Anime: Saint Seiya: Meiou Hades Juuni Kyuu Hen

The long-awaited Saint Seiya Hades Chapter! I can still remember the excitement I felt when I heard that my favourite Shounen series was going to be continued in 2002. I had high expectations for this Hades Sanctuary Arc as the original series was one that moved me in ways very few animes manage. This was largely due to the moving characters, intricate and passionate storylines as well as amazing, epic scores. Well good news everyone!
All these things can be found here as well as so much more as Yamauchi really taps into what makes Saint Seiya a benchmark in Shounen anime by also adding spectacular visuals to the winning formula.

The animation, as mentioned above, was and still raises a new benchmark in how to incorporate 2D and 3D graphics coherently and convincingly. The characters are beautifully drawn (like it has always been with Saint Seiya) and the armours or "cloths" are rendered to spectacularly results. They shine and reflect the mass and proportion of the characters convincingly, but also enhance the lighting of particular scenes.
The backgrounds are just about all 3D looking and it suits the 12 temples exceedingly well (especially the Gemini and Virgo ones).
I can't find any faults in the animation here as Yamauchi is just an incredible director and this is his masterpiece. His vision incorporates all the important elements of Saint Seiya with CGs in an amazing fashion!

The soundtrack of this Arc is of the same high quality one comes to expect from Saint Seiya. Feelings are conveyed with class because of the epic and appropriate symphonies created for this Arc. The heartfelt use of harps, piano and violon pieces helps shape the series into the appropriately godlike state it aims for.

These scores are matched with subtle and heartfelt performances from the cast. The orginal voice actors are all back for this series (except Mu's original seiyuu as he passed away before the production started) and they capture the essence of these characters that have made idols out of them (especially Seiya's) as though about 20 years hadn't passed since they first voiced these characters.

The overall story of this arc is about fallen Gold Saints coming to kill Athena under the leadership of Hades, King of the Underworld. Although this is fairly straight forward, the execution and editing of the Arc make it incredibly engrossing.
As one knows, Saint Seiya is a series where there is always more than meets the eye; and some of the sub-plots are executed so well that they surprise, entertain and make you feel in equal parts.
The amazing animation and score really elevate the story as it becomes moody and powerful in its depiction of the Saints' struggle.

The main players of this Arc are surprisingly not the Bronze Saints but rather the remaining and fallen Gold Saints. This creates a new layer to this amazing franchise that appeals to hardcore fans as well as ones who just joined the bandwagon.
The feelings of characters like Saga, Mu and Shura are depicted effortlessly by the incredible seiyuu cast. Athena, Shaina, Aphrodite and some other favourites have smaller roles in this Arc but their emotions come accross just as well.
Stand out characters include Shaka, Kanon, Milo and Aiolia as the storyline really allows the audience to connect with them on a very deep level.
A special mention must be made to the villains of the piece, Pandora and Rhadamanthys, as they are subtly and effectively evil as opposed to cardboard cutouts.

The value of this anime is where it lacks slightly as this is an incomplete Arc (some episodes of the next Arc HAVE been released but they lack the certain something that makes this arc so incredible). As a result, I cannot recommend it completely to anyone since they would have a lot of unanswered questions dropped along the way (one can always pick up the manga though!).

Saint Seiya - The Hades Sanctuary Chapter is just an incredible experience. For the magnitude and quality of feelings, visuals, vocal performances, characters, story and score; it is a very rewarding journey to take. If you are a fan of Saint Seiya - track it down and see it. This is probably not the best place to start for Saint Seiya newbie as you need the background on the characters to appreciate it to a deeper level. It is nevertheless an incredible piece that just relentlessly delivers.

Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter Sanctuary follows the history which it was cut steeply in the series of TV, that left to the air from 1986 to 1989, based as well on the successful sleeve of Masami Kurumada, that consists of 28 volumenes.

These ovas are done for fans of the series, and of no way they will understand the form to act of the characters and the events that mention without having previous knowledge of the series. For that reason one assumes that already the characters know, who will be mentioned with no need of introduction throughout review. The first 13 ovas cover volumenes 19-22 with the sleeve, which cover the stage with the Sanctuary of the saga of Hades (of this point in ahead I will talk about to the series like StSH).

Saint Seiya Hades continues the events happened after the defeat of Poseidón. In a dark night, Dohko of Libra (that it has to have to watch the seal of Athena that maintains prisoners the souls of the phantoms of Hades) wakes up worried about a vision that it had about the return of Hades, in which cuts the head to him to the Athena goddess. Just then it can see as in effect the seal is broken, and the souls of these soldiers return to this world. While, in the Sanctuary, Shaina, Ichi and Nachi find that the tombs of several saints have been opened; but from inside! Mu de Aries feels a disturbance in the cosmos, and they appear to him several figures covered by mantles, that nothing else turn out to be and nothing less than their companions than had passed away previously. Thus this saga begins, and they are introduced the other personages little by little, feeling the events that are happening. But they will maintain to you with these doubts: Which is its intention? We know everything what it is happening at first sight? In this saga they begin to afloat leave answers on many last events.

History seems simple to first plane, but really it is not it. The strongpoint of this is the characters. All have their intentions, their doubts, his to have. All the personages well are defined, and they offer to life and feeling him to the series. They will maintain to you in tension, in doubt, sometimes moved, sometimes sad. He is almost safe that you will identify yourself with some of them. It is a quite serious history, and lacks humor. You will not find women and other scenes half-naked of that nature, if that is what you look for. However it offers the great épica and exciting history you. The episodes you can see them time and time again, and mantenerte always kind to these. It has a good balance of action and history, guaranteeing that never it will give dream you.

Now I am going to focus in the technical aspects. The art is magnificent. The design of armors is beautiful, and the places are excellent, and maintain that atmosphere of the dark and sadness that feels in the plot. It uses effects Cg for many of the special attacks. This for some people is good, and for others is bad. In the personal encounter that sees very well, the only exception being when Seiya puts the armor in the first episode, that could better be worked. The animation is good, but nonexcellent. It does not have the same fluidity that has others ovas, but if it is better than many others. Recycling of animation in some episodes can be seen.

Music is simply beautiful. The great majority is melodíes of the old series and the films, but nowadays there are no lost nothing of impact. These capture the escencia of the scenes perfectly, and they give an incredible life him. StS always has been acclaimed by music, and this saga demonstrates it. This first part lacks new melodías because the composer Seiji Yokoyama did not have time to on time create new music for the exit of these, but he is occupied creating them for the rest of ovas. With the beautiful thing which it has been music in the series, specially listening to the best ones in the saga of Hades, simply I cannot hope that new pieces to created for next ovas.

Animation

In this anime there are both 3d (without cellshading) and 2d components. But sadly, the 3D background/scenario sometimes doesn't match quite well with the 2d animations. Too much photoshop. Anyway the artwork is pretty decent.

Sound

New opening song, very enjoyable. The characters are well matched with their voices. Also, the ambient music is really nice and adecuate.

Story

The story is better than in the old Saint Seiya series, and there are more explanations about the origin of some Saints. Nevertheless, the ending of this series is really poor leaving the door open to a new release.


Characters

The characters are the weak point of the anime, very poor character development. It could be worse, like DBZ.

Value

Since it is a classic, and the conclusion to SS saga I will watch sometime in the future (10 years from now).

Enjoyment

Nice to watch. Good atmosphere, but annoying in some points because of recap. I'd liked some Gold Saints fights.