Though some fans may not realize it, Saint Seiya is one of the most popular and successful anime/manga franchises of all time. Selling millions of copies since it debuted in the 1980s, it has continued to make a mark not only in Japan but in several other regions around the world, including Latin America. Unfortunately, it would seem that the West is the one market where the series’ colorful knights aren’t quite as respected.
When it came to North America, Saint Seiya‘s adaptation was quickly overshadowed by other anime. This was due to a combination of factors, but especially the fact that the show was by this point so sold. The result is that while the world at large can’t get enough of it, America failed to ever get into it in the first place.
Saint Seiya Is One of the Biggest Anime Franchises Across the Globe
For a lot of regions outside of Japan, the 1990s was the first era where anime was truly brought over in a major way. This led to franchises such as Dragon Ball Z making a huge splash in foreign nations, with the peculiar nature of these shows striking a chord with a universal audience. Joining these same ranks was Saint Seiya, known in other countries by various translations of the name Knights of the Zodiac. As with the adaptation of 706z87″ title=”akira”>Akira Toriyama’s manga series, the show thrived due to how new and exciting it was compared to the animation of other countries. From the art style to the storytelling, a lot of what Saint Seiya offered simply couldn’t be found in more local fare.
Another big selling point, especially in Latin American countries, was the lack of censorship. This meant that the show’s grisliest battles were mostly kept intact, maintaining the gravitas of the original version and enthralling young viewers who had never seen anything like it. Add in a great dub and exciting music, and the series easily opened doors for entire generations of anime fans. The anime adaptation of the manga premiered in Japan in 1986, with the foreign releases in France and Latin America occurring just a few years afterward. This meant that the show wasn’t too far removed from its era of origin — something that sadly wasn’t replicated when it finally arrived in America.
Saint Seiya‘s American Adaptation Was a Total Flop
The biggest problem with the American release of Saint Seiya was when it came out. Handled by DIC Entertainment, the dub came out in the early 2000s. This made the dated show even older-looking, and it paled in comparison to the more recent anime that had been dubbed and brought over. Making matters worse was the fact that the series has a 1970s-like aesthetic despite being from the ’80s. The dub itself was also somewhat poor, with the notorious censorship of the era cementing it as an inferior version. Blood was changed to green while other changes to the music and even basic scene transitions took away the feel that had made Knights of the Zodiac such a hit elsewhere. The censorship also made certain episodes a continuity nightmare, essentially ruining the pace, flow and internal logic of the story.
Even though most kids at the time were likely unaware of how egregious these changes were, the poor quality of the localization was reflected in its lack of popularity. To this end, the series was never completely dubbed by DIC, with a full English version only being produced years later when the series was briefly brought to Netflix. Now, the series’ live-action movie adaptation is nearing release, though any major nostalgia for the source material only exists outside North America. Even the growing popularity of anime as a whole has failed to turn Saint Seiya‘s fortunes around in the U.S. market, dooming it to forever be a series that was passed by in favor of Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon.
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