AKA No longer the WIP Version.
Yes, after a false start waaaay back, we finally GET Ayashi no Ceres! Sankyuuu, Level Comics ^^
Ayashi no Ceres Tenkuu Otogizoushi ©Watase Yuu/Shogakukan
[First serialized in Sho-Comi]
Published in Indonesia as Ceres: A Heaven's Fairy Tale
by Elex Media/Level Comics
I know the world and her BFF already knows Ceres' plot, but here's my version of Level's series intro:
Aya and her twin Aki are summoned before their grandfather on their sixteenth birthday. [Having trouble continuing for all the giggling as you already know what comes next. Neway...] But the birthday party turns out to be no celebration. Before the entire Mikage assemblage, Aya is handed a mysterious box. When she opens it, her real identity is revealed. She is the reincarnation of a tennyo, a celestial maiden who has every reason to desire Clan Mikage's destruction. Before that happens, the family moves to eliminate Aya and appropriate tennyo Ceres' powers within her.
OK, some outside info worked its way into the above blurb, but can you blame me? As I sed, the world and her BFF knows Ceres' story. At any rate, Aya flees and receives help (and then some) from both Mystery Man Tooya and Shounen Martial Artist Yuuhi. As for Aki, he is named the Mikage heir for he's the reincarnation of Ceres' former husband, the man who hid Ceres' hagoromo or celestial robe and prevented her return to heaven.
Ayashi no Ceres Tenkuu Otogizoushi debuted in Sho-Comi. The first volume subtitled Aya
was first published in Japan in December 1996; the 14th and last tankou Hagoromo
released March 2000. If I'm not mistaken, Elex had already licensed Ceres, but reportedly dropped it for the smut, I mean, graphic, content. So, isn't it great that Elex now has the Level imprint to accommodate the shoujo classic, nookie 'n all?
Ayashi no Ceres won the 43rd Shogakukan Manga Award for the shoujo category.
Studio Pierrot, the same animation studio behind the Fushigi Yuugi anime, adapted Ayashi no Ceres into a 24-episode TV series. It aired on Japan's WOWOW from April to September 2000. (I believe AXN also telecast Ceres, but don't ask me when). Seiyuu Kakazu Yumi voiced Aya, Iwao Junko, Ceres. Konishi Katsuyuki and Itou Kentarou were Tooya and Yuuhi, while Chiba Susumu portrayed Aki, his sibcestuous performance propelling the voice actor to the top of my fave seiyuu list.
Other Watase Yuu manga
I'm pretty sure nobody needs an introduction to Watase Yuu-sensei, but if you're blanking out, I already mentioned one other above — MIAKA! TAMAHOME! MIAKA!! TAMAHOME!!!! (Fushigi Yuugi). I've listed the W is for Watase Yuu
manga I wub here, but lemme just touch on more recent releases, here and abroad: Arata Kangatari (ongoing serialization in Shonen Sunday; still unlicensed for Indonesia AFAIK; volume 13 street date: 2011.11.18), Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden (also still unlicensed; latest JP tankou 10 released June 2011), Manga Yuugi (really a how to draw manga) and Watase Yuu the Best Selection anthologies, the latter two titles published here by m&c!
The rest of the previews after the release list.
Level Comics manga (2011.10.26)
- Air Gear vol 24 of 33+ by Oh!great
- Angel Heart vol 11 of 33 by Hojo Tsukasa
- Attack!! vol 8 of 11+ by Oshima Tsukasa
- [Series Premiere] Ceres: A Heaven's Fairy Tale (Ayashi no Ceres) vol 1 of 14 by Watase Yuu
- GTO vol 5 of 25 by Fujisawa Toru
- Haruka 17 vol 14 of 19 by Yamazaki Sayaka
- Hikayat Genji (Asakiyumemishi) vol 12 of 13 by Yamato Waki
- MOON - Subaru Solitude Standing vol 2 of 9 by Soda Masahito & Tomiyama Kuro
- Soul Eater vol 11 of 20+ by Ohkubo Atsushi
 | Angel Heart 「エンジェル・ハート」 |
Related series
Angel Heart 2nd Season (sequel; two volumes per 2011.09.20)
Reissues/Other languages
Reissued by Coamix under the ZENON Collection label from 2010.09 (18 volumes per 2011.05)
French (Génération Comics and Panini Comics)
Adaptations
Adapted into anime by TMS, starring seiyuu Kamiya Akira as Saeba Ryo and Kawasaki Mao as Shan-In Glass Heart
Lee. Fifty episodes adapting manga volumes 1 to 18 aired in Japan from October 2005 to September 2006.
 | Attack!! 「アタック！！」 by Oshima Tsukasa |
 | Ayashi no Ceres Tenkuu Otogizoushi |
Awards
Winner, 43rd Shogakukan Manga Awards in the Shoujo category
Reissues/Other languages
Reissued in seven Shogakukan Bunko from 2005.11 to 2006.02
English Ceres: Celestial Legend (VIZ Media: (14 volumes per 2006.02), French (Editions Tonkam: Ayashi no Ceres: Un conte de fée céleste: 14 volumes per 2002.01), German (EMA), Spanish (Glènat España: Ceres: La Leyenda Celestial), Italian (Play Press: La fiaba del cielo), Vietnamese Truyền Thuyết Thiên Nữ
Adaptations
The 24-episode anime adaptation by Studio Pierrot aired in Japan on WOWOW from April to September 2000, with seiyuu Kakazu Yumi as Aya Mikage, Iwao Junko as Ceres, Konishi Katsuyuki as Tooya, Itou Kentarou as Yuuhi, Chiba Susumu as Aki, Miki Shinichiro as Mikagi and Sugita Tomokazu as Mikage Kagami.
Light novels written by Nishizaki Megumi and illustrated by Watase Yuu: Ayashi no Ceres Episode of Tooya (one volume Palette bunko: 2000.06); Episode of Shuro (one volume Palette bunko: 2000.09); Episode of Aki (one volume Palette bunko: 2001.01); and Episode of Miku (Palette bunko, three volumes from 2001.06 to 2001.08)
Related
Sequel: Ayashi no Ceres Gaiden (side story included as furoku for Sho-Comi #18; also compiled in Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden vol 6)
Watase Yuu Postcard Book Fushigi Yuugi Ayashi no Ceres Imadoki! (Japan release: 2001.01)
 | GTO 「ＧＴＯ」 by Fujisawa Toru |
Awards
Winner, 1998 Kodansha Manga Awards in the Shounen category
Other languages
Bilingual Japanese/English (Kodansha International, three volumes per 1999.12), English GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka (TOKYOPOP: 25 volumes), French (PIKA Édition: 25 volumes), Italian (Dynamic Italia), German (EMA), Polish (Waneko), Swedish (Schibsted Förlagen Sverige AB; serialized in Manga Mania), traditional Chinese (Tong Li)
Related series
Prequels Shounan Junaigumi! AKA GTO: The Early Years (31 of 31 volumes) and Bad Company (1 of 1 volume) and sequel GTO Shonan 14 Days (nine volumes as at 2011.11.17, ongoing)
Adaptations
A live-action GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka TV series, starring Sorimachi Takashi (Onizuka Eikichi) and Matsushima Nanako (Fuyutsuki Azusa) telecast from July to September 1998 on Fuji TV and Kansai TV, followed by GTO Drama Special (1999.08.28) and GTO: The Movie (1999) and Studio Pierrot's 43-episode Great Teacher Onizuka anime adaptation, starring seiyuu Takagi Wataru as Onizuka that aired between June 1999 and September 2000.
 | Haruka 17 「はるか１７」 by Yamazaki Sayaka |
Adaptations
A 10-episode live-action drama starring Hirayama Aya (Miyamae Haruka) aired on TV Asahi from July to September 2005.
 | Asakiyumemishi 「あさきゆめみし」 |
Related/reissues
Adapted from Genji Monogatari by Murasaki Shikibu
Reissued in seven volumes in 1993 under the KCDX imprint. Also re-released in bunkoban (Asakiyumemishi Genji Monogatari Kodansha Manga bunko: seven volumes, 2001.08 and Asakiyumemishi Genji Monogatari Kodansha Aoi Tori bunko: five volumes, 2006.10–2008.02) and kanzenban (Kanzenban KCDX Asakiyumemishi The Tale of Genji: 10 volumes, 2008.04–2008.07)
A Genji Monogatari Asakiyumemishi Illustrations book was published in December 1984, while the Asakiyumemishi no Sekai Genji Monogatari Navi BOOK guide was issued in April 2005.
Other languages
English (Kodansha Bilingual Comics; partial)
 | MOON—Subaru Solitude Standing— |
Other languages
Traditional Chinese (Tong Li: MOON~昴‧續篇~ 7 released 2011.08)
Related series
Subaru (prequel; 11 volumes)
 | Soul Eater 「ソウルイーター」 |
Related series
First appeared as one-shots in two Gangan Powered special editions (Summer and Fall 2003) and Gangan Wing's 26 November 2003 issue. (Regular Monthly Shonen Gangan serialization commenced May 2004.)
Other languages
English Soul Eater (Yen Press: seven volumes as of 2011.10.25 • volume 8 street date: 2012.02.28), French (Kurokawa: Tome 17 per 2011.10.13 • Tome 18 street date: 2011.12.08), German (Carlsen Comics: Band 13 shipped 2011.10.28 • Band 14 street date: 2011.12.16) and traditional Chinese (Sharp Point Press Taiwan: SOUL EATER噬魂者 18 released 2011.08)
Related series
Soul Eater Not! (spin-off; began serialization in Shonen Gangan 2011.01.12; volume 1 released in Japan 2011.09.22)
Adaptations
Manga volumes 1 to 12 adapted to anime by BONES. Fifty-one episodes starring seiyuu Omigawa Chiaki (Maka Alban) and Uchiyama Kouki (Soul Eater) aired in Japan from April 2008 to March 2009.
Square Enix bundled an audio drama, Soul Eater (Vol. 1): Special Social Studies Field Trip, with an artbook in August 2005. The drama CD featured different actors (Takeuchi Junko as Maka; Hoshi Souichirou as Soul Eater); only Kobayashi Yumiko reprised her Black☆Star role in the TV series.
[Release links are hide/unhide. Click for more details.]
Level Comics value sets [Paket] (2011.10.26)
- Diamond Life, Vols. 1–3 of 3 by Fujiwara Akira –Complete– [IDR 27,000/set]
- Ergo Proxy: Centzon Hitchers and Undertaker, Vols. 1–2 of 2 by manglobe and Harao Yumiko –Complete– [IDR 18,000/set]
- Fly, Daddy, Fly!, Vols. 1–2 of 2 by Kaneshiro Kazuki & Akishige Manabu –Complete– [IDR 18,000/set]
- Genius Family Company, Vols. 1–6 of 6 by Ninomiya Tomoko (Tensai Family Company) –Complete– [IDR 84,000/set]
- My Lovely Honey, Vols. 1–3 of 3 by Ohmi Tomu (Barairo My Honey) –Complete– [IDR 27,000/set]
- New Comic Bomber, Vols. 1–5 (of 11) by Shimamoto Kazuhiko (Shin Hoero Pen) [IDR 45,000/set]
- Ole!, Vols. 1–5 of 5 by Nohda Tatsuki –Complete– [IDR 45,000/set]
- Onsen Paradise, Vols. 1–3 (of 9) by Kikuchi Shota (Kirikiritei no Brown Sensei) [IDR 27,000/set]
Note: Volume tallies represent original volume totals, not (necessarily) Level Comics' latest release. Most recent Level releases: New Comic Bomber vol 8 (9.14), Onsen Paradise vol 4 (7.20)
European comics/BDs (2011.10.26)
- Cubitus - Si Anjing Setia (Cubitus, Tome 13: Chien fidèle) by Dupa (Le Lombard)
- Rantanplan - Sang Buronan (Rantanplan, Tome 7: Le Fugitif) by Morris, Jean Léturgie & Xavier Fauche (Lucky Comics)
- Smurf - Para Smurf & Buku Serba Tahu (Les Schtroumpfs, Tome 26: Les Schtroumpfs et le livre qui dit tout) by Peyo (Le Lombard)
- Yakari - Kemarahan Langit (Yakari, Tome 22: La Fureur du Ciel) by Derib & Job (Le Lombard) «EX 10.12
AirGear 「エア・ギア」 by Oh! great
Kodansha Weekly Shonen Magazine, shounen
Volume 24 first published in Japan 2009.03
Awards
Winner, 2006 Kodansha Manga Awards in the Shounen category
Other languages/serializations
English Air Gear (Del Rey: until Volume 15/16/17 per 2010.08; Kodansha Comics: from volume 18; volume 20 shipped 2011.10.25 • volume 21 street date: 2011.12.13), Korean (Haksan), traditional Chinese (Tong Li Taiwan: 飛輪少年 #32 per 2011.10.12), simplified Chinese (Chuang Yi Singapore: volume 28 per 2010.08), French (Pika Édition: Tome 29 shipped 2011.09 • Tome 30 street date: 2011.11.02), Italy (Planet Manga), Germany (Heyne) and Sweden (Schibsted Förlagen Sverige AB/serialized in Manga Mania)
Adaptations
A 25-episode anime by Toei Animation, starring Kamakari Kenta as Ikki; a series of Satelight-animated OADs shipped with the manga tankoubon (The first Air Gear: Kuro no Hane to Nemuri no Mori -Break on the Sky- OAD streeted with volume 30 in November 2010 with seiyuu Okamoto Nobuhiko as Ikki; the second OAD was bundled with volume 31 (2011.03.17), with a third released 2011.06.17); and a series of musicals