Toya (Ayashi No Ceres) Versus Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Card Captor Sakura and Ayashi No Ceres are anime and manga series. Cardcaptor Sakura was created by CLAMP. It’s a magical and fantasy story about a girl who is tasked to find and seal magical cards before they can cause trouble and wreak havoc in the world.

Ayashi No Ceres or Ceres, Celestial Legend was created by Yuu Watase. The story also features magic and powers and it’s about a girl who happens to be the reincarnation of a celestial maiden. She must find the celestial robe that belongs to this maiden before her entire family is killed.

What the 2 series have in common?

One of the things that the aforementioned series have in common (apart from being in the fantasy genre and involving a lot of magic) is that they each have a character who shares the same first name. The name in question is "Toya" and the characters are Toya Kinomoto from Card Captor Sakura and Toya from Ayashi No Ceres. Note that the names of these two could also be spelled as "Touya" though they’re pretty much pronounced the same way.

Toya Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura

Toya Kinomoto (#ad) is actually the older brother of Sakura Kinomoto, the protagonist or main character of Card Captor Sakura. He is very tall and handsome with dark brown hair and eyes.

He likes teasing and making fun of his little sister, calling her "kaiju (monster)," but the truth is that he really cares about her and is always looking out for her. He’s a very protective big brother who does his best to make sure that Sakura is always safe and unharmed.

This is one of the things I like about CCS' Toya - how he's a genuinely nice guy. He may not always show it to Sakura, but viewers or readers can see it for themselves via his actions. It's admirable how he's always there for Sakura, how he's always trying to help.

Toya from Ayashi No Ceres

Toya (#ad) is the main love interest of Aya Mikage, the protagonist of Ayashi No Ceres. It’s interesting to note that he doesn’t have a last name. The reason for that is partly because he doesn’t remember his past and partly because of who he really is.

He initially worked for the Mikages and one of his tasks was to protect Aya. He later falls deeply in love with her and the 2 even have a child together.

This Toya comes across as too stoic. He always looks indifferent or very serious and mysterious. It can be hard to get a handle on how he's really feeling since he's not the type to express himself or his emotions.

Your favorite Toya

The two characters in question may share the same name, but their personalities are very different, to say the least. So, who’s your favorite Toya? The fun, cool and awesome big brother or the loving and mysterious one?

You can share your thoughts and opinion by taking the quick poll below. Know another Toya or like another one who isn't mentioned here? Feel free to tell us about this character. Mention their name and the series they're from in the comments section below.


Aside: this post is part of the Names Series, a series of short articles intended to showcase some characters who just happen to share the same name even though they’re from different shows and series.

*Notes:
- First pic is a screenshot of the favorite Toya poll from my Opinion Stage account. It was created on 15 June 2015
- Pics from that screenshot and the poll are from Amazon.com; links shown above
- This was previously published elsewhere

Platinum Cardcaptor Sakura Song Quote Analysis

“There is nothing that I can’t overcome if I only believe.”
- Platinum (song from Card Captor Sakura)

Platinum or Purachina is the third opening theme song from the Cardcaptor Sakura anime and manga series by CLAMP. It was sung by Sakamoto Maaya.

CCS is a fantasy story about a girl named Sakura Kinomoto who is tasked to find and seal magical items known as the Clow Cards before they cause chaos and wreak havoc in her neighborhood.

Platinum is a feel-good song with inspirational lyrics as you can see from the quote above. The quote encourages us to keep on hoping and believing and to never give up no matter how tough everything seems.

It urges us to keep on moving forward even if there are obstacles in our way because we can do anything and overcome everything if we just keep on believing in ourselves.

Sounds nice, right? Of course, saying the phrase is much easier than actually doing it and that’s probably why Platinum repeats this quote twice - so we won’t forget.

So, what do you think about this quote and the song from Card Captor Sakura? Like it or not?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Lel4nd (CC:BY) from flickr
- Pic is meant to symbolize the featured quote from the Platinum / Purachina song
- Card Captor Sakura pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above

Keroberos Card Captor Sakura Trivia

Keroberos is a character from the Card Captor Sakura or Cardcaptor Sakura (CCS) anime and manga series by CLAMP.

He's the Guardian Beast of the Clow Cards. What interesting trivia is there about his name and his form?

Keroberos was created by Clow Reed. He's the one that had been appointed to select potential candidates that could be the next master of the Clow Cards. More often than not, Keroberos is referred to or known as Kero-chan or Kero.

Kero actually has two forms: his true form, where he appears as an impressive beast, which looks somewhat like a lion, only with wings, and his temporary or borrowed form, where he appears as a small stuffed toy with wings.

His powers and abilities are based on the Sun, which could be why the color of both his forms is that of a golden yellow hue. This is actually pretty ironic though (the fact that his color is yellow and that his powers are sun-based, that is).

The reason for that lies in the origins of his name. Keroberos was actually named after a creature from Greek Mythology. To be more precise, he was named after the three-headed dog or hell hound that guarded the entrance and exit to the Underworld.

This hell hound is more commonly known as Cerberus (this is Latin), but the creature has also been called Kerberos or Keroberos (these are the Greek versions of the Latin name). Card Captor Sakura's Keroberos may not have three heads, but his name still fits because he could certainly come across as fierce and massively impressive and even dangerous in his true form.

In the same way, Cerberus definitely looks foreboding, scary and dangerous with his large body and 3 heads. Another thing that makes Kero's name rather perfectly apt for him is the fact that he's the guardian of the Clow Cards.

The beast he was named after is also a guardian of sorts though it's not cards that Cerberus is guarding. As aforementioned, the hell hound actually guarded the entrance to the Underworld. No one alive is allowed to pass by Cerberus. He only allows those who are dead to pass, and, once inside the Underworld, no one can leave.

Since Cerberus is in the Underworld, it can be said that he is the loyal guard or watch dog of the Greek god Hades, who is the ruler of the Underworld.

This can be comparable to Keroberos who is loyal to Sakura Kinomoto, the new master of the Clow Cards.

One myth or story about Cerberus is that, if you give him sweets or cakes, then you'll be allowed to enter the Underworld even if you're not dead. This can be likened to Kero who absolutely loves sweets.

So, what do you think of Keroberos? Is he one of your favorite characters in Card Captor Sakura? Do you find him cool and interesting?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by iukonmeou (CC:BY) from deviantArt
- Pic shows Kero in his temporary or borrowed form
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget
- Third image is also from Amazon.com; link shown above