It’s incredibly frustrating when you can’t watch a movie or show, regardless of how good or bad it is – everyone should have the right to choose. Toei Animation, known for its many animated films, created thirteen *Dragon Ball Z* movies, and fans know the quality varied. That’s why their decision to essentially shelve one of their most visually stunning and intriguing films is so surprising. It’s even more unusual because the film is part of a major franchise, *Saint Seiya*, also known as *Knights of the Zodiac*.
Released in Japan in February 2004, *Saint Seiya: The Heavens-Overture* arrived while the *Saint Seiya: Hades* anime series was airing. This anime adapted the final, previously untouched, story arc from the original manga. The film was intended as a fresh start for the *Saint Seiya* franchise, marking the first movie in fifteen years and boasting stunning visuals. Unfortunately, Toei Animation has since neglected the film, and the franchise’s potential has stalled, largely continuing only through related spin-off series.
What is Saint Seiya Overture
The original *Saint Seiya* manga and anime were huge hits in the late 1980s, but the animated series stopped before it could cover the entire story. The initial anime adaptation only covered the first eighteen volumes of the manga, finishing with the Poseidon Arc in 1989. The final ten volumes, which featured the Hades Arc – a war between Athena and her Saints against the resurrected Hades and his Spectres – weren’t animated for over a decade. That changed in 2002 when Toei Animation released a new *Saint Seiya* anime, called the *Hades Chapters*, to finally complete the adaptation.
Alongside the release of the *Hades Chapters*, Toei created a new *Saint Seiya* movie in 2004 called *Saint Seiya: The Heavens-Overture*. The film continued the story directly after the manga’s conclusion and was initially presented as officially part of the manga’s storyline. Toei promoted the film as having stunning visuals and a more thoughtful, artistic approach for the future of the series. Despite any shortcomings, *Saint Seiya: The Heavens-Overture* was praised for its impressive art style.
The film creates a sense of dread and unease through its use of darkness and empty space, drawing the viewer into its world. This matches the emotional journey of the character Seiya, who ends the story in a coma and faces an uphill battle to recover, even with everyone discouraging him. The movie features stunning visuals – breathtaking shots with vivid colors and powerful imagery. Visually, *Saint Seiya* has arguably never been better than in *The Heavens-Overture*.
Saint Seiya Overture was a Failure and Made No Sense
I have to admit, *Saint Seiya Overture* is visually stunning. However, the story felt really confusing and, honestly, didn’t make a lot of sense. While the basic plot is the familiar ‘Saints protect Athena’ storyline, the world they’re fighting in is incredibly strange and abstract. This made it hard to follow what was happening, as scenes didn’t always connect smoothly. There was even a whole sequence with all twelve Gold Saints in the underworld that seemed completely unrelated to everything else!
Watching *Saint Seiya Overture*, I found the villains a bit strange. It starts with Artemis and her followers as the main threat, but then Apollo just shows up at the very end as the final boss. This felt really jarring and made the ending feel messy. Also, Seiya carries almost the entire movie; the other Saints only pop up when it’s time for their fights, which felt a little isolating.
The movie is quite dark and sometimes feels unnecessarily harsh. However, this bleakness actually makes Seiya’s eventual victory feel more rewarding. The climax, where Seiya flies up to punch Apollo, is a truly inspiring moment in the series. Sadly, that high point is followed by a strange choice. While the film looks beautiful at times, the animation quality dips noticeably in places. Instead of showing Seiya’s punch actually landing, the movie abruptly cuts to text and narration that only hints at what happened. The film ends with still images of Seiya and Saori, appearing to meet for the very first time. It’s a confusing conclusion that essentially restarts the story without offering a clear direction for the future.
Toei released the *Saint Seiya* movie at a difficult moment for fans. The first part of the *Saint Seiya: Hades* anime had just come out in 2004, and the movie immediately followed the end of the manga storyline. This created a confusing experience for viewers who weren’t familiar with the manga, as the film began with Seiya in a very different state than how he appeared in the anime at that time-he was shown in a wheelchair and comatose. *Saint Seiya Overture* was intended as the first part of a larger story arc, but unfortunately, plans for a full animated *Heaven’s Saga* never came to fruition. As a result, the movie didn’t do well in Japanese theaters, effectively ending any chance of seeing the saga continued on screen.
Despite its flaws, *Saint Seiya Overture* is still worth a watch, primarily for its striking visuals and impressive cinematography. Toei Animation doesn’t seem to be actively supporting the film – it wasn’t included in the recent Discotek Blu-ray release of *Saint Seiya* movies, and it’s currently the hardest film in the series to find on legal streaming platforms. While the story isn’t particularly strong, the film contains moments of powerful imagery that are artistically compelling.
As a huge Saint Seiya fan, I was definitely sad to see *Saint Seiya: Next Dimension* wrap up in July 2024. It was a bit of a strange ending, honestly – Seiya and Saori met, but didn’t recognize each other, and things just… ended there. It feels like we’re right back where we started twenty years ago! I really wish the creators had embraced *Saint Seiya Overture* because I truly believe that’s what we needed to finally get the Heavens Saga we’ve all been waiting for.
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2025-09-21 00:41