"Saint Seiya" was a very important part of my childhood, mostly because it was one of the very first anime series that I've watched in my life. Along with "Batman: The Animated Series" and "The Simpsons", this anime changed forever my way to see cartoons, being darker and way more violent than anything that I've seen before. But besides of that, "Saint Seiya" had a very entertaining plot and many interesting characters.
The mythological elements used in the story worked very well, being a key factor in what concerned to the character development, their personalities and abilities. The excellent music composed by Seiji Yokohama deserves a special mention, as it is one of the main components that serve to recreate the perfect mood and atmosphere for each story arc, capturing the emotion, excitement, sadness and solemnity of the plot.
Considering the time when this series was made, the animation and the designs (done by Shingo Araki) were pretty good, and have a very good quality. It is true than some episodes are better animated than others, but the overall series keeps a good level. In many ways, this anime adaptation exploited very well the original story and concepts created by Masami Kurumada in order to create a fascinating epic tale with several elements from Greek and Norse Mythology, resulting in one of the most iconic anime series from the eighties.
It is true than in the last two parts of the original anime series (And in the movies) the story was somewhat simplified, focusing only in the quest done by the main heroes in order to save another character (in this chase, Saori/Athena) which plays the role of damsel in distress, following a predictable pattern of events, while many of the characters introduced in the first part of the series are reduced to a secondary role (Or are completely forgotten or never mentioned again) some characters which were especially created for the animated series in the first season are simply killed off or just disappear as the series advances.
However, despite those flaws, this series never stops as being funny to watch, and even those parts that could be seen as melodramatic and cheesy (At least from a modern perspective) have an undeniable level of charm, the main quality why I still enjoy watching this series in the present.
It seems that this series was poorly dubbed in North America, receiving lots of censorship and lots of absurd changes done to the animation and the story. Too bad.
"Saint Seiya" is an iconic anime series that is in the same level of "Dragon Ball" or "The Fist of the North Star". I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the Japanese animation done in that decade, having many good qualities that made it worth of appreciation. It is an entertaining and well done anime series.
The mythological elements used in the story worked very well, being a key factor in what concerned to the character development, their personalities and abilities. The excellent music composed by Seiji Yokohama deserves a special mention, as it is one of the main components that serve to recreate the perfect mood and atmosphere for each story arc, capturing the emotion, excitement, sadness and solemnity of the plot.
Considering the time when this series was made, the animation and the designs (done by Shingo Araki) were pretty good, and have a very good quality. It is true than some episodes are better animated than others, but the overall series keeps a good level. In many ways, this anime adaptation exploited very well the original story and concepts created by Masami Kurumada in order to create a fascinating epic tale with several elements from Greek and Norse Mythology, resulting in one of the most iconic anime series from the eighties.
It is true than in the last two parts of the original anime series (And in the movies) the story was somewhat simplified, focusing only in the quest done by the main heroes in order to save another character (in this chase, Saori/Athena) which plays the role of damsel in distress, following a predictable pattern of events, while many of the characters introduced in the first part of the series are reduced to a secondary role (Or are completely forgotten or never mentioned again) some characters which were especially created for the animated series in the first season are simply killed off or just disappear as the series advances.
However, despite those flaws, this series never stops as being funny to watch, and even those parts that could be seen as melodramatic and cheesy (At least from a modern perspective) have an undeniable level of charm, the main quality why I still enjoy watching this series in the present.
It seems that this series was poorly dubbed in North America, receiving lots of censorship and lots of absurd changes done to the animation and the story. Too bad.
"Saint Seiya" is an iconic anime series that is in the same level of "Dragon Ball" or "The Fist of the North Star". I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the Japanese animation done in that decade, having many good qualities that made it worth of appreciation. It is an entertaining and well done anime series.