Ayashi No CeresFollow

Didn't care for it. I feel like the series couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Horror? Fighting? Romance? School days? The series reminded me a lot of Fushigi Yuugi, which I watched several years ago on VHS borrowed from a friend. Makes sense, as a LOT of the characters look very similar. I feel this series had more mature themes by a bit (like, Spoilermore attempted rape, plus teen pregnancy). The series is very melodramatic, but I enjoyed that a lot of characters will be taken out at some point (while some cling to life against all odds. Sigh. I sorta wish George RR Martin had manga).

The ending is pretty much a cliff-hanger as well. SpoilerTooya says he's going to die within a year or two. So??? Why? What'll happen then?

I'm also always freaked out by the Japanese archetype of older man - high school girl. Granted in this case, I guess SpoilerTooya was the younger man, since he was actually, what, 10? But he looked like he was 30. The series varied in its themes, as said before, and none of it felt particularly interesting. SpoilerYuuhi ends up with no one. All but one of the girls (and Aya) die.

I guess I can give kudos to a pretty good love story, though I was thinking to myself "Uh, what about practicing safe sex?" 16 year-old pregnant chicks kinda ruin a story for me. My favorite character was Yuuhi, as he was pretty much "the boy next door." I think the author's best work was Aya going between him and Tooya. That struck me as pretty realistic, and the reason it worked out as it did was good as well. Other than that the series offered little to me (although there was a nice semi-twist near the end). It was not a bad read, but not a good one either. I'd give it a 5/10. The drawing was good (if you like FY-style drawing), the story average, and the characters not that great. I couldn't say it was bad; just that nothing really stood out.

Anyway, anyone else read the manga, or (assuming there is one) seen the anime? Different thoughts?

Edit: I feel that as a teenager this might have had more of an effect on me. Aya is overly emotional about EVERYTHING. Maybe if I was that age again, I could relate better, have a nice emo moment, and go "this book is really about people like ME! Except they have superpowers." Maybe not. FY didn't strike me that way either.

Other edit: Tooya smiles 54 times in the entire series. Yeah, one review I read counted it.

Edited, Oct 12th 2009 3:10pm by LockeColeMA

I've heard the anime was pretty good; not much filler compared to some series, but it might have been too short to encompass everything. The manga is apparently a more mature version: several sex scenes, every volume has some nudity, and the violent scenes are gory (skin melting, arms ripped off, etc). However, it seems like the character development was less in the manga as well.

I'm just basing this off other reviews I read. I'll need to see the anime at some point, but I still have 19 episodes of Strawberry Panic to finish off first! ;-)

It was ok. Wasn't really thrilled with it but it didn't suck.