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                      Saint Seiya Series Guide II
                                    
                              Presented by
                       Silver Dragon Productions
                                  and
                            Argon of Cantee
                                    
                        Copyright 1990, 1993 by
          Patricia Munson-Siter and Silver Dragon Productions
                                    
           Portions originally printed in Animation Velocity.
                                    
The various anime characters, series, and features depicted or mentioned
  in this publication are copyrighted and trademarked by their owning
     studios, publishers, and/or creators. No infringement of these
     copyrights or trademarks is intended. This is a non-for-profit
  publication, neither the author or the publisher make any money from
                             this booklet.
                                    

===========================================
== Chapter 0: Credit Where Credit Is Due ==
===========================================

Elyse Grasso and Carol Hoeke helped me with episode title translations,
as well as helping look over the rough draft for errors and the like.
Scott Fraizer, who was visiting Denver from Japan during a convention I
was attending, was kind enough to look over the episode title
translations and helped correct some of my mistakes. Mary Kennard wrote
a review of the third Seiya movie that I used as one of my sources for
doing the write-up on that movie in this volume. Sarah Still helped to
proof-read the final draft.


=====================================
== Chapter 1: Background/Who's Who ==
=====================================

Background
==========
Saint Seiya is an animated TV series based on a manga series by
Kurumanda. Originally planned to have a 50-episode run, it proved so
popular that the series actually ran to 114 episodes before it quit --
more because it caught up too fast with the original manga than because
its popularity had waned somewhat. It has also generated four movies.
The series itself can be broken up into three distinct if inter-related
storylines. This volume covers the second and third TV series storylines
and the second, third and fourth features. This volume assumes that the
reader has at least some familiarity with the first storyline, that of
Athena's battle to retake her place of power, Sanctuary, away from Ares,
the Greek god of war.

Both the series and the movies are about the adventures of the
reincarnated Greek goddess Athena and five of her Warriors -- the Bronze
Saints Pegasus, Dragon, Andromeda, Cygnus, and Phoenix. Athena's saints
come in three ranks -- the lowest being Bronze, the middle ranks being
Silver, and the highest -- twelve in number and named after the Zodiacal
constellations -- being the Golds. In the first TV series the five
"Bronze Boys" have already proven themselves to have Gold potential,
defeating the twelve Gold Saints who opposed their re-taking Sanctuary
-- Athena's place of power --for their sworn mistress. However, they do
not yet have full control of the "Seventh Sense" that seperates the
Golds from the other Saints, and until they fully master that talent
they will remain Bronze Saints. As events both in the current TV series
and other movies show, Athena is not the only member of the Greek
panthenon to become manifest, and not all of those who are being re-born
are friends of Athena -- or mankind.

The Bronze Boys retain their original Bronze Cloth designs from first
season in the second Seiya movie (which in themselves were considerably
different, except for Hyoga, from those they wore in the original manga
series). In the other movies and the second two TV storylines the design
of the armor changes, matching that they wear in the second manga
storyline. (In the Hades manga storyline, they've gone to yet a third
armor design...)

Athena and her Bronze Saints
============================

Seiya
Bronze Saint Pegasus, and youngest of the five Bronze Boys, he has
already shown a strong affinity for the vacant Sagittarius Cloth. The
leader of the Bronze Boys, he has quite a temper that he has had to
learn to control. He was trained by Silver Saint Aquila Marin, who is
his older sister. His favorite blow is the "Pegasus Meteor Punch".

Shiryu
Bronze Saint Dragon (Draco), he is the most intelligent of the Bronze
Boys as well as the most stable. He is Pegasus' best friend and is often
the only one who can convince Seiya to hold off when the impetuous
younger boy wants to attack. His sensei is Roshi, the retired Gold Saint
Libra. His strongest blow is the "Ascending Dragon Tear". During the
re-taking of Sanctuary, he had to kill both Gold Saint Cancer Deathmask
and Gold Saint Capricorn Shura.

Hyoga
Bronze Saint Cygnus (Swan). He is on the surface the least emotional of
the Bronze Saints, and often comes across as being very cold. The fact
that his two strongest blows -- the "Diamond Dust" and the "Aurora
Thunder Attack" both create cold and ice reflect this side of his
nature. His teacher was the Crystal Saint, favorite pupil of Gold Saint
Aquarius Camus (pronounced "Kam-you"). During the re-taking of
Sanctuary, Hyoga had to kill Camus.

Shun
Bronze Saint Andromeda, Shun is emotionally the least mature of the
Bronze Boys and is very shy. He is also reluctant to fight, let alone
kill and almost has to be goaded into fighting. When he does fight, he
fights very well. He is very dependent on his older brother. His uses
the chains that are part of his armor as his main weapons, in the
"Nebula Chain" and "Square Chain" attacks. He can also use the pure
power of his cosmo (the part of a person's aura that a Saint is trained
to use to pull power from his/her patron constellation) in the "Nebula
Stream" and "Nebula Storm" attacks. His sensei, Silver Saint Cephus
Alberio, was killed in the first TV series by two of the Gold Saints. He
killed Gold Saint Pisces Aphrodite in the retaking of Sanctuary.

Ikki
Bronze Saint Phoenix, Ikki spent the first episodes of the TV series on
the wrong side, having been brainwashed and possessed by the War god
Ares, Athena's foe at the time. While he eventually switched sides, he
is still a nasty and uncompromising fighter and he probably isn't quite
sane yet. His main attack is the "Phoenix Genma Ken" or "Hammer of
Delusion/Demon Fist", which affects the victim's brain and generates
some really nasty illusions.

Saori Kiddo
The "mundane" self of the reincarnated Athena, Saori is the head of one
of Asia's largest (and fictional) business consortiums, which is how she
can afford that huge mansion, gardens, personal jet planes, and so
on...In the final battle over Sanctuary, she had to kill Gold Saint
Gemini Saga, who had been possessed by the spirit of Ares.

NOTA BENE
I am covering the 2nd Seiya movie first, and the other movies after the
reviews of the 2nd and 3rd TV series. This is because some of the
material in the 2nd movie has bearing on the 2nd TV series.


=============================================
== Chapter 2: Second Saint Seiya Feature   ==
==            "The Heated War of the Gods" ==
=============================================

NOTA BENE
I did all the transliterations and translations for this review as well
as writing it, so blame mistakes on me. In addition, the above is only a
very loose translation of the title of the second movie -- I'll be the
first to admit I still have a lot to learn about Japanese grammar!

The second Saint Seiya movie was released in March 1988 as part of Toei
Animation's annual "Spring Festival of Film" and is 45 minutes long.

Background/Who's Who: The Asgardians and their God Warriors
===========================================================

Dorobaru
He is the current "guardian" of Asgard. The title used for him is "Cho
Shu", or "Master" of an organization. He rules Asgard in the place of
Odin, who is not currently manifest. Dorubaru would love to be able to
hand over a re-awakened, resurgent Asgard to Odin when the Norse god
finally manifests.

Loki
Named after the Norse god of evil/trickery, but not his reincarnation.
Loki is the commander of Dorubaru's God Warriors. His God Robe and power
attacks are reminiscent of those that were later used for Fenrir, one of
the God Warriors who appears in the second Saint Seiya storyline/series.
He takes quite a disliking for Seiya.

Uru
One of Loki's God Warriors, he is armed with a magic sword and becomes
Andromeda Shun's opponent.

Rungu
Large enough to have some Giant blood in him, Rungu uses weapons that
resemble twin boomerangs. He takes on Phoenix Ikki.

Midgard
A mysterious, masked figure wearing a God Robe that we'll later see --
though with a different, darker color scheme --on Tor, one of Hilda's
God Warriors in the second Saint Seiya TV series. He confronts Shiryu
once battle begins.

Frey and Freya
Twin reincarnations of the twin Norse gods, they are still subject to
Dorubaru's orders. Frey and his sister were Vanir rather than Aesir;
they were the hostages the Norse gods received during an exchange of
good-will hostages after the two races of gods had reached a peace
settlement following a conflict. He and his sister were considered the
two "shining gods"; after Baldur's death they were the two "points of
brightness" in the rather grim, dismal panthenon the Norse developed.

Story Synopsis
==============

Hyoga comes across an Asgardian being systematically beaten to death by
Asgardian guards (read "cannon fodder"). The Cygnus Saint drives off the
warriors, and the badly wounded man tells Hyoga that something is
drastically wrong in Asgard. Hyoga sends a message to Saori/Athena and
heads northward to investigate. Saori briefs Seiya, Shun and Shiryu on
what she knows of the situation in Asgard. When they fail to hear from
Hyoga, she leads them northward, where Saori's status as the
reincarnation of Athena gains them access to Asgard. She meets with
Dorubaru, who welcomes her as a guest but tells her he and his people
have heard nothing of Hyoga. They will go search for her young Saint, he
tells her, and orders the commander of his God Warriors -- Loki -- to
see that it is done. It's obvious that Loki holds Athena and her Saints
in contempt as he goes to comply with his orders. Dorubaru then calls
for Frey and Freya to escort Athena to guest quarters. It's obvious that
Saori and Frey are attracted to each other from the moment they meet. As
they head for their quarters they meet a group of the God Warriors, and
only Frey's intervention prevents a tense confrontation from turning
into something worse. Seiya cheerfully wishes them "Abayo" as Frey leads
his guests off. (While the dictionary defines "abayo" as "good-bye",
that's like saying "kisama" means "you". A more "correct" translation of
"abayo" is "Bye, asshole, I hope I never see you again...") Freya is
making sure they are satisfied with their accomodations when one of the
guards arrives with Hyoga's damaged Cygnus headpiece. They haven't found
Hyoga, yet. Saori assures her Saints she will be all right, and sends
them out to assist in the hunt for her missing Saint. Frey, meanwhile,
has had his suspicions raised by various things, including the incident
with the God Warriors. He goes to Dorubaru to voice his worries that the
God Warriors have more to do with Hyoga's disappearance than they'll
admit. He doesn't realize that Dorubaru himself is involved in the plot
to bring down Athena and her Saints. When his questions hit too close to
the mark, Dorubaru surprises the young god and attacks. The next we see
of Frey, he is hanging up in Dorubaru's dungeon rather the worse for
wear.

Saori is next to see Dorubaru. Her suspicions are focused on the Master
of Asgard himself, rather than radical elements among the God Warriors.
Thus she is prepared for Dorubaru's attacks and holds him off for quite
a while, at least until he uses the "Odin Seed" attack -- in which he
draws on the power of Odin himself. Saori ends up in stasis, replacing
the wooden figurehead on the Viking warship that is part of the statue
of Odin overlooking Asgard. (Shall I start on the jokes about drowned
Afhgan hounds? No, I'll let you make your own...) The Bronze Boys, still
searching for Hyoga, feel Athena's distress and immediately change their
search to find out what's happened to their patron goddess. Andromeda
Shun is the first to see her -- but before he can do much of anything is
attacked by Uru, who is armed with a sword able to cut through the
Nebula Chains that are Andromeda's weapons. Elsewhere, Dragon Shiryu
meets up with Midgard -- who sheds his mask to reveal it is Hyoga
underneath. Shiryu figures Hyoga has taken on the Midgard identity to
conceal his actions as Athena's spy, and shakes hands with him -- only
to have the Cygnus Saint freeze his right arm! It seems Hyoga was
captured and has been brainwashed into serving Dorubaru. As he starts to
beat up on Shiryu, Hyoga tells him that Dorubaru intends to conquer the
world in the name of Odin. A massive fight ensues, and Dragon --
unwilling to hurt his comrade -- is getting the worst of it. Finally
Shiryu pulls both of them off a steep cliff, and they fall into the
water far below. Hyoga tries to freeze Shiryu, but an Ascending Dragon
Tear knocks him out --and Shiryu collapses as well, the tatoo on his
back fading (and even switching the direction it faces...) Pegasus Seiya
is enroute to the plaza where the Odin statue is. Shun is not faring
well against Uru, and only the arrival of Phoenix Ikki saves his butt.
Shun warns him to watch out as the monsterous Rungu arrives, and Ikki
ends up using a Hammer of Delusion on him. Shun in hanging onto an
outcropping with a chain, which Ikki grabs -- just as Rungu gets up and
latches onto Phoenix's foot. It's Ikki's turn to be worked over. Only
the cliff curmbling under all three of them saves him, as they tumble
down into the darkness below. One of Shun's chains lashes out, and the
nearly unconscious Andromeda struggles to hold onto his older brother.

Pegasus Seiya arrives on the plaza and ends up fighting Loki, who is no
mean fighter himself. A Pegasus Rolling Crunch eventually puts Loki out
of action. Dorubaru then arrives next to stop Pegasus' attempt to save
Saori. We get glimpses of each of the other Bronze Boys struggling
toward the plaza -- Shun climbing up a sheer wall with big brother slung
under one arm! -- and Dorubaru beats up on Seiya. Each of the Bronze
Boys in turn (except Shiryu, who arrives too late) gets a chance to take
on Dorubaru while protecting Seiya, who seems to be the Master's main
object of hatred. Even Hyoga shows up. At first Dorubaru thinks the
Cygnus Saint is on his side, but Hyoga quickly reveals that Shiryu's
blow has brought him back to his senses. He's defeated even
quicker...Dorubaru has Seiya's head in one hand, and gloats to Athena
that her power is nothing compared to his own. "There is nothing you can
do to stop me, Athena!" he tells her.

Her answer comes quickly, as she calls the gold Sagettarius Cloth for
Seiya. He takes an arrow and draws it back, but hesitates as Dorubaru
tells him that if he's killed they'll never free Athena. Then they hear
Frey's voice. He has escaped from the dungeon and is climbing the Odin
statue. Strike Dorubaru when he says to, the Asgardian calls. That will
free Athena. Dorubaru's attempts to stop Frey are useless. Frey plunges
a sword into the crystalline head of the statue at the moment Seiya
releases his arrow. Dorubaru falls back, and the statue begins to
collapse, taking Frey with it. Athena falls free, and Seiya catches her
before she can fall into the abyss. The sword of the statue crushes
Dorubaru (fitting ending, there!) and finishes the job Seiya started.
The statue crumbles immediately, and flowers bloom from its remains. In
the statue's place grows a huge tree, which Freya identifies as
Yggrasil, the Norse "Tree of Life". Freya looks at the tree and says her
brother would have been proud at the result of his sacrifice. Spring has
come to Asgard, and their world has been reborn.

Comments
========

At 45 minutes, like the first film, this movie is almost more an
extended episode than a true feature. It's just too darn short! Toei
illustrates with this feature that they can combine both
characterization and action quite well. Each of the Bronze Boys comes
across as an individual; Seiya's characterization is especially well
done. His emotions and reactions are those of the thirteen-year-old he
is supposed to be, yet he can find the maturity necessary to do his job
as a bodyguard of Athena when necessary. The expression on Midgard
Hyoga's face as he's starting to freeze Shiryu's arms is absolutely
wonderful -- a combination of evil anticipation and glee that must be
seen -- words simply can't fully describe it!

The fight scenes are, again, too short! But the battles between Shiryu
and Hyoga, and later Seiya against Loki and Dorubaru, are very effective
-- they all occur off screen and the viewer only sees the occasional
tree shake or rock pulverize while hearing the noise of the battles.
Perhaps I've become a little jaded by all the fighting on screen during
the series, but in a way this method proved even more graphic than
actually seeing the battles.

Saori proves that she is learning to defend herself during her battle
with Dorubaru. She handles herself quite well until the Master is forced
to draw on the Odin Seed power, which she is not yet strong enough to
deflect. Even when in stasis, it is her will that calls the Sagittarius
Cloth to Seiya, not that of the Bronze Saint. Now if they'd just bring
in some more female warriors who are decent fighters...

Toei obviously used this film to test out some of their ideas for the
Asgardian storyline that is used in the second Saint Seiya TV series.
The God Robes of the God Warriors have the feel of those used by Hilda's
fighters, but lack the individuality that the later God Robes will
display. Much of the background for Asgard -- such as the design of the
city and the Odin statue -- were used for the TV series as well.
However, despite the similarities the two take place in different if
somewhat parallel universes. The Bronze Boys who fight against Hilda are
not the same ones who battle against Dorubaru and his God Warriors in
this film, so don't expect any comments about their previous trip to
Asgard in the second TV series! From what I've seen, all the Saint Seiya
movies take place in a continuum different from either of the two
"primary" Saint Seiya universes (1st is that developed in the manga; the
2nd is the universe the TV series takes place in). The fourth movie
indicates that the movies are all inter-related.

I enjoyed this movie more than the first feature, and quite frankly --
despite the formative nature of some of the character designs for the
God Warriors -- think it's better than most of the second SEIYA TV
series. Toei managed to get more characterization (if not more action)
into this 45 minute feature than they did into all 25-odd episodes of
the Polaris Hilda storyline, which will be the next thing covered in
this volume.
                                                              

==============================================================
== Chapter 3: Second Storyline of the Saint Seiya TV Series ==
==============================================================

The second storyline was designed by Toei Animation as "filler", because
they had already caught up to the original manga. The Asgard storyline,
which covers Saint Seiya episodes #74 through #99, took up enough time
to allow the original manga to build up enough of a lead that they did
not have to worry too much about the third season catching up to the
manga too quickly.

In the second season, the God Warriors of Asgard (equivilent to Athena's
Saints), led by Polaris Hilda (one of the Valkyrior), attack Athena with
the intent to kill her -- ostensively because Athena's death is
necessary to restore Asgard to the glory and power it once had.
Following the failure of their initial attempt, Saori/Athena and the
five Bronze Boys travel northward to take on Hilda and her God Warriors
on their own territory.

The God Warriors of Asgard
==========================

The God Warriors we meet are all named after the stars of the
constellation of Ursa Major (the "Big Bear", of which the Big Dipper is
a part). Their armor is referred to as "God Robes".

Polaris Hilda
Hilda seems to be one of the Valkyrior. As a matter of fact, Hilda (or
"Hild") is listed in the Prose Edda (one of the major sources for Norse
Mythology) as one of these, the warrior maidens who serve Odin -- the
Valkyrior hunt the battlefields for brave dead to bring to Vahalla.
Hilda at the beginning of the series is in charge of keeping the Polar
Ice Pack frozen, as well as being the primary "guardian" for Asgard
until such time as the Norse gods manifest. She becomes possessed by the
evil spirit of the Nibelung, through the cursed ring she is forced to
wear, and under its influence stops her mission of keeping the ice cold.
She is de facto commander of the God Warriors, and it is she who sends
them after Athena...the Nibelung has convinced her that only the life
force of Athena can restore Asgard and repair the damage that has been
done. It is Hilda who recruits the God Warriors from her own trusted
companions and aquaintences. (And, yes, I know that Polaris is part of
Ursa Minor (Little Dipper), not Ursa Major.)

Dubhe (Alpha) Siegfried
Siegfried's God Robe resembles that of a two-headed dragon (it
represents Fafnir, the dragon the evil dwarf who first wore the Ring of
the Nibelung turned into, and which Siegfried killed); and is Hilda's
second in command. Siegfried is also the name of one of the main
characters of the "Ring Cycle", the series of operas Wagner wrote based
on Norse mythology. Further, it seems that this is the "real" Siegfried,
for he too is invulnerable, having soaked in the blood of the dragon he
killed. He does possess one weak spot...there was a leaf that covered
part of his skin over his heart, and thus the skin beneath where it lay
is normal. The "real" Siegfried was killed during the course of the
original story -- perhaps he is here because Hilda, as a Valkyrior,
brought his soul to Asgard and Vahalla. Siegfried seems to have been
romantically involved with Hilda prior to her possession, and he is
still devoted to her, even though he has his doubts about her current
motivations and methods.

Merak (Beta) Hagen
Hagen's God Robe is designed after Sleipnir, the 8-legged horse
belonging to Odin, and a child of Loki. "Hagen" is also the name of one
of the primary protagonists in The Nibelunglied, the epic poem that is
the basis for much of Wagner's Ring Cycle. Hagen lives for battle; his
greatest joy is fighting powerful enemies. Hagen and Freya (Freya is
Hilda's younger sister) were in love before Hilda was possessed and
Hagen became one of Hilda's God Warriors, and in the series Hagen
decides that his duty to Hilda is more important than his love for
Freya.
 
Megrez (Delta) Alberich
Alberich's Robe looks like a bunch of crystals growing out of skulls. He
has the ability to encase his foes in crystal. (Most of the voice actors
pronounce his name "Al-bear-ee", leaving off the Germanic "ich" ending.)
Alberich's goal is to gather all the Odin Sapphires to himself, kill
Hilda, and rule Asgard himself. He is also of the belief that Asgard
should rule the entire world. (With himself as leader, naturally!)

Alioth (Epsilon) Fenrir
Fenrir's Robe is designed to resemble Fenris Wolf, a child of Loki and
thoroughly evil -- it is Fenris who is destined to kill Odin and several
other of the Norse gods at Ragnarok. Fenrir is a feral child; he was
raised by wolves after his parents were killed by a bear. His nick-name
among the God Warriors is "Northern Man-Eating Wolf". He is perhaps the
most anti-social of the God Warriors Hilda recruits, liking his wolf
companions far more than other humans. His favorite blow is the "Wolf
Cruelty Claw".

Phecda (Gamma) Tor
His Robe is designed after the Midgard Serpent, yet another child of
Loki, and whose occasional contractions around the planet are
responsible for earthquakes and tidal waves in Norse mythology. Tor
stands about 20 feet tall, and with his height and the way he easily
shrugs off Cygnus Hyoga's "Diamond Dust" attack may well be at least
part Frost Giant. He uses two huge axes as weapons. (Early material in
the Japanese anime magazines listed his weapons as hammers, which would
have increased his probably deliberate resemblence to Thor, the Norse
Thunder god.)

Benetnasch (Eta) Mimie
Mimie's (name is pronounced "Mi-meh", sort of like "Minmay" but without
the "n" in the first syllable) Robe looks like a harp. He can create
multiple illusions of himself, the "strings" of his harp become
"tentacles" under his control, and he is a fair fighter even without
those weapons. (As a matter of fact, he's almost a clone (save for
changes in coloration) of Orpheus Lyra from the first Saint Seiya movie.
Some of the original material in the Japanese anime magazines claimed he
is the reincarnation of Lyra Orpheus, but this was not developed in the
actual TV series.) In Norse mythology, Mimie (or Mimi or Mime) was the
foster father of Sigurd (Siegfried), a dwarf who was later killed by his
foster son. (This may well have bearing considering revelations about
Mimie's past we witness during his battle with Phoenix Ikki...)

Mizar (Zeta) Shido
Shido's Robe is taken from the saber-toothed tiger. His favorite blow is
called the "Viking Tiger Claw". He is the first God Warrior sent after
Athena; and he does a lot of damage to Gold Saint Taurus Aldeberan
during a surprise attack. He is not so successful against Andromeda Shun
and the other Bronze Saints.

Alcor (Zeta) Bado
Shido's identical twin brother. When they were born, their father did
not want twin sons to dispute the heirship to his estate; Bado was
abandoned and adopted by a poor farmer on the edge of his father's
estate. Bado is very bitter about this when he learns the facts; he
feels he's just as good as Shido and resents having to grow up in
Shido's shadow. His robe is almost identical to Shido's except it is
white and silver instead of green and brown. Bado is considered a
"Shadow Warrior" and cannot become a "true" God Warrior until/unless his
brother dies. He uses the "Shadow Viking Tiger Claw" as his attack; and
his armor does not possess one of the Odin Sapphires. (Alcor and Mizar
are a double star.)

Freya
Not a God Warrior, and not the Freya who appears in the second Saint
Seiya movie. In the series, Freya is Hilda's little sister, and when
Hilda is possessed Freya is initially imprisoned. Upon escaping, she
goes to Athena for/to help. In Norse mythology, Freya is Goddess of Love
and the most powerful of the Norse goddesses. "Freya" means "Lady" and
was a common name among the peoples who created the Norse mythology;
Hilda's little sister is probably not "the" Freya. She is one of the
most tragic characters in the series -- her heart is broken twice --
first by the change in her beloved older sister, then again when her
lover Hagen decides she is less important than his duty to Polaris. But
somehow she eventually finds the courage to carry on...

Other Terms
===========

God Robes
I'm not sure if the power of the Nibelung created the God Robes used by
the God Warriors, or if it helped Polaris discover the Robes and
empowered them. In either case, the evil energy of the Nibelung is
infused through the God Robes, and if the God Warriors wear them long
enough they will be corrupted by that aura, and they will end up as
possessed as Hilda already is. Actually, if they were thinking, the God
Warriors would have known something was wrong just by considering what
creatures their new God Robes were designed after -- almost all of them
are symbolic of the various terrible monsters that Loki (in the majority
of the Norse legends he's their god of evil) either fathered or gave
birth to.

Nibelung
An evil spirit created by a cursed ring. In the epic poem The
Nibelunglied, the Nibelungs were an entire people. By the time Wagner
got done with it, the Nibelung had come to represent Loki and all the
evil spirits of Norse mythology, and the series seems to have taken this
course. In the version of the tale that I'm most familiar with, the ring
was cursed by a dwarf to bring anyone who wore it to evil ruin. Its
first possessor was Fafnir, a dwarf who killed his father and brothers
in order to obtain the treasure the ring was part of for himself. When
he put on the ring, he was turned into a dragon. The dragon was later
killed by the hero Sigfried, who thereafter was cursed with an evil
fate...

Odin Sapphires
Beautiful blue stones that are part of the God Robes, they are normally
the channel of power between the God Warriors and their godhead, Odin.
In the current situation, the God Warriors are drawing their energy from
the Nibelung. Most of the God Warriors do not use micro/macrocosm to
empower their fighting abilities, and they even seem somewhat immune to
attacks using pure cosmo power with no physcial component (like Shun's
"Nebula Storm" attack). Just as the God Robes are tainted by the
Nibelung's spirit, the Odin Sapphires also are contaminated and assist
in bending the God Warriors to the evil spirit's will. The Bronze Boys
must collect all the Odin Sapphires and return them to the Odin Robe
before the Nibelung can be defeated.

Episode Synopses -- Second Seiya TV Series
==========================================

#74 -- Kyokuhoku no Teki! Densetsu no God Warrior
       Enemies in the Far North! Legendary God Warrior
Open to scene of cold, distant far north, an Artic wind blowing ice
flows across a cold sea and driving snow across a city built of stone --
and swirling it around a statue of Odin that stands above the city. A
woman's voice tells us that this is Asgard, home of Odin and the other
Norse gods...none of whom are currently manifest. The people of Asgard,
led by Asgard's current guardian/leader, Hilda, pray to Odin's spirit.
But Asgard has fallen on hard times -- fewer and fewer people live
there. Hilda, tasked to use her powers (she is a minor goddess herself,
one of the Valkyrior; and in her position can also call upon Odin's
spirit for additional power), prays -- and does her duty of keeping the
ice pack frozen solid. From the ocean a voice speaks to her, promising
her power and the resurgence of Asgard if she will do what it asks of
her. A wall of light races across the water toward her, and Hilda is
knocked out. When she awakens the gentle goddess is gone -- in her place
is Polaris Hilda, the warlike side of the Valkyrior woken. And on her
finger is a golden ring with an evil aura -- the ring of the Niebelung.
Hilda has been possessed by its power, and she remembers the voice's
caution about Athena of Sanctuary -- Athena will oppose the rise of
Asgard; if Asgard is to regain its rightful place then Athena must die.
Using the power of the ring, Hilda summons the God Warriors of Asgard
and insures each gains one of the God Robes that are to the God Warriors
what the Sacred Cloths of Athena are to the Greek goddess' Saints. Some
time later, Taurus Aldeberan falls to the attack of Mizar Shido in
Sancturay. Shido is one of the God Warriors. Athena is no longer in
Sanctuary; so Shido goes to Japan after her. He finds Saori in the
company of Tatsumi and Kiki, as well as Jabu and the other "lesser"
Bronze Saints. Athena is told of the attack on Taurus -- and then Shido
arrives and announces himself. He easily defeats Jabu and the others,
then attacks Saori -- but from nowhere, Shun's chains wrap themselves
around his wrist and keeps his blow from striking Saori's throat. Jabu
warns Seiya -- who has also arrived -- that Shido is far stronger than
he appears. Shido fights Shun and Seiya, Shun acquiting himself rather
well. Then Ikki, Hyoga, and Shiryu also arrive, the camera carefully
panning over each Bronze Saint as they arrive to show off their newly
redesigned Cloths. Shido decides that at this point retreat is the
better part of valor. Hilda's challenge has been delivered... That night
Athena and the Bronze Boys discuss matters, and it is decided that the
best course is to go to the far North and take on the God Warriors on
their own ground. They cannot wait -- without Hilda's influence, the
northern ice pack is already melting, and if it is not re-frozen quickly
then a good bit of the planet will end up flooded under several feet of
ice-water...

#75 -- Hilda! Akuma ni mi irareta megami
       Hilda! Goddess Imprisoned by Demon's Magic
Hyoga has gone on ahead to scout out Asgard, and has escaped its
environs and guards in the company of Freya, who is Hilda's little
sister. She knows something is seriously wrong in Asgard, even though
she can't say exactly what has caused the change. Hilda is told that
Freya is in the company of Athena's Saints, and finds it difficult to
believe that she has been betrayed by her younger sister. Fighting
Asgardian guards, Hyoga and Freya are rescued by the arrival of Athena,
Shun, and Seiya. The guards know they are no match for three Saints and
retreat. Freya greets Athena warmly. One of the defeated guards goes to
warn Hilda of Athena's arrival, and she and her God Warriors go to
confront the invaders. Freya has led Athena and her Saints to the
promentory where Hilda usually goes to pray and use her powers to keep
the ice frozen. Hyoga tells them that the ice has been melting faster
and faster as Hilda has neglected her duty, and if the sea rises much
more Asgard itself may be threatened by its waters. Freya tells them of
the changes she has noted -- but they are interrupted by the arrival of
Hilda. Each senses Hilda's cosmo as being contaiminated by great evil --
as well as a power to rival Ares'. Hilda and the God Warriors strike,
but Athena deflects the blows and returns energy blasts of her own.
Athena also sees the ring on Hilda's finger, and recognizes it for what
it is. Having exchanged testing blows, Hilda announces her challenge --
the Saints must defeat all her God Warriors to confront her, and if they
are successful, and defeat her as well, then she will accept that defeat
and return to her duties of keeping the ice pack frozen. If they lose --
then Athena dies and Asgard will rule the world. The God Warriors
disappear -- Saori tells her Saints and Freya that if Hilda wins, their
own deaths will be only the first of many. If left unopposed, the
Niebelung will eventually corrupt the whole world with its evil,
destroying everything. In the meantime -- Athena advances to the far end
of the promentory, the ridge and staircase raining into the sea behind
her as she cuts herself off from their help -- as well as from attack
from the God Warriors. She will take Hilda's place at keeping the ice
frozen while they take on Hilda. But they must hurry. This is not the
sort of mission Athena does best, and by nightfall she will grow tired
and her mortal body will begin to freeze to death. Gamma Tor, standing
at the top of the stairs on the cliff overhead, throws his twin
double-headed axes in an attack -- he is the first God Warrior they must
face. Freya and Kiki remain behind to lend Athena moral support -- as
well as stay out of the line of fire of any combat. Hilda speaks to Tor
and then leaves for her palace, sure Athena and the Bronze Boys will
fail.

#76 -- Kyojin Tooru! Zooo no cosmo
       Great Person (Giant) Tor! Hatred of Cosmo
The three Bronze Boys run up the stairs to confront Gamma Tor, while
below them Athena's power field glows golden as she attempts to
re-freeze the ice pack. Seiya, Shun, and Hyoga lose the initial battle
with Tor, who stands at least 20 feet tall. He even shrugs off Hyoga's
'Diamond Dust' attack, telling them that as a God Warrior a little cold
doesn't bother him. The fact he seems to be part Frost Giant may also
have significance as well. The three regroup and try to attack as a
team; this has little affect either. Hyoga and Shun are knocked
unconscious by Tor's axes, leaving Seiya to face the gigantic God
Warrior on his own. Hilda gloats as Dubhe Siegfried, commander of the
God Warriors, brings her news of Tor's success even as Tor tries to
grind Seiya into the ice with one huge booted foot. But Seiya is not out
yet, and returns the attack. The two continue to exchange blows, Seiya
getting the worst of it -- at one point Seiya hears Marin's voice giving
him advice. He remembers his battles with Taurus Aldeberan and Leo
Aioria as he lies in the snow. Tor turns back to the unconscious Hyoga
and Shun, only to discover that one does not turn one's back on even an
apparently unconscious Pegasus Saint -- as Seiya rises to his feet to
battle once more. This time Seiya catches Tor's blow and uses the God
Warrior's own momentum to throw the giant over his shoulder in a judo
move. Tor, damaged somewhat, gets up once more -- obviously shocked that
Seiya, who barely comes to the God Warrior's knee in height -- has
fought back so well. Seiya strikes again, but Tor comes back for more,
remembering how Hilda entrusted him with the responsibility of being a
God Warrior. As the episode closes we see Athena and Hilda just before
Tor and Seiya close in on each other once more.

#77 -- Kyosei no namida! Hilda no tameni shi su
       Giant's Tears! Dying in/for Hilda's Cause
Seiya is knocked off the ice cliff by Tor's next blow (gotta cure that
boy of this lemming instinct of his!), and Tor comes down to continue
the battle. Seiya is pounded into the cliff by Tor's blows. He is
knocked off the second cliff -- and is saved by the arrival of Shiryu.
Shiryu had been sent on a mission to Roshi -- who has had experience
with God Warriors in the past. Roshi has told Shiryu that Odin Sapphires
-- the blue, inch-long gemstones worn by each God Warrior -- are the key
to the power of their foes. Through them the God Warriors draw power
from Odin's spirit. The Bronze Saints must collect each of the Sapphires
and return them to the statue of Odin above the city to defeat Hilda;
for only the full power of Odin, invoked through the combination of all
seven Odin Sapphires with the statue, can negate the power of the
Niebelung. They are interrupted by the arrival of Tor; Seiya takes him
on as Shiryu goes to try and wake up Hyoga and Shun. Tor hits Seiya hard
enough to knock him out; Seiya falls to the bottom of the crevasse.
Meanwhile, Shiryu has awakened both Hyoga and Shun; all three head
upward to face other God Warriors. Athena speaks to Seiya as Tor runs
after the other three; the God Warrior pauses as he feels Seiya's cosmo
expand under Athena's prodding. Tor intercepts the three Bronze Boys,
but before combat can be joined Pegasus rejoins them. He and Tor engage
in a fierce battle, Tor remembering how Hilda had saved his life much
earlier -- back when she was still the kind-hearted, gentle goddess
rather than warlike Valkyrie. Despite his dedication to Hilda, Seiya
finally defeats Tor -- the Bronze Boys have acquired their first Odin
Sapphire. Hilda is incensed when she learns of Tor's defeat. The Bronze
Saints continue upward, splitting up to take on their next foes one at a
time and one on one (they still haven't learned the value of teamwork).
Behind, the wind begins to cover Tor's battered body with a soft blanket
of snow...

#78 -- Kiba muku! Kita no ookami Fenrir
       Bared Fangs! Northern Wolf Fenrir
Athena continues to glow, while Kiki and Freya talk about Asgard and
what has happened. Above, Seiya and the other three Bronze Boys continue
their mission to defeat Hilda. Seiya is feeling the affects of his
battle with Tor. Shiryu is nearly buried under an avalanche -- and hears
the spirit of Capricorn Shura giving him advice. The Dragon Saint
remembers that Shura sacrificed his own life to save Shiryu after he'd
defeated the Gold Saint --giving the gold Capricorn Cloth to the Bronze
Dragon and pushing the youth back earthward, while Shura burned up in
the atmosphere like a falling star without the protection of his armor.
(See the first Saint Seiya Series Review for more details of the battle
between Shiryu and Shura.) As he walks on, Shiryu hears the howls of
wolves, unaware that the wolf pack is led by his next opponent, Alioth
Fenrir -- known to his fellow God Warriors as the "Man-Eating Wolf of
the North". Above, Siegfried tells Hilda that Fenrir and his wolf pack
are engaging Dragon Shiryu in combat. Initially, Fenrir allows the
wolves to attack Shiryu, but the Dragon Saint quickly proves their equal
despite their greater numbers. Initially amused, Fenrir becomes more and
more upset as Shiryu kills several of the wolves during the fight.
Fenrir instructs King, the pack leader, to withdraw the pack; Fenrir
then faces Shiryu himself. In their first engagement, Fenrir cuts up
Shiryu's face with the claws on his hand guards. Fenrir is even faster
than Shiryu -- and while Shiryu's Dragon Shield may be nearly
impervious, if its wearer can't move it fast enough to block his foe's
blows it can't protect him. He hears Shura's words again, reminding him
that his first -- his only -- goal must be to serve Athena. Blood from
cuts nearly blind him, and Fenrir presses his attack fiercely. As usual,
by this time Shiryu is bleeding from dozens of cuts. Fenrir calls back
in his wolves to help battle the wounded Dragon. Shiryu uses his cosmo
to see, and fends off the next attack...but his own blows fail to land.
Elsewhere, Seiya nearly falls down another cliff-face, as Fenrir
continues to press an aggressive battle against Dragon Shiryu.

#79 -- Aware! Noozan gun roo ken no shukume!
       Sorrow! Fate of the Northern Wolf Pack Blow
Fenrir continues to use the "Wolf Cruelty Claw" attack to cut up his
opponent, Dragon Shiryu. Shiryu does his best to avoid Fenrir's attacks,
but fails. Fenrir gets in several body-blows to Shiryu's unprotected
stomach with the claws on his hand guards, and the Dragon Saint
collapses. Seiya, Shun and Hyoga all "feel" through their cosmos that
Shiryu is in trouble -- but can do nothing. Hyoga is observed, unknown
to him, by one of the other God Warriors. Shiryu, lying in a pool of his
own blood, is approached by the wolves -- who begin to lap at the blood.
King prepares to attack, but Shiryu wakes up enough to fend the wolf off
-- but not enough to evade Fenrir's next attack. Shiryu goes flying
again. The Dragon Saint again hears Shura talking to him, encouraging
him to fight to the end for his goddess. Shiryu tells Fenrir that his
Odin Sapphire is now giving him power from the Niebelung, not Odin.
Hilda has been possessed by the evil spirit, and if Fenrir doesn't give
up his Odin Sapphire he will suffer the same fate. Fenrir refuses to
belive him, pressing yet another attack. Fenrir remembers his own past
-- going riding in the woods with his parents and their retainers. They
were attacked by a bear, and when his parents were killed the retainers
abandoned the young child to the bear, fleeing for their own lives.
Fenrir's life was saved by the wolf pack even then led by King, and in
return the youngster saves the pack leader's life when he was injured by
the bear. Fenrir was accepted by the wolves as one of their number, and
raised by them. He has stayed with them ever since, even after Polaris
Hilda recruited him as a God Warrior and showed him the Alioth (Fenris
Wolf) God Robes. He has served her ever since...in his heart he is still
the feral child raised by wolves, despite the fact he has learned to
associate with humans in the form of his fellow God Warriors. One has
the feeling he would have been far happier if he'd never been found by
Polaris. The two warriors continue their combat, and Shiryu is knocked
to his knees, the wolves piling on top of him as Fenrir strokes King's
head. Saori feels Shiryu's distress and reinforces his cosmo, putting
the wolves to sleep around the embattled Dragon. Fenrir, angered by the
intervention, attacks while Dragon launches a counter attack. Shiryu,
weakened, finds his blow falling short while Fenrir lands a solid
blow...

#80 -- Hyogen ni kiyu! Ka nashiki tooboei
       Flowing Snowfield (Avelanche)! Sad Howling
As Shiryu falls, the wolves attack once more, but Shiryu recovers in
time to throw them off. The two warriors go at each other again, this
time Fenrir receiving several blows as well. Shiryu notices the frozen
waterfall behind Fenrir. The others feel Shiryu's cosmo weaken from his
wounds. Hyoga's thoughts are broken by the arrival of Merak Hagen, who
also tells Hyoga, with more than a little jealousy in his tone, that he,
Hagen, is Freya's fiance... Fenrir and Shiryu are still going at it.
Shiryu is actually doing better than he was at first, but knows he can't
last much longer. Shiryu hits the waterfall behind Fenrir, and causes an
avalanch that sweeps him, Fenrir, and the wolves all away. Shiryu must
unbury himself, while the wolves dig out Fenrir. But their frantic
efforts are in vain -- Fenrir does not respond to their licking of his
face. The God Warrior is dead. Shiryu retrieves Fenrir's Odin Sapphire,
mourning his foe in the process. He turns away to leave. King, realizing
that his master and friend will never lead the pack again, attacks
Shiryu in anger -- throwing both himself and his master's enemy into the
ice crevasse just beyond Fenrir's body. Seiya feels Shiryu's cosmo dim,
as do the others. Even Athena wavers for a moment as she feels Shiryu
fall, to lie so still at the bottom of the crevasse -- the Odin Sapphire
still firmly clutched in one hand. Elsewhere, Hagen and Hyoga are
feeling each other out. Hyoga uses the Diamond Dust attack, but Hagen
shrugs it off, easily breaking through the layer of ice the attack
covers him with. Hyoga tries again; this time Hagen reflects the Diamond
Dust attack back at his opponent. Hyoga recalls his battle with Aquarius
Camus. Hagen calls up his own power field as Hyoga charges up, the two
preparing for full combat...

#81 -- Freya! Ai yue no shitoo
       Freya! Love Tells of the Life/Death Struggle
Hyoga notices the Odin Sapphire on Hagen's God Robe, and tries to tell
him that Hilda is possessed -- the stones are needed to defeat the
Niebelung. Hagen dismisses his words as an attempt to trick him, and
accuses Freya of betraying his love of her as well as her duty to Hilda.
By destroying Hyoga, Hagen can wipe out that stain on his honor. The two
fight, finding themselves very well matched in power. Hyoga tells Hagen
that while he was scouting around Asgard, he was captured -- and Hilda
had him tortured. Tor, among others, took turns trying to beat the young
Saint into submission. Freya discovered what was going on and decided
that this was the last straw -- she could not support her older sister
any more. She freed Hyoga, and the two of them escaped Hilda's dungeon.
Freya told Hyoga of the change in Hilda's personality, as well as her
sister's new determination to return Asgard to its former glory. Hyoga
called up his armor and the two departed to meet Athena, Hilda's guards
on their heels. Freya had not betrayed Asgard and Odin -- Hilda had! Nor
had Freya betrayed Hagen. Hagen will not listen, and attacks. Below,
Freya feels Hagen's anger. Freya realizes that Hyoga is confronting her
lover. Hagen remembers having done his best since childhood to impress
Freya; that's the main reason he struggled so hard to become a God
Warrior. Once he became a Warrior, he attained status high enough to
officially court the woman he had grown to love so intensely. Now his
jealousy of Hyoga's friendship with Freya drives him to defeat the
Cygnus Saint, to prove himself more powerful than his rival. The two
square off again, this time Hyoga using the more powerful Aurora Thunder
attack. Hagen appears unaffected -- the Odin Sapphire has helped protect
him. Hagen runs into a cave, and Hyoga follows -- only to find Hagen
awaiting him at the center of a huge, bubbling lava pit. It seems that
Hagen's abilities are linked to fire and heat just as Hyoga's are to ice
and cold. Cygnus finds it difficult to fight Hagen -- Merak is at the
center of his power, and the extreme heat has weakened Cygnus. Cutting
Hyoga no slack, Hagen hits him with a full-power attack. Kiki feels
Hyoga's pain, and Freya realizes what is going on. SHe runs to the
combat, hoping to stop it. She loves Hagen, and likes Hyoga -- and
doesn't want to see either hurt or killed. Kiki follows at a distance.
Both can tell the two combatants are preparing another attack on each
other.

#82 -- Mai Hakuchoo! Hyo chuu no shakunetsu jigaku
       Dancing Swan! Scorching Hell in the Ice
Hyoga creates an ice shield to protect himself from the lava Hagen is
showering him with, but it's obvious that Cygnus can't keep it up much
longer. The Bronze Saint is blown across the cave to impact against the
far wall. Hagen thinks his enemy's discomfort is amusing, and tells
Hyoga how he won his God Robe --learning first to withstand the heat of
the lava, and eventually how to control its searing power. All to gain
Freya's love -- and now Freya has betrayed him and Asgard. Now all he
has left is his oath to Hilda as God Warrior to sustain him. He will not
betray Hilda as Freya has. Above, Alberich tells Siegfried that Fenrir
has fallen. One of Hilda's pet birds escapes, and she kills it in her
anger. Siegfried is appalled; Alberich looks interested. Freya is still
enroute to Hagen's cave, remembering the good times they had together as
children. Hyoga is feeling the heat more and more as Hagen agitates the
lava. Cygnus is once more knocked down, his headpiece rolling away from
him. Hagen approaches, picks up the swan "tiara". Hyoga struggles to his
feet, to Hagen's surprise. The God Warrior attacks once more, and Hyoga
uses the Aquarius ability of Aurora Execution to stop the attack -- but
Cygnus collapses, exhausted by the use of that blow. He hasn't mastered
the use of Seventh Sense, and it took most of his own inner power to
execute it. Freya arrives to find Hagen about to throw Hyoga in the
lava, and begs him to stop. Hagen throws Hyoga to the ground -- and
Freya runs to the injured Hyoga, not to Hagen. One can almost see the
God Warrior turning green! Freya tries to tell Hagen that Hilda has gone
mad, but Hagen is so jealous by now he doesn't really hear a single
word, insisting on his duty to Hilda and Asgard. As Hagen prepares to
attack a barely conscious Hyoga, Freya places herself between them.
Hagen must decide which is the most important -- his duty to Hilda, or
his love for Freya. Freya loses, and falls as Hagen hits her with one of
his strongest blows to strike at Hyoga. Both are thrown against the
stone wall. Hyoga struggles to his feet; Freya lies very still. Hyoga,
infuriated, calls upon Seventh Sense to power another Aurora Execution
-- and Hagen falls. Freya, badly hurt, crawls to his side, their hands
touching as she begins to cry brokenly. Hyoga stands by, realizing that
his is more defeat than victory, even though his foe has been killed.
Kiki arrives as Freya collapses once more.

#83 -- Ayahi no tategoto! Shun no izanau shi no "Prelude" (Overture)
       Bewitching Harp! The Prelude of Death Tempts Shun
Hagen has been buried, and Hyoga leaves Kiki to take care of the
unconscious Freya as he struggles onward. Hilda has felt Hagen's death,
and curses both Athena and her Saints -- but is sure her foes cannot
win. The voice that spoke to her across the ocean in episode 74 speaks
again, cautioning against being too overconfident -- but also assures
her that with the power of the Neibelung she can be victorious. As he
struggles upward, Seiya wonders if it's possible to seperate Hilda from
the ring without killing her -- and then slips off the icy stairs,
falling down yet another cliffside to hit bottom. As he lays there,
stunned, he remembers all the remaining Gold Saints cutting their own
wrists to cover the Bronze Boys Cloth with their own blood -- and then
using Seventh Sense to funnel enough power to Aries Mu to enable that
Gold Saint to repair all five sets of badly damaged Cloth as our five
Bronze Saints watched. Seiya can't let their trust in him down any more
than he can abandon Saori/Athena, he thinks. He struggles to his feet to
continue his mission. Elsewhere, Shun hears harp music -- and, entering
snow-covered ruins, finds himself facing Benetnasch Mime. They exchange
words for a few minutes, then Shun attacks -- only to see his chains
stop inches short of Mime, and fall to the ground. Mime returns the
attack, and the battle is on. Shun shows that he's become a better
fighter than before, though Mime still manages to send him flying
several times. Mime displays the ability to create illusions,
surrounding Shun with insubstantial images of himself. Eventually Shun's
chains pin point which one is real and wrap themselves around Mime, but
Shun's opponent then teleports himself away -- and the God Warrior
strikes at Shun, sending him to his knees. Mime asks Shun if he's ready
to give up yet. (There's a nice touch here when we see Mime's image
reflected in Shun's eyes.) Shun remembers his earlier battles from first
season, and wonders if he's worthy to be a Saint -- he hates hurting and
killing people, and it seems that's all he's done since he earned Cloth.
He collapses -- and then hears the voice of brother Ikki; telling him it
has all been with purpose, not to give up. Shun will continue to
fight...

#84 -- Shi no senkoku! "String Requiem"
       Death Decree! String Requiem (Funeral March)
Mime uses his illusion ability to confuse Shun, and then strikes, energy
extending from his fingers like living, razor-sharp piano wires.
Elsewhere, Kiki still watches over Freya, who is having
nightmares/halluciantions about Hilda, Hagen and herself. Hilda is
cursing both Hagen and her younger sister. Shun is still not doing well
against Mime, though he is trying hard. Mime blind-sides him. Shun
struggles back to his feet. The sun comes out, and Shun realizes that
only one of the images of Mime casts a shadow -- and lashes out at the
real Mime thus revealed with a chain, its length wrapping around Mime's
arm. But Mime frees himself of the chain with a shrug. As Mime prepares
another attack, Shun discards his armor; it seems the nebula chains are
useless against this foe -- perhaps the Nebula Stream or Nebula Storm
that defeated Pisces Aphrodite will be as effective against the
harp-player. On the surface it appears to be a good plan -- but Mime
seems to be immune to the effects of pure cosmo power, weathering the
attack as if it were only a strong wind. For a moment Shun thinks the
Nebula Storm attack has succeeded, and he collapses, exhuasted -- then
sees that Mime has anchored himself to the ground with the wires of his
harp, and is unharmed. A finger strummed across the strings of his harp,
and Mime has enwrapped Shun with "piano wire" -- and slowly begins to
squeeze the life out of the Andromeda Saint. Shun then begins to give
up. Mime plays a melody that will end Shun's life -- but "feather
shuriken" from the "tails" of Phoenix Ikki's Cloth cut the wires and
announce the arrival of the Phoenix Saint himself.

#85 -- Kanashime no yuusha! Ite tsuita zooo
       Hero's Grief! Frozen Hatred
"That's my little brother you're beating up!" Ikki growls, checking to
insure that Shun is still alive. He puts Shun down and turns to face
Benetnasch Mime. They exchange blows, and Ikki remembers his battle with
the Ares-possessed Saga. Mime uses his multiple illusion trick on Ikki,
and adds a few other twists to it. Then Mime strikes, the illusions
vanishing as he uses full power. Ikki, unhurt, counterattacks. Ikki, who
uses illusions as one of his own weapons, was not fooled by Mime's but
allowed the God Warrior to think he'd been affected. The two strike at
each other, both sustaining damage this time. Hilda is chewing Siegfried
out for his God Warrior team doing so badly against the Saints of
Athena. Mime and Ikki battle once more. Ikki finds his blow blocked by
Mime's harp strings. They seem fairly evenly matched. As he begins yet
another melody, Mime remembers his childhood -- his father, intent on
his son earning status as God Warrior, broke the youngster's harp and
forebade him to play it. The old man was one of the higher nobles of
Asgard, and highly respected. One day Mime found a picture of himself
with a woman and a man he does not recognize. His father admitted that
the woman was Mime's mother, and that he had been forced to kill both of
the people in the picture. Mime automatically assumed the man in the
picture with his mother was his father, and attacked and killed the man
who had raised him. Ikki hits Mime with a Genma Ken (Demon Fist/Hammer
of Delusion) attack, and Mime relives that part of his past
--remembering how kind the man who raised him had been, and also little
bits of conversation he'd overheard -- and realizes that the man in the
picture was not his father, but his mother's lover --the man that had
raised him was indeed his real father. His mother's lover had attacked
his father, and when his father struck back, his mother threw herself
between the two and had died with him as a result. Mime, whose whole
personality was wound up in a brittle complex of responsibilities and
honor due to this past, first collapses at the revelation; then beserks
-- glowing fiercely as his power aura builds to discharge.

#86 -- Fushichoo! Shinku ni moeru tsubasa
       Phoenix! Crimson Blazing Wings
Ikki tells Mime that he must face the truth -- he has killed his own
father, and that by following Hilda he is compounding his dishonor. Mime
strikes at Ikki, remembering how his father told him that to be a God
Warrior he must have honor as well as the ability to fight well. His
father spent years teaching him his fighting skills. The two combatants
go at each other again. They are too evenly matched -- they blow each
other away. Then Ikki finds himself wrapped up in piano wire; which
shortly starts cutting him into ribbons. Shun gets up to attack, but
Ikki tells him to stay out of it -- it's his battle now. Ikki energizes
his cosmo, using Seventh Sense to add to his power, and breaks the
wires. He uses his most powerful blow against Mime -- who tries to strke
back but is knocked flying, his harp breaking as it lands on hard
flagstones. Determined to go out with honor -- what else is left a
patricide, he askes? -- he takes off his own armor and faces Ikki once
more for a final confrontation. He will face Ikki without the power of
the Odin Sapphire, only his own abilities and strengths against the
power of the Phoenix Saint. The two knock each other out, Mime
collapsing first. Before he dies he tells Ikki he envies him his
relationship with Shun and the others in the Seiya tachi. Shun picks up
the Odin Sapphire and leaves with it at Ikki's insistence. Ikki tells
him he will follow when he regains his strength -- and once Shun is
gone, Ikki collapses. Shun feels Ikki's cosmo weaken, but knows he must
go on. Above, the three remaining God Warriors confer. Alberich claims
his chance to defeat their enemies. His sarcasm angers both Shido and
Siegfried -- it becomes apparent that they don't like Alberich very
much, and he doesn't think much of them either. Below, Ikki lies
unconscious as the snow begins to cover his still form.

#87 -- Ma no "Amethyst"! Seinto no hakaba
       Amethyst Demon! Saint's Cemetary
Alberich, Shido, and Siegfriend are still arguing. Hilda intervenes and
tells them that their foes are below, not in the same room -- and if
Alberich is so anxious to prove himself, let him try. Siegfried sends
Alberich on his way, heartily hoping that Athena's Saints will send the
Megrez God Warrior to Hela just as they have the other God Warriors
they've fought. Seiya, Shun, and Hyoga are all continuing upward, each
with an Odin Sapphire in hand. Shiryu slowly wakes up, and begins the
job of climbing up an ice-covered cliff. Alberich awaits his first
opponent, remembering a few times when Hilda had chewed him out for
unnecessary cruelty. He sees a form running up the stairs -- but the
Saints should not have gotten here so quickly! He pursues. It is Aquila
Marin, who has brought a warning for Seiya and company. The two fight --
and Marin proves no match for the God Warrior. Alberich uses his
"Amethyst Shield" against her, encasing the Silver Saint in
mystically-created, purple-colored transparent stone. She is trapped
there, still alive, like an insect in amber. Around them are similar
huge crystals, their occupants now only bones and armor. Alberich gloats
over his victim, certain of future victories as well. Seiya arrives,
alarmed by the fact he's felt Marin's cosmo fade precipitously. He meets
Alberich, but hasn't yet noticed the indistinct forms within the
amethyst crystals around him. Pegasus escapes the first Amethyst Shield
attack Alberich throws at him, and manages to land a few good blows of
his own Pegasus Meteor Punch. When Alberich attacks again, Seiya follows
up with a Pegasus Rolling Crush, but Alberich still is not down for the
count. Megrez then distracts Seiya by pointing out the form of Marin. A
Marin who is still alive enough to use her cosmo to speak telepathically
to Seiya and tell him he must hurry -- or Athena will die. Alberich
counters by offering to free Marin if Seiya will give him the Odin
Sapphire he has on his person. "Marin will be dead shortly if you
don't," he taunts Seiya, clearly hoping that the Pegasus Saint will
chose Marin's life over his oath to Athena.

#88 -- Honoho no ken! Osorube ki yaboo
       Flaming Sword! Dreadful Ambition
Alberich repeats his offer. Marin tells Seiya that she is not important;
Athena is the one who matters. Seiya considers how important Marin is to
him. Alberich demands the Odin Sapphire. Seiya decides that he is first
a Saint of Athena, and attacks the surprised Alberich. But the Megrez
God Warrior gets up, only momentarily stunned. "You've sentenced Marin
to death," he says. "You're not human!" Seiya lashes back as they clash
once more. Below, Hyoga has entered the woods, and Shiryu is almost at
the top of the cliff he is climbing. Sieya asks Marin to forgive him as
he faces Alberich -- but Megrez pulls out a crystal sword that flames as
Alberich's power infuses it. He goes after Seiya with it. Alberich also
distracts him with taunts about Marin. Seiya knocks the sword out of
Megrez' grasp, but is wounded in the process. Alberich calls on his
Amethyst Shield attack again, and a weakened Seiya joins Marin in his
own man-sized crystal. Alberich picks up the Odin Sapphire Seiya
dropped, and congratulates himself. Hyoga, Shun, and Shiryu all feel
Seiya's defeat. Alberich thinks his plan is going well. He actually saw
Hilda become possessed -- and did nothing to help her. He plans on
collecting all the Odin Sapphires for himself, using their power to
defeat and kill Hilda and destroy the Niebelung ring. Then he will rule
Asgard -- and the world. Alberich has revealed himself as the slime he
is. Above, Siegfried and Shido have both put on their armor, wondering
if Alberich will end up trying to kill them, too. Hyoga continues on in
the forest, noticing the skeletons in the crystals -- and then sees
Marin and Seiya are among them. Alberich appears, sword in hand -- and
battle is joined, as Hyoga also refuses to give Alberich Hagen's Odin
Sapphire. Hyoga freezes up Alberich's sword, but the flames free it
quickly. Hyoga tries his trick of freezing Alberich's feet to the
ground, but Alberich lands a solid blow with his sword to Hyoga's back
-- then frees his feet with its heat as Hyoga tries to recover. Then
Megrez goes at Hyoga, murder in his eyes.

#89 -- Ja-aku no ikenie! Seirei-tachi no mori
       Impossible (unexpected?) Viciousness! Grove of Spirits
Hyoga and Megrez Alberich are both doing each other damage. Hyoga uses
the Aurora Thunder Attack and encases Alberich in ice, but the God
Warrior breaks free and immediately goes after Hyoga. He then threatens
to destroy the crystals holding Seiya and Marin, killing the Saints
inside them in the process. Hyoga defiantly tells him that they're all
Saints of Athena -- Athena's well being and orders come first. Hyoga
uses the Aurora Execution against Alberich's Amethyst Shield. Amethyst
Shield loses, but Alberich manages to dodge Hyoga's most powerful blow.
Megrez next lures Hyoga into another part of the woods away from the
area where the crystals are. Below, Shiryu has finally reached the top
of the cliff he has been climbing and begins running to join his fellow
Saints. Having reached his goal, Megrez uses a "Nature Unity" attack
against the Cygnus Saint, and the trees, plants and the ground itself
all rise up to attack Hyoga. Hyoga can't protect himself from this
attack, which comes from many directions at once and too quickly for him
to react to. He freezes lots of tree limbs and roots; but, like a hydra,
more replace each one that falls. Shiryu has now reached the woods and
hears Hyoga's screams of agony as the Cygnus Saint feels the life being
crushed out of him by the tree limbs, and runs in the direction the
screams are coming from. After being used as a ping-pong ball by the
trees, Hyoga falls unconscious to the ground. He rises to his feet as
Alberich prepares an Amethyst Shield attack...but it is Shiryu who saves
him, arriving in time to deflect the crystal shards with his shield.
Hyoga faints. Shiryu introduces himself, and Alberich recognizes him as
one of Roshi's students. It seems Alberich had trained with Roshi
sometime in the past. Shiryu remembers that Roshi told him how Alberich
has used the Nature Unity attack against a fellow student (a young
Roshi, perhaps? He's a former Dragon Saint, anyway.) and how that
student foiled the attack. By calming his mind with meditation, the
forces of nature Alberich summoned ignored that opponent -- and let him
use the Ascending Dragon Tear against the God Warrior. Alberich uses the
Amethyst Shield against Shiryu, who again deflects it with his shield.
Alberich in turn launches another Nature Unity attack, and the ground
opens beneath Shiryu's feet.

#90 -- Furi mu ku na Seiya! Shor ryu no cosmo!
Overcome opposition (handicap) Seiya! Rising Dragon Cosmo
Shiryu finds the Nature Unity attack difficult to deflect as he loses
his footing and nearly tumbles into the crevasse that opens beneath him.
He remembers Roshi's words (at times he uses the words "Roshi said..."
almost as much as Shun uses "Niisan"!). Somehow he finds the inner
strength to ignore the attacking plants and place himself in trance
state. The plants fall away. But Shiryu is not yet skilled enough to
launch an attack while still in trance -- as soon as he tries to hit
Alberich, the Nature Unity attack reasserts itself, pounding him into
the ground. Then Alberich discovers Shiryu has something of a temper,
especially when his friends are threatened. Alberich uses this knowledge
to distract the Dragon Saint and break the trance. Alberich tells Shiryu
that he'd spent a long time researching the Odin Sapphires and how they
could be used to unleash the full power of Odin. The Niebelung is no
match for that power, he tells Shiryu -- nor are any of the other gods
and goddesses who may oppose his plans. They battle once more, and
Shiryu is nearly felled by an Amethyst Shield attack. Shiryu backs up
against a tree and pops his armor off to Alberich's amusement. Dragon
uses his full power, which clashes with another Amethyst Shield -- and
both warriors are thrown apart, stunned. Alberich dies, and as he does
the amethyst crystals his foes are encased in dissolve away, freeing
Marin and Seiya. Hyoga has recovered, too, and picks up the Odin
Sapphires Alberich has left behind -- but he cannot take the time to
take care of Shiryu. He goes to find Seiya. Seiya is concerned about
Marin, but she slaps him and sternly reminds him of his duty to Athena.
Seiya and Hyoga run on, as Marin collapses behind them. Hilda is
infuriated by Alberich's failure, but both Shido and Seigfried are
secretly overjoyed -- and it is time for Shido to face the Saints.

#91 -- Moeyo Shun! Kuroi kiba ni kakusareta nazo
       Glow Shun! Hidden Puzzle of the Dark Fang
Freya has finally woken, but Marin is still out cold -- and getting
colder! Seiya and Hyoga are heading upward, Seiya slowed by his
injuries. Shun has already arrived at one of the vast halls of Asgard,
and is heading for the statue. Siegfried, who is not happy with what has
been happening, confers with Hilda. Shun's chains warn him of danger,
and then he finds himself facing Mizar Shido once more. They both
remember their previous encounter in Japan. Mizar avoids Shun's chains,
landing on one of them and hitting Shun with the Viking Tiger Claw blow.
Seiya interfers, and Hyoga helps Shun to his feet -- showing Andromeda
the 4 Odin Sapphires they now have. Shun reveals his single Sapphire.
All three face Shido, who is remembering his earlier battle with Seiya.
Shun stops Seiya, telling his fellow Saints that it is he who must face
Shido -- he is freshest, and they must take their stones and head for
the statue. They agree, avoiding Shido's attempts to stop them. A shadow
in a doorway watches but does nothing. Shido attacks Shun viciously, and
Shun responds. A cloaked form runs up the stairs below them, and sees
Marin. It pauses, reveals itself to be Silver Saint Ophichus Shaina.
Shaina wraps Marin in her cloak, as her fellow Silver Saint tells her
that Aldeberan told her he was attacked by two foes, not one! When Marin
arrived in Asgard, she found Kiki and Freya -- and Freya told her that
Mizar Shido has a "shadow warrior" as a follower -- for Mizar is
actually a double star, its fainter companion being Alcor. So when they
face Shido they actually face two enemies, not one. In the excitement of
the battle with Alberich and its aftermath, Marin forgot to give the
information to Seiya. It's up to Shaina to give the warning now! Above,
Shun is still fighting Shido. Mizar is also slowly lowering the
temperature in the chamber to sub-zero...freezing Shun's chains as well
as everything else. Shun's "Rolling Defense" protects him from Shido's
Viking Tiger Claw -- at least for a while. Then Shido uses his Blue
Impulse attack -- and Shun falls. Beyond them, the roof falls in before
Seiya and Hyoga, blocking their pathway. Hyoga makes a hole in the wall
-- it's a big mistake, they discover, as both are beaten into
unconsciousness by a mystically strong wind that enters through said
hole. As the episode ends, Shido has knocked Shun senseless and is
trying to freeze the Andromeda Saint into an ice cube...

#92 -- Uzamake! Shun kyuukyoku no Nebula Storm
       Swirl! Shun's Desperate Use of the Nebula Storm
Shun is not down for the count yet, however, despite Shido'a attempts to
turn him into a popsicle. The shadow still watches the battle from a
doorway as Shun struggles to his feet once more, and launches into an
attack -- which Shido blocks. Shido tries to freeze Shun again. Shaina
is now entering the hall behind them. Shun hears Ikki's voice, which
tells him he must use Seventh Sense to defeat his foe. Shun breaks
Shido's ice. Shun then takes off his armor once more to use the Nebula
Stream and Storm attacks. Shido thinks he's crazy. The Nebula Stream
attack blows Shido across the hall, but he recovers and comes at Shun
again. It's no worse than a bad winter storm, he grins at Andromeda.
Behind them, the shadow -- which wears armor like Shido's, but in white
--watches. Shido and Shun attack simultaneously, Blue Impulse against
Nebula Storm. Shido discovers he is losing. Unnoticed by either, Shaina
deflects an attack by the shadow warrior on Shun. Shido passes out. Then
Shun notices Shaina, crouched by the wall, her armor damaged by the
attack she took for Shun. She tells Shun that Shido has a brother --
Alcor Bado. "Hurry with the stone, I'll keep him busy!" she urges Shun,
but Bado is already acting -- knocking Shun to the floor. Bado appears,
his armor a white, ghost-like replica of Shido's dark-colored God Robe.
It is Bado who launched the attack which wounded Aldeberan while Shido
kept Taurus occupied. Bado demands Shido's Odin Sapphire from Shun; he
himself does not have one and that will make him the true God Warrior
instead of a "shadow warrior". Shaina attacks, and is blown into the
wall for her efforts. She fights rather well despite being outclassed,
and refuses to give up even when she's being pounded into the floor.
There are some touching and almost amusing scenes here of Shaina and
Shun taking turns protecting each other, until both are knocked
unconscious. Before Alcor can harm either one, he is interrupted by the
arrival of -- you guessed it -- Phoenix Ikki.

#93 -- Bado! Shukumei no futago sei
       Bado! Fate of the Twin Stars
Phoenix faces Bado squarely and tells him that the survival of every
member of Seiya tachi is his concern as a Saint of Athena. Bits of loose
masonry start flying around as Bado's anger intensifies. The two
warriors clash. Bado loses his helmet and the three Saints realize he is
identical to Shido -- the two are identical twins. Bado admits it, and
tells them the two were seperated at birth. Their father was a noble who
wanted no chance that his older son would face a challenge to his
inheritance, and thus abandoned the baby in the forest. A poor woodsman
found and adopted the baby. Later, when Bado learned the truth, he
became incredibly jealous of Shido -- and this rivalry continued once
Shido became a God Warrior and Bado was forced to become his "shadow".
Bado had spent his life learning how to fight, and feels he's better at
it than Shido. Because he is a "shadow warrior" rather than a full God
Warrior he does not have an Odin Sapphire --and that in turn means that
like the Saints his power comes from within rather than from an outside
source. (It also means he is not yet "contaiminated" by the spirit of
the Niebelung passing to him through the Sapphire.) Hilda has made a
bargain with him -- if Shido dies, Bado will inherit the stone and
become the God Warrior he feels he was meant to be. He has watched every
battle the Saints have had against the God Warriors, and is ready for
Ikki's tricks...and attacks with the "Shadow Viking Tiger Claw". For
once Ikki seems to find himself outclassed, as Bado's fierce attack
beats him into the floor. But Ikki tells Bado that he doesn't really
hate Shido, any more than Phoenix could really bring himself to hate
Shun even while under the influence of Ares. Ikki deflects Bado's next
blows. The two go at it again as the episode ends.

#94 -- Kyoodai no kizuna! Shido yo sokuku ni nemure
       Bond of Brotherhood! Shido Rests with his Ancestors
Bado wins this round, Ikki falling to the floor amidst rubble. As he
tries to get up Bado attacks again. Shun gets to his feet, intent on
protecting his brother. Shido beats him half-unconscious again, and Shun
drops his Odin Sapphires. Bado prepares to hit Shun again, but Ikki is
on his feet once more and Bado turns back to face his primary foe, only
to realize both brothers are on their feet. Concern for each other is
driving both Saints to greater efforts. Above them, Hyoga wakes up, and
uses his power to blow a hole through the rubble blocking their path.
Then he collapses again, exhausted. Both Ikki and Shun strike at Bado
--but the shadow warrior dodges out of the way, and the two hit each
other instead. Ikki recovers quickly and uses a genma ken against Bado
-- which forces him to realize that despite the hatred, envy, and
jealousy, down deep he does love Shido and doesn't want to see him die.
Bado and Ikki argue about the result for several minutes; and Ikki
points out that all during the battle Bado has been protecting the
unconscious Shido, even though Shun now has Shido's Odin Sapphire. In
anger Bado hits Ikki, who returns fire. Unnoticed, Shido begins to wake.
Bado is injured in the exchange, but climbs to his feet. Shido rises as
well and grabs Ikki, telling Bado to hurry and strike -- he is not
strong enough to hold Phoenix for long. But he'll hurt Shido, Bado
protests. Shido tells him that's not important. They are God Warriors
first, and Ikki is an enemy. But Bado cannot bring himself to strike,
and Shido collapses. Weeping, Bado goes to his brother's still form and
picks it up. As he leaves, he tells Ikki to treasure his relationship
with Shun and the others. He has no idea how precious his friendships
are. Bearing his twin's body, Bado walks into the storm outside, knowing
that only now that he has lost his brother does he realize what both of
them have missed all these years. Above, Hilda curses Bado, and
Siegfried is painfully aware that he is the only God Warrior left to
protect Hilda. He is no longer sure she is acting in good faith to her
own oath to Odin, but he has sworn to obey her and will not abandon his
own oath until or unless he has proof that Hilda has betrayed Asgard.
Elsewhere, Seiya wakes up and discovers a half-delirious Hyoga beside
him, the path clear. Hyoga gives him the Odin Sapphires and tells him to
go on; Cygnus is too weak to do any good. As the episode ends, Shido is
still advancing into the storm, his will to live extinguished with the
end of his brother's life.

#95 -- Ki takaki yuusha! Yomigaeru densetsu no kishi
       Hero of Noble Heart (Spirit)! Legendary Knight Reborn
Freya has recovered -- she and Kiki return to the promentory to help
Athena. Shun and Ikki discover Hyoga, and Hyoga actually accepts Ikki's
offer of help. (This is an important gesture as most of first series
Hyoga was the one of the four original Saints who never quite fully
accepted Ikki as one of their number.) Sieya has reached the foot of the
statue -- but he must go through Dubhe Siegfried to get to it. And he
doesn't have all the Odin Sapphires yet, either. Siegfried arrives,
fully armored in the Dubhe (Fafnir) God Robe. His duty is to protect
Hilda, and he will do so with his life if necessary, he tells Seiya.
Seiya attacks --but his blows have no effect on the final God Warrior.
Siegfried hits Seiya, and the Odin Sapphires as well as the Pegasus
Saint are knocked across the plaza below the statue. Hyoga, Shun, and
Ikki arrive to see Seiya being (momentarily) defeated, landing
unconscious at their feet. Elsewhere, Shiryu is being buried under
falling snow -- until Roshi's mental voice awakens him, and he struggles
to his feet to continue his mission. Hyoga is going to attack Siegfried,
but collapses in Shun's arms. Then Ikki attacks the God Warrior -- to no
effect but his own being thrown through a stone pillar. Siegfried
continues to wipe up the pavement with the Phoenix Saint. Ikki falls,
and Shun challenges the Dubhe God Warrior. He fares no better than his
brother. As he was protecting Hyoga, the Cygnus Saint gets trashed as
well. Hilda congratulates Siegfried mentally and taunts Saori. Shiryu
struggles up the stairs, still minus his armor. Siegfried picks up
Hagen's Odin Sapphire and mourns his lost friend, remembering better
days when Freya, Hilda, Hagen and himself all enjoyed each other's
company in peace. He has always loved Hilda, but had felt that love
hopeless. Now even that small, secret happiness has been shattered. Ikki
gets up, distracting Siegfried; he is then attacked from behind by
Seiya. Seiya tells Siegfried that Hilda has been possessed by the
Niebelung. Siegfried remembers Freya telling him that something was
wrong with Hilda, that she was acting very strangely. Distraught,
Siegfried denies Seiya's words. He attacks Seiya. Shaina has just
arrived, helping a badly wounded Shiryu; she throws herself in front of
Pegasus and takes that blow herself.

#96 -- Ryuu tai ryuu! Juuman bun no ichibyoo no shooki
       Dragon Against Dragon! A Fraction of a Second Leads to Victory
Shaina takes the blow meant for Seiya, and both she and the Pegasus
Saint cut furrows in the flagstones as Shiryu and Siegfried watch. Ikki
wakes up enough to give Shiryu a warning as Dragon prepares to attack.
Shiryu has no more luck than the others. There are some wonderful action
shots of the two Dragons going at each other with fairly "mundane"
martial arts moves; in some ways more impresssive than the special
effects normally used! Dragon still finds his blows ineffective. Then
Shiryu remembers the legend of the original Siegfried, who killed a
dragon and bathed in its blood. The dragon's blood made him invulnerable
to physical attack. Is this the "real" Siegfried? It seems likely...then
Siegfried hits Shiryu with a special blow of his own, and Shiryu goes
down. Above, Hilda gloats, while Saori weakens far below them. Shiryu
remembers Shura's sacrifice again, and attacks Siegfried. He's going to
try the same move on Siegfried that he did on Shura -- until he
remembers that the others will need Siegfried's Odin Sapphire, and if he
goes whizzing off into space with the God Warrior the stone will be
unavailable to them. As he hesitates, Siegfried breaks free of the hold
and attacks. Siegfried uses his own dragon attack form, and Shiryu
collapses again. Siegfried watches in some astonishment as the Dragon
Saint gets up. Then Shiryu realizes that in his full power attack
Siegfried leaves his chest vulnerable -- and if it is the real
Siegfried, he has one area of his body that is not invulnerable -- a
leaf covered the skin over his heart, so the dragon blood did not touch
the skin underneath. Shiryu hits Siegfried there, and it indeed causes
the God Warrior pain. But Shiryu himself is hit in the exchange, and is
down. The Dragon Saint tells Seiya that Siegfried has the same "weak
spot" Shiryu himself has -- and which Seiya used to defeat him in their
first battle so long ago. But while Shiryu has dented the Dubhe God
Robe, he has not broken it -- Siegfried has insured he has extra
protection over the place he is most vulnerable, reinforcing the armor
there. Shiryu collapses, badly injured and exhausted. On her promentory,
Saori falls to her knees, then struggles up again. She is also near
total exhaustion. Hilda's gloating is interrupted by the sound of a
flute and cautionary words. Siegfried now faces Seiya, who is once more
on his feet.

#97 -- Siren! Utsukushiki shi no shirabe
       Siren! Beautiful Melody of Death
Seiya faces Siegfried once more, and the Dubhe God Warrior is anxious to
end the whole affair. Seiya uses Shiryu's advice, however, and hits the
God Warrior in the same area where Shiryu has already damaged the armor
-- and Seiya's Pegasus Meteor Punch puts holes in the chest plate! The
cosmos of all five Saints expand, and that of the others channel their
power into Seiya. Siegfried realizes as Seiya rises that his cosmo now
contains elements from the other four -- and Athena's as well. Hilda
arrives and chews Siegfried's butt for not destroying Seiya yet. She
herself strikes at the Pegasus Saint, but Siegfried blocks the energy
beam with his own hand. Dubhe tells Hilda to keep out of it -- let him
do his job in his own way and don't interfere. He and Pegasus square off
again, a pissed-off Hilda watching. Siegfried finds his blows being
blocked and then reflected back at him. His chest plate is further
damaged, and Siegfried passes out. Seiya is about to take the
unconscious God Warrior's Odin Sapphire when flute music plays -- and a
man dressed in orange-gold armor joins Hilda and introduces himself as
one of Poseidon's warriors, Marine Shogun Siren Sorento. Poseidon has
"given" the Niebelung ring to Hilda. Poseidon, brother to Hades and
Zeus, wants Athena dead or defeated. Seiya accuses them of using Hilda
and the God Warriors as cats paws. Sorento says it doesn't matter, so
long as Sanctuary's power is eliminated. Siegfried has been listening,
and knows his suspicions have now been confirmed. He climbs to his feet.
Sorento wants him to kill Seiya as per Hilda's orders. Hilda tells
Siegfried that Sorento is a friend; and will help Asgard regain its past
glory. Seiya is now going after Sorento, who plays his flute and drives
the Pegasus Saint into agony. Siren's song proves most powerful.
Siegfried turns to Seiya, but instead of striking the Saint he takes out
his own Odin Sapphire and gives it to Seiya. Then, his mind made up,
Dubhe turns on Sorento. For a moment it appears Sorento's "Death End
Symphony" will do in Siegfried, but the God Warrior bursts his own
eardrums. He is still somewhat affected by the siren song, but not
enough to stop him as he attacks the Marine Shogun. Sorento hits him in
the chest -- but Siegfried has remembered what Shiryu was going to do to
him earlier and grabs his new enemy around the waist with both arms.
Dubhe calls on his patron star, and the two go flying skyward, Siegfried
sacrificing himself to take out the Marine Shogun. Seiya cries, mourning
their loss; he had come to like and respect the God Warrior Dubhe
Siegfried. Under other circumstances, he could have been a good friend
to Athena and her Saints. Hilda interrupts him, reminding him that he
hasn't defeated her yet!

#98 -- Kiseki no shuggen! Odin Robe
       Appearance of a Miracle! Odin Robe
Now that Seigfried is gone, Seiya has to defeat Hilda before he can
approach the Odin statue. Hilda, possessed by the Niebelung ring, cannot
be trusted to keep to her bargain. The other four Bronze Saints all
speak encouraging words to him, while Hilda taunts him that even as he
stands there Athena is dying. Seiya slowly struggles toward Hilda and
the statue; Hilda starts throwing energy bolts at him. The other Bronze
Boys struggle to their feet to help. Seiya knocks Hilda down and, unable
to kill her, goes for the Odin Sapphires. Hilda recovers and hits him
from behind. As Seiya slides down the cliff (yes, again!) he hears
Saga's spirit taliking to him, giving advice. Seiya activates his cosmo
and climbs back onto the plaza to face Hilda. Ignoring Hilda, he walks
sowly toward the platform in front of the statue. Hilda strikes at him,
but each time the other Bronze Boys place themselves in front of Seiya
and take the blows meant for him. Finally Hilda tries to spear Seiya,
but Ikki gets the point instead (sorry). Finally, Seiya stands befoe the
statue, holding the Odin Sapphires aloft --but he gets no response.
Hilda laughs nastily, figuring Odin will not answer one not sworn to
him. She hits him hard enough to knock him off the platform. He falls
into the crevasse, and the Odin Sapphires fly out of his fingers. The
stones glow, forming the shape of the Big Dipper and attach themselves
to the statue. The Odin Robe emerges -- and goes to Seiya, bringing him
back up to the platform. He takes on Hilda again, this time with the
Odin Sword that is part of the Odin Robe. Knowing that if Hilda dies
then Athena will too -- as Hilda is needed to keep the ice pack frozen
-- Seiya cannot, again, bring himself to kill the Valkyrior. Hilda takes
advantage of his hesitation to strike him down. Realizing, with prodding
from Odin himself, that the Niebelung must be defeated, Seiya gets to
his feet and swings the sword at Hilda, the sword deflecting every blow
the ring directs at him.

#99 -- Athena! Ki takaki towa no inori
       Athena! Eternal Prayer of Noble Hearts (Spirits)
Hilda falls, the Niebelung ring disintegrating as she hits the pavement.
The Odin Robe leaves Seiya, reforming on the platform before the Odin
statue. A pool of blood forms around Hilda. Below, Athena collapses on
the promentory. Asgard begins to collapse around their ears. The ocean
begins to pound at the sea walls around the lower portion of Asgard. We
see each of the dead God Warriors where they lay, their world crumbling
around them. (Even Shido and Bado...darn, I'd hoped the two brothers
would manage to live through the series!) Seiya is in tears, for it
seems no matter what he did they would have lost their battle. Hilda
begins to move, and the Saints, now on their feet, prepare for another
battle. But Hilda walks right past them as if they don't exist, and
plucks the Odin Sword by the blade from the Odin Robe with her bare
hand, blood pouring from the cuts she incurs. She begins to pray to
Odin, using her powers to try and set things right, repairing the damage
that has been done. The Bronze Boys depart, heading for Athena. But
Hilda cannot return her God Warriors to life, and relives each of their
deaths -- knowing that each was her fault, and because of her Asgard's
defenses lay shattered. Just as her own life and that of Freya now lie
in pieces that can never be reassembled. Her God Warriors depended on
her, and she betrayed their trust in her. She must accept her part in
what has happened, overcome her weaknesses, or she will fail. Somehow
she succeeds...but Athena still lays still and cold on the promentory
where she has stranded herself, deaf to the cries of her Saints.
Finally, her job done for the moment, Hilda joins them in time to see
Athena awaken. There is relief and joy -- then the sea behind Athena
surges, and a whirlpool creates a wave that washes over the promentory.
Athena is gone, to the shock of all! Somewhere below the ocean a short
time later, a tall man in gold armor stands in front of a temple,
Athena's unconscious form held in his arms as he laughs quietly.


======================================
== Chapter 4: Third Seiya TV Season ==
======================================

Background
==========

With the third TV season, Saint Seiya went back to the storyline of the
original manga, which follows the battle of Athena and her saints
against the awakened spirit of Poseidon, Greek god of the oceans, and
his Marine Shoguns (also referred to as Marine Generals, but I've chosen
to refer to them as Marine Shoguns in this review). The armor Poseidon
and his warriors wear are called "scales". Most of the Marine Shoguns
seem to be the equivilent of Athena's Gold Saints.

Poseidon and his Warriors
=========================

Poseidon
Poseidon has been reincarnated in the body of a young man named Julian
Solo, who is the owner of a large shipping corporation that is one of
the Graude Foundation's chief rivals. Julian has asked Saori to marry
him, and was turned down. Thus when Poseidon awakens within the young
man, and Athena turns down his proposition, both sides of his
personality have cause to wish his rival no good. Having known each
other socially, Julian and Saori are somewhat shocked when they discover
each other's other "secret" identities. As a long-time MAN FROM
U.N.C.L.E. fan, I had quite a giggle when I translated Julian's last
name, as the main character and biggest letch of U.N.C.L.E. was Napoleon
Solo! In Greek mythology Poseidon was one of the most important of the
gods, and was full brother to Zeus -- and thus Athena's uncle.

Marine Shogun Siren Sorento
In the series, Siren showed up back in episode #97 to aid Hilda and is
temporarily taken out by Dubhe Siegfried. As he's pretty important to
the manga storyline, they had to find a way to bring him back... Siren's
main weapon is a flute, with which he plays the "Death's End Symphony"
-- it paralyzes a foe so they cannot fight back when he strikes them. In
mythology the Sirens were three sisters who were half bird and half
women. They had lovely voices, with which they drew sailors and their
ships to death upon the rocky shores of the island the sisters lived on.
(While I'd initially translated Siren's "real" name as "Solento", I
found out there's a major town beside the Mediterranean that is named
"Sorento". It seems likely that Sorento was named for this town.)

Marine Shogun Mermaid Testis
Mermaid seems to be the equivilent of a Silver rather than a Gold saint.
She was responsible for "awakening" the spirit of Poseidon in Julian
Solo by giving him the trident which is part of the Poseidon scale.
There are two personalities in Greek mythology Testis may have been
named after -- either Tethys, a Titan and wife to the Titan Oceanus (sea
god prior to Poseidon's arrival on scene) and Thetis, one of Oceanus'
daughters. Eris crashed her wedding party, and she was also mother of
Achilles. Mermaids are, of course, mythological creatures who are half
woman and half fish.

Marine Shogun Seahorse Baian
Baian protects the first of the pillars the Bronze Boys must destroy in
order to rescue Athena. Seiya faces him and ultimately defeats him.
Baian's special blow is the "Rising Billows". Seahorses in mythology
were creatures with the forefronts of horses (with webbed feet rather
than hooves) and the rear ends of fish. Poseidon's chariot was drawn by
seahorses.

Marine Shogun Scylla Io
Io faces Andromeda Shun while trying to defend one of the Neptune
Pillars. Scylla's power includes the ability to project energy in the
forms of several different animals. In mythology, Io was one of the
mortal women loved by Zeus. The god changed her into a cow to protect
her from Hera, his jealous wife. After considerable adventures he
finally returned her to her real form, and she later bore him a son
named Epaphus. The Scylla was a sea-monster that had once been a
beautiful sea-nymph. The sorceress Circe grew jealous of her and
transformed her into a hideous monster. From the waist up she remaind a
beautiful girl, but the lower part of her body was turned into six
ravening dogs. She was one of the sea monsters Odysseus faced during the
Oddessy. (Io shares voice actors with Poison Demon General Naza from
Yoroiden: Samurai Troopers.)

Marine Shogun Chrysaeor Khristna
Khristna is Shiryu's foe. Like Virgo Shaka, his attacks use a lot of
Eastern religous and mythological symbolism. In Khristna's case, they
are mostly Hindu in origin. Khristna, of course, is the name of one of
the Hindu gods. Chrysaeor in Greek mythology was the son of a monster --
he was born of the blood of Medusa when Perseus cut off her head. Some
legends have him being Poseidon's son by Medusa. He himself fathered
many monsters. Chrysaeor appeared to be a handsome human man, and he was
also known as the "chieftan of the golden spear" for the weapon he
favored.

Marine Shogun Lymnades Kaysa
Marine Shogun Lymnades faces several of the Bronze Boys before Ikki
shows up to fry his rear end. Kaysa changes his form to become someone
each of the Saints loves, tricking them into letting their guard down so
he can strike them unopposed. In mythology, the Lymnades were evil water
demons who hated humans. They had the ability to mimic the form and
voice of anyone they chose to. Their favorite trick was to assume the
shape of someone a passerby loved -- and when he/she got close enough,
the demons pulled the humans into the water and drowned them.

Marine Shogun Kraken Isaac
Isaac faces Hyoga in what is yet another case of Cygnus having to fight
someone out of his past. Isaac trained with Hyoga -- in the manga, with
Aquarius Camus as their sensei; in the TV series the Crystal Saint
trained them. One time while Hyoga was "visiting" his mother, he got
caught in the rigging of the ship. Isaac dove down and saved him,
throwing Hyoga free of the water and onto the ice. Isaac was himself
badly injured by a jagged piece of ice, losing an eye in the process. He
was sucked out to sea by a strong current. Hyoga thought he was dead,
but a huge manta ray had scooped him up and delivered the injured
warrior to Poseidon's realm. Isaac has since them served the sea god.
Hyoga must defeat his old friend to save Athena's life, and Isaac is
honor-bound to stop him. The fact Isaac blames Hyoga for the loss of his
eye doesn't help matters any. The Kraken is a type of huge sea-monster,
known for destroying ships at sea.

Marine Shogun Sea Dragon Canon
Canon is the final Marine Shogun who must be defeated before the Bronze
Boys can take on Poseidon himself. He ends up facing Ikki, who is
shocked when Canon's helmet comes off -- for Canon is a dead ringer for
Gemini Saga! It seems that Saga was one of triplets, not twins; and
Canon is the youngest of the three brothers. Therefore Canon has a
special reason to dislike Athena and her saints. Canon has use of the
same "Another Dimension" attack Saga used. A Sea Dragon, of course, is
another type of sea monster that appears in many different mythologies,
not just that of the Greeks.

Third TV Season Episode Synopses
================================

#100 -- Kaiko Poseidon! Seisen Futatabi
        Sea Emperor Poseidon! Holy War Once More
Tidal waves threaten every city along every coastline in the world. In
Japan, Tatsumi, Jabu, and company wonder where Saori and the Seiya Tachi
are. Jabu and the other Bronze Saints are even more worried about the
floods. The Bronze Boys, Cloth once more intact, have been out searching
for sign of Athena. Seiya and Shun return to Asgard, where they tell
Freya and Hilda they haven't found any sign of Athena. It must be
Poseidon, they agree, Meanwhile, in Atlantis Saori wakes up in a strange
bedchamber, to be welcomed by a man she recognizes as Julian Solo -- the
owner of a large shipping company (on the Onassis level) that is a major
rival to the Graude Foundation. (He's also the man in gold armor who was
holding her at the end of the previous episode.) At a recent social
function, Julian had proposed marriage to Saori --and she had refused,
to Julian's shock and anger. Now she realizes that Julian is the current
manifestation of Poseidon, one of Athena's oldest rivals.
Julian/Poseidon tells her that it is his intention to rule the world --
or drown it. The marriage proposal is still open -- she had best
consider her options well before she makes her decision. In Asgard,
Hilda has discovered a parchment that mentions a black whirlpool. She,
Freya, Seiya, and Shun go to find it. Seiya and Shun are debating what
to do when a surge of wind pulls them into the whirlpool. They wake up
in a tide pool in a strange land; there is water far overhead as if they
are in a huge air bubble under the sea. Walking toward the sound of a
woman singing, they see a strange statue of a mermaid. A woman's voice
laughs and tells them it is a Marine Scale -- that of the Mermaid. The
statue breaks up and encases the woman, who introduces herself as
Mermaid Testis -- a warrior of Poseidon. She leads the two Saints on a
merry chase, culminating in her "Red Coral" attack, in which coral
mystically grows over them. Seiya and Shun break free and Seiya attacks.
He is interrupted by the arrival of a tall man in gold armor (no, not
Poseidon) that Mermaid addresses as "Lord Sea Dragon" (Sea Dragon-sama).
He is the equivilent of a Gold Saint and most senior of the Marine
Shoguns (Generals) who serve Poseidon. He easily blows the two tired
Bronze Saints away.
 
#101 -- Uchi Kudake! Shichitsu no Umi no Manmosu Hashira
        Smash! Mammoth Pillars of the Seven Seas
Shun and Seiya rise to face Sea Dragon again. Seiya demands they tell
him where Athena is. Sea Dragon wonders why it's Bronze Saints who've
come to Athena's rescue rather than the Gold Saints they expected. He
laughs and tells Seiya that Athena is Poseidon's guest; they must prove
themselves before they get more information. The two Bronze Saints
realize they are surrounded by guards. Sea Dragon walks away, but before
he gets far, Seiya calls him back -- the two Saints have wiped out all
the guards in a matter of seconds! Poseidon is showing Athena his
kingdom. Athena is arguing against his plans to drown the human race.
Poseidon tells her that the flooding is controlled by the seven pillars
around Atlantis, each named for one of the Seven Seas -- and they are
all controlled by the "Main Breadwinner" pillar at the center of his
little area of sea floor. ("Main Breadwinner" is also the name of a
major, deep sea trench in the Atlantic Ocean.) He leads her to a room,
and locks her in. Agree to join him, and she'll be freed, Poseidon tells
her. She defiantly replies that her Saints will save her -- and defeat
him. "They'll have to go through my Marine Shoguns first!" he says,
closing the window he's spoken through. Then sea water begins pouring
into the room. Sea Dragon leaves his "guests" to assume his post by one
of the Neptune pillars. Mermaid informs Shun and Seiya that the Saints
must defeat each Marine Shogun guarding a pillar, and destroy each
pillar, before facing Poseidon and the Main Breadwinner. Athena's life
will depend on them -- she will drown by day's end if they don't
succeed. Testis points the pillars out to the two Saints and they are
off to face their first opponents. They cannot afford to wait for the
other Saints to join them. In China, Shiryu is consulting Roshi. Kiki
arrives and tells them that the Asgardians have discovered a way into
Atlantis. Shiryu gazes at a heart-stricken Shunrei, then leaves with
Kiki. Shunrei collapses, crying that she knows Shiryu won't survive this
mission. He hasn't recovered from the injuries he sustained during his
fight with the Gold Saints, let alone the new ones from the God Warriors
he battled. Roshi sternly tells her that it is Shiryu's responsibility
-- the life of all humanity on the planet depend on his actions and the
rest of the Seiya tachi. Elsewhere, Seiya and Shun are still fighting
Marine Guards as they make their way to the pillars each has chosen as
initial goals, and winning handily. (And again, they're running up
stairs...why not down stairs, or at least flat pathways, for once?
Reminds me of the Escher drawings with all the stairs going upward...)
Seiya arrives at his pillar and finds it guarded by Marine Shogun
Seahorse Baian. It's Seahorse against Pegasus. In Asgard, Hyoga has
arrived, and Freya and Hilda show him the whirlpool. He needs no urging
to leap into it, leaving two worried goddesses in his wake. Pegasus is
battling Seahorse but not having much effect; and Seahorse nearly tears
Seiya apart with his own attack. As usual, Seiya gets up for more.

#102 -- Shimpi Kagayaki! Kiniro no Bronze Cloth
        Bright Mystery! Golden Bronze Cloth
Seahorse Baian and Pegasus Seiya are still locked in combat. Seiya is
getting the worst of it (this is new?). Seahorse next uses his "Rising
Billows" attack on Seiya, and looks rather pleased with himself at the
result. Shiryu has now reached Asgard and is also led to the black
whirlpool. Kiki joins him as the Dragon Saint leaps in. Seiya finds
himself hit so hard he reaches the surface of the ocean and must swim
back down to reach Atlantis -- but his Bronze Cloth is now glowing
golden! Pegasus returns to face Baian with a thundering entrance. Shun
has reached his first pillar, and finds himself facing what appears to
be a young woman. It is an illusion cast by Marine Shogun Scylla Io. (Io
introduces himself as "Marine General" rather than "Marine Shogun".)
Scylla attacks Shun viciously; Shun's "Rolling Defense" successfully
protects him. Elsewhere, Baian is damaged but still fighting. As he
powers up to battle, Seiya's Cloth glows golden again -- and the Pegasus
Saint realizes that when the Gold Saints bled over the Bronze Cloths,
they also infused it with some of their own abilities and power. When
the Bronze Boys properly use Seventh Sense, their armor will turn golden
in color, then return to normal when they stop using Seventh Sense.
Hyoga feels Seiya's cosmo and realizes the other Saint is using Seventh
Sense. As Seiya strikes, Baian sees an image of Leo Aioria behind the
Pegasus Saint (it is Leo who bled on Seiya's Cloth). Shiryu and Kiki
also feel Seiya, but are too busy arguing with Mermaid to take much
notice. Kiki tells Shiryu he'll hold off Mermaid while Shiryu goes on.
Kiki tells Mermaid he's a student of Mu ("Appendix"?!?!) but after a
short battle Mermaid defeats him, holding Kiki up by his collar as the
young psychokinetic squirms. Baian has just discovered that his Scale
has been damaged heavily by Seiya's last attack, and his own blows
ineffective. Hyoga arrives as Seahorse tries again, and is soundly
defeated as Seiya's Cloth turns gold again. Seiya tells Hyoga -- and
Shiryu, who has just arrived -- that they must destroy each of the Seven
Seas pillars to save Saori's life. Hyoga and Shiryu run off to attack
pillars and Marine Shoguns themselves as Seiya faces the pillar Baian
guarded and powers up in an attempt to destroy it.

#103 -- Ayaushi Shun! Osorubiki Ma Juu Kiba
        Fearful (Frightened) Shun! Dreadful Fang of the Demon Beast
The illusion of the beautiful young girl Scylla is projecting turns into
a horbible monster as Io launches his first attack against the Andromeda
Saint. Spectral wolves and hounds leap at Shun. Shun uses his chains in
the "Rolling Defense" that effectively protects him against this attack.
Seiya is trying to unsuccessfully destroy the Neptune Pillar Baian had
been protecting. The dying Seahorse Marine Shogun tells him it will take
a Gold Saint's power to destroy the pillars. Kiki is still having
problems with Mermaid. He is rescued by the arrival of Ophichus Shaina,
who has brought Roshi's Libra Cloth with her. She gives the Libra Cloth
to Kiki with instructions that Roshi is allowing the Bronze Saints to
use its weapons against the Neptune Pillars. She herself will fight
Mermaid. Seiya is still trying to destroy Baian's pillar when Kiki shows
up. The Pegasus saint uses one of the shields of the Gold Cloth to
decimate the Neptune Pillar. Shaina and Mermaid, still battling, are
witnesseed by Hyoga and Shiryu. All four pause -- Mermaid in shock - as
Baian's Neptune Pillar crumbles with a distant roar. Shaina tells the
two to go on as she keeps Mermaid occupied. Shun still faces Scylla,
remembering the legend of the half-human monster created by the
sorceress Circe. Andromeda is still using a defensive strategy, but
Scylla's next attack, the "Eagle Claw (or Crush)", penetrates the
"Rolling Defense". (Each of Io's attacks is named after its psychic
appearance, which in turn is based on one of the many animal totems that
are part of the Scylla Scale.) Seiya arrives where Shaina is fighting
Mermaid and thanks her for her help; she tells him to go on as well. The
battle with Mermaid is hers, and the duty of the Bronze Boys is to
defeat the other Marine Shoguns and destroy their pillars. Scylla next
uses his wolf-form to attack Shun, then it's snakes, and then bats. But
Shun does not give up. Scylla's bear-attack takes out Shun for a few
minutes, but the Andromeda Saint struggles once more to his feet to
continue the battle. Shun uses a "Spider Net" defense to stop Scylla's
bee-oriented attack, and then Shun begins his own attack -- and
penetrates the Marine Shogun's defenses!

#104 -- Mayuu Shi Subeshi! Fumetsu no Golden Chain
        (Means of the) Demon Beast's Death! Indestructible Golden Chains
Shun systematically destroys each of the pieces of the Scylla Scale that
allows Io to use each of its various attack modes. At the Main
Breadwinner, Poseidon "talks" with Athena, and remembers that after
Saori Kiddo turned down Julian Solo's marriage proposal, he went walking
along the sea-side cliffs, where he found Poseidon's golden trident.
Mermaid was there, too, and told the confused young man that he was
actually the sea god. She took him to Atlantis, where Poseidon's spirit
completely possessed him, overwhelming Solo's weaker personality.
Poseidon tells Athena that he will be triumphant -- the human mortals
will either bow to him, or die under the waters of his oceans. Athena
tells him her Saints will prevail. (Touching faith she has in five
Bronze Saints...) Shun is still wiping out each of Io's attack modes
piece by piece. Finally he completely wraps up Scylla in one of his
chains, and then tries to destroy the Neptune Pillar with the other.
Like Seiya, he discovers that he can't dent the Pillar. Scylla breaks
free and attacks. Shiryu arrives at his own first pillar, this one
defended by Marine Shogun Chrysaeor Khristna. Shiryu comes under strong
attack from his newest foe rapidly. Seiya is heading for his second
pillar when he thinks he hears Aquila Marin's voice, and then sees her
running up the stairs ahead of him. Shun rises to face Scylla's final
and most powerful attack, one not based on his Scale -- that of the "Big
Tornado". Shun uses Seventh Sense to relefect the attack, and the
Andromeda Cloth turns gold-colored. This time Scylla Io cannot break the
Nebula Chains.

#105 -- Excalibur! Uwanni Yadoro Shura no Kon
        Excalibur! In the Right Arm Dwells Shura's Soul
Shun prepares to use full cosmo against the pillar, even though he knows
the effort may kill him. Kiki shows up with the Libra Cloth. Shun uses
its nun-chucka to strike at the pillar. Io throws himself in front of
the pillar, but the nun-chucka simply crushes him between itself and the
Neptune Pillar. Saori feel Shun's triumph and telepathically
congratulates him as the pillar crumbles. Shun, horrified (he'd done his
best to defeat the Marine Shogun without killing him) bends over the
dying Io and asks why he threw himself into the path of Shun's blow. Io
asks him if he really thought that Poseidon's Marine Shoguns would be
less willing to sacrifice themselves for their patron god than Athena's
Saints are? Shiryu is still fighting Chrysaeor and not getting very far.
Chrysaeor's "Golden Lance" is doing quite a bit of damage, and the
Marine Shogun proves to be just as fast as the Dragon Saint. Shiryu
discovers the hard way that the Golden Lance can penetrate the Dragon
Cloth's shield, as it goes through not just the mystic metal but also
through Shiryu's side! (Yes, Shiryu is going to prove once more just how
much blood he can shed...) Shiryu tries to break the lance with his
hand, but is not successful. The spirit of Capricorn Shura appears to
him and gives both advice and encouragement. Khristna spears Dragon's
shield once more, but Shiryu is beginning to use Seventh Sense. His
shield turns gold, and entraps the lance. Shiryu then tries to use the
Excalibur Blow against the Golden Lance, but due to not being able to
fully control Seventh Sense yet fails to hurt the lance. Khristna pulls
the lance free and spears Shiryu's leg with its point. Shiryu doffs his
armor, and the two go at it again. Shiryu grabs the lance and pinions it
between arm and body. This time the Excalibur Blow is successful -- the
lance breaks in half. Further, the Chrysaeor Scale is damaged as well,
falling away from Khristna's body. Khristna throws away the headless
shaft of his weapon and assumes lotus position. He glows and floats
mid-air as he prepares another attack against the Dragon Saint.

#106 -- Yume Nashi Kin! Kiikai Wa Shi no Nioi
        Cruel Dream! Death's Scent Returns
Khristna's next attack is more psychic than physical, as well as
manifesting with various Hindu symbology. He tells Shiryu that the lance
was only a conduit for his power -- he has lots of energy to wield even
without using the lance as a focus. Shiryu does his best to fight back
but is clearly not sure how to deal with this non-physical method of
attack. Khristna lectures him (something about how one's ki must become
as tranquil as a calm sea even during full combat -- I think he's
telling Dragon that the Bronze Saint is still too emotional during
combat to properly use his fighting skills) as he deals out his blows
and deflects Shiryu's own attacks. The stress is beginning to tell --
Shiryu is starting to lose his eyesight, and Khristna's image begins to
blur. Shiryu decides to use his cosmo to see, using the "inner sight" he
learned with such difficulty to use after his earlier encounter with
Perseus Algol (first season). Using this inner sight he "sees"
Khristna's weak point. Shiryu must once more use Seventh Sense and the
Excalibur Blow to take advantage of this weakness. The blow kills
Khristna, and Shiryu himself is seriously weakened as both fall to the
ground. Hyoga is heading for a Neptune Pillar, only to encounter
Aquarius Camus. They fight, and Hyoga -- unable to bring himself to
strike with full strength -- weakens and falls. Camus lifts him into his
arms...but there is an evil grin on the Gold Saint's face. Kiki finds
Shiryu. "Your eyes!" he exclaims. Shiryu tells him that's not
important...Seiya arrives at the next Neptune Pillar, and sees Marin.
After a brief argument she takes off her mask and tells him she is his
older sister, Seika. He goes to hug the Aquila Saint. We see their
combined shadow turn into something monsterous... Shiryu takes one of
the Libra Cloth's swords and goes after "his" pillar. As it collapses,
so does he. Shun finds the unconscious forms of both Hyoga and Seiya,
and his chains warn him of danger. He turns to see Phoenix Ikki behind
him. Warned by the Nebula Chains, Shun blocks Ikki's deadly blow!

#107 -- Kokoro no Kariuto! Lymnades Mujono
        Hunter's Heart! Cruel Lymnades
Shun strikes back at Ikki, and Ikki's form blurs, revealing himself to
be a Marine Shogun who introduces himself as Lymnades Kaysa. Kaysa
admits to appearing to Hyoga as Camus and using Hyoga's confusion to
strike down the Cygnus Saint. Similarly, he appeared as Marin to lull
Seiya's suspicions and allow him to safely attack the Pegasus Saint.
Unfortunately, Shun's chains have given him away this time. Shun attacks
and has Lymnades on the ropes (sorry...) but as Kaysa takes Ikki's form
again, the Andromeda Saint discovers he cannot deliver the killing blow
even though he knows it's not really his brother. Lymnades takes
advantage of Shun's reaction to viciously attack the Bronze Saint.
Elsewhere, Shiryu instructs Kiki to continue onward with the Libra
Cloth. He will follow as soon as he recovers his strength enough to do
so. Lymnades is abusing Shun drastically, but the arrival of the real
Ikki prevents Kaysa from killing the Andromeda Saint. Ikki hits Kaysa
with a Genma Ken, and momentarily Kaysa thinks he's facing his own
duplicate. A shaken Kaysa recovers to face a very angry Phoenix Saint,
and Ikki attacks the Marine Shogun with several blows, easily blocking
Lymnade's own attack. (Denied the surprise of his illusions, Kaysa seems
to be a rather poor fighter.) Lymnades tries to become Shun, but Ikki is
not fooled by the illusion -- only made even more angry! Lymnades falls,
and pulls from Ikki's mind the memories of Esmeralda. We see Ikki
embracing Esmeralda's image, as she knifes him -- but that fades, and we
realize that it was Kaysa's fading dream as he dies, not an actual,
successful attack. Kiki shows up with the Libra Cloth and Ikki first
starts the healing process in Hyoga and Seiya by "donating" some of his
cosmo energy to them. Then he takes one of the Cloth's golden trident
spears and splits apart the Neptune Pillar Lymnades was protecting. Ikki
begins to leave for the next pillar.

#108 -- Issac! Koa no Omotsu Toko
        Issac! The Man With the Heart of Ice
Hyoga wakes up just as Ikki takes off, but the Phoenix Saint does not
reply to Hyoga's words as he heads up the next set of stairs. Hyoga
risees to his feet, thinking that everyone but him has now defeated a
Marine Shogun and taken out a pillar. Slowly, he heads up toward yet
another pillar. There he finds himself facing another person out of his
past. He recognizes the Marine Shogun, Kraken, protecting this pillar as
Isaac -- an old friend who trained under the Crystal Saint with him. But
the Kraken Marine Shogun has only one eye now. Isaac attacks quickly,,
and puts out one of Hyoga's eyes while the Cygnus Saint is still lost in
his memories. When Hyoga asks why in shock, it turns out that Isaac
blames Hyoga for the loss of his own eye. It seems that one of the times
Hyoga dove under the inland sea to "visit" his dead mother's body, he
got trapped in the sunken ship's rigging. Isaac dove down to rescue him,
and got hit in the face by a chunk of ice, destroying his eye. He'd
managed to throw Hyoga free of the water before being carried away by
the current -- and, unknown to Hyoga, the unconscious Isaac was saved by
a sea monster (in the manga it looked something like a huge manta ray)
and brought to Atlantis. Then Isaac continues his attack.

#109 -- Ganbare Kiki! Kahashki Shitou
        Hang In There Kiki! Sorrowful Life and Death Struggle
Shun wakes up and heads for the seventh pillar. Isaac and Hyoga continue
their battle, with Hyoga pulling his punches as he doesn't really want
to hurt his former friend. Instead he tries to talk Isaac out of his
current service to Poseidon...mostly unsuccessfully. Kiki arrives as
Hyoga falls, unconscious. Isaac tries to force Kiki to hand the Gold
Cloth over to him, and Kiki fights back. Isaac is abusing Kiki when
Hyoga wakes up and intervenes. He accuses Isaac of behaviour unbecoming
a warrior of one of the gods. This time Hyoga does not pull his punches,
and Isaac for a minute sees the forms of both the Crystal Saint and Gold
Saint Aquarius Camus behind the Cygnus Saint at Hyoga manifests Seventh
Sense and uses an "Aurora Execution" against the Kraken Marine Shogun.
Isaac falls to this attack, and Hyoga uses one of the Libra Cloth's
weapons to destroy this fifth pillar. He then goes back to Isaac, who
warns Hyoga that Marine Shogun Sea Dragon is far more powerful than they
realize, and has much influence with Poseidon. Then Isaac, repentful,
dies in Hyoga's arms. Meanwhile, Ikki has arrived to face Sea Dragon at
the sixth Neptune Pillar.

#110 -- Kiku! Utsukushiiki Athena no Utagoe
        Listen! Athena's Beautiful Singing!
Ikki and Sea Dragon face each other on the steps leading up to Sea
Dragon's pillar. Ikki senses something familiar in the 'feel' of Sea
Dragon's cosmo. Sea Dragon uses a "Galaxian Explosion" attack against
Ikki. Phoenix struggles back to his feet as the Marine Shogun takes off
his helmet -- and Ikki thinks it's Gold Saint Gemini Saga in that Marine
Shogun Scale. Sea Dragon tells him that he is Saga's younger, identical
twin brother. Then he uses his "Golden Triangle" attack (somewhat
similar to Saga's "Another Dimension" attack) against the Phoenix Saint,
and Ikki disappears from view. Shaina is still fighting Mermaid and has
had enough. She uses a full-power attack against Testis and knocks her
out. The Ophichus Saint heads for Poseidon's Palace to confront the sea
god. Poseidon easily defeats her, but Seiya hears her cosmo's call for
help and heads for the palace. Shiryu is waking up and also heads for
the Palace and the Main Breadwinner. Sea Dragon's gloating is
interrupted by flute music -- it is Siren Sorento. The two talk for a
minute. Sorento reeminds Sea Dragon that the other five Marine Shoguns
are all dead, so he should not be so pleased with himself. (There's also
something I couldn't quite make out here -- something about perhaps they
are doing so poorly because Athena's cause is just, and Poseidon's is
not. The suggestion is that while Sorento will continue to follow
orders, he's having second thoughts about what Poseidon is planning.)
They feel the cosmos of Seiya and Shiryu surge as they get closer to the
Main Breadwinner, as they respond to Athena's own cosmo. Sea Dragon
orders Sorento back to his own pillar. Siren arrives just in time to
confront Andromeda Shun, who has arrived on the plaza below the seventh
pillar. Shun is shocked, as he thought Siegfried had taken Siren out (in
the second series). Sorento tells him that he tricked Siegfried into
releasing his hold, and thus escaped to return to Atlantis and continue
to serve Poseidon. Shun attacks, and Sorento reflects his chains back at
him. Then Siren Sorento begins to play his flute...

#111 -- Tomoyo! Shimu Toki Ha Itsushiyo Da
        Friends! Until Death
Athena's cosmo is starting to grow as her warriors get closer. Sorento
can feel it and stops playing his flute, and Canon also reacts to
Athena's power. Her cosmo weakens somewhat as Seiya enters the palace
and sees the unconscious Shaina. Behind the sea god the Main Breadwinner
is visible. Poseidon blocks the Bronze Saint's path to the final, key
pillar in which Athena is imprisoned. Seiya strikes to no effect;
Poseidon simply reflects his blow back at him. "I am a god," ("Watashi
wa kami desu") Poseidon tells him. "Did you really think it would be
that easy to defeat me?" Seiya keeps coming back for more, his Pegasus
Cloth disintegrating under the effects of Poseidon's power. The sea god
send a more powerful attack at the Pegasus saint -- which is blocked by
Shiryu's Dragon shield. Seiya faints as Poseidon now faces Shiryu. Hyoga
is also enroute, feeling the power of Athena's call. Even in Sanctuary
the Gold Saints feel her cosmo, but know they cannot respond. Not only
would it violate their new oaths to Athena, but they could not arrive in
time to be effective. It is up to Athena's chosen, the five Bronze
Saints, to save their patron goddess. Dragon attacks Poseidon with the
same luck Seiya had. Hyoga shows up, and Dragon ends up protecting him
from Poseidon's next attack with the Dragon shield -- which is
disintegrating under the stress. Both Shiryu and Hyoga fall as a result
of Poseidon's full attack. Seiya wakes up and approaches Poseidon. In
Sanctuary, the Gold Saints see the Sagittarius Cloth take off, and know
where it is going. Mu gives thanks to Aioros' spirit (Aioros was the
previous wearer of the Sagettarius Cloth, killed while saving the infant
Athena's life some 14 or 15 years previous), which is animating the
Cloth. Canon sees its arrival in Atlantis and is alarmed. Seiya finds
himself encased in the protective embrace of the Sagittarius Cloth, and
realizes that one reason Athena's Cosmo has grown so powerful is that
she was calling it to him. Elsewhere, Shun is still battling Sorento,
who is becoming more and more doubtful about what he's doing. Siren uses
his flute like a policeman weilding a riot baton, damaging but not
killing his opponent. Then Sorento prepares to play again, and Andromeda
utilyzes his "Rolling Defense". The Nebula Chains prove no protection
against the sound of the "Death End Symphony", which destroy the chains
and put Shun in agony. Shun struggles to his feet and usees the Nebula
Stream against Solento, its winds interferring with Sorento's ability to
play. He asks the Marine Shogun to quit fighting, pleading Athena's
cause. Sorento pauses but then says he's going to play the "Death End
Climax". Shun responds with a "Nebula Storm" attack and Sorento, who has
raised the flute to his lips but been unable to bring himself to play,
is blown skyward by the Andromeda Saint's attack. (Thus Shun makes up
for his wimpiness against Lymnades!)

#112 -- Futatsu no Tamashi! Poseidon Yakatsu Nazo
        Two Spirits! Riddle of Poseidon's Rebirth 
Siren lands, hard, his flute striking the pavement some distance from
him. Kiki shows up with the Libra Cloth, and Shun choses a weapon. Seiya
now faces Poseidon alone, as Hyoga, Shiryu, and Shaina are unconscious
behind him. Both are momentarily distracted as a sixth pillar -- that
guarded by Siren Sorento --falls. Then Poseidon blows Seiya away by
reflecting the young gold saint's attack back at him. Ikki returns to
battle Marine Shogun Sea Dragon once more, which surprises Canon. No one
has ever returned after being hit with a "Golden Triangle" attack
before! (There are some hints that Athena had something to do with
bringing Ikki back from wherever Canon sent him...another reason for the
increasing strength of her cosmo!) Ikki hits Sea Dragon with a "Genma
Ken" that forces Canon to remember the argument he had with older
brother Saga years ago. (It is just before Ares has completely possessed
Saga.) Their older brother is now Master of Sanctuary. Canon has always
been something of a bad apple, and so far has not manifested cosmo. (I'm
not sure, but I think it takes twins or brothers to fully manifest as
Gemini Saint. Their older brother gave up that Gold Cloth, which he
shared with Saga. Canon cannot take on Cloth until he manifests cosmo.
Further, there is some speculation that if a single person wears the
Gemini Cloth, the strain will tend to drive him insane -- perhaps the
fact he was being Gemini alone made Saga more vulnerable to Ares'
control?) Canon is suggesting several changes in Sanctuary which horrify
Saga. Further, he says that they should kill the infant Athena --and of
course their older brother, who is too much of a "goody two shoes" to
agree with their plans. The other Gold Saints are young enough that they
can be easily lead. When Saga reacts badly to Canon's suggestions, Canon
tells him that because they are identical he is aware of things about
Saga no one else is --including the fact that deep inside, Saga is even
more evil than Canon is! (At this point we see Saga's eyes flare red.)
Saga thinks Canon is making up stories to hurt him, and ends up locking
his younger brother in a below-high tide cave in the hopes Canon will be
forced to manifest Cosmo (and hopefully accept his responsibilities at
that point, too. Knowing that by this time Ares was also manifesting in
Saga, one wonders if that other half of the Gemini Saint also had
something to do with the idea -- obviously, Ares would be worried about
being discovered too soon, and Canon was hitting fairly close to the
mark on his accusations!) Canon believes he was saved by Poseidon -- and
thus not only released the spirit of the sea god but also turned his
patron god (who was supposed to be allied with her) against Athena. Then
Canon thinks he is once more facing Saga here in Atlantis -- and as the
illusion fades Ikki tells him it has revealed the truth of what
happened, if Canon is willing to face it. They square away for another
battle, Canon refusing that he saw anything not there before. At
Poseidon's palace, Seiya is doing poorly against the sea god. He draws
his bow and puts arrow to string...

#113 -- Poseidon Oute! Oukon no Itsushi
        Poseidon's Blast! Golden Arrow
As Seiya tries to shoot Poseidon with a golden arrow, the sea god turns
it around and sends it back toward Sagittarius. The first one hits
Seiya; he pulls it out and tries again -- and is yet again unsuccessful.
This time Shaina throws herself in front of him and takes the shaft.
Seiya tries a third time, and Shiryu intercepts it this time as Poseidon
sends this one back toward its origin as well. Shun arrives, joining
Hyoga as both also put themselves between Seiya and the sea god. Using
the cosmo of all five saints present, Seiya's arrow strikes Poseidon,
knocking his headpiece off. Poseidon seems paralyzed, as Julian Solo
tries to regain control, and the Saints race past him toward the Main
Breadwinner. Poseidon regains control and blasts them from behind with
his trident. The power surge shocks Ikki and Canon out of their
stand-off. Sorento and Kiki arrive at Canon's pillar. While Ikki uses
one of the weapons of the Libra Cloth to destroy the pillar, Sorento
keeps Canon at bay, as the Siren Marine Shogun tells Canon that it is
the wrong time for Poseidon to be manifest. Back at the Main
Breadwinner, Poseidon strikes the Saints again. Hyoga blocks the blow.
Poseidon attacks again -- and this time the Aquarius Cloth protects
them, and then encases Hyoga, who can feel the cosmo/spirit of the late
Aquarius Saint Camus animating the Cloth. He tells Seiya to free Athena
while he keeps Poseidon occupied (Seiya of course ignores this order --
will the boy ever learn?). Hyoga then unsuccessfully uses the Aurora
Execution (Gold level attack) against Poseidon. The sea god's next blow
is blocked by one of the shields of the Libra Cloth -- held by Shiryu as
he assumes that Gold Cloth. Now three new Gold Saints face the angry
Poseidon! (Also, somewhere in here Hyoga's left eye has miraculously
reappeared, and Shiryu has regained his physical vision...Continuity
problems -- !!!)

#114 -- Kagayaki Yojo no Hoshiyo! Eien no Shonen Densetsu
        Friendship's Radiant Star! Legend of Immortal Youth
All three strike at Poseidon together and knock him down. Next goal --
destroy the Main Breadwinner...where Athena is imprisoned. Canon is
beating the crap out of Ikki, but Sorento once more interferes,
preventing the senior Marine Shogun from killing the Phoenix Saint. Both
he and Ikki point out that Poseidon could not have saved Canon thirteen
years ago, as the sea god's spirit was still imprisoned at that time. It
was Athena and the manifestation of his own cosmo which saved Canon's
life. Canon refuses to listen. As Ikki heads for the Main Breadwinner,
Sorento tells Sea Dragon he is being an ass. The weapons of the Libra
Cloth have proven ineffectual against the Main Breadwinner, and Seiya
suggests they once more combine powers. Poseidon strikes at them before
they can do so, then Ikki grabs the sea god and tells the three gold
saints he'll try to keep him away from them -- but hurry, as he can't
hold a god for long! They are successful, and the ocean begins to pour
into Atlantis as the pillar falls. Seiya emerges from the ruins of the
pillar, Athena in his arms. Saori/Athena lectures Poseidon on his
behaviour unbecoming a god; and tells him it's time he returned to his
jar. Poseidon fights back unsuccessfully, and his spirit is drawn out of
Julian Solo and back into the jar as the cosmos of the saints reinforce
that of their patron goddess. Canon feels Poseidon's defeat and welcomes
the sea rolling over him. Marine Shogun Mermaid arrives to protect the
unconscious Julian Solo as Athena's cosmo shields both herself and her
saints from the cold Artic waters. Around the world the flooding waters
receed, and all rejoice in their victory. (This is the only time we've
ever seen Shaina in civies...) Julian Solo's unconscious form lays on a
beach, and in the distance a mermaid leaps out of the water before
disappearing under the waves. Athena and her saints have been once more
successful in saving the world from danger.


=======================================================
== Chapter 5: Comments on Second and Third TV Series ==
=======================================================

The second TV storyline is flawed in that while the art and animation
are consistently much better than that of much of the first storyline,
the plot is rather thin and rushed. We are given almost no additional
character bits on the main characters. There are one or two -- Hyoga
accepting Ikki's help in episode #95 is one example -- but not enough to
satisfy me. Further, we segue almost directly to Asgard, with no chance
to get to see what's been happening in Sanctuary. I would have liked to
have had even some "throw away" scenes or flashbacks of what's going on
there, perhaps see the Golds and the rest of the Saints officially
pledge themselves to Athena, or so on. They give us just enough on the
God Warriors that we get to know them as people -- and then they all get
killed off. It would have been better if at least a few of the God
Warriors had survived their battles. As is, the second TV storyline is
perhaps better-written technically than the first season -- it's true
drama rather than the melodrama of the taking of Sanctuary, in which too
many of the villains were cardboard men for the Bronze Boys to knock
down. But it's also a tragedy from one end to the other. This was not
the sort of tone we were used to from first series, which tended to not
take itself too seriously and had quite a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor.
It was rather a shock to hit the much grimmer scenario the boys faced in
their battle in Asgard. Plus, the constant battles one after another
begin to wear after a while.

I've also got to admit that while I prefer the boys' new Cloth overall
(despite the fact they no longer have what I'd consider adequate groin
protection, and the folks who say that Shiryu's new headpiece make him
look like he has a spider on his head...) and the newer art style, the
characters are all drawn much too thin for my tastes. I prefer
characters -- especially those who are supposed to be fighters -- to
have a little more meat on their bones. Heck, I liked Shiryu's broad
shoulders in the first TV season, and Ikki's almost line-backer build.
In the second two TV seasons (and the third and fourth movies) the main
characters are drawn so thin that one wonders if they're suffering from
anorexia...

The third TV storyline, on the other hand, lacked characterization for
anyone, Bronze Boys or Marine Shoguns. The only Marine Shoguns whose
pasts we got a glimpse of were Isaac and Canon, whose life histories
were important to the overall storyline -- Isaac due to his relationship
with Hyoga, and Canon because of both his being Saga's brother, and the
fact it is he who released Poseidon's spirit from the container it was
bottled up in. The Poseidon storyline comes across as entirely too
rushed, as if the studio had decided they didn't really care any more
and wanted to get the series over with as quickly as possible. Not only
did they not add any "padding" to the original manga storyline in the
way of charcter-building scenes -- like they did in the first storyline
--they actually cut out sections from the manga! In the manga it is
Canon who sacrifices himself to save Athena from Poseidon's trident in
the final minutes of the battle. In the TV series, Canon is still
wandering around in a devil-may-care daze as the tidal waves rush in,
while Seiya -- in the Sagittarius cloth -- takes the trident instead. It
made more sense, and added more pathos to the story when Canon was the
one who stopped Poseidon's last attack for long enough that Athena could
defeat him and release Julian Solo from the sea god's power. I was
extremely disappointed in the third storyline. Further, the artwork and
animation fell off somewhat during the Poseidon story as well. Several
bits of lost continuity (witness the fact that Shiryu and Hyoga can see
out of both eyes perfectly suddenly in the final minutes of the Poseidon
story, something not supported anywhere else in the storyline...in fact,
in the manga Shiryu has shown up in Sanctuary using "inner sight"
because his physical eyes are still blind) can be quite galling even to
those who don't tend to "pick nits" as closely as this reviewer does.

Shaina comes across as strong both physically and emotionally in both
storylines. If any of the female Saints make Gold, it ought to be the
Ophichus Saint! I wish I could say the same about Marin, but while
Aquila certainly has mental backbone, she sure doesn't seem to have the
fighting ability to support it. Which is a shame...she seems to do her
best fighting when in the "womanly role" (please excuse the term and
bear with me) of protecting someone she loves, like Seiya. Kiki is a
very welcome supporting character in the Poseidon storyline. He injects
at least a note of humor, and his attitude and actions are very much in
line with what a child his age, with his training and special psychic
powers, would do and be capable of. Not only is Kiki a "bearable" anime
brat, I find myself becoming quite fond of Mu's protoge. One has the
feeling he may eventually become the new Pegasus or Dragon once Seiya
and Shiryu have permanently "moved up" into Gold Cloth.

Frankly, I found both the second and third TV "series" to be extremely
frustrating. The material was all there for some really good story
telling and character-building, and occasionally Toei did do something
good with the material at hand. But for the most part both the
characters and the audiance get very short shrift. I know Toei can do
much better than this! If I had to make a comment in one word:
ARGHHHH!!!!!

Now, on to the third and fourth SEIYA movies...


==========================================
== Chapter 6: Saint Seiya Third Movie   ==
==            "Legend of Crimson Youth" ==
==========================================

Author's Note
=============

I've done all the translations and transliterations for this review
myself, so any errors are all my own...(My thanks to Mary Kennard who
wrote a short synopsis of the movie in an issue of Anime Janai, an
animation-oriented APA. I used quite a bit of her material in developing
this synopsis.)

Abel and his Warriors
=====================

Abel
Athena's half-brother, he is another of Zeus' children. He is both older
and more powerful than Athena is.

Atlas
He wears the Cloth of Carina, and is the most senior -- and strongest --
of Abel's three warriors. He is tall and has short blond hair. His
favorite blow is the "Carina Rolling Crush".

Jaoh
He wears the Lynx Cloth, and his blow is the "Shining Claw". He has
short, red hair.

Belnike
He is the Coma Bernices Saint. He is shorter than Atlas, and his blond
hair is cut in a somewhat punk style -- short on tope, long at the sides
and back.

Saga
The late Gold Saint Gemini, Saga is now minus the Ares side of his
personality. His special blow is the "Galaxian Explosion". Long blue
hair that meets in a "widow's peak" on his forehead.

Shura
The late Gold Saint Capricorn, Shura's favorite strike is the "Excalibur
Blow". He has short, dark blue hair - when he's not wearing the horned
helmet that is part of his Cloth.

Camus
(pronounced "Kam-yuu")
The late Gold Saint Aquarius, his most powerful blow is the "Aurora
Execution". He has very curly, long blue hair.

Deathmask
The late Gold Saint Cancer, he willingly served Athena's arch enemy Ares
in the first Seiya TV series. He has short, dark blue hair and a
"prickly" face-plate for his Cloth.

Aphrodite
The late Gold Saint Pisces, he -- yes, it's a he -- is not the
reincarnation of the Greek goddess Aphrodite! He uses poisoned roses as
his weapons, of which white roses are the most deadly -- they actually
absorb the blood and life energy of an opponent until the rose turns red
-- and that enemy dies as a result.

Third Movie Synopsis
====================

Saori/Athena is enjoying a spring day when a handsome, blue-haired man
appears. It is her older half-brother Abel (who says he's one of the
Titans, but if he's a son of Zeus technically he can't be a Titan!)
Athena welcomes him happily and they have a joyful reunion. The two are
having tea on the veranda of Saori's mansion as Abel's three Saints
stand by -- Carina Saint Atlas, Lynx Saint Belnike, and Coma Bernices
Saint Jaoh. Abel reminds Saori that in the times of Greek Mythology,
Zeus has sent a great flood to wipe out the evil of humanity, but
allowed a few people to survive. The survivors have repaid Zeus'
generosity by steeping the Earth once more in evil and vice. Zeus' son
believes that it is his duty to release the floods once more to cleanse
the Earth. This time, no humans at all will survive the scouring waters.

Before he sends the floods, Abel intends to take Saori to his personal
shrine, being somewhat infatuated with his half-sister. Before they can
leave, the Bronze Saints arrive. Atlas tells them that Athena has no
need of them. Abel has used his power to bring back to life the five
Gold Saints who were killed in the first TV series. They will be
Athena's new bodyguard. In a totally unexpected development, Saori also
repulses her Bronze Saints, telling them that she wants to leave with
Abel. Attempting to defend Saori despite her order to the contrary,
Seiya is soundly defeated (and humiliated) by Atlas as Saori watches.
Saori leaves with Abel for the Sun Shrine. In despair, the Bronze Saints
scatter to their homes around the world to try and deal with Athena's
dessertion of them, after a heated, tearful conference in Seiya's rooms
at dockside. At Abel's Sunshrine, Saori shows that she had no intention
of going along with Abel, but has used his infatuation to persuade him
to tell her all his plans. She tries to kill Abel, but is herself
fatally wounded. Her cosmo/aura flees her body and travels around the
world to warn her Bronze Saints of the danger Abel represents, and to
bid them farewell. They return to attempt to take Abel's Sunshrine
(Steps again!!!) At this time, Camus and Shura -- who have sworn loyalty
to Athena -- attack Abel's Saints when they learn of Saori's death. The
Gold Saints prove no match for Jaoh and Behike and are shortly once more
in Hades. The other three Gold Saints stand by passively as their
comrades are killed, but a glint in Saga's eyes reveals that he is
making his own plans.

Seiya runs into Atlas and is once more defeated. Shun almost falls off a
cliff -- but this time is saved by Dragon Shiryu rather than big brother
Ikki. Hyoga, Shun, and Shiryu meet and vow to defeat Abel -- or die
trying. Shiryu faces Cancer Deathmask (who willingly served Ares in his
previous life and hates the Dragon Saint with a passion) and tricks the
Gold Saint into sending them once more into Hades, where he sees Saori's
spirit slowly walking toward the Abyss. He soundly defeats the traitor,
and tries to go to Athena --but Cancer's death breaks the spell and
returns him to Earth, where Belnike -- who has been watching
(evidentally the Saints of Abel don't trust the Gold Saints) attacks and
defeats him. (Piano wires again! "Coma Bernices" means "Bernice's Hair",
so I suppose it's appropriate that Belnike use a weapon similar to the
harp strings used by Lyra Orpheus and Benetnasch Mime.) Shun faces
Pisces Aphrodite once more, but this time Ikki must rescue him. Their
happiness at being reunited is short-lived as Atlas arrives to attack
and defeat them. Saga has arrived to find the defeated Seiya, and seems
to be ready to kill him. But Saga reveals his true intentions when he
tells Seiya that if he wants to save Athena before her soul is bound to
Hades, (until her next reincarnation --and if Abel is successful, that
means she'll be lost forever along with the rest of humanity) the Bronze
Boys must defeat Abel before her spirit is lost in the Abyss. Then Seiya
defeats Saga, goaded by the Gold Saint's words. Jaoh intervenes, but
Saga sacrifices himself to take out the Lynx Saint.

Hyoga has reached the Sunshrine, where Abel commands him to build a
coffin of ice for Saori. Hyoga refuses, and fights Belnike. Hyoga does
not do too well, and Belnike taunts him that he can't defeat a Saint of
Abel -- Abel is a stronger god than Athena, so Cygnus has no chance.
Cygnus Hyoga remembers his mother and the crucifix she gave him. He
looks at Belnike and says "_______ this, I was raised Christian!" He
then proceeds to soundly defeat Belnike. Seiya and the others, all in
somewhat battered condition, get to the top of the stairs and face
Atlas. At first they are defeated, but the Bronze Saints summon the full
power of their cosmos, and the Sagittarius armor appears for Seiya. As
Shiryu and Hyoga struggle to their feet to back up Seiya, Roshi's gold
Libra armor also shows up for Shiryu, and Camus' Aquarius armor snaps
into place for Hyoga. The three take on Abel and blow him away. But Abel
is much stronger, and the three Gold Saints fall before his first
attack. Seiya's spirit, empowered by both his own cosmo and those of the
other four Bronze Boys, calls to Athena/Saori -- and rescues her from
the Abyss, bringing her back to life. Abel is shocked as she gets up and
goes to Seiya. Together, Athena's power and an arrow from Seiya's bow
finish Abel, who is then crushed under one of his own bas-relief wall
carvings. Athena's cosmo protects all of her Saints as the masonry
around them crumbles, and she cradles an injured Seiya in her arms as
Shiryu and the other three Saints watch. Roll closing credits -- and
keep an eye on them, as at the very last there's a scene of Seiya and
Saori holding hands!

Comments on the Third Seiya Movie
=================================

I have a few complains about the third movie, things that jarred my
enjoyment a little of this seventy-minute feature. First, Camus and
Shura fell too quickly to the Titans. I suppose the intent was to show
how strong Abel's Titan Saints were, but all it did was make the two
Gold Saints out to be wimps -- which they are not. Further, it would
have been nice to have had them use a little more teamwork and maybe
think things out instead of instantly attacking. I assume that making it
to Gold Saint requires that one learn to control one's temper and think
ahead a little instead of just pure power.

Second, yet again the Cloth of all the Bronze Boys ends up in little
pieces. Can't Toei figure out something else to show how hard they've
been hit? Poor Mu must be really exhausted, and the other Gold Saints
bled almost dry, trying to constantly repair the Bronze Boys' Bronze
armor...

The Titan Saints tend to look a little too alike in dressing and such; I
had occasional problems remembering which one was which --and I'm sure
that other viewers will have the same problem. There just isn't enough
contrast between the three of them, despite the differences in hair
color. They also tend to come across as cardboard villans; they aren't
given enough of a personality to call them "stereotypes". They're
evil-natured cannon fodder and that's about it.

I would have dearly loved to have seen the spirits of Camus and Shura
show up in the scenes of Saori/Athena in Hades, acting as her
escort/bodyguard or something. It certainly would have been appropriate.
Perhaps a joyful tear or two in a spiritly eye as they bid her farewell
as Seiya's spirit saves her and theirs fall into the Abyss or something!

However, most of these complaints are minor overall in what has got to
be the best of the Saint Seiya features to date. With a full seventy
minutes Toei took their time to do quite a bit of small but telling
"character bits" as well as giving the various battles enough time to
allow our boys to really show their stuff. The only battle which is
really too short is the one where Camus and Shura are wiped out by the
Titan Saints. I wish they'd let Saori wear the dress she was in for most
of the feature more often -- it's a Greecian-style, floor length toga
and it sure looks a lot better on her than that damned "wedding cake"
dress she normally wears ever did! The music is nice overall, and the
"march" they play as the boys go up the final stairss and face Atlas is
simply wonderful. It's an interesting touch that neither Shun nor Ikki
get Gold Cloth yet -- both 1) haven't developed the control over Seventh
Sense that the other three have, and 2) both also have certain mental
problems -- Shun his unwillingness to hurt others even when it's
necessary, and Ikki's opposite problem of almost enjoying beating other
people up -- which will prevent them from earning Gold status until they
resolve their various inner conflicts and problems. (Needless to say,
there's also quite a bit of betting as to which Gold Cloth the two
brothers will eventually earn.)

I've had some folks complain about the dicotomy of having Hyoga refer to
his Christian upbringing in this movie while at the same time serving a
Greek goddess. There are three possible explainations that I have been
able to come up with: a) Hyoga thinks of Athena as being a goddess with
a small "g" rather than large "G" - in other words, she's not on a level
comparable to the Christian Jehovah, but only a person with an extremely
powerful Cosmo that gives her insights and powers not accessable to more
ordinary mortals. b) Human beings are well known for being able to
believe in two or more contradictory things at the same time. c) (and
perhaps most likely) The studio thought the reference to "I was brought
up Christian!" in this movie would be a nice touch and never considered
the question of how a "good Christian" could be serving the
reincarnation of a Greek goddess. One must remember than in Japan many
people follow both Buddhism and Shintoism -- and some Christianity as
well, all at the same time -- without finding anything at all strange
about believing in more than one religion at the same time. This
attitude, I suspect, is a key to understanding this scene in the movie
with this particular question in mind. Unless someone gets the chance to
ask one of the people who worked on this movie this question, I doubt
we'll ever know for sure what the actual answer is! The continuity of
the third movie could fit into that of the TV series with very little
effort. It would probably fit in shortly after the end of third series,
as a matter of fact (in the manga, the Bronze Boys are in Bronze Cloth
once more as they go against Hades to start with, not in the Gold Cloth
Seiya, Hyoga and Shiryu wore in the final episodes of the battle against
Poseidon.) But it also stands by itself quite well, without needing to
"fit in" in any particular slot on the "main Seiya timeline", so to
speak.

The artwork, animation, and special effects are also quite good
throughout the film. The artists this time seem to have abandoned their
fondness for the "wrap around eyes" that bothers me so much in some of
the other Seiya movies and episodes. The scenes of Saori/Athena in Hades
are particularly well done. You can certainly tell that a lot of time
and effort went into producing this feature.

All in all, the third movie is by far the best Seiya feature to come
out, and it's also much better than the second and third TV seaasons as
well. If you buy any of the Seiya stuff on pre-record, this is the one I
would recommend!


====================================================
== Chapter 7: Fourth Saint Seiya Movie            ==
==            "Warriors of the Final Holy Battle" ==
====================================================

Author's Note
A truer translation of the title is "Warriors of the Final Saint Battle"
but "Holy" sounds a lot better and smoother when rendered in English. In
regards to Lucifer's warriors, their titles derive from the seven types
of angels in early Christian "mythos": Archangels (Lucifer was an
Archangel before his fall), Angels, Seraphim, Cheribim, Thrones,
Dominations (Powers), and Virtues. Further, these warriors are also
named after angels that fell with Lucifer; those familiar with such
classics as Paradise Lost will recognize most of the names.

Lucifer and his Warriors
========================

Lucifer
This character is based on the fallen angel who rules Hell in the
Christian "mythos" (please excuse the use of this term in connection
with a "living religion"!!). In fact, the "title" kanji associated with
Lucifer is "Mao", which is Japanese for "the Devil" -- it literally
means "Demon King". Lucifer has drawn power from Eris, Abel, and
Poseidon as they passed through his realm after defeat at the hands of
Athena and her Saints. (I know, I know -- Poseidon didn't die at the end
of the third series! More on this in the comment section.) He uses that
extra power to manifest himself and several of his archdemons in the
"real world" where Saori and company live. Lucifer is portrayed as
Milton saw him --He has an unearthly beauty and for most of the movie
possesses angel's wings rather than those of a bat. Long blue-white hair
and black colored headpiece, his robe is a dark grey or black.

Seraphim Beelzebub
His appearance is very wolf-like. Beelzebub has dark blue hair that is
short on top and long in the back. His armor is silver and brown. He is
the most powerful as well as most masculine appearing of the fallen
angels who serve Lucifer. He fights Shiryu, Ikki, and is defeated by
Sagittarius Seiya.

Cheribim Astarte
He has fairly short purple-white hair, and his silver-white armor is
very snake-like in appearance. (His shoulder guards resemble twin
snakes' heads). He fights and is defeated by Shiryu. (Astarte was
originally a Middle-Eastern fertility goddess named Ashtaroth -- and who
had snakes as one of her symbols --before the Jewish and later Christian
scholars turned her into the male demon Astarte.)

Throne Moa
Initial character sketches of this character had many Seiya fans
wondering if one of Lucifer's fallen angels was female, but no such
luck. Moa has long (ankle-length) green hair, and wears pink and yellow
armor. He fights Hyoga. His main weapon is similar to Ikki's genma ken,
where he casts illusions that are accompanied by visions of butterflies
and flowers. While an enemy is mesmerized by his visions, Moa strikes
them without opposition.

Virtue Erigor
Erigor has been nick-named by some as the "crazy" of the fallen angels.
He has blond hair that stands up straight from his head, and his silver
armor includes a face mask that completely hides his features. His
favorite weapons are the razor-sharp nails on his finger-tips. Shun
takes him on, but Ikki must finish the battle.

Fourth Movie Synopsis
=====================

This movie opens up with the opening credits of the Poseidon storyline
TV series...they didn't even substitute Lucifer and his fallen angels
for the sea god and his Marine Shoguns! Not an auspicious beginning for
hopes of a more creative storyline than usual...

A mysterious force enters Sanctuary and wipes out the five Gold Saints
who stand guard in their Houses. Don't blink, or you'll miss this
action! As the force arrives at the top of Sanctuary, it resolves itself
into four separate forms -- those of Lucifer's four fallen angels. As
they kneel, the music swells, a light shines on the plaza and Lucifer
himself materializes. Athena's disembodied voice challenges the fallen
Archangel, and after they exchange somewhat heated words Lucifer
gestures and knocks off the head of the statue. Lucifer's place of power
appears above Sanctuary, steps leading up from Athena's temple to
Lucifer's throne. Massive floods and earthquakes occur throughout the
world (yes, yet again), and Lucifer's evil shadow spreads across the
land, killing all in its path.

Saori and three of the Bronze Boys -- Pegasus Seiya, Andromeda Shun, and
Cygnus Hyoga -- arrive in Sanctuary. There they find much destruction,
and the five surviving Gold Saints near death. Athena cries
broken-heartedly at her damaged statue. Lucifer and his four warriors
then appear. Athena identifies her foe as Lucifer. The two other Bronze
Boys ask Hyoga for information; he fills them in on various legends and
such about the Devil - his fall from grace and "rebirth" as king of
evil. Lucifer tells them that he has drawn power, knowledge, and the
evil spirits of Eris, Able, and Poseidon as each passed through his
realm, adding them to his own power. He now has enough energy to appear
in our world. Athena now stands in his way. He tells her that he plans
to control the world, and that if she does not defeat him in a certain,
short space of time (yes, it's another race against the clock) there
will be nothing she can do to prevent his plans. The Bronze Boys attack
and are rapidly wiped out. Seraphim Beezlebub asks them if they really
thought they had a chance, after the ease with which the fallen angels
took out the Gold Saints? Saori cradles Seiya in her arms as Lucifer
goes to assume his throne above, his warriors following him.

The three are taken to a hospital where Shiryu finds them. Seiya fills
him in. Saori has returned to Sanctuary and, staff in hand, is preparing
to ascend the stairs and take on Lucifer herself. Lucifer thinks the
lone woman fighting against him is funny. She is attacked by evil
spirits as she begins to climb, and Lucifer's voice taunts her about the
hopelessness of her task. The four Bronze Boys are following at some
distance behind (the three injured ones having decided to leave the
hospital - probably against medical advice, of course!). They are
attacked by Seraphim Beelzebub and Cheribim Astarte. Shiryu says he's
strongest (having not been injured in the previous battle) and will hold
them off while the other three go on. They obey his order, going on
while the Dragon Saint fights both fallen angels. He does fairly well,
too! Athena continues to climb, not yet aware that her Saints are behind
her. Seiya, Shun and Hyoga are nearly caught under falling debris, then
Virtue Eligor reveals himself. Shun volunteers to take on this fallen
angel as Seiya and Hyoga continue up the steps. At the next plaza Hyoga
and Seiya see luminescent butterflies -- which turn into Throne Moa.
Hyoga attacks and temporarily freezes this foe, then tells Seiya to
continue on while he fights this new foe. For once, Seiya obeys orders
and goes up the next set of steps! Below them, Dragon Shiryu
successfully defeats Astarte, whose body then disintegrates into dust.
Shiryu is injured in the process, and Beezlebub takes advantage of the
Dragon Saint's weakness to make a full-force attack. Shiryu is knocked
out. Beezlebub calls up an air-borne, glowing "devil horse" to take him
upward to defend his master, believing that Shiryu is either dead or
near death. Shun is doing poorly against Eligor, and Moa is breaking
through Hyoga's ice with remarkable ease. Throne Moa then uses a vision
of Hyoga's mama in his next assault, and the Cygnus Saint is distracted
enough that the fallen angel's attack gets through his defenses. (No, it
seems that Hyoga still hasn't learned to kick free of his "mother
fixation". *Sigh*) As both Bronze Boys are being beaten about, they each
call the other's name (yes, more fodder for the "slash" fans!).
Eventually, Hyoga defeats Moa but collapses himself as Moa's form
dissolves. Shun is losing badly, and it takes big brother Ikki to save
his butt (yes, AGAIN). As Eligor dissolves, Shun whispers "Nii-san", but
Ikki tells him gruffly: "I did it for Athena!" Turning his back on the
Andromeda Saint, Ikki then proceeds to lecture Shun that he's going to
have to learn to really fight -- as his comrades Hyoga and Shiryu have
already demonstrated in this battle -- or Shun should give up being a
Saint. Ignoring Shun's further calls and entreties as he heads upward in
support of Athena, leaving his little brother behind.

Above, Seiya still follows Saori's footsteps, now seeing Lucifer's
grotesque statue (it's somewhat middle-eastern in flavor, almost Hindu
in design -- it reminds me also of some Buddist statues of demons that
I've seen). Seiya is within yelling distance of Athena, but she cannot
afford to wait for him -- and now Seraphim Beelzebub blocks the Bronze
Saint's path. Ikki hears Seiya's screams and hurries. Saori hears him,
shudders, but continues climbing. Thorny vines whip around her, ripping
her dress and flesh, but she still forces her way upward through them.
Lucifer draws even more on the power and evil spirits of the Greek god
trio as he tries to stop Athena's ascent. Determinedly she continues,
just as Seiya continues to fight Beelzebub. Ikki arrives and leaving
Seiya to the fallen angel runs after Saori, intent on helping her
against their main foe. He is trapped by the vines and Lucifer takes out
the Phoenix Saint with a single energy bolt.

Saori decides that there is something she can do to help Seiya. Her
cosmo calls to each of the four other Bronze Saints; and suddenly
Beelzebub is facing five angry warriors rather than just Seiya. Further,
then the Sagittarius Cloth arrives, powered by Athena's call. A bloody
Athena faces Lucifer as the five Bronze Boys join cosmos to power
Seiya's next blow, which soundly defeats Seraphim Beelzebub.

Seiya turns to face Lucifer, only to see that their enemy has managed to
take Athena hostage. Athena tells him that Lucifer's defeat is of prime
importance, even if she must die as well...so hurry up and shoot! All
the cosmos of the twelve Gold Saints -- not just those of the Gold
Saints still living -- join with Seiya in the effort. His arrow flies
true (of course) and Lucifer gets an arrow in the heart (well, where his
heart would be if he has one) as Athena manages to duck out of the way.
Lucifer is returned to Hell, and his new palace of power collapses
around Athena and her Saints as they hurry to escape the destruction.
They arrive back at Athena's temple safe and sound, to see Lucifer's
palace disappear and sunlight and fresh air replace the devil's
sulpherous clouds. They have once more saved the world and mankind from
vast dangers. Shun and Ikki's look at each other is indescribably
saccharin as we see Athena and her Saints one last time as the end
credits roll.

Comments on the Fourth Seiya Movie
==================================

First: Yes, STEPS AGAIN!!!! ARGHHHH!

This movie isn't as good as the third, and is about on par with the
second movie -- in other words, it feels more like an extended episode
than a movie. The action seems rushed, and there is no characterization
to speak of for any of the villians. The artwork seems fair to good at
first glance, and the action can be quite effective. Closer examination
of the artwork, however, discloses some bad flaws. The art appears
hurried, armor is not always fully drawn in, and very frequently there
are no pupils or highlights in the characters' eyes. I'm told this
becomes even more obvious on the big screen by friends who saw it in
movie theaters in Japan; transfer to the small screen has succeeded in
hiding some of these flaws.

Further, the studio really blew continuity in this movie with the claim
by Lucifer that he'd drawn power from Poseidon. This links the movies
(except the second one) in with the TV series, and the movies just don't
fit into the Seiya TV series universe. There's also the fact that in the
Poseidon storyline, the sea god does not die -- his spirit is merely
re-imprisoned in its mystic jar. The studio would have done far better
to have Lucifer drawing power from Dorubaru of the second movie, thus
linking the movies together -- and they do fit together rather well --
rather than trying to convince the audiance that all four movies are
part of the TV series universe.

Plus, as Jean Dewey mentions in one of her notes on the movie elsewhere,
Lucifer may have absorbed power and knowledge and such from Eris, Able,
and Poseidon but sure didn't learn anything from them! He sends his
fallen angels to defeat the Gold Saints but dismisses the danger of the
Bronze Boys. All this, despite the fact that it was these same Bronze
Saints who defeated Eris, Able, and Poseidon -- not the Gold Saints! Can
we spell S-T-U-P-I-D? I knew you could!

There are some good points about this movie as well as the irritating
stuff I mention above. First, for once Athena is doing something instead
of sitting back and doing nothing much but say "My Saints will save me!"
She sure doesn't know that the Bronze Boys are going to be able to get
out of their beds and give her support as she goes up the stairs to face
Lucifer. Saori/Athena is finally starting to show she may have what it
takes to become the newest manifestation of the Greek goddess of wisdom
and war...

The Bronze Boys turning to Hyoga for information on Lucifer, as he was
"raised Christian" and thus supposedly knows more about their newest
enemy than any of the rest of them do, is a very nice touch. Hyoga
pointing out that almost every religion in the world has a Lucifer like
figure somewhere in each panthenon is another excellent bit. What little
characterization there was on the Bronze Boys was well done; Ikki's
lecture to Shun about needing to either learn to fight for real or give
up being a Saint is something a lot of fans have been hoping someone
would say to the Andromeda Saint. Shiryu's sacrifice in taking on two of
the fallen angels at once in order to get the other three safely up the
steps is perfectly in line with his sometimes too noble nature.

Finally, I am really tired of Seiya saving everything at the end of
every movie. (At least the TV series doesn't do this quite so badly. At
the end of first season, it is ultimately Athena who must face Ares/Saga
and defeat her ancient foe; in the Poseidon storyline it is the powers
of all five Saints -- admittedly channeled through Seiya -- who rescue
their patron Goddess. Only the Asgard storyline -- again an invention of
Toei and not based on the manga -- has Seiya being the one to defeat
Hilda.) The movie plotlines rapidly fell into a tired, trite rut --
Athena gets in trouble, her Bronze Saints go to rescue her, they get
trashed, Seiya puts on the Sagettarius Cloth and uses a golden arrow to
defeat the foe and rescue Athena. They don't do enough variation on this
theme to give it freshness. Variations in foes, methods of attack, and
so on are not enough to do the job. If nothing else, it would have been
nice if they'd allowed each of the other Bronze Boys a chance to save
Athena and the world, instead of Seiya and the gold arrows every movie!

I find this movie rather frustrating over all. There are some really,
really good bits here, but they tend to be overwhelmed by the
not-so-good stuff. *Sigh* Toei can do so much better...I wish they'd
take the time and do it right!!!
                                 

=================================
== Chapter 8: Overall Comments ==
=================================

First, I am so sick and tired of the Bronze Boys and their continual
"races against the clock" to save Saori/Athena's life I could scream!
Worse, the current manga storyline (they're now fighting Hades, god of
the dead) also uses the "race against the clock" concept. The first time
it was used -- while they were retaking Sanctuary -- it helped add a
touch of urgency to the story. The second time, in the first Seiya
movie, it was OK. By the second Seiya TV storyline, it was getting old.
The same theme is also apparent in both the third storyline and third
and forth movies, and it is getting B-O-R-I-N-G. It also seems to show a
certain lack of imagination on the part of the creators -- both the
manga artist and the animation studio. C'mon, people, there are other
ways to generate suspense than "beat the clock"!!

As usual, most of the female characters get amazingly short shrift.
*Sigh* I DO get tired of the so-called "Purple Princess" syndrome that
seems to dictate that all "good" female characters (and quite a few of
the not-so-good ones) can't fight worth a darn! Even Mermaid only does
well against the very young Kiki. Shaina is the only really competent
female fighter in the series, and that's mostly because she started out
on the wrong side. (Thank the kami that they didn't make her into a wimp
once she came over to supporting Athena!) Still, this problem is hardly
confined to Saint Seiya; with most animation (American as well as
Japanese) the shows that have capable female characters seem to be the
exception rather than the rule. Unfortunately I'm enough of a "feminist"
to have this fact drive me slowly up the wall!!!

If Toei eventually produces a second Seiya series that follows the Hades
battle currently running in the manga (and which Kuramanda is currently
saying will be the last Seiya storyline -- but I wouldn't be TOO
surprised if he changed his mind), I hope they put more effort into it
than they've displayed in the second two TV storylines. Toei obviously
can do it if they want to -- witness the excellent work they've done in
the first three features and the first half of the first story line!
Let's hope that if a new Saint Seiya series is produced, it will be to
the quality set by the first three Seiya movies and not the Asgard and
Poseidon storylines. Heck, I'd be happy if they at least leveled out the
quality to that of first series...


=============================
== Bibliography of Sources ==
=============================

UNIVERSE GUIDE TO STARS & PLANETS, by Ridpath & Tirion (Universe)
MYTHOLOGY, Edith Hamilton (Little, Brown)
BULLFINCHES MYTHOLOGY, by Bullfinch (Doubleday)
PROSE EDDA, Snorri Sturlusson (U. of Calif. Press)
THE NIBELUNGENLIED, trnsl. by A. T. Hatto (Penguin)
THE FABER BOOK OF NORTHERN LEGENDS, Kevin Crossley, Holland 
    (Faber & Faber)
GERMAN MYTHS AND LEGENDS, Donald MacKenzie (Avenel)
THE NORSE MYTHS, by Keven Crossley-Holland (Pantheon) 


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