Ranked #4569

Saint Seiya Omega

To enjoy this series, let go of your beliefs and deep-seated assumptions about what the Seiya universe is like according to Kurumada's original anime and manga series. Kurumada is not involved in the creative process of Saint Seiya Omega, however he has been credited with the idea of Yuna and also many of the concepts used in the series (such as constellations, Bronze, Silver, Gold Saints).

This series was clearly written for new blood - i.e. new fans to the world of Saint Seiya and those of a newer generation and of different values from the previous generation, hence the new generation of Saints. Many of the changes have been heavily criticised (i.e. cloth stones, elements), however I hope that along the series, they will provide more explanations for these changes.

With the exception of the concept for the Ninja Saint and a new perspective into the law of the mask, major originality is something that should not be expected of this series.

The story was good, but slightly slow-paced after Athena's disappearance and with the introduction of the Palestra / Saint school arc. It was not for nothing, plot devices were set in place, slowly yet surely. With the upcoming revelations (which I shall not spoil in this review), the show is starting to pick up. Saint Seiya Omega has a lot of potential for growth and needs to tie up the loose ends while the story goes on.

The art is either a hit or miss with people, since not everyone enjoys the youthful vibrance in the artwork - with some preferring artwork of a mature or darker nature. At certain points , the colors may be a little too soft for the important landmarks of the series. (e.g. the 12 temples) Colors and shine of armor has been inconsistent. Quality has been alright, although the animation and fights sometimes leave more to be desired. Hopefully, they will start moving out of the elemental spam sooner or later as the new Saints make progress in their fights.

The music is effective and needs no more mention, other than the fact that re-introducing Pegasus Fantasy as the OP was one of the best things that has happened for this series.

The characters still have a lot of room for growth and discovery and we will eventually have more of their backstories, but they tie in very nicely and they have also stated that characters from the old series will make their appearances later, so fans of the older series at least have something to look forward to for nostalgia's sake. I enjoy watching every week's episode and the end leaves me wanting for the next episode. So far, there is always something to look forward to.

My personal opinion is that the mark of a potentially successful series is one that generates controversy or talk. By that mark, Saint Seiya Omega has a lot of potential. Let's see what they will do with it. For now, sit back, relax, and let the show roll. read more

Ah, Saint Seiya, one of my favorite anime when I was younger. Now they are taking the franchise into the future, with new saints (despite the title being Saint Seiya, I guess that's the downside of having a franchise titled with the name of one character) for the new generation. At least I think that was the tagline.

First of all, they re-used the original theme song, Pegasus Fantasy. That's a nice nostalgic touch. The characters are updated to reflect the current stereotype of bishounen (no more muscles). Everybody is sleek and slender. The cloths are simplified, and are stored inside a jewel. The concept of cosmos is still there, but they added elements, you know, fire, water, earth, etc. I think later the saints will be able to summon Captain Planet.... j/k

The series started very promising. With Seiya as a gold saint protecting Saori and an infant from Mars. Yup, it's still Saori as Athena. Then the story turns into the expected pattern. We have Kouga as the new Pegasus saint, training and not figuring out the point of everything. The typical weak and ignorant main character. Then, also expected, Saori got kidnapped by Mars. Really, I thought she's Princess Peach now. So Kouga is going on a journey to find her.

Sounds good, right? From here, I was expecting Kouga's pain and gain throughout his journey, meeting other saints as friends and/or foes, life and death fights, even stronger foes, rinse and repeat, you know, the typical staple of fighting anime in general.

Well, no. Instead, he went to a school with his friends and learn how to become saints. Wait, huh? Yeah, they turned Saint Seiya into Harry Potter. Oh, and yes, they have classes too. *sigh

Okay, setting that aside, the story brings you the typical themes. Friendship, rivalry, finding one's purpose, etc. But the delivery is weak. I mean remember how Seiya developed friendship with Shiryu in the original. It was a truly life and death situation. Compared to that, Kouga and Ryuho's fight is just mere pillow fight. It's watered way down. In fact, pretty much any fights so far feels watered down. Sure, they are flashy, but you don't feel the hardship of the protagonists, which is the staple of the original. Maybe it's too early to tell, but in the original, things got bloody even from the 1st episode, and it only ramped up from there. You have the feeling of danger, that the hero(es) may actually be killed, or did. Not here.

Oh, and what could you do to make things worse? Oh, let's bring back a character from the original, and make him into a clown. They did that to Hydra Ichi. It's just bad.

Maybe I'm too biased, being familiar with the original. Maybe the target market is different now, towards the similar market for Yu-Gi-Oh/Digimon/Pre-Cure. Maybe things will actually get better. If I had not known the original, I might have had a different impression. Still, it is clear that they are piggybacking the original, and one would expect the series to be compared with the original.

Let's just hope they don't have the saints summon Captain Planet.

*Update:
After catching up to episode 12, the story is getting a bit more towards the original franchise. The school is gone, the fights with the Gold Saints overwhelmed the protagonists (as it should), and cameos. Still, the fights with the silver saints seem "too easy." And a megane chara turned into a ninja saint? Ninja? Err.... okay. The appearances of the evil gold saints do bring a bit of my interest back, but not much. read more