Knights of the Zodiac – Saint Seiya 1/3
We are already used to remakes of our favorite movies from decades ago, and it has come to be something that we truly enjoy, but, what about we who love manga and anime? Well, there are remakes going on. One of them is Saint Seiya, or better known as Knights of the Zodiac.
As its original name suggests, Seiya is the main character of what began as a manga, turned into anime and blossomed into movies and collectible action figures, among many other products. The original name of this entire universe is Saint Seiya, however in the US and other parts of the western hemisphere it is better known as Knights of the Zodiac (or, accordingly, its translation into Spanish and Portuguese). This show saw its origins in the 1980s and was a great hit in Latin America. However, it did not do so well in the US. One of the many reasons is, for example, when a character would receive a blow, they would shed
Credits to TOEI Animation and any other owner.
blue blood (a rather unconventional attempt of censorship). This is one of the many attempts carried on to “soften” the anime and to adapt it for younger audiences. This, however, did not sit well and the show was immensely unpopular.
The original story here revolves around five main characters that are part of a larger group of what are called as Bronze Saints who, as the show moves on, encounter Silver Saints and Gold Saints. They have to overcome every scenario imaginable, from willingly going blind to save their friends turned to stone by Medusa to losing all Credits to TOEI Animation, Netflix and any other owner.
senses, dying and overcoming death. Each and every single Saint (Knight) has a constellation. Seiya, the main character, has Pegasus. His four “brothers” in the adventure are Shiryu (Dragon), Hyōga (Cygnus), Shun (Andromeda), and Ikki (Phoenix). The Gold Knights, for example, correspond to our zodiac (Aries, Taurus, Gemini… Pisces). This is why each character has their own set of skills, given that they are guarded by their own constellation. The linear story accompanied by minor events and battles surely make an interesting combination. Keep in mind that there is a canonical line that the anime follows but, from time to time, there are differences from the manga and from the original anime as well in order to make the story more logical and easy to understand. The manga is the original creation, the first anime has some changes to adapt it and even some spin-offs later on and, when talking about the remake, there are even more changes that set it aside from the canonical manga. Although the manga is the original version, the anime produced in the 1980s and the remake taking place today are extremely interesting and fun to watch. Keep this in mind so that you are not taken by surprise; keep this in mind as well so that you are aware of these changes and you can always go back to the firs anime or the manga in order to know the real and original creation.
All throughout the show we see that each character has their special set of skills and that they work together in one way or another for a greater purpose, saving the life of the very Goddess Athena, for example. It is true that very often there is a big fight but beyond that, the show transmits values of friendship, the seeking of truth, value, courage, fighting for what is right, and much more. There are events that you just don’t see coming, there are some plot twists that will blow you away.
Comments
Leave a comment