of a mythological being, the tennyo or celestial maiden. She is a twin, and it is discovered on their sixteenth birthdays, that Aya and her twin brother Aki are reincarnations of Ceres and her former husband, a human being that took her hagoromo, which is a celestial robe of legend. Aya’s family is determined to kill her to keep her from killing Aki, as they have done with the former girls who have been born into the family. Aya is protected by another family who has tennyo ancestors, in her mission to save her brother and keep her family from harming anyone else.

While the story could be much more well put together, it is easy to read and to follow. The legends presented are explained so that there is very little confusion, and are believable in the world of the story. The characters of Ceres Celestial Legend are by turns sweet and engaging, as well as terrifying and evil, going back and forth between the two with regular clarity. So many characters have dual and even triple personalities that it is hard to distinguish what is going on at some points. But it is all cleared up in the end, and given the perspective that such things need.

Art in shoujo manga is generally beautiful, and the art of Ceres Celestial Legend is no exception. It is drawn with so many gorgeous characters that any which are ugly or less than perfect are almost always humorous in nature. Some men are beautiful enough to be women, and the female characters rival anything in the real world. The backgrounds are well drawn when thought about, and there are many different styles of character, which makes them easy to tell apart and enjoy looking at.

Anyone who likes fantasy or shoujo manga will enjoy Ceres Celestial Legend. If you prefer deeper plots, you might be a bit disappointed, but there are enough convoluted manga series in the world to make a simpler series like this one appreciated. Heavy on the romance, the drama, and the random desires of the male cast, Ceres Celestial Legend is a slice of fantasy that can be a delightful afternoon read.