KOTZ – Some changes: Good or Bad? 2/3

As we saw in the last article, we discussed that there have been some major changes in the anime when we compare the original version dated back in the 1980s and the current remake that Netflix is creating using CGI.
To begin with, CGI is fantastic since it provides a much more immersive experience than it did in the original anime. This aside, in the original anime known as Saint Seiya, we saw a major evolution in the overall quality of the show. The reason is that it originally aired, as said, in the 1980s but over time and the release of more sagas and movies, we saw the show evolve into better graphics, sound and more for it continued airing well into de 2000s.

Now, let us jump into one of the main issues that has viewers upset: Andromeda Shun. Each character does not only have their special powers given that they are protected by different constellations but, more interestingly, they have very different personalities. The examples are the following:

1. Pegasus Seiya: He is the protagonist. He gives 110% in everything he does, willing to give his life at all moments for the sake of truth and good in the world. Does he give his life at some point? You must watch the show; there will be no spoilers here.

2. Dragon Shyriu: He was trained in China by his mentor, Dhoko. Shyriu is extremely disciplined, has a balanced temper, thinks things through and is very tactical. Most importantly, he is willing to sacrifice everything: just to give you an idea, he willingly loses his sight to save his fellow brothers in arms.

3. Andromeda Shun: He is a very special character. He trained in an island and, after much struggle, finally obtained the Andromeda Cloth. If we go back to Greek mythology we find out that Andromeda was actually a woman, hence, he obtains a rather effeminate cloth. This goes hand in hand with his personality: he does not want to fight unless it is extremely necessary, he is the one who most expresses his feelings and love for everyone. He is also effeminate in the original manga and anime.

4. Cygnus Hyōga: He is one of the most ruthless and powerful saints in the anime (both in the original and the remake versions). He was trained in Siberia in extreme cold conditions. He is therefore one of the knights with the coldest and distant personalities. His power? He is one of the only two Bronze Saints trained directly by a Gold Saint and not by a Silver Saint.

5. Phoenix Ikki: He is Shun’s brother and his exact opposite. Being the older of the two brothers, he went through all sort of difficult situations to survive and to protect his brother. Additionally, he decided to train in the most difficult location sparing his brother´s life given that training in Death Queen´s Island is certain death – but not for Ikki. He became a ruthless and powerful knight full of hatred. Additionally, just to have an idea of his power, he is the one and only saint to ever wear the Phoenix Cloth since the mythological ages, and, as if that were not enough, he cannot die: the phoenix always resurrects from its ashes.

Having learned some of the very basic and most important personality traits of the saints takes use to the following situation: Shun is an effeminate saint in the original anime but, in the remake, it was decided that he is now a woman by the name of Shaun, which goes “accordingly” to his personality.

Shaun, female - Credits to TOEI Shun, male - Credits to TOEI
Animation, Netflix and any Animation and any other
other character owner. character owner.

It is true that it was a shocking surprise that no one saw coming; neither me nor anyone in any forum. It took time to get used to this change but, after just a few episodes, you can understand why this happened and come to terms with this decision. It became interesting to see the evolution of this character over the episodes aired in the two seasons available on Netflix.

In spite of this, there is one thing that does not feel quite right: in the original anime and manga, female saints wore a mask and, if a male saint were to see the female saint´s face, she should either fall deeply in love with him or kill him – Sanctuary rules. Like it or not, that´s the way it goes. However, in the remake, we see not only female saints but another kind of warriors: Santias; new female warriors who also do not wear a mask but are protected by non-mainstream constellations or straight on are not protected by any constellation. This is another major change, all saints (or knights) have a constellation that gives them specific powers and personality, and female warriors had a mask for a reason. In the remake we see these changes of some of them having no constellation protecting them and the absence of masks. It goes against absolutely everything we saw in the original anime and manga but, as stated above and in a previous article, it is actually interesting plot twist although it requires getting used to it.

All in all we can say that there were major changes that took place in the remake when compared to the original manga and anime. These include, as we discussed, the change of gender of a saint, the lack of masks in female saints, the appearance of new female warriors who are not Saints but instead are Santias. What we all really appreciate is that personality traits of all other characters remain the same and we get to relive the anime of our childhood while following a new and completely different path. Once again, I strongly recommend both the original anime and the remake. Although there are more negative opinions than positive ones on the internet, I truly hope that the remake goes on and on.