The Perfect Score: Saint Seiya

In this series I detail the few series I have given a 5/5 too and why.

What is it?

Athena, Goddess of Wisdom since Time Immemorial, to protect peace and justice in the universe endows 88 special armors the “cloths” with the cosmo energy of the 88 constellations. Their bearers, become the Saints of Athena and enforce her will across Heaven and Earth.

Young orphan boy Seiya seeks the Bronze Pegasus Cloth, hoping it’s power and reknown will help him be reunited with his sister, lost to him since they were separated in a childhood orphanage. Little does he know that the Pegasus Cloth will pull him into the politics and battles of the Saints, and eventually the Gods themselves!

Why do I love it?

To me Saint Seiya is the apex and the perfect example of how to use mythology in a modern setting. The series captures the paradoxical fusion of epicness and elegance that is mythology, and merges it with scientific concepts and Shonen fighting. It always impresses me how well the series is able to revitalize the heart of old myths and bring out the potential emotionality of them.

Shonen is sometimes stigmatized as just stupid fighting over and over and Saint Seiya is sort of the perfect counter to that. The fighting itself in Saint Seiya is imbued with meaning, not just on a psychological level where you would expect it but on a symbolic and philosophical level, as the characters powers and their connection to cosmo, the energy of the universe itself, reveals their character

Another thing that helps Saint Seiya is that while some shonen go on for hundreds upon hundreds of chapters, SS has 110 chapters which is relatively short for a Shonen of it’s reknown, and it doesn’t waste a single chapter. Every single chapter I can recall of Saint Seiya, something happens to dramatically affect the plot and it’s usually something amazing you didn’t see coming.

Saint Seiya is a series of the conflict and battle of the greatest cosmic forces and ideals and archetypes embodied in archetypes, and every single conflict, physical or otherwise, is imbued with a gravity and dignitas most series strive to replicate for only one conflict.

5/5 Moments:

*The end of the Black Saints Arc where despite his friends Andromeda Shun, Cygnus Hyoga, and Dragon Shiryu being unconscious and him being severely wounded, Seiya’s friendship with them is so close that he can use all their attacks one after another in order to win

*The other Bronze Saints showing up to protect Athena’s body in the Sanctuary Arc

*When Gemini Saga, a Gold Saint is mentally torturing and planning on killing Andromeda Shuna and suddenly a phoenix emerges and stops him and the pure psychic power of Bronze Saint Phoenix Ikki motivated by his love for his brother manages to overwhelm even Saga

*When the sadistic utterly monsterous gold saint Cancer Deathmask is beating up Dragon Shiryu in the otherworld and is throwing defenseless souls into hell just for the sadistic glee of it, and the kind Cancer Cloth is so repulsed that it actually leaves Deathmask allowing Shiryu to beat Deathmask in a fair fight without armors and WIN with the help of the souls of the underworld

*Pegasus Seiya and Phoenix Ikki putting aside their differences and working together to fight Gemini Saga and save Athena in the nick of time

*Pretty much ALL of Saint Seiya: Lost Canvas

*When the Bronze Saints clothes are destroyed but the love of Seiya’s sister Seika is strong enough to revitalize him to not only restore his cloth but turn into a God Cloth

*Virgo Shaka, the current reincarnation of Buddha opening his eyes for the first time in the series and unleashing his stored magical power, using his crazy techniques

*The nobility of the Gold Saint Sagittarius Aiolos aiding Seiya from beyond the grave through the Sanctuary Arc

*The first battle between the Ice Saint Cygnus Hyoga and the Fire Saint Phoenix Ikki

Favorite Moment:

The Cruel Silver Saint Perseus Algol is using his special power, his medusa shield to turn people to stone including Pegasus Seiya and Andromea Shun to stone. Dragon Shiryu must defeat him without looking at the shield to save them and in the anime Algol even starts beating up the Iron Saints, artificially created saints given to younger members who aren’t as strong.

Shiryu tries everything, like covering his eyes with cloth or using the reflection of his shield but nothing works. His devotion to save his friends is so strong that in a scene that could be ripped right from mythology Shiryu gouges out his own eyes, tears of blood streaming down his cheeks so he can not see the shield or anything. Algol angered by this brutally beats the Dragon Saint over and over, until in the darkness Shiryu sees a vision of the Goddess Athena, guding him.

Athena’s light guides his arm and with one powerful strike he strikes through the Medusa Shield defeating Algol. His reunion with his friends is joyous but cut short at the realization of his blindness. The emotions of this scene and the sheer gravity and dignity of it break my heart every time.