Aya

by Yuu Watase

Book Overview

Hell hath no fury like a heavenly maiden.

Horror, Comedy, and Romance Made in HeavenYuu Watase, the immensely popular writer/artist of the sh jo (girl's) fantasy smash Fushigi Y gi: The Mysterious Play, has turned her creativity and wry sense of humor to the horror genre with her anime/manga hit Ceres: Celestial Legend. Aya thought she was a normal teenager until she discovered that she can transform into a vastly...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1569319804
• ISBN13: 9781569319802
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Viz Media
• Length: 179 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.7" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

fire

i recommend to all the animanga homies out there

Watase is a genius!!

I've read the whole series in Chinese, and I've also seen the anime. This is without a doubt my favorite manga and anime series. Infinitely better than Fushigi Yuugi, it has everything I could ask for: beautiful artwork, suspenseful/engaging plot, humor, cleverness, and most of all, heart. Every single volume I find myself first of all feeling VERY bad for Aya, although cheering her on the whole time, and second of all thinking, "how in the world did Watase make this work so well?" You really feel the emotions the characters are feeling because the artwork is so detailed and the dialogue also reveal them. When I was on volume 12 or so (it just gets more and more horrendous for Aya and her buds - you thought vol. 1-6 was bad? - Aki acts truly evil later on, but you'll be practically bawling in the last volume (14)) it finally dawned on me why Aya is such a great character - she's unselfish. She never feels sorry for herself for long, instead she tries to protect everyone and is concerned for everybody. She only lets herself go when she's with Tooya. That's why Aya carries incredible guilt and grief when things get really awful in the later volumes - she takes other people's problems personally. However, she never gives up; she keeps fighting because she doesn't want to let down herself or the people she loves. And when she's on the verge of breaking down, she has real friends who love and support her unselfishly as well. She's a real character to me because she acts real. My favorite scene in this volume is when Aya realizes all her grief and pain in her heart from what has happened and uses those feelings to comfort Shuro and to bring Shuro out of her own grief. It's empathy, one of the greatest attributes a human being can have. I don't want to give away what that scene was about though. You'll know it when you read/see it. I really like the English version because it's an accurate translation, and reads backwards, and is bigger than regular Chinese/Japanese comic size - details are much clearer. What also make this series great are the "freetalk" sections in which Watase will jabber on about anything and everything. She comes off as a very entertaining, funny, nice and clever woman - and I think it's great that the author/illustrator wants to interact with her readers. Thanks Yuu Watase!!As a warning: once Aya and Tooya do it, they're doing it ALL THE TIME to the point that it becomes, to me, a little unecessary. So, I just want to say that the Older Teen rating on this series is VERY appropriate (although that's also due to the foul language, nudity, dark themes and other [adult] content). But seriously, older readers, this is the best series hands down (for the people who like this kind of intrigue, of course). If you have the chance, look into Rurouni Kenshin. The series is out on DVD, but the manga just began it's English run. It's another series with a lot of heart and a lot of action. It's awesome, my second favor

Summary & Review

This series begins the day before twins Aya and Aki Mikage's sixteenth birthday. Aya goes to an acclaimed fortune teller, only to get a seemingly ridiculous message. "In your future, Aya Mikage, you will be ruled by the star of darkness. I see blood, anger, devastation and sorrow...the destruction of all balance in the world. On the day the sixteenth star and moon align, your desiny will overtake you. Whether light or darkness triumphs is up to the great power of life you have within you." However, that is only the beginning of the strangeness. When Aya recover's a woman's purse from a fleeing theif, she falls twenty feet from an overpass into a road. She doesn't just fall, though-she floats. Dazed, Aya stands in the street as a car rushes towards her. Enter Toya. He knocks Aya out of the car's path, saving her life. When her friends reach her, Toya disappears into the crowd. Aya and Aki make plans with their friends to go out for karaoke for their birthday, but when the twins reach home, they are told by their parents that they have to go to their grandfather's house instead. When they arrive at Grandfather's the next day, Aya and Aki are surprised to find all of their relatives sitting at a long table, dressed in black. Toya appears and puts a box down in front of them. Aya is surprisingly nervous, feeling her heart beat faster. Aki opens the box. Within it is a sort of shriveled up hand. The sight of it causes Aya to change for the first of what will be many times-into Ceres, a Heavenly Maiden. The mummified hand explodes. Breathing hard, Aya returns to her normal self. Confused, she turns to Aki. But something is happening to him, as well. Cuts appear all over his body and he slumps forward, unconscious and bleeding, onto the table. Aya begs her relatives for help, but no one moves. Grandfather assures her that Aki will not die. No. She must die. Ayashi no Ceres, known in English as Ceres: Celestial Legend is a dark, suspenseful manga, full of interesting storylines. Aya tries to conquer the celestial blood that runs through her veins, as Aki tries to recover and figure out what is going on. Suzumi-who shares a special bond with Aya-and Yuhi, Suzumi's brother in law, try to keep Aya safe from her kin. Toya is trying to find himself while forced to serve the Mikages, whose only desire is to see Aya dead and harness Aki's innate power. One becomes easily addicted to this wonderful series. Not only does one want to know once and for all what exactly is going on, but one becomes endeared to the characters and wants to stay with them. It isn't all horror and drama. There is comic relief and romance thrown into the mix, as well. The art is beautifully drawn and all of the characters are, well, attractive. Shojo readers will love this for the relationship between the ditzy, confused Aya and mysterious Toya, or the comedic one between Aya and Yuhi. Others will simply enjoy the mystery, drama, and horror that is the framework of the story. It i

Wonderful!

A comic book for teenage girls -- what a rare thing that is today! It's wonderful that Yuu Watase's work is being translated from Japanese and brought over here where it can be appreciated by girls of all ages who are hungering for comics specifically written for them.When I first heard that Watase was writing a comic where a girl's family tries to kill her on her 16th birthday because she inherits mysterious and dangerous powers, I just had to read it. Ceres is darker and more dramatic than Mysterious Play (Watase's other work that has been translated) and has a more adult flavor to it. Her parents do, indeed, try to kill her within the first few pages of issue #1. Why they do is a mystery she is left to sort out from amongst the shattered pieces of her life after she escapes them. I have seen the animated version of Ceres (which is available on DVD) from beginning to end, so I know how it works out. The story builds over time, with more and more questions gripping the reader as the lead character, Aya, is torn between several mighty organizations fighting to either kill, control, or protect her. Even her family is divided about what to do with her. And it's all because of this mysterious power she bears, a power that can both save lives, and destroy cities.This is a complex story that has several astonishing twists and turns before it reaches its grand finale, where *all* of the audience's questions are answered. It doesn't feel, as you get closer and closer to the end, and the tale gets stranger and stranger, that all of it can possibly be explained in a satisfactory way, but miraculously it is. Ceres, it turns out, is an excellent piece of writing -- especially for a comic book artist.Even though I do have one or two quibbles with the plotting (and with that major hottie Tooya, I'm sorry to say), I'm giving this five stars because **the artwork** is worth five stars alone. Watase's work is *gorgeous*. It flows, it feels, it lives. It's full of color, darkness, beauty. Because of the grace of her line, I prefer the comic to the animated version. There are moments in the comic where I have to stop reading and just stare at the artwork.One scene to look for, that appears in the comic book but not in the animated version, is in the bathroom. The results of a sudden and unexpected encounter there are both hilarious and sweet.I recommend this for young women ages 12-up. Though I am 25, I wish I had read it as a teenager. I would have devoured it then, even more than I devour it now. There is darkness, drama, humor, violence, romance, and sexuality (at about a PG-13 level). It is well worth a peek, even if you decide not to commit to the whole series (which I think is 10-14 issues). Keep in mind that only some of the issues have been translated, and it will be many months before the entire series is translated and brought over. If you absolutely have to know what happens now, I recommend trying the completed DVD version instead

wow! a must read!

Ayashi no Ceres' first volume promises the series to be a hit like Yu Watase's other famous work, Fushigi Yuugi. Ceres has a love triangle in the Fushigi Yuugi style, but the story is much darker. There is more blood and violence, and much less slapstick humor. The main character, Aya, is maturer than Miaka from fushigi yuugi (except she seems to fall hopelessly for one guy immediatly like Miaka did) Basically the plot is about the twins, Aya and Aki, who on their 16th birthday recieve a pretty weird present from their family that awakens strange powers in both of them. Suddenly Aya's family is trying to kill her, and she must run or be killed. Some parts of this manga actually reminded me of scream. ^_^ It's been called a horror, but I'de say it's a dark drama. Don't worry- there is some humor in it! More Mature humor though, so combined with the blood and stuff, I would say just use your own discretion. Overall, this was a great manga so buy it today!

The darker side to legends!!

This series, being from the same creator of Fushigi Yugi is just as well written and illustrated. The story of a girl named Aya, who is forced to run for her life from her family on her 16th birthday, because she has become a "celestial being", what is a celestial being? Supposedly some sort of angel. In this volume it isn't too detailed on why her family would want to kill her because of the fact that she is a "heavenly maiden", I'm sure that will come later in the story. Of course there is a love story, Aya who is saved by a mysterious stranger named Touya, ends up falling for him. Of course there is so much more in this volume. Aya has a twin brother, who is supposed to be the reincarnated lover of the celestial angel that she has been reincarnated as. Weird?, yes!, but still very good, I can't wait to find out the true story of the Celestial maiden, and I can't wait to see the love blossom between Aya and Touya. If your a big fan of Fushigi Yugi, you have to get this!! Of course it's not as lighthearted, but still a fantastic series, if your new to this author's work, do yourself a favor. Be a little adventurous and get yourself this book. Trust me, you won't be dissapointed!!!