Ceres Celestial Legend

(Viz, 2001-2004)
TM and © Yu Watase

In another spin on the otherworldly powers that be, the lives of the spirited Aya Mikage and her twin brother Aki are on the verge of turning upside down—or so a fortune teller reveals. Saved from a near accident by a handsome stranger, Aya feels strange powers awakening within her. But that’s not nearly as weird as when her family celebrates her 16th birthday as if it’s a wake—since they’ve decreed she is going to die.

Her rescuers inform Aya that she is descended from a “celestial maiden” and that her clan has killed her predecessors who also carried this blood. But, when she returns to save her brother, who is held hostage, will her grandfather and father end her life to save their own? Not if her chopstick-wielding protector Yuhi can help it! But what side is the mysterious bad boy Toya really on?

Yu Watase weaves another teen thriller with the threads of bubbling adolescent hormones, mythology, and a hefty dose of shojo sauce. With good-looking gals and guys and comic asides, Aya is in for another rite of passage that will test her belief in herself and who her true friends are. This is familiar territory for Watase fans, but they will enjoy the ride, nonetheless.

— Oliver Chin

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