Saint Seiya

[areaseven]

Saint Seiya ( 聖闘士星矢 <セイントセイヤ> )

TV Asahi/Toei Animation, 1986-1989

DiC/ADV Films, 2003-

Directed by Kozo Morishita (Captain Future).

Rated 15+ for extreme violence and gore.

Based on the best-selling manga by Masami Kurumada. Legend has it that there are warriors called "Saints" that wear special armor and possess the powers of the constellations for both good and evil. One of these Saints is a Japanese boy named Seiya, who has trained in Greece for six years to become a true warrior. His fighting prowess and bravery have earned him the Cloth of Pegasus - an armor that enhances his skills patterned after the legendary winged horse. Alongside a group of other heroic Saints, Seiya must protect Athena, the Goddess of Peace, from the forces of evil.

Story: B

You could probably call it Fist of the North Star for the younger audience, but Saint Seiya can manage on its own with an interesting plot based on Greek mythology. Characters tend to be very cliché, but that's expected from a fighting-oriented anime. The show has been extremely popular in Europe and South America because its storyline easily adapts to the cultures in those areas. How it will fare in the U.S., however, is a different issue. Nevertheless, it's still better than Dragon Ball Z.

Animation: C-

Talk about low-budget. Saint Seiya may have been an '80s title, but it looks like it was animated in the '70s. Even during its time, it looked pretty cheap.

Soundtrack: B-

Fans of '80s glam-rock will dig Saint Seiya's opening theme "Pegasus Fantasy" by Make-Up (though I prefer the Animetal version). Otherwise, the BGM by Seiji Yokoyama (Space Pirate Captain Harlock) is generic '80s music.

Sub vs. Dub

Saint Seiya features Toru Furuya (Amuro in Mobile Suit Gundam, Yamcha in Dragon Ball/DBZ/DBGT) as Seiya, Yuriko Yamamoto (Fight! Iczer-One, La Mime in Arcadia of My Youth) as Marin, Keiko Han (Lalah in Mobile Suit Gundam, Luna in Sailor Moon) as Athena and Saori, Mami Koyama (Chiyoko in Millennium Actress, Karen in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team) as Shina, Hideyuki Hori (Kyoji in Mobile Fighter G-Gundam) as Ikki, Ryo Horikawa (Kou in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083, Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z/GT) as Shun, Yuji Mitsuya (Dr. Tofu in Ranma 1/2) as Shaka, the late Kaneto Shiozawa (Shin in Area 88, Rei in Fist of the North Star) as Mu, Keiichi Nanba (Junta in DNA²) as Poseidon, Akira Kamiya (Focker in Macross Zero, Ryo in City Hunter) as Argol, and Hideyuki Tanaka (Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Riding Bean) as the narrator.

ADV's dub is obviously better than DiC's pathetic version (titled Knights of the Zodiac on Cartoon Network), but it still sucks.

DVD Extras

Review coming soon.

The Bottom Line

Despite its old age, Saint Seiya has enough punch to make any Dragon Ball Z fan cry.

Reference

Anime News Network