Saint Seiya

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Saint Seiya
Original title 聖 闘 士 星矢
transcription Seinto Seiya
Saint Seiya logo.jpg
genre Shōnen , action, fantasy , drama
Manga
country JapanJapan Japan
author Masami Kurumada
publishing company Shueisha
magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump
First publication January 1986 - January 1991
expenditure 28
Television broadcast
Country of production Japan
original language Japanese
Year (s) 1986-1989
length 22 minutes
Episodes 114
music Seiji Yokoyama
First broadcast October 11, 1986 (Japan) on TV Asahi
synchronization
Original video animation
► Saint Seiya: Meiō Hades Jūni-Kyū Hen (2003)
► Saint Seiya: Meiō Hades Meikai Hen Zenshō (2005)
► Saint Seiya: Meiō Hades Elysion Hen (2008)
Offshoot
► Saint Seiya: Episode G (2002)
► Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas - Meiō Shinwa (2006)
► Saint Seiya: Next Dimension - Meiō Shinwa (2006)
► Saint Seiya Omega (2012)

Saint Seiya ( Japanese 聖 闘 士 星矢 , Seinto Seiya ) is a globally successful manga series by the Japanese illustrator Masami Kurumada , which has also been successfully implemented as an anime series. Saint Seiya is assigned to the Shōnen genre as well as action, fantasy and drama. The protagonists are reincarnations of Greek gods and mythical figures and form a Sentai team.

action

prehistory

Since time immemorial and every 200 years , the souls of the Greek deities Athena , Poseidon and Hades have reincarnated into the bodies of ordinary people and wage a holy war between good and evil, with Athena standing for good and the other deities for evil.

When the Japanese businessman Mitsumasa Kido travels to Greece , he finds the dying Aiolos, a gold saint . He gives Kido his golden armor ( cloth ) and a baby, whom he introduces as the reincarnation of Athenas. Aiolos asks him to find young people to protect Athena. After his return to Japan , Kido sends a large number of orphans to various training camps around the world to be trained to become Athena warriors ( Saints ). Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, Shun and Ikki are among these children and after a few years attain the rank of Bronze Saints . Like all other Saints, they have learned to concentrate their inner " cosmic " energy ( cosmo ), which every human being has, and to let it explode in a targeted manner in order to become superhuman warriors. All Saints receive armor that is protected by a star constellation .

"Sanctuary" chapter

The young Saori, Kido's granddaughter, holds a tournament, the prize of which is gold armor. This is where the few orphans meet who have survived the hard training and have become Saints. Ikki tries to steal the golden armor, but Seiya and his friends manage to win them back, defeat Ikki's Black Saints and convert him for good.

In the sanctuary in Greece, the seat of Athenas and her absent representative, the priest , the struggle for the golden armor was noticed. The priest, who sees this as a question of his authority, sends a group of Silver Saints to Japan to punish Saori Kido and the Bronze Saints. It turns out that Saori is in truth the reincarnation of the goddess Athena. After Seiya and the other Bronze Saints have defeated the Silver Saints, they travel with Saori to the Sanctuary to confront the priest. Even before Saori gets to the Pope's palace, she is hit in the heart by an arrow and the Bronze Saints learn that only the Pope can pull this arrow out within twelve hours. Thus, within this time, the Saints have to cross the twelve houses of the Gold Saints , which represent the twelve constellations of the Zodiac , and get to the Palace of the Pope. Most of the Gold Saints who think Saori are a fraud try to stop them. But after the Bronze Saints achieved the almost impossible and defeated the Gold Saints, the surviving Gold Saints also believe that Saori is Athena's reincarnation and that the priest, a former Gold Saint and usurper, wanted to kill Athena as a young child. Together, Saga, the Pope, is defeated and Saori takes over the leadership of the Saints as Athena.

"Asgard" chapter

After the Sanctuary chapter, the plot changes to Asgard , the land of the Nordic gods. Hilda, the high priestess of Odin and guardian of the land , rules there . She holds the icy, inhospitable land together through her prayers and her cosmos. Suddenly, however, she is disturbed in her prayer by Poseidon, who overpowers her and puts the Nibelung ring on her in order to gain control over her will. Poseidon abuses Hilda and her godly warriors for his own interests and gets them to stand against Athena. As a result, Asgard's ice begins to melt and the whole world threatens to be flooded. Hilda's sister then turns to Athena, who takes Hilda's place in Asgard, to prevent the flooding. The bronze saints accompanying Athena, however, have to find the eight sapphires of Odin within 12 hours, otherwise the powers of Athena are no longer sufficient to stop the melting of the ice any longer. The sapphires are in the armor of the God Warriors, which have to be torn from them and brought to the statue of Odin in order to receive Odin's armor and above all Odin's sword. After this succeeds, Hilda can finally be freed from the ring and Athena and the world can be saved for the time being.

"Poseidon" chapter

While still on the shores of Asgard, Athena is hit by a huge wave caused by the god Poseidon and kidnapped into an underwater palace. Poseidon had been freed from an amphora in which he was locked by Kanon, Saga's twin brother, whereupon he reincarnated in the body of the young Julian Solo. He wants to flood the earth and therefore has to put Athena, her protector, out of action or win her over to his side. When Athena refuses to support his plan, he locks her in the main pillar of his empire, into which water continuously penetrates. Again, there is little time left for Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, Shun and Ikki to save Athena and must destroy the seven pillars that represent the Seven Seas in order to free Athena from her deadly prison. However, each pillar is guarded by a general Poseidon, the marinas , which they must face for battle. The main pillar is located behind the palace of the sea god, which therefore also has to be overcome, which they finally manage with the help of the golden armor. Poseidon's soul is relegated to an amphora, the flood is stopped and the palace is destroyed.

"Hades" chapter

A short time later, the Gold Saints learn that the 108 souls of the Hades warriors ( Specters ) were able to free themselves from their two-hundred-year captivity. Even Hades comes to life and wants a perpetual eclipse ( Greatest Eclipse make) the earth to hell. The Specters, including fallen and resurrected Gold Saints, attack the Sanctuary to kill Athena and engage in a fierce battle with the Gold and Bronze Saints. The former Gold Saints and current Specters Saga, Camus and Shura manage to get through to Athena and kill her. But it turns out that these former Gold Saints were still devoted to Athena and that it was just a ruse that would allow Athena to go straight to the underworld and face Hades.

Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, Shun and Ikki, on the other hand, go to the fortress of Hades in Germany , from where they also go to the underworld. There they defeat various Specters until they can get to Hades and his deputy Pandora . When the Bronze Saints attempt to attack Seiya and Shun Hades themselves, it turns out that the latter is actually just a ghost and has actually been slumbering in the body of the Bronze Saint Shun for years. Hades takes control of Shun's body and banishes Seiya to the cocytus . The other bronze saints free him and defeat the three judges of the underworld, Aiakos , Minos and Rhadamanthys . Hades, on the other hand, has now freed himself from Shun's human body and kidnaps Athena to Elysion , where she is to be executed.

The Bronze Saints, including Shun again, follow Hades and Athena to the Elysion, where they encounter the gods Thanatos and Hypnos . Both are defeated with the help of the golden and later divine armor. The Bronze Saints free Athena and give her their own armor. Together, Hades, who has assumed his original divine body, is ultimately defeated in a final battle.

Characters

Athena Saints

There are three different ranks among the 88 Saints: The Bronze Saints form the lowest level of the hierarchy. Then come the Silver Saints. At the top are the Gold Saints. All Saints are subordinate to the goddess Athena and the priest.

Bronze saints

Even if the Bronze Saints are at the bottom of the hierarchy, thanks to their cosmos it is possible for them to rise to the “seventh sense”. If this is achieved, they can assert themselves against supposedly stronger opponents and even against gods.

  • Seiya the Pegasus Saint :
    Seiya is the hero of the series and unofficial leader of the Bronze Saints. He reacts very impulsively and often thoughtlessly, but it is above all his courage and willpower that are admired by his friends and feared by his enemies. In addition, Seiya seems to have a kind of platonic love for Athena. Taught by Marin in the Sanctuary in Greece , he acquired his armor in a duel against the giant Cassios. Seiya originally wanted to become a Saint in order to find back his big sister Seika, from whom he was separated in his childhood. Only after Hades was defeated would he succeed in this.
  • Shiryu the Dragon Saint :
    Shiryu is by far the most level-headed and wisest of the Bronze Saints. He is ready to go through great pain to save his friends. So he sacrifices z. B. his eyesight. His love is for the Chinese Shunrei. Taught by Dhoko (also known as Roshi) in China (in the five gorges of Rozan) , he acquired his armor by reversing the flow of a waterfall. He is the only one of the Bronze Saints to have a shield that is considered indestructible.
  • Hyoga the Cygnus Saint :
    Hyoga is, albeit a mighty warrior, a rather calm but also melancholy Saint. He is repeatedly plagued by hard strokes of fate, so he is forced to kill not only his master, but also his master (only in the anime) and his classmate. Above all, however, that of his mother is emotionally hard on him, who died in a shipwreck in the far north. He visits them regularly at the beginning by breaking up the thick layer of ice and diving to the shipwreck. As it turns out, however, the grief for his mother is his greatest weakness and initially prevents him from rising to the 7th sense. Taught by Camus (and in the anime Meister Crystal) in Siberia , he acquires his armor by freeing it from the eternal ice in which it was imprisoned.
  • Shun the Andromeda Saint :
    Shun is an extremely sensitive saint. If at all possible, he will avoid the fight and spare his enemies. But when he decides to fight, he is extremely powerful, which then amazes his opponents. He is Ikki's younger brother. Taught by Albior on the Andromeda Island in Ethiopia , he acquired his armor by enduring great pain and rising to the seventh sense. Later in the series, it is learned that Hades chose the body of Shun to reincarnate on earth. But Ikki succeeds in driving the god of the underworld from his brother's body.
  • Ikki the Phoenix Saint :
    Ikki is the older brother of Shun, but in character his absolute opposite. He doesn't think much of team play, he's cold, pragmatic and a loner. It can be said to be the strongest of the Bronze Saints and can even be ranked above the Silver Saints. He is extraordinarily powerful and has a decisive advantage: of all Saints, only the Phoenix Saint is able to rise again after death. In the fight with Gold Saint Shaka he says himself that he is his worst enemy, because no matter how many times he dies because of him, he will always rise again and try to kill him every time. It is possible for him to return from other dimensions, such as the hell he was in several times. He goes into battle with the utmost aggressiveness and rarely spares his enemies. But his heart is in the right place and when he initially fights the other Bronze Saints, he develops into a powerful ally who only arrives to save his brother Shun, but also when Athena and his friends are in danger. He is tutored by Guilty, a vicious and ostracized saint, on Death Queen Island in the South Pacific , where he goes through a kind of hell (originally Shun was supposed to be trained there, but Ikki had swapped lots with him). He obtains his armor by killing his master through hatred and placing himself at the head of the Black Saints.

The other Bronze Saints play less of a role in the plot.

Silver Saints

Most Silver Saints appear as enemies and are defeated or killed by the Bronze Saints. Among the Silver Saints, the following play a special role:

  • Marin the Aquila Saint :
    Marin is Seiya's master and instructor in the Sanctuary in Greece. Seiya's victory sparked a rivalry with Shaina that would end in a fight between the two. Unfortunately Marin is defeated by Shaina and is brutally beaten, so that Aiolia has to save her. Seiya initially suspected that Marin might in truth be his sister Seika, but it later turns out that this is not the case.
  • Shaina the Ophiuchus Saint :
    Shaina is a particularly strong warrior and the trainer of Cassios. Ever since Seiya saw her face - which is forbidden in female Saints, which is why they always have to wear a mask - she has initially tried to kill him. It also sets off a rivalry with her teacher Marin that results in a match in which Shaina defeats Marin and brutally beats her, but Aiolia steps in to save Marin. But afterwards she falls in love with Seiya and helps him with his missions.
  • Crystal Saint (only in the anime)
    The Crystal Saint is the master of Hyôga (in the manga it is Camus). He is a wise and righteous Saint who lives and watches over Siberia. However, his mind is disoriented by the priest, so that he enslaves the inhabitants of Siberia and forces them to build a huge ice pyramid. However, his former student Hyôga opposes him and eventually kills him.
  • Orpheus the Lyra Saint :
    Orpheus is presented as the strongest Silver Saint. It is mentioned that he is even on the same level as the Gold Saints. He is a gifted harp player and is able to charm everyone with it. When he wants to free his beloved Eurydice from the underworld, he offers his services to Hades in return. However, he is betrayed and Eurydice is trapped in the underworld, whereupon he remains in the underworld out of guilt. When he becomes aware of the deception, he supports the fight against Hades. Orpheus, however, is defeated by Rhadamanthys, a judge of the underworld, and sacrifices himself for Athena.

Gold saints

The twelve Gold Saints are the elite of the Saints and protect the Temple of Athena in the Sanctuary. While the Gold Saints in the Sanctuary Chapter mostly still act as enemies of the protagonists, they are the most important allies of the Bronze Saints , especially in the Hades Chapter - in which they all die. The twelve gold saints are:

  • Mû the Aries Saint :
    Mû lives most of the time in Jamir in Tibet , where he repairs damaged armor. In the Sanctuary Chapter , Mû is the only Gold Saint besides Dhoko who has not sworn allegiance to the “new” Pope. He is the student of the former Popes Shion, who was murdered by Saga.
  • Aldebaran the Taurus Saint :
    Aldebaran is a huge and good-natured saint who mainly uses his physical strength in combat. He lets Seiya pass through his temple in the Sanctuary Chapter after he managed to knock a horn off his helmet. It is later mentioned that Aldebaran could have killed the Bronze Saints without any problems, but he was convinced by their willingness to make sacrifices for Athena and the fact that he had doubts about the new priest anyway. In order to test them, however, he still fights them. He and Milo are the only Gold Saints, besides those who were absent, who were not defeated.
  • Saga of the Gemini Saint :
    Saga is perhaps the most powerful gold saint. Yet he suffers from schizophrenia and there is an eternal struggle between good and evil in his mind. For a long time, the evil prevailed that led him to murder Pope Shion and to take his place under the false name Ares. His planned assassination attempt on Athena failed due to the intervention of Aiolos. In the Sanctuary Chapter , thanks to Ikki, he can no longer prevent Seiya from saving Athena in time. He is then killed by Athena, but shortly before he dies, his good side regains complete control of him and he apologizes to Athena. He comes to life in the Hades Chapter and fights for Athena. After Saga dies, his twin brother     Kanon is named Gemini Saint in the Hades Chapter . He fought in the Poseidon Chapter as General Poseidon against Athena, but he can be converted and defeats the titan and judge of the underworld Rhadamanthys.
  • Deathmask the Cancer Saint :
    Deathmask is a sadistic and bloodthirsty Saint, who appears to be fundamentally evil. His temple is adorned with the faces of his victims, including ordinary civilians and even children. He does not feel attached to Athena and thinks that “justice” is just the name for the superiority of the strong over the weak. He is defeated by Shiryû in the Sanctuary Chapter , but one learns in the Hades Chapter that he is actually fighting for Athena and the good.
  • Aiolia the Leo Saint :
    Aiolia is the younger brother of Aiolos. For a long time he suffered from his brother's ostracism. In the Sanctuary Chapter he is convinced that Saori is the real Athena and wants to stand against the priest. But this manipulates his mind and forces him to fight against the Bronze Saints. Only after he has killed the innocent Cassios does he manage to come to his senses in time.
  • Shaka the Virgo Saint :
    Shaka is presented as the person closest to the gods and is an extremely powerful Gold Saint. In the Sanctuary Chapter , however, he is defeated by Ikki and then recognizes Saori as a true Athena. Ikki takes him to hell, from which he can free himself again thanks to Mû and is one of the few surviving Gold Saints. In the Hades Chapter , Shaka rises to the "eighth sense" ( Arayashiki ) and accompanies Athena into the underworld.
  • Dohko the Libra Saint :
    Dohko, a little old man, is Shiryû's master and lives in China, where he has been monitoring the captive souls of the Hades warriors since the last holy war. Only he and Mû did not recognize Saga as a new priest; after Saga's death, Dohko replaced him as provisional priest. In the Sanctuary Chapter and Poseidon Chapter , Dohko does not fight himself, but provides the Bronze Saints with the weapons in his armor. In the Hades Chapter he fights alongside the Bronze Saints, for which he regains the body of his youth and opposes his friend Shion, who wants to kill Athena on behalf of Hades. It turns out that the old man's body was just a kind of cocoon, which enabled him to retain the strength of his youth for over 200 years.
  • Milo the Scorpius Saint :
    Milo is a fair, honorable but tough and sometimes even cruel Saint. In the Sanctuary Chapter he faces Hyôga, whom he gives the chance to surrender because he u. a. whose master Camus respects and therefore does not want to kill him. However, Hyôga feels obliged to his companions and Athena and nevertheless takes up the fight. Milo inflicts excruciating stab wounds until he is finally defeated and near death. However, due to Hyoga's unbending will to cross the house at all costs and his uncompromising willingness to make sacrifices for Athena, Milo also realizes that Saori must be Athena and saves Hyoga's life at the last minute.
  • Aiolos the Sagittarius Saint :
    Aiolos is the gold saint who saved Athena as a small baby from her murder by Saga, the priest. Saga then ostracized Aiolos and sent Shura to eliminate him. Shortly before his death, he entrusted Mitsumasa Kido with little Athena and his golden armor. Since then, he has been watching Athena and the Bronze Saints from beyond. In particularly critical situations, Seiya is allowed to fight in Aiolo's armor. In the Hades Chapter , he briefly comes to life to open the gate to Elysion.
  • Shura the Capricornus Saint :
    Shura is a saint who just wants to fight for justice. He is intended as a kind of bodyguard of Athena, since he carries the sword Excalibur in his arm, with which he also mortally wounds Aiolos. He believes the Pope that Saori is a traitor and tries to stop the Bronze Saints. But he is defeated in the Sancturay Chapter by Shiryû. Shortly before his death, however, he realizes the truth about Saori and saves Shiryû's life, as otherwise both would have died together. In the Poseidon Chapter , his spirit speaks to Shiryû and thus supports him in the fight. He comes to life in the Hades Chapter and fights on the side of Athena.
  • Camus the Aquarius Saint :
    Camus is the master of Hyôga (in the anime he is the master of the master of Hyôga, the Crystal Saint). In the Sanctuary Chapter he decides to fight against Hyôga, because he does not consider this to be able to rise to the seventh sense. Nevertheless, Hyôga manages to defeat and kill his master. In the Hades Chapter he too comes to life and fights on the side of Athena.
  • Aphrodite the Pisces Saint :
    Besides Deathmask, Aphrodite, who despite his feminine appearance is a man, seems to be the only really bad Gold Saint. He is defeated by Shun in the Sanctuary Chapter and dies, but in the Hades Chapter they learn that he too is actually fighting for Athena and the good.
  • Shion the Pope and previous Aries Saint:
    Shion is the Master of Mû and Pope of the Sanctuary of Athena. He and Dohko are the only surviving Gold Saints of the former holy war. When he has to choose his successor, he has the choice between Saga and Aiolos and opts for the latter. Through the ensuing envy of Sagas, his evil side takes over and Shion is secretly murdered by him. In the Hades Chapter , he comes to life and leads the apparent conspiracy of the dead Gold Saints against Athena.

Adversary

Black Saints

The Black Saints are trained on Death Queen Island in the South Pacific. They are likenesses of the Bronze Saints. They introduce themselves as Black Phoenix, Black Pegasus, Black Dragon, Black Swan, and Black Andromeda. At first they are led by Ikki (later by Jango in the anime), who later can be converted for good.

Asgard god warrior

At the head of the warriors of God stands the god Odin . In his absence, the priestess Hilda von Polaris rules the land of Asgard and the warriors of God. They are Phecda Gamma Warrior Thor , Alioth Epsilon Warrior Fenrir , Benetnasch Eta Mime , Megrez Delta Warrior Alberich , Merak Beta Warrior Hagen , Mizar Zeta Warrior Syd and his twin brother Alcor Zeta Warrior Bud, and Dubhe Alpha Warrior Siegfried . They all protect a so-called Odin sapphire . All divine warriors are defeated in their battles against the Bronze Saints.

Poseidon Marinas

The marinas are warriors of the god Poseidon , who was reborn in the body of the young Julian Solo. Among them there are seven generals who protect the underwater pillars of the seven seas: Siren General Sorento, Seahorse General Baian, Scylla General Io, Kraken General Isaac, Lyumnades General Kasa, Chrysaor General Krishna and Seadragon General Kanon. Of the seven generals, only Sorento and Kanon survive at the end of the Poseidon Chapter . The latter turns out to be the twin brother of Saga, the Gemini Saint and allows himself to be converted for good. In the Hades Chapter , after his brother dies again, Kanon takes his place in the Gemini temple.

Hades Specters

At the head of the 108 Hades warriors ( Specters , Shadows) are the god Hades and his representative Pandora . Directly below them are the twin gods Thanatos and Hypnos , who are loyal to Hades. The Hades Specters are led by the three powerful titans and judges of the underworld, Wyvern General Specter Rhadamanthys, Griffin General Specter Minos and Garuda General Specter Aiakos. However, only a few Specters play an important role in the plot, such as B. Frog Specter Zelos, Worm Specter Raimi, Cyclops Specter Giant, Deep Specter Niobe, Papillon Specter Myu, Acheron Specter Charon, Balrog Specter Rune, Sphinx Specter Pharaoh or Harpy Specter Valentine. All Specters who encounter the Saints in the plot are killed.

Creation and conception

The protagonist Seiya and his comrades emerged from the main characters in Fūma no Kojiro , an older work by Masami Kurumada . However, this previous work was not very successful. The word "Saint" contained in the title and important in the series is written in Japanese with the characters 聖 闘 士 星矢 , Sei, Tō and Shi. These mean "holy", "fight" and "warrior". The word pronounced as “Saint”, “holy”, can also be translated as “holy warrior”. The mobility of the fighters in what is actually unbearably tight and rigid armor is explained in the series by the fact that the armor dedicated to a constellation is alive and thus enables the wearer to move. The armor is also put on its wearer in a form that corresponds to the respective constellation name.

Greek mythology served as the inspiration for Saint Seiya . Both the gods Athena, Poseidon and Hades and the names of the characters are of mythological origin. This was supplemented by some set pieces from Christianity. Norse mythology served as a template for the Asgard chapter , and Chinese mythology was also incorporated into the series. Against some opponents, the heroes compete several times, as these can be reborn. The opponents' fighters are also often convinced that they are doing good and are manipulated by their masters.

Publications

Appeared Saint Seiya from January 1986 to December 1990 magazine Weekly Shonen Jump . The individual chapters were later put together in 28 edited volumes. The series is divided into three chapters: Sanctuary Chapter (Volumes 1 to 13), Poseidon Chapter (Volumes 14 to 18), and Hades Chapter (Volumes 19 to 28). At the end of each volume, a few pages are usually devoted to the individual armor of the Saints ( Cloth ). These volumes have been published in Europe in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. A German translation of the series is not available.

From 2002 to 2013, Saint Seiya: Episode G ( 聖 闘 士 星矢 EPISODE.G ) was a new series penned by Megumu Okada . The action begins a few years before the events of the actual Saint Seiya action. Saint Seiya: Episode G was partially published in German by Planet Manga .

The series Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas - Meiō Shinwa ( 聖 闘 士 星矢 THE LOST CANVAS 冥王 神話 ) by Shiori Teshirogi , published from 2006 to 2011, is also based on the universe of the Saint Seiya universe and tells the story of the previous holy war between Athena and Hades, alluded to in several places in Saint Seiya . At the same time, however, Kurumada has been actively trying again since 2006, after a 16-year break, to deepen Saint Seiya . The title of this series is Saint Seiya: Next Dimension - Meiō Shinwa ( 聖 闘 士 星矢 NEXT DIMENSION 冥王 神話 ). Both manga series have not yet been translated into German.

The series Saint Seiya: Saintia Shō by Chimaki Kuori has been published in Japan since 2013 in Champion Red magazine by Akita Shoten .

Another manga appeared again as an adaptation of the anime adaptations Saint Seiya Omega (2013).

Adaptations

Anime television series

The Toei Animation studio produced an adaptation of the manga as an anime television series in 1986 , which would eventually comprise 114 episodes. Initially directed by Kozo Morishita , from episode 74 then Kazuhito Kikuchi . At the same time, responsibility for the series concept changed from Takao Koyama to Yoshiyuki Suga . Both wrote the scripts for almost all episodes. The character design was created by Michi Himeno and Shingo Araki .

It was first broadcast on October 11, 1986 on the Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi . There are also three chapters in the anime, with the Asgard chapter (episodes 74 to 99) being introduced between the Sanctuary chapter (episodes 1 to 73) and the Poseidon chapter (100 to 114), which is not mentioned in the manga finds. The fighting was defused compared to the very violent manga. The Hades chapter was only implemented in one episode. After that, the series broke off as sponsors withdrew their support as viewership declined. It wasn't until more than sixteen years later that Hades was released as the original video animation in 13 parts. In addition to other individual changes to the plot, the appearance of the bronze cloth initially distinguishes the anime from the manga series.

The film adaptation led to this series under different names quickly in Europe (especially in France ( Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque ) , Spain ( Los Caballeros del Zodiaco ) , Italy ( I Cavalieri dello Zodiaco ) and Portugal ( Os Cavaleiros do Zodiaco ) ) , and Latin America became very popular. In the USA ( Knights Of The Zodiac ) it was also released, but was not completed. The series was not published in Germany.

synchronization

role Japanese speaker ( seiyū )
Pegasus Seiya Tōru Furuya
Dragon Shiryu Hirotaka Suzuoki
Cygnus Hyoga Kōichi Hashimoto
Andromeda Shun Ryō Horikawa
Phoenix Ikki Hideyuki Hori
Saori Kido / Athena Keiko Han

music

The music for the series was composed by Seiji Yokoyama . The opening songs are (episodes 1-73) Pegasus Fantasy by Make-Up and (episodes 74-114) Soldier Dream by Hironobu Kageyama & Broadway. For the two end credits, episodes 1-73 were Eien Blue by Make-Up and episodes 74-114 were Yume Tabibito by Hironobu Kageyama & Broadway.

Feature films

Five Saint Seiya feature films have been released:

In Germany only the first film has been released on DVD so far. The plot of the films is self-contained, but makes reference to the television series and previous films.

Original video animation

From 2003 onwards the filming of the Hades chapter began. In a new style with computer animation, 13 OVA with the name Saint Seiya: Meiō Hades Jūni-Kyū Hen ( 聖 闘 士 星矢 冥王 ハ ー デ ス 十二 宮 編 ) were published in a first block . So far, only this first series has been commercially available in Europe.

From 2005 to 2007 another 12-part OVA series appeared, with the first 6 parts as Saint Seiya: Meiō Hades Meikai Hen Zenshō ( 聖 闘 士 星矢 冥王 ハ ー デ ス 冥界 編 前 章 ) and the last 6 parts as Saint Seiya: Meiō Hades Meikai Hen Kōshō ( 聖 闘 士 星矢 冥王 ハ ー デ ス 冥界 編 後 章 ) were named. The next OVA series Saint Seiya: Meiō Hades Elysion Hen ( 聖 闘 士 星矢 冥王 ハ ー デ ス エ リ シ オ ン 編 ) was released in March 2008.

Anime offshoot

With Saint Seiya Omega , a new anime television series was created in 2012 based on the manga, which, however, describes an independent plot that describes the subsequent generation of Saints. A manga was later published on Omega . From April 11, 2015, the web anime series Saint Seiya: Ōgon Tamashii - soul of gold ( 聖 闘 士 星矢 黄金 魂 -soul of gold-) will be published, which is a spin-off based on the Hades chapter.

literature

In 1988 Shōnen Jump published a special light novel on the manga, written by Takao Koyama and illustrated by Shingo Araki and Michi Himeno . The story covered the attempted murder of the newborn Athena in more detail than the manga series. In 2002, two novels on the manga, written by Kurumada and Tatsuya Hamazaki, were published under the title Saint Seiya - Gigantomachia by Jump J Books .

musical

A Bandai- sponsored musical was performed at the Aoyama Theater in Tokyo in August 1991. The piece included the Sanctuary and Poseidon chapters, and the ensemble included the members of the boy band SMAP . In 2011 the play Saint Seiya Super Musical followed , an adaptation of the first film.

Video games and merchandising

In addition to the two games from 1987 and 1988 for the NES , one from 1992 for the Game Boy , one from 2003 for WonderSwan Color and PC , two for the PlayStation 2 were also released in 2005 and 2007 . Both PlayStation 2 games also appeared in Europe. In addition, in the 1980s, action figures for Saint Seiya, called Myth Cloth , were manufactured by Bandai and brought onto the market. Seiya is also included as a playable character in the game "J-Stars Victory vs" for the Playstation 3 and 4.

Reception and meaning

The television series was one of the first teen anime series shown in France and Spain in the late 1980s and early 1990s and became a huge hit. The same applies to the manga in Italy, where it appeared in 1991. The series was also successful in Japan itself and stimulated many imitations, which followed in the form of other series about youth groups of heroes and mystical fighters. In 1988, the anime was voted the best anime of the year. The Animania called the subsequent series of adaptations of one of the first major Anime Merchandise waves. Jason Thompson describes the series as one of the most influential mangas of the 1980s and template for many of the series that followed in Shōnen Jump magazine . However, the plot consists almost exclusively of exaggerated, brutal battles that take place in bright colors and huge panels in front of backgrounds such as meteors, planets, Buddha and others. The character design is still very much based on the 1970s and in retrospect looks clearly outdated. The series is the perfect fantasy of a ten-year-old boy and looks like drawn by one. In the Anime Encyclopedia, on the other hand, the plot of the anime with its various tension arcs is called complex. The work of the character designer and the composer Yokoyama is praised. Director Yamauchi managed to keep the tension up with new cliff hangers until the next episode. The fixation of the plot on violence and the fact that the fighting young people are rewarded with even more powerful weapons if they are successful are presented as problematic. A youth protection warning is therefore appropriate. Nevertheless, Saint Seiya had a significant influence on the following anime, up to series like Sailor Moon in the 1990s. For somewhat older viewers who understand the complex plot and could classify the " brutally seductive heroism" , the series also has a lot to offer.

The German magazine MangasZene calls the “ beautiful character design” a “ huge plus point ” of the anime television series. In comparison, the manga seems very static. The background music is “ fantastic” , but the animation quality fluctuates greatly. Some episodes are “ wonderfully fluid and of beauty that hits the heart ”, others “go horribly wrong” . The Animania writes: " The motley martial arts mix of Greek legends, set pieces from Nordic mythology and even the Nibelungen saga, in which numerous protagonists are of Japanese descent, is undoubtedly cult - but not easily digestible for everyone" . The character design of the television series is nice to look at overall, even if " Seiya has no bum and some of the fourteen-year-old Bronze Saints look like old grandpas" . However, more could have been made of the complex plot of the original than “ constantly repeating race-against-time stories” .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e MangasZene No. 15, p. 30 f.
  2. ↑ a b c Jason Thompson: Manga. The Complete Guide . Del Rey, New York 2007, ISBN 978-0-345-48590-8 , p. 184. (English)
  3. ↑ a b c d Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy: The Anime Encyclopedia. Revised & Expanded Edition. Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley 2006, ISBN 1-933330-10-4 , pp. 554 f.
  4. ↑ a b Animania 10/2005, p. 28 f.
  5. ↑ a b c Animania 05/2003, p. 36 f.
  6. ^ Paul M. Malone: The Manga Publishing Scene in Europe . In: Toni Johnson-Woods (Ed.): Manga - An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives . Continuum Publishing, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-8264-2938-4 , pp. 320-322 .
  7. ↑ Animania 2/2002, p. 38 f.

Web links

Commons : Saint Seiya  - collection of images, videos and audio files