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Review

by Bamboo Dong,

Ceres, Celestial Legend

DVD 6 - Double

Synopsis:
Ayashi no Ceres DVD 6 - Double
In the sixth volume of Ayashi no Ceres, Tooya is confronted with a girl from his past, but is it his real past? Incidentally, she looks exactly like Aya, but what about her celestial counterpart?
Review:
The sixth DVD of Ayashi no Ceres, known in the United States as Ceres: Celestial Legend and released by Pioneer, packs as many surprises and action as the first five volumes of the series. After so many episodes of secrets and cover-ups, Tooya's mysterious past is finally revealed, as well as his relationship with Aya. Despite the excitement of the scenes, there are also a few that hardly make sense. There's a scene where the viewer is confronted with a room full of Ceres look-alikes, which is never explained. In fact, the C-Project gets more and more complex as the series progresses, and none of it is ever explained. Presumably, all of this gets more explanation in the manga series, but with an entire story arc crammed into a short animated series, it's understandable that the plot may get a little confusing. Nevertheless, it would help the flow of the series considerably if some of the scenes were backed up.

The extras on the disc include the character gallery that comes standard in all the Ceres discs. Also included is a textless version of the new ending theme song. Also sung by Day-break, it's an energy filled theme that many will find even more pleasurable than the first ending theme. In fact, the music is kicked up a notch in this volume, with the dramatic scenes and the emotional music that accompanies them. Particularly enjoyable is the bouncy piano and guitar piece that plays in the last episode of the disc. Although many of the tracks played during the series aren't that memorable, they are still pleasant to listen to, and make the soundtracks a relaxing way to pass the time.

Although the low frame per second count in the series doesn't make the animation fluid like water, the art is pretty to look at. Like with most of Watase Yuu's characters, the people are beautiful, making it pleasant on the eyes. Later on the disc, scenes can be detected where computer art replaced traditional cel art. Luckily, it matches the rest of the art quite well, and the result heightens the effect of the scenes. In fact, the art is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the series. The work done on the eyes itself is commendable, as the characters' emotions can often be deduced just from the movement of the characters' eyes.

Even this late in the series, Ayashi no Ceres proves to be a very engaging show. With elements of action, intrigue, romance, and even comedy, the series has something in it that will appeal to almost everyone. The plot is fascinating, albeit confusing at times, and makes for fun viewing. With three episodes on a disc, the DVD is affordable, which allows more people to collect the series. If anyone is in the mood for a fresh, adventurous show, this is the time.
Grade:
Overall (dub) : C
Overall (sub) : A
Story : A
Animation : B
Art : A
Music : A

+ Cute, fun music score
Animation could be more fluid

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Production Info:
Director: Hajime Kamegaki
Series Composition: Yukiyoshi Ōhashi
Script:
Yukiyoshi Ōhashi
Sukehiro Tomita
Storyboard:
Saeko Aoki
Hajime Kamegaki
Jun Kamiya
Harume Kosaka
Jyoichi Masuda
Sōichi Masui
Susumu Nishizawa
Hiroshi Watanabe
Episode Director:
Saeko Aoki
Yuki Hayashi
Hajime Kamegaki
Harume Kosaka
Junko Matsushita
Jōhei Matsuura
Susumu Nishizawa
Setsuo Takase
Takashi Yamazaki
Music: Ryo Sakai
Original Manga: Yuu Watase
Character Design: Hideyuki Motohashi
Art Director: Shigenori Takada
Art:
Mio Isshiki
Takafumi Mizaki
Shigenori Takada
Sawako Takagi
Izumi Wada
Chief Animation Director: Hideyuki Motohashi
Animation Director:
Masayuki Hiraoka
Junko Matsushita
Hideyuki Motohashi
Sound Director: Hideo Takahashi
Director of Photography:
Kazuyoshi Ishizuka
Tomoyoshi Ishizuka
Executive producer:
Yūji Nunokawa
Shigeru Watanabe
Akito Yamashita
Licensed by: Viz Media

Full encyclopedia details about
Ceres, Celestial Legend (TV)

Release information about
Ceres, Celestial Legend - Double (DVD 6)

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