Ceres: Celestial Legend, Vols. 5-8 (2000)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written and Illustrated by Yu Watase
Character Design by Hideyuki Motohashi
Directed by Hajime Kamegaki
Published in the US by Viz

Features:

• Character galleries
  
• Design galleries
  
• Textless intro
  
• Japanese and English audio
  
• English subtitles
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• violence
• weird science
• girls with glowy eyes
• evil ancestors stealing bodies without asking

Rating: NR, suitable for ages 13+

Anamorphic: N/A

My Advice: Buy them.

When last we met, Toya had just joined Aya's side and both characters had been taken in by the Aogiri family. Now, Yuhi becomes even more protective of Aya, and just in time, as Aki continues losing the battle of his mind to the Progenitor--the man responsible for this whole mess and the perpetrator of the original wrong that caused the Celestial Being to curse the Mikage clan. Then, Toya recovers his lost memory, but loses the past year, including his knowledge of Aya. In his memory, there's a double for Aya, and maybe another Ceres. Aya toys with the idea of turning herself in, for the sake of her family, and Kagami continues his sinister plan to create an entire race of people descended from the Celestial Maidens. Eventually, Aki captures Toya...and shows just what cruelty lives within him now. Finally, Aki and the Progenitor make an appearance in front of Aya with the mysterious hagaromo robe nearby. The end is finally here, and what an explosive time it is!

The plot of Ceres thus far has been imaginative, clever, and complex, and this second half of the series is no exception. Just when you think you have everything figured out, Watase throws you a twist to keep you guessing and interested. Finally, toward the end, we start getting the answers we've waited for for so long. Ceres indeed begins to move into iconic realms, delving into ancient legends, heroic journeys, coming of age, and the nature of existence and truth. Heady stuff for anime, but Viz and Watase are up to the task.

The art of Ceres continues to be top-notch and absolutely gorgeous. Even the more horrific scenes have a kind of perverse beauty to them, or are at least affecting. The video transfer is good enough to really show off Watase's excellent art, even though there is a little bit of cross-coloration here and there. The show is intentionally quite dark and a bit muted, and so there was a bit of muddiness, but that's to be expected.

The audio of Ceres is about as good here as it was in the previous half of the series. Both the Japanese and the English audio tracks are clear, with talented voice acting portraying real emotion and tension. Given the importance of dialogue in Ceres, it's a good thing that the audio track is up to the challenge of clarity and interest.

The extras on these last discs provide more character galleries, design galleries, and textless openings. Pay special attention to the new endings and openings of the show. Some liner notes would have been nice, but you can't have everything.

All in all, the ending of Ceres doesn’t disappoint. Things make sense based upon what you’ve seen to this point, yet there are enough surprises to keep things interesting. The characters remain deep and true to their individual personalities. The art, plot, and voices are all reliably good, and you can’t really ask for more than that in an anime series. So go forth and get your discs today; you’ll be glad you did!