Ceres, Celestial Legend, known in Japan as Ayashi no Seresu (妖しのセレス), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuu Watase.

It was originally serialized in Shōgakukan's magazine Shōjo Comic from May 1996 to March 2000, with its chapters collected in 14 tankōbon volumes.

Aya Mikage and her twin brother, Aki, are forced to go to their grandfather's home for their sixteenth birthday, unaware that it's actually a test to see if they have angel or celestial maiden blood.

Aya learns she is one of many reincarnations of a vengeful and supremely powerful celestial maiden named Ceres who takes over her mind and body only under intense stress or fury.

According to myth, Ceres will ultimately exterminate the entire Mikage family in retaliation for stealing her hagoromo (celestial robe), thus preventing her returning home to Heaven.

Her brother Aki is eventually completely taken over by the vengeful spirit of "Mikagi", the original ancestor/progenitor of the entire Mikage family who stole Ceres' celestial robe (or "mana"), forcing her to stay with him on Earth.

It's revealed-(in Episode 7, "Celestial Awakening") that "The Hagoromo Legend" not only exists in Japan, but in other countries around the world such as Europe, Africa, all three regions of Oceania, Germany, China, Korea, Russia, and even the United States.

[5] Watase noted that one of the hardest parts of writing a serial manga was having to plan for a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter.

[7] For example, Watase incorporated her thoughts on genetic engineering and other new technologies through the character of Kagami, who shows cruel disregard for the lives of the celestial beings he creates.

Directed by Hajime Kamegaki and produced by Studio Pierrot, the Ceres, Celestial Legend anime adaptation premiered in Japan on WOWOW on April 20, 2000.

The DVD version also offers extra features, including art galleries, character profiles, and interviews with Yu Watase.

[14] In 2003, Viz re-released the series in two-volume collector's edition sets that contained twelve episodes on each disc, and all of the on-disc extras from earlier releases.

[16] The Ceres, Celestial Legend novels were written by Nishizaki Megumi and illustrated by Watase Yuu, with storylines created by both.