Manga Review: Ceres: Celestial Legend, Volume 5, by Yuu Watase

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Media (Shojo)

Publish Date: 2003

Volumes: 14

Spoilers?: Yes.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Aya takes matters into her own hands when she decides to search for the hagoromo. Meanwhile, T�ya must choose between being with Aya and working for Kagami and getting his memory back. How can he break free of the organization's hold and help Aki escape as well?

Review:

This series is actually getting better, and I’m very happy about that. The humor isn’t bothering me as much. And maybe it’s just getting more exciting. And there was more focus on Aki, who I just generally find more interesting than Aya.

First, Toya decides that he’s leaving the Mikage company. He’s just like, screw them, I’m done with this crap, destroys their machines, tears up their cameras and lasers, the front door, and is out of there. He’s all bloody, and he was going to take Aki with him, but Aki decides to stay, but that’s no big deal. Aya is waiting for him, having talked to him before this, and is ready to comfort and take care of him, and love him even more and all that. She’s upset about her brother staying, though. Toya is hurt and stays with the Aogiri’s for a couple days, even gets included on their pay roll or whatever so that he’s included in their group, before deciding that he has to go back to the Mikage’s and take care of Aki, as he sees him as his responsibility.

Aya is happy to have him, and then upset that he’s leaving her again. Yuhi is surprisingly okay with it, even if he is unhappy because he wants to be with Aya. And Aya has a mirror conversation with Ceres, who’s blunt and straightforward about what she wants, and particularly the fact that she wants to kill Aki and find out where her Hagoromo (the robe) is. The two make a deal that Ceres won’t come out and Aya will find the Hagoromo and deal with all of it on her own.

And then some serious shit happens with Aki. He wrote a letter for Toya to give to Aya, and he knows that he’s losing the fight with his past self, and he tells her that he wants her to kill him if his past self takes over. And he does, and he kills the Mikage grandfather (who, remember, doesn’t know anything about the c-project). Aki doesn’t even seem to be present anymore, and his past self is straightforward, blunt, a little crass, and determined to find Ceres (or Aya), who he calls "his woman", and we can tell that it isn’t Aki because he has all these scars. And then he does find her, with Toya as he’s leaving, and he kisses her. He also has a standoff with Ceres and Toya and Yuhi, who try to protect her, before he passes out and is taken away by the Mikage’s. Also, all of this is in public, there are dozens of people around, but that doesn’t seem to matter.

The volume ends with the Aogiri group seeing some famous pop star on television claiming that he’s a celestial descendent, and that he has the Hagoromo at his house. Which is sure to be interesting, and I’m guessing it’s not Ceres’. 

So: getting better. I’m very happy about this, and am actually looking forward to seeing what happens next. Also, I might not be reviewing the next one, just to let you know.