WithCowboy Bebopfreshly released andOne Piecestill on the horizon, live-action adaptations of anime are a big topic of conversation at the moment. In all the excitement and the overwhelming cynicism, some of the stranger and more interesting entries in the genre slip between the cracks and go unnoticed. One of the countless missteps of the average anime adaptation is taking a beloved source material’s good name and slapping it on an unrelated and often terrible film. Perhaps a very different piece of cinema could be created byadapting a lesser-known animeclassic, perhaps one that often doesn’t get its time in the sun.
Saint Seiyabegan life as a manga in 1986, written by Masami Kurumada. A fairly early entry in the venerable shonen genre, the series ran for four years in theiconic Shonen Jump Magazine. The series was adapted into an anime series mere months after its manga premiere, which then led to three OVAs, six anime films and multiple reinterpretations by different creators.
RELATED:Cowboy Bebop: How Spike Spiegel Changed From Anime To Live-Action
Released before or in the midst of many standbys in the genre,Saint Seiyais an inspiration to works includingRonin Warriorsand multipleGundamseries. Tite Kubo, the writer and artist behindshonen classicBleach, citedSeiyaas a major inspiration on his design sensibilities and his iconic battle scenes. Buried by spin-offs, reimaginings and often dodgy adaptations, new viewers rarely get to see what the franchise brought that made it such a lasting influence on the art form.
Saint Seiyais aGreek mythology-themed fantasyaction-adventure story about a group of heroes defending the Earth from the malevolent whims of gods. These eponymous Saints don suits of mystical armor known as Cloths which grant them superhuman powers in service of the Goddess of Wisdom and War, Athena. Seiya is one of five new heroes who take up these ancient mantles, each designed after a famous constellation.
The series plays with tons of classic anime tropes, tournament arcs, evil siblings, characters who are reincarnations of other characters, ascending power levels, villains increasing to comical scale, et cetera.Seiyais a classic anime of its time, with one interesting exception. Unlike most of the big shonen mainstays of today,Saint Seiyahas a satisfying ending. Its a complete story, one that serves as an inspiration to its peers and deserves respect for its pedigree. Respect, however, is often denied by the challenging adaptations that have emerged in the decades since the original show. With the most ambitious project in the franchise to date on the horizon, perhapsSaint Seiyacould get introduced to a new audience by a new take.
Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiacis an American-produced live-action film adaptation of the classic anime series. The project has wrapped filming in Hungary with no exact release date announced, some predictions put its release in 2023. The production has been troubled, undergoing multiple setbacks over the many years since its initial conception. The film is being produced by Toei Animation, the powerhouse studio behindDragon Ball SuperandOne Piece, among countless others. This film is the directorial debut of Tomasz Baginski, an animator and producer who has worked on projects such asThe Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. In a world of disastrous anime adaptations, this project has some interesting talent behind it that could lead to a fascinating product when the film finally sees the big screen.
Anime film mainstay Mackenyu is set to portray the title role in the upcoming adaptation. Mackenyu recently starred as the excellent villain ofRurouni Kenshin: The Finaland is set to portray the iconic Roronoa Zoro in the upcoming live-actionOne Piece. Veteran character actorSean Beanhas been cast as Seiya’s mentor Alman Kiddo, bringing some very recognizable star power to the film. Famke Janssen, best known for portraying Jean Grey inthe 2000’sX-Menfilms, has been cast in an unknown role. The franchise’s stellar action will now be overseen by Andy Cheng, martial arts master recently best known for choreographing some of Marvel’s best fight scenes inShang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While the full cast and crew is not yet on display, what has been revealed is promising.
WhileSaint Seiyacertainly has its fans, its popularity pales in comparison to some of its more modern peers. This provides an interesting new experience for the adaptation; will it still be viewed as a betrayal if the source material is less well known? WillSaint Seiyabenefit from its relative obscurity by being judged squarely on its own merits? Every fan knows,the only decent anime adaptationssucceed by adapting the spirit of the original work, but perhaps by blazing a new trail and introducing a new fanbase to the work,Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiaccould be something truly special.
MORE:6 Live-Action Series Based On Anime & Manga That Are Actually Great
