Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya
Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya is a Japanese-American animated webseries based on the 1980s Japanese manga series Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada.
| Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya | |
|---|---|
 Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya poster | |
| Japanese title 聖闘士星矢 ナイツオブザゾディアック (Seinto Seiya: Naitsu obu za Zodiakku) | |
| Based on | Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada |
| Screenplay by | Benjamin Townsend Shannon Eric Denton Thomas F. Zahler Joelle Sellner Travis Donnelly Thomas Pugsley Saundra Hall Shaene Siders Patrick Rieger |
| Story by | Eugene Son[1] |
| Directed by | Yoshiharu Ashino[1] |
| Voices of | Emily Neves Bryson Baugus Patrick Poole Blake Shepard Luci Christian Adam Gibbs |
| Opening theme | "Pegasus Seiya" by The Struts[2] |
| Ending theme | "Somebody New" by The Struts[2] |
| Composer(s) | Yoshihiro Ike |
| Country of origin | Japan United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Kōzō Morishita Takashi Washio Hiromi Kitazaki |
| Producer(s) | Joseph Chou Yoshi Ikezawa |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Toei Animation Toei Animation USA |
| Distributor | Netflix |
| Release | |
| Original network | Netflix |
| Original release | July 19, 2019 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Production
The series was first revealed to be in the works in December 2016 at CCXP in Brazil.[3] On August 2, 2017, Cinematoday.jp published an article which revealed that the project was a collaboration with Netflix to make a new adaptation of the manga and anime classic series. Yoshiharu Ashino was announced as the director, and Eugene Son among others as the writers. The first six episodes were released on Netflix on July 19, 2019, and loosely adapts the "Galaxian Wars" and the "Black Knights" arcs from the manga.[4][5] Another six episodes that loosely adapt the Silver Saints arc were released on January 23, 2020.[6][7]
Plot
Seiya, a young teen, is recruited by Alman Kiddo to become a fabled Bronze Knight (青銅聖闘士, Buronzu Seinto). The series follows the Bronze Knights as they fight prolific warriors in the quest of becoming Goddess Athena warriors, while Seiya at the same time is looking for his missing sister.[8][9]
Voice cast
| Character (Japanese name) |
Cast | |
|---|---|---|
| English[10] | Japanese[11] | |
| Sienna Kiddo / Athena Saori Kido / Athena |
Emily Neves | Fumiko Orikasa |
| Pegasus Seiya | Bryson Baugus (Original) Crocket Groves (Child) |
Masakazu Morita (Original) Yukiko Morishito (Child) |
| Cygnus Magnus Cygnus Hyōga |
Patrick Poole | Hiroaki Miura |
| Dragon Long Dragon Shiryū |
Blake Shepard | Takahiro Sakurai |
| Andromeda Shaun Andromeda Shun |
Luci Christian | Satomi Satō |
| Phoenix Nero Phoenix Ikki |
Adam Gibbs | Katsuyuki Konishi |
| Unicorn Jab Unicorn Jabu |
Leraldo Anzaldua | Hideo Ishikawa |
| Bear Geki | Adam Noble | Kohei Fukuhara |
| Hydra Ichi | Justin Doran | Masaya Onosaka |
| Eagle Marin | Maggie Flecknoe | Fumiko Inoue |
| Ophiucus Shaina | Katelyn Barr | Yuka Komatsu |
| Lizard Misty | Corey Hartzog | Hisafumi Oda |
| Whale Morris Whale Mozes |
Courtland Johnson | Tetsu Inada |
| Hound Asterion | Nathan Wilson | Ryohei Arai |
| Crow Jamian | Justin Doran | Junji Kitajima |
| Kerberos Dante | Joe Daniels | Eiji Hanawa |
| Perseus Argol Perseus Algol |
Austin Tindle | Ryosuke Kanemoto |
| Aries Mu | John Gremillion | Takumi Yamazaki |
| Leo Aioria Leo Aiolia |
Greg Cote | Hideyuki Tanaka |
| Sagittarius Aiolos | Yusaku Yara | |
| Virgo Shaka | Scott Gibbs | Yūji Mitsuya |
| Scorpio Milo | Alejandro Saab | Toshihiko Seki |
| Dohko | John Swasey | Hiroshi Iwasaki |
| The Grandmaster The Pope |
David Matranga | Ryotaro Okiayu |
| Cassios | Andrew Love | Toshitsugu Takashina |
| Guilty | David Harbold | Masafumi Kimura |
| Esmeralda | Juliet Simmons | Shino Shimoji |
| Kiki | Kira Vincent-Davis | Umeka Shoji |
| Shunrei | Hilary Haag | Haruka Terui |
| Patricia Seika |
Lillian Jones | Yukiko Motoyoshi |
| Mylock Tatsumi |
Ty Mahany | Hisao Egawa |
| Alman Kiddo Mitsumasa Kido |
Axel Lutter | Katsuhisa Hōki |
| Vander Graad | James Belcher | Hideaki Tezuka |
| Narrator | Marty Fleck | Hideyuki Tanaka |
Episode list
- Season 1
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Seiya" | Yasuhiro Tanabe | Shannon Eric Denton | July 19, 2019 |
| 2 | "Burn Your Cosmo" | Yasuhiro Tanabe | Thomas F. Zahler | July 19, 2019 |
| 3 | "Enter The Dragon" | Yasuhiro Tanabe | Benjamin Townsend | July 19, 2019 |
| 4 | "Nebula Chain" | Hiroshi Kimura | Joelle Sellner | July 19, 2019 |
| 5 | "The Black Knights" | Hiroshi Kimura | Travis Donnelly | July 19, 2019 |
| 6 | "Phoenix Rising" | Hiroshi Kimura | Benjamin Townsend | July 19, 2019 |
- Season 2
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | "The Silver Knights" | Yasuhiro Tanabe | Thomas Pugsley | January 23, 2020 |
| 8 | "The Rising Tide" | Yasuhiro Tanabe | Saundra Hall | January 23, 2020 |
| 9 | "To Fight For Athena" | Hiroshi Kimura | Shaene Siders | January 23, 2020 |
| 10 | "The Challenge" | Hiroshi Kimura | Patrick Rieger | January 23, 2020 |
| 11 | "The Prophecy" | Yoshiharu Ashino | Eugene Son | January 23, 2020 |
| 12 | "One War Ends, Another Begins" | Yoshiharu Ashino | Eugene Son | January 23, 2020 |
Reception
The Review Geek rated the series 3.5 out of 10;[12] Ready Steady Cut gave a 2.5 out of 5 rating and called the show "dull and uninspiring".[13] Initial backlash to the series began before it aired, when it was revealed that Shun, a male in the original manga and series, was changed into a female character. The writer of the series, Eugene Son, justified this change after thinking the Knights needed more female representation. He explained that while the original show had some excellent core concepts, the one thing that bothered him about it was that “the Bronze Knights with Pegasus Seiya are all dudes”. However, this decision received backlash from fans of the original series, as the existence of female Saints is in stark contradiction with the canonical lore. One example includes the complete erasure of explanation for Marin's mask. The gender swap of Shun, who was the only main male character of the original series who did not fit in the stereotype of the male hero - slightly effeminate, sensitive and opposed to fighting - was seen as special interest pandering by some and a heteronormative move by others.[14]
References
- Netflix's CG Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya Remake Anime Premieres Next Summer
- English Band The Struts Performs Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya CG Anime's Theme Songs
- Dennison, Kara (December 6, 2016). "President of Toei Announces Plans for CG, Live Action "Saint Seiya" Movies". Crunchyroll.com. Crunchyroll. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
According to Morishita, plans are currently under way for both a CG film and a live-action adaptation.
- "Netflix's CG Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya Remake Anime Premieres Next Summer". Anime News Network. November 26, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- "Netflix Posts Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya CG Anime's Japanese-Dubbed Video". Anime News Network. March 23, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ""Saint Seiya" reanimation! Produced as Netflix original CG animation". Cinematoday.jp. Cinema Today. August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
In the first season of "Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya (Tentative)" which will be produced as Netflix original animation this time, "Galaxy War Story" to "Silver Saint Warrior Hen" will be planned. It is scheduled for about 30 minutes in 1 story with 12 episodes in one season. Directed by Yoshiharu Asui of "Azuki-chan" (drawing director), "D.Gray-man HALLOW" (directed). The script will be written by Eugene Son and Hollywood script writer team. Toei animation is in charge of animation production.
- Sherman, Jennifer (December 6, 2019). "Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya CG Anime's 2nd Part Premieres Worldwide on January 23". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- "Saint Seiya: Knights Of The Zodiac – Netflix Season 1 Review". The Review Geek. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
- "Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac Season 1 Review: Adaptation Is Dull And Uninspiring". Ready Steady Cut. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
- "Seiya". Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya. Episode 1. USA: Netflix. Event occurs at Closing credits, English Language Cast.
- "Netflix's Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya CG Anime Reveals Japanese Cast". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
- "Saint Seiya: Knights Of The Zodiac - Netflix Season 1 Review". The Review Geek. 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
- "Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac Season 1 Review - Netflix Anime Series". Ready Steady Cut. 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
- "Netflix's 'Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya' is a perfect example of the problems of representation in media". meaww.com. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
External links
- Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya on Netflix
- Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya (ONA) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
