Saint Seiya reminds us of an older anime series that featured a similar structure and power set in the form of Ronin Warriors. While that series was focused on a group of five warriors accessing samurai powers and armor that they used to attempt to save the world, Knights of the Zodiac is steeped in Greek mythology to give its five protagonists their powers. While the series has seen its share of anime adaptations, it was recently brought back in a Netflix incarnation earlier this year and we had the chance to chat with Temuri Nishii, a producer of the series, on what was the most difficult part of creating this new adaptation.
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In chatting with Nishii, who was also a producer for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, we were able to get a better look into what the most difficult part of this latest adaptation was and how its 3D animation proved to be a challenge:
“Since the Netflix Seiya is 3D animation, there are many design restrictions, such as on decorations, headgear, and fluttering things (long hair and cloaks). Thus it took a while to master the techniques and reflect such restrictions into the character designs. Until I get 3D-specific restrictions, I joined several lectures by the 3D production team and repeated discussions.”
Many anime series have decided to change traditional two dimensional animation to 3D graphics, to mixed effect. While certain franchises manage to find the sweet spot of this balancing act such as Demon Slayer and Knights of the Zodiac, others aren’t as lucky and are critically ripped apart in the process, such as the recent anime interpretation of the bloody Berserk series.
What did you think of the recent anime adaptation of Knights of the Zodiac? Would you like to see the property revisited down the road? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and Saint Seiya!
Netflix officially describes the series as such, “Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya follows modern day adventures of young warriors called “Knights”, who are sworn protectors of the reincarnated Greek goddess Athena. Each Knights wears a powerful armor based on their chosen zodiac constellation, and are called Knights of the Zodiac. They aid Athena in her battle against powerful Olympian gods who are bent on destroying the humankind.”
Saint Seiya was originally created by Masami Kurumada for Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1986. The series follows five mystical warriors known as Saints. They’re fighters who wear powerful armor known as “Cloths” and derive their strength from the stars and constellations. Their goal is to defend the reincarnation of Athena by battling the other Olympians who wish to take over Earth.
