Os Cavaleiros do Zodíaco

If you've just happen to stumble across this series by accident, or are in fact a true Saint Seiya fanatic, please feel free to read this commentary on such a great animated series.

First of all, it is a great break from the typical anime where you have robots and tons of martial arts; the idea behind Saint Seiya is truly original and that is why it still impacts on the world today: Imagine our modern world protected by mythological Gods of hallowed antiquity. We have Palas Athenea, or Athena, protecting our world from evil. She is reborn when the presence of evil is strong. (Around 200 to 300 years usually). Then imagine her sitting on her throne in her Sanctuary, protected by 12 golden saints, each one representing a Zodiac sign, each with a unique power, armor and cosmos. (Cosmos is from where these Saints obtain their power, taking it from thier constelation).

But there are more than 12 saints. The Saint order has three different ranks: Golden, Silver and Bronze. Each Saint holds the power to a different constelation, and this is where our main characters come in: the Bronze Saints are also twelve, and are the destined ones to replace the Golden Saints in the future, but till then, they hold their own armor representing minor constelations. And from these twelve, five stand out as the strongest and bravest: Seiya of Pegasus, Shiryu of the Dragon, Shun of Andromeda, Hyoga of Cygnus, and my personal favorite Ikki of Phoenix (not the city), who happens to be Shun's older brother and probably the most troubled of the five.

To sum things up, each character has their own unique personality, their own unique and cool repetoir of attacks, problems and existential angst. But they are the sworn protectors of the Goddess Athena, and all that is good on Earth. (No matter how corny that sounds)

The series back in 1986 saw these five Saints battle it out in the Sanctuary against the false High Pope (keeper of the Sanctuary until Athena is reincarnated) and the Golden Saints who did not realize the High Pope was evil; against Madam Hylda and her Seven Warriors of Asgard in the frozen regions of Scandinavia; and against Poseidon's reincarnation and his Generals: the Marine Scales. The series finished with them defeating Poseidon, but the Manga (comic) actually had a continuation, where they battled Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, and his 108 specters (of which only about 20 are important). For any of you interested, TOEI animation has decided (after 17 years!!) to continue the series where it left off. And it will be aired in english and spanish later this year!!!

So to sum up, imagine a series where the characters each represent a myth, and hold in their soul the power of a Constelation. Battling Gods, monsters, and even their own troubled minds. So if you do get to watch this series, be delighted because it is a rare gem in the TV World. (Check out Cartoon Network, I think they're playing it now on a regular basis).

So the only thing I can say (and all you fans know what this means) is: Pegasus RyuSeiKen!!

Saint Seiya - The Sanctuary Chapter is a treasure not only in the anime world, but in fiction in general. With features of unusual quality, it is more like a show to enjoy and admire than to entertain us. The only thing that is in contradiction with this is the high number of episodes, which makes the series losing quality sometimes. But these few low moments are easily forgotten when you look at the series as a whole and you can get its real value.

The technology, although not excellent (as the series dates from 1986), can present us with splendid effects of light radiation involving the bodies of the knights. The drawings are the most beautiful I have ever seen: characters, armors, environments – they have an outstanding creativity and beauty. A wonderful story, which uses the tireless theme "Good versus Evil", is based on a perfect combination between the Greek mythology and the world today. The fights are spectacular, with diversified moves and strategies that almost always have something to teach us. The knights are often invaded by memories of training with their masters, through which they apprehend important lessons and motivation for the battle, and they have a carefully written (sometimes Epic) speech, through which they explain their ideals.

The bronze saints have a strong spirit of sacrifice, and thus can bring me a huge energy and willpower to face the difficulties of day-to-day and to achieve my goals (you can make an analogy between their combats and the obstacles that come in lifetime).

Another analogy that I found is the fact that Seiya, a little guy, can defeat Cassius, when the latter presents a physical condition disproportionately higher. Indeed, the Cassius muscles are only due to a superficial and repetitive training that relies on brute force, while Seiya achieves a high energy level (the cosmos) because of the passion that he deposits in training and in combat and the noble ideals it stands for. Therefore, we should also get interest for our work, by doing something that is really good for the society we live in, even if it does not result in better personal profits (such as money and credit), because only the passion for what we do can move us to the level which Cassius was unaware.

This is one of the greatest animes ever made. I grew up watching the show, hell I still do watch it when ever I can find it on tv.

Saint Seiya (also known as Los Caballeros del Zodiaco in Spanish, Knights of Zodiac in English and Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque in French) is one of the best series ever created. First aired in 1986, the series was not as outstandingly popular as your DBZ's or your Sailor Moon's in Japan but strangely it contains/contained an almost religious following in Hispanic (Argentina, Chile, Dominican Republic, etc) and Europ(France and Spain). Based around the idea that our modern world coexists with warriors wearing cloth/armors which are associated with constellations, the series dwells with the adventures of the saints/knights of the goddess Athena. Swearing to protect her, the Bronze saints (the main characters of the story) go to any length and fight anyone who threatens Athena or the well-being of mankind.

The series aired in Adult Swim for a while in a crappy time slot and has never really developed an American audience, which is a shame.I can not stress enough how good the series is.

Saint Seiya, no doubt, is the best Anime Japan has to offer. It is fast, exciting, and moving. The story line and the character are so real and deep that you'll be attached to them right away. The fierce and fast action is spetacular even using today's standards. But you really have to know the series first in order to enjoy more from the movie. The movie itself, for a first timer is still great, but there are missing details, which by knowing the series will help to fill them.

Great anime, watch it.