Saint Seiya comes back
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| The five Bronze Saints in the orphanage. [Courtesy: https://saint-seiya.uhome.net/] |
Saint Seiya comes back. This is absolutely true in 2004 as this Japanese cartoon legend appears in many products including a new TV series, a movie, toys, cards, etc. Who can imagine the influence of this Japanese cartoon can last for over 10 years.
Saint Seiya is created by Masami Kurumada, a comic writer. It was originally a comic book. But it was so popular that Bandai, the Saint Seiya trademark owner company, makes it into a cartoon. It talks about the friendship among five teenage warriors and their royalty to the Goddess Athena. The central characters help with each other even if they have to sacrifice their lives. They fight for Athena in many battles in order to protect her and save her life.
There were many violent scenes throughout the programme. So it had to be shown after midnight when it made the debut on TV in Hong Kong more than 10 years ago so as to prevent children from watching it. But many teenagers stayed very late at night just for the show and were crazy about it.
The Japanese company, Bandai, decided to bring the famous cartoon back to the market 10 years later. The first part of the "Hades Episode", which is a new TV series, was released at the end of last year. The new movie "Heavens Episode" was released in February. There are also different kinds of toys and figures on the market which cater not only to old fans of Saint Seiya, but also today's teenagers.
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| The five Bronze Saints. [Courtesy: https://saint-seiya.uhome.net/] |
"My mother didn't allow me to watch it at that time because she said it was a very violent cartoon and not suitable for the small kid to watch," Jerry Chan Chun Kit, a 20-year-old Saint Seiya fan said. "I watched it very late at night when my parents were sleeping. I didn't think I became more violent after watching it, but I love to watch this kind of cartoons afterward."
Actually the story itself is not the most attractive part of the cartoon. Teenagers are fascinated by the fighting scenes and the beautiful characters. "I don't like the story because it is quite boring and simple," Chan continued. "I like the fighting scenes and the beautiful characters instead. At that time, this cartoon had an impact on the market because before Saint Seiya there had been no other similar kinds of cartoon. It was quite fresh for the audience at that time. Moreover, the fighting scenes are fantastic. When the characters defy a special attack, they would call out the name of the attack triumphantly. I love that moment especially. My favorite character is Seiya because he is handsome and most powerful."
Ironically, some parents found themselves attracted by the trend of Saint Seiya. Chan's mother, Mrs. Chan, has to keep an eye on what her son likes. "Each time when we go out for shopping, he must first go to a toy shop and search for new toys of Saint Seiya. I have to buy him his favourite ones and gradually I've become fond of the characters too because they are made quite beautifully," Mrs. Chan said. The magic of Saint Seiya works not only on teenagers but also on their parents.
