Saint Seiya (Photo : www.saintseiya-soldierssoul.com)
The modern reincarnation of the goddess Athena from the Age of Myth would be protected by a young group of warriors, the “Saints,” in the 93-minute CG animated feature “Legend of Sanctuary.” Adapted from the Japanese manga Saint Seiya, the much-awaited movie opened in mainland cinemas on Feb. 26.
The movie has been released in Japan in 2014 and Saint Seiya was introduced to Japanese viewers in 1996, but for many Chinese fans, the character had been their idol for decades too because they watched them on Chinese TV, and they are happy to finally watch these warriors on the silver screen, reported China Daily.
Even if the movie has been available on some online sites, many fans say they would rather watch it on theaters because of its nostalgic effect. Inspired by “Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac,” a Japanese manga, “Legend of Sanctuary” is the sixth of the film’s franchises.
The animated TV series debuted in Japan in 1986, a year after the books were published. In China, it was first seen on TV in 1992 and captured the interest and imagination of Chinese youth. It is now broadcast in almost 80 countries.
The TV series is one of the most popular animes globally, particularly in Latin America and Europe, but a fan noted that it is almost completely unknown in North America. The fan believes it is because of bad timing and cultural incompatibilities.
The fan added that as a shonen fighting series, “Saint Seiya” is different from the Dragonballs and Narutos because it is a team fighting show, “A sentai series that plays towards high concept fantasy and mythology rather than science fiction tropes.”
