Spoken from the heart of a huge Watase fan, I 
was rather displeased with the AnC anime 
myself. The manga has so much more to it 
that was discarded when the anime was 
made. AnC should have been much longer 
than 24 episodes, and Watase was rather 
upset at how condensed it was made. Anyone 
who's read the manga is also aware that 
Shuro being cut to only being shown in one 
episode is RIDICULOUS as she is quite 
possibly the most lovable female character in 
AnC right next to Chidori. Though Fushigi 
Yuugi is my all-time favorite anime, Ayashi no 
Ceres is my favorite manga - and with good 
reason. The anime does it hardly any justice. 
The art, in most cases, is disappointing as is 
the severe editing of the series. It's not that I 
don't like the anime, it's just that it bothers me 
to see so many people disappointed in AnC, 
when, in actuality, it is a wonderful story by a 
wonderful woman, and it happens to be 
Watase's personal favorite work. Anyone who 
is a big Watase fan really should read the 
manga. (I especially recommend reading it  
before watching any of the anime, if you have 
not already started/finished watching the 
anime...)