Anime Column] Tokimeki☆Time Trip vol.3 "Saint Seiya" Boys who stand up even after fierce battles and injuries are beautiful.

I still love it when I look at it now!"

Why were they so popular with the ladies?"

There is a reason for everything interesting!　Female anime writers take a look back at the nostalgic works that have been a hit with female anime fans.

The third installment is "Saint Seiya" (broadcast in 1986), which celebrates the 30th anniversary of its serialization and the "Saint Seiya 30th Anniversary Exhibition" to be held in Akihabara this June.

The serialization of "Saint Seiya" by Masami Kurumada began in Weekly Shonen Jump in the first and second issues of 1986. The animated TV series began in October 1986.

The passionate storyline, in which the fallen can rise again and again from despair, and the romantic worldview related to Greek mythology and constellations attracted not only male but also many female fans, making the series a long-running series.

The word "Saint" is read as "Saint" and the word "Cloth" is read as "Cross. You naturally read "Cosmo" for microcosm and "Sanctuary" ...... for sanctuary. Do you remember that work of art that you have missed?

It is peculiar!　Period-like dialogue and indomitable battles

The opening "Pegasus Fantasy" will get you excited. The background music composed by Seiji Yokoyama will make your heart pound. Saint Seiya" is a highly addictive anime that once you get hooked on it, you will become addicted to it.

The original author, Masami Kurumada, depicts a world full of male romance that embodies hard work, friendship, and victory. Seiya and the other Bronze Saints, the main characters, always give their all in head-to-head combat against their enemies. No matter how desperate the danger, they never give up, trusting in their comrades and fighting through to overcome seemingly impossible adversity.

Fans accustomed to today's clean screens may feel that the "Saint Seiya" TV series is somewhat like an old "Showa-era" anime. However, this sense of hungry passion was still solid enough 30 years ago. The power of the animation is so great that even though you think, "What the heck," you are pulled along with a gusto. The anime has been made more accessible to a wider audience by the brilliant character designs of Shingo Araki and Yoshitomo Himeno.

The five main characters, the five Bronze Saints, are all attractive young boys in their early teens. Each is unique and attractive in his or her own way.

Pegasus Seiya is a single-minded, energetic boy with a simple, clear, and indomitable fighting spirit.

The long-haired, black-haired dragon Shiryu is cool, calm, stoic, and willing to sacrifice himself.

The cool, mother-conscious, half-blonde-haired, blue-eyed Kignas Glacier.

Andromeda Shun, a cute and gentle Andromeda, who loves her brother and is a crybaby, but is actually very strong.

Phoenix Ikki, a tough loner who always arrives when his brother is in danger.

These five are "friends" who have various connections to each other, having fought each other until they were mortally wounded or, conversely, risked their lives to save their opponents. It's dramatic.

Their lines are passionate. Or, rather, they are passionate and bitter!　"Hilarious! No questions asked! Are you still a Saint of Athena? It was the kind of unbelievable dialogue you would only see in a period drama. The phrase "You're a weakling!" uttered by Kazuteru Phoenix to his brother was a bit popular at the time. was a bit popular at the time.

The boys keep pushing forward, falling down, and getting hurt!

The original comic's passionate and engaging appeal was broken by the anime adaptation. When I first saw it, the first impact of the "dancing special moves" was amazing.

Seya's fists are carving the 13 star trails of Pegasus!

Seiya's movements, which were described in the original story, were embodied in the anime, and the preamble of the special move accelerated. The "Rozan Shoryu Ha" (Rozan Ascending Dragon Ha), which begins with the shedding of the sacred robe, Shun's "Nebula Chain" with its mysterious sound, and Ikki's "Houyoku Tenshou" with its hellish flames dancing across the screen.

The highlight of the evening was Glacier's "Diamond Dust," known as the "Kignas Dance. I was a bit impressed that it was reproduced in the new "Saint Seiya Omega" without a slight difference.

The "setup of being cornered" is always necessary for the exciting storyline in which the characters are driven into a desperate predicament but do not give up hope and decide to turn the tables from the very last minute. As a result, the special moves, as well as the presentation of the battle and the impact of the battle, were improved, and the "defeat" of the main character, Seiya and his friends, was portrayed in an ingenious way.

Shockwaves dominated the space, their faces were stretched like rubber, they plunged face-first into walls and shattered stone walls, their most powerful holy robes shattered into pieces like china, and finally they took them off themselves, their hair standing on end in a torrent of energy, their forehead hairline exposed, their head parts shattered, their disheveled hair exposed, and their bodies shattered. The head parts shatter and the disheveled hair is revealed. ......

The boy who fights and continues to be wounded is like an offering for battle. The passionate Seiya and his friends stand up again and again, and the heart that should have been enjoying themselves while making a joke is now being moved by their passionate appearance.

The "Twelve Palaces Arc," in which the overwhelmingly powerful Golden Saints appeared, was the most popular episode of the series. The rule that "the popularity of a work increases when a team of delicious antagonists appear" is in effect here as well.

The Bronze Saints are attractive, but they are still young boys. The Golden Saints, on the other hand, are older and more mature. Mu of Aries watches over Seiya and his friends, Dotora of Libra is Shiryu's master, and Camus of Aquarius is Glacier's mentor (in the anime version), and there is even a master-disciple relationship between the Bronze Saints based on a clear difference in power.

The relationships among the Golden Saints were also complicated: among the 12, there were loyal masters and sisters, equal friendship, sad brotherhood, causal hatred, and conflicts related to the past. The drama surrounding the sanctuary quickly became more complex, allowing fans to enjoy their own dramas centered around their favorite characters, each in his or her own way.

If I had to pick one from the glittering Golden Saints, it would be Saga of Gemini. He reigns as an enigmatic being and actually has a dual personality with a god-like pure good personality and a devil-like cold-hearted evil personality. It was later discovered that he has a twin brother, Kanon, with whom he is in conflict. As a man with multiple refractions, he attracted the hearts of his female fans.

For an easy way to get a feel for the essence of this work, the movie version, which was popular among fans, is recommended: "Saint Seiya: The Hot Battle of the Gods" (1988), with its beautiful background music, and "Saint Seiya: The Legend of the Crimson Boy" (1988), in which the Golden Saint also makes an appearance.

The ever-expanding world of "Saint Seiya

The 114-episode "Saint Seiya" TV series ends with the Poseidon Arc of the original work. The original work itself has spawned a variety of derivative works, and even now, in its 30th anniversary year, a variety of sequels and new animated works have been produced.

The change in the cast of the Bronze Saint has left fans with mixed feelings, but now that a new series with a wide variety has been produced one after another, they would rather enjoy the differences.

Saint Seiya the Lost Canvas: Pluto Mythology" (2009) is a 26-episode OVA adaptation of the comic by Masami Kurumada (original story) and Fumiori Teshirogi (art), which depicts the pre-Holy War set in the 18th century. Since the pictures are completely different, the viewer can enjoy the passionate story of the saints, performed by today's popular voice actors, without being bound by the previous series, and it is recommended for both those who know the previous series and those who are new to it. It is just a pity that the anime has not been adapted to the end of the original story.

Saint Seiya Omega (2012) was an original television series that ran for a total of 97 episodes and depicted the activities of the later generation of Saint Seiya saints. While there were new attempts such as storing the saint's robe in a pendant instead of in a box and introducing female saints as main characters, characters from the previous generation, including Seiya, also appeared in the series. While retaining the image of the previous work and nostalgia, it spins out a new world and is deeply moving in many ways.

Saint Seiya Legend of Sanctuary" (2014) is a full 3DCG animation film created around the "Twelve Palaces Arc." The pictures and voices are completely different from the anime of the past, which makes this one another thing to enjoy. It is refreshing to see the power of the original work being felt anew because of the completely different way in which it is presented, such as the boyishness of Seiya and his friends today and Saori's thoughts as a single girl. The sanctuary where the Twelve Palaces are located is depicted with innovative art that we have never seen before, allowing us to enjoy a free image of "Saint Seiya.

Looking at the new "Saint Seiya" works that have been reborn, I feel anew the passionate appeal of this work, in which the boys do not falter and stand up again and again.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of "Saint Seiya," it is good to follow the new "Saint Seiya" works. You can also revisit the saints of old. Which scene or line would you like to see again?

(Text by YAMAYU)
(C) Masami Kurumada/Shueisha, Toei Animation