Watase Yuu's greatest talent in her method of storytelling is knowing how to make the proverbial shit hit the fan for her characters. Yet, the twists and turns are done in such a way that it's not simply sending the plot into melodrama, or such that we come to expect everything to go bad. The stories keep moving along.
My first exposure to Watase's work was Fusghigi Yugi, almost four full years ago. I found myself enthralled with the fantasy of the story and attached to the characters in the plot pretty quickly. I think my record was 10 straight episodes of the series in one day. Since then however, I'd only heard the names of a few of Watase's works, never actually watching them. I am glad to say that recently I fixed this error.
Thanks to a loan from a fellow Anime Boston staff member, this past week I went through Ayashi no Ceres, [Ceres, Celestial Legend]. Not long after starting the series, one question came to mind, "Why didn't anyone who knows this series insist I watch this?" Watase's mix of lighthearted comedy, shoujo romance, and intense action make Ceres a story that grabs a hold of you quickly, and doesn't let go until the very end.
The story starts off in what just seems to be some typical days of in the lives of a brother and sister pair of twins, Aya and Aki Mikage, as they reach their sixteenth birthday. Aya and Aki seem to be just normal kids, living a happy existence. All that comes to a screeching halt as Aya seems to miraculously escape a near-death experience and the pair is instructed to come to their grandfather's mansion on the day of their birthday. Things go from strange to downright mysterious as the two note all the adult relatives in their extended family are also gathering at the house as well.
Before they understand what is happening, mysterious powers awaken in Aya, and the family moves to protect Aki, and shuns Aya, even going as far to try and kill her; and that's just the beginning of the intense plot of Ceres. Past lives, searches for love, amazingly intense action, and all sorts of events continue to move the plot of the Ceres along. Little can be taken for granted in this twenty-four episode anime. All that can be expected are incredible twists and turns that showcase Watase's ability to really make her characters ordeals both vividly imaginative as well as believable. If one thing in the entire story of Ayashi no Ceres that shows Watase's storytelling talent better than her amazing twists and turns; it's her ability to bring all these twists back around at the end, giving her story proper closure.
"When the sixteen stars and moons come around, you will know where your fate would lead you. When I foresee are blood, anger, and tragedy..."
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