Saint Seiya: Meiou Hades Elysion-hen

Story and Characters Even though it's six episodes, the pacing is very even and all the characters are present and united. And during the final battle, there are some cool things that do happen that you have to see to for yourself like with what also happens in the previous oavs. And the ending is also pretty amazing and it's very rare that Shounen uses the ending that it uses, but it is kind of ambiguous, but yet respectfully satisfying. But I feel if you have some familiarity with some of the prior works to Kurumada Masami, specifically Ring ni Kakero, I thought the ending was very fitting to how he does things. The anime demonstrates excellent themes on what it means to be a God and what it truly means to be human thus emphasizing on the value of life. Granted this can be done in just about anything, but I like how it includes the use of Gods of all beings in conveying this, and that even Gods are capable of making errors and falling to the same mistakes of human nature. And overall, most of the Hades oavs have a theme of what defines human nature in relation to sin, and judging people based on them whether man or God. What I also like is how Athena is used in the end. This isn't really a spoiler considering that most of the time, the saints are trying to give her her cloth, meaning her armor. And of course she needs that for combative purposes, and it's nice to see that she has this role for once and has a different kind of use in comparison to how she was mostly used throughout the duration of the franchise. I feel her brief moment really outshines all of that. And I think throughout most of the franchise, her usage was also very faithful to the original mythology of Athena. Thanatos and Hypnos, though their presences iare brief, they did have quite an impact as well by what they had to offer as villains. Even though Thanatos is the weaker and more brash of the twin minions, he does some things that none other villain of Saint Seiya has done which you also have to see to find out. Art and Animation Well, the quality of the animation still retains from the last oav, the explosiveness of the action is still fresh with the new two new villains and their moves are really cool. The designs of the villains are very intimidating with their pale skin tone, dark clothes, and non pupil eyes. The designs of the cloths are well detailed, very shiny, and still appropriately compliments the body frames of the characters and the execution of the action. The design of Hades' armor is excellently detailed with the joints, compliments his figure and gives room for his wild hair, and looks appropriately mobile. Try to combine the rough features of Guts' berserk armor and Griffin's dignified and shininess with his current armor in the Berserk series, but of course black and with some bigger wings, and that's the best way I can describe Hades' get up. And Athena's armor is also excellently animated and brightly colored, and the design accurately reflects the gimmick of the goddess she is inspired by. Another quality that I kept on pointing out is the lighting. In this series, it takes place in a more Heavenly utopia like environment, so the place is filled with flowers and clear skies. The flowers stick out and the lighting in contrast to this just really sticks out to me considering that the villains are the lords of darkness, so I found a very nice ironic twist to that along with what was mostly presented in the previous oavs. So for this nice twist along with another unpredictable twist I appreciated which you also have to see to find out. Music and Voice Acting The new voice cast from the previous oav is also back. And I feel even though this series is shorter, I felt the newer voice actors for Shun, Hyoga and Athena were present enough to have me form my opinion on them. Hyouga's new voice actor is Miura Hiroaki. He actually does a good job of capturing the original performance of Hashimoto Kouichi, though I think his voice is deeper. I think the character lacked any significant dialog or soloquies that really defined the character to really make you evaluate him 100%, but I think he does a good job with what he has to offer. The only voice change that I could ever find justified is of course that of Shiryu since Suzuoki Hirotaka has passed on. His newer voice actor is Sakurai Takahiro, the voice of Cloud from Final Fantasy VII and Suzaku Kururugi from Code Geass. Suzuoki just has this really distinct voice that always brought a unique charisma and authority to his character. Sakurai really tries hard to emulate that performance but it will never compare to how Suzuoki did it. I think the new voice actors are good in their own ways, but they will never compare to the original performances whether they're 16 or 60. As for the music, the background music is still the same from the oavs and TV series so nothing left to comment on that, other than it's still a nice touch in still trying to maintain the overall spirit and identity of the franchise. Megami no Senshi is still the opening theme and I already talked about the awesome qualities that song has in my review of Inferno. But the ending theme, Kami no En, is very impressive. It is one of the few songs that captures the Greek mythology inspiration, as well as the Utopia environment and atmosphere it takes place in, and also does what the Saint Seiya soundtrack does best, talking about the themes of love, hope, and unity. Overall Well, all I can say is you're going to watch one helluva an ending, though it is kind of open ended. But not many authors today are too ballsy in my opinion and the way it ends, it's just awesome. Granted there are some loose ends, but it ends to a point where you know the characters have all developed. I know there is a new installment of Saint Seiya called Next Dimension which is Kurumada's official work. I can't comment much about it yet but I would love to see where Saint Seiya can go from how it ends. I heard Kurumada wanted to make one more story arc, but disputes with publishers and declining sales had to make him end it at this point which is why I think it felt a little open ended, but despite that, it's well concluded since they fought one of the baddest Gods of all time.

The final segment of the Hades Arc is overall mediocre. After having Inferno deviate away from the typical formula of the series, the final segment with the battles against Thanatos/Hypnos and Hades is the typical tale of Seiya getting a miraculous power up and the main cast overcoming their foe with the power of friendship, not to mention said climax being rushed and bland. It also doesn't help that it features other cheap plot contrivances such as Pandora's sudden change of heart or Seika suddenly getting over amnesia. One minor thing that disappointed me as well was the lack of the Athena Exclamation. It's introduction in the first act of the arc seemed like it would be foreshadowing for a later use, plus Thanatos being unaffected by it would really push forward the idea of how strong he was. Instead, we get an anime-exclusive scene of the Gold Saints just using their signature attacks. That's not to say I dislike everything about the arc. The arc does a far better job at presenting the power of a God and the sense of tension as well as race against time are far better than in the Poseidon Arc. It was also good to see Athena be more than a damsel in distress and Seiya's fate at the end provided a pretty solid sense of repercussion to the climax (at least until both Next Dimension and Omega ruin this aspect). As for characters, art/animation and sound, there's not much to say. The latter two remain unchanged from Inferno, whilst the characters don't really offer much personal engagement beyond a few highlights such as the reveal of Seika pushing forth Seiya's character arc or the supporting cast such as Marin and Shaina having their moment to shine. The three main villains of Elysion are overall bland in personality and only memorable in design. As a whole, the Hades Arc started off good, but was ultimately disappointing by not being able to avoid some of the series pitfalls. It was definitely better than the Poseidon Arc due to a genuine sense of loss, establishing the power of a God far better and not sticking quite as heavily to the Sanctuary Arc structure, but was still nowhere near the peak of the series and remains average overall. The highlights and it's ending still allow it to be a better final arc than most Battle Shonen can hope to achieve, though that's really not saying much. Overall ranking for both Elysion and the Hades Arc as a whole - 5/10

In a race against time, the Saints must save Saori and keep Hades from plunging the universe into the Great Eclipse! This addition to story is less climactic than the explosive "Inferno" arc, but the narrative does its job and fills in all of the open plot holes, though it feels like it's dragged out a little bit too long. Pandora's past is finally revealed and her arc ends with the audience getting closure about the purpose of her existence in the series! ⚠️ This review of Saint Seiya: Meiō Hades ～ Elysion will contain spoilers, this segment with be the third part out of the three Hades anime adaptations ⚠️ —Story/Characters This season starts off with a bang, with Hyōga facing off against a villain that rivals the intrigue of Pandora and Hades himself, Minos! And then, Pandora's past, which was teased in previous chapters is finally brought to light, we find out that Pandora has become so wicked because after the reincarnation of Hades appeared in the castle of the underworld, all of her attendants and family were slaughtered upon his arrival. This also explains her half lover, partial mother-type of fixation on Hades! The omen of Hades was originally bred when Pandora opened the seal that contained Thanatos and Hypnos, the gods of Death and Sleep. It's interesting because the two of them play a pivotal role in "The Lost Canvas" series as well. Thanatos then murders Pandora, after she betrays Hades to help Ikki. During the cast's rescue of Athena, Shaina, Jabu, and Marin (and many others) come to help out — seeing those two in the narrative again was a nice throwback to fans of the original series! Seiya ends up defeating Hades, saving Saori, to prevent the world from being purged into the Great Eclipse! It's a nice conclusion to the "Meiō Hades" continuum — though, wrapping the story up in "Inferno" wouldn't have hurt either! Truth be told, "Elysion" might have been slightly better if it had been a six-episode OVA, rather than a full-length, thirteen episode saga! —Technical Luna's Favorite Works by Each Respective Creator = ✅ Tomoharu Katsumata (director of the "Inferno" and "Elysion" arcs), notable works: * Anderson Dōwa: Ningyo-hime ✅ * Captain Future * Cutey Honey ✅ * Dai Yamato Zero-gō * Daikū Maryū Gaiking * Daisōgen to Hakuba ("The Princess and the White Horse") * Devilman (1972) * Entaku no Kishi Monogatari: Moero Arthur * Ginga Nagareboshi Gin * Hashire Melos * Kagayake! Yūjō no V Sign * Magnerobo Ga-Keen * Mazinger Z ✅ * Nagagutsu Sanjūshi * Ningen Kakumei * Saint Seiya: Meiō Hades (series) * Saleryman Kintarō * Uchū Senkan Yamato: Kanketsu-hen ("Space Battleship Yamato: The Final Chapter") * UFO Robo Grendizer * Waga Seishun no Arcadia ("My Youth in Arcadia") * Yamato yo Towa ni ("Be Forever Yamato") * Yukiguni no Ōji-sama * Yume Senshi Wingman Commentary: While Mr. Katsumata's had some shows that haven't particularly resonated with me, like "Waga Seishun no Arcadia" and "Devilman (1972)" — Tomoharu Katsumata's style of directing is well-suited to a Saint Seiya series, rife will slow panoramic shots and dazzling portrait images of characters fighting in a blaze of glory, I think that Mr. Katsumata was the right guy to bring in for the introduction of the malevolent Hades character! Like the colorful tragedies in "Anderson Dōwa: Ningyo-hime" — Shun Andromeda descent into the shoes of Hades was done with style and a dense atmosphere! I appreciate the level of craftsmanship put into each subsequent scene, classic director! Impeccable work on the series, the last two chapters of "Meiō Hades" feel as though Mr. Katsumata was genuinely passionate about the Saint Seiya franchise! Good Seiyū Work = ✅ Really Enjoyed the Seiyū's Performance = ✅✅ One of Luna's Favorite Performances OF ALL TIME = ✅✅✅ Masakazu Morita as Seiya Pegasus, notable roles: * Ki-ja ("White Dragon"), Akatsuki no Tona * Claire Stanfield, Baccano * Kazuya Hiramaru, Bakuman. (series) ✅ * Eiji Hoshimiya, Big Order ✅ * Ichigo Kurosaki, Bleach (series) ✅✅✅ * Shōsaku Katsura, Bungō Stray Dogs ✅✅ * Whis, Dragon Ball Super * Akio Fuyuki, Interlude * Yukari Mishakuji, K * Xīn Lǐ, Kingdom (series) * Shirō Hodzumi and Kazuki Hihara, Kin'iro no Corda: Blue♪Sky (series) * Toshiya Satō, Major (series) * Alfred Visconti, Marginal Prince: Gekkeiju no Ōji-tachi * Itsumi Ryōgoku, Miracle☆Train: Oedo-sen e Yōkoso * Auel Neider, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny * Yakumo Yoshikawa, Onmyō Taisenki * Pod, Pokémon Best Wishes! * Kotarō Tennōji, Rewrite ✅ * Ryūji Takane, Ring ni Kakero * Keiji Maeda, Sengoku Basara (series) * Azazel, Shingeki no Bahamut (series) ✅✅✅ * Christopher Thorndyke, Sonic X * Barnaby Brooks Jr. ("Bunny"), Tiger & Bunny ✅✅✅ Commentary: Mr. Morita did a splendid job in his rendition of Seiya Pegasus! Though I am more used to him playing moody characters like Azazel ("Shingeki no Bahamut") and Barnaby Brooks Jr. ("Tiger & Bunny"), rather than a tried and true protagonist like ※Seiya! Incredible work, another great rendition of a classic character! ※ Even Ichigo Kurosaki is a bit of a grump! Takahiro Sakurai as Dragon Shiryū, notable roles: * Haseo, .hack —series ✅ * Takashi Hayashida, 3-Gatsu no Lion ✅ * Ryō, 7 Seeds * Blue Knight, Accel World ✅ * Soichirō Sena, Active Raid * Yū Tosaki, Ajin * Cutthroat, Akudama Dive * Atsumu Matsuyuki ("Yukiatsu"), Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai. ("AnoHana") ✅ * Shinobu Kujiin, Babylon ✅ * Yūki Momose, Battle Spirits * Griffith, Berserk ✅ ✅ ✅ * Jirō Mochizuki, Black Blood Brothers * Killy, Blame! * Izuru Kira, Bleach ✅ * Kabuto Hanadori, Boku no Tonari ni Ankoku Hakaishin ga Imasu. * Bizon Gerafil, Buddy Complex * Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, Bungō Stray Dogs ✅ * Hiroki Kamikura, Canvas 2 * Suzaku Kururugi, Code Geass ✅ ✅ * Haruhiko Tsugayama, Copihan * Joe Shimamura, Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Solider * Yū Kanada, D. Gray-man ✅ * Leon Kuwata, Danganronpa * Ryūsuke Higo, Detective Conan ✅ * Mono Ureu, Devil Survivor 2 the Animation * Ruki Mukami, Diabolik Lovers * Kazuya Miyuki, Diamond no Ace * Tentomon, Digimon Adventure ✅ * Kōshirō Izumi and Tentomon, Digimon Adventure 02 ✅ * Dorulumon, Digimon Xros Wars * Yō'ichi Fujitani, Dive!! * Haine Rammsteiner, Dogs: Bullets & Carnage * Shirasu Kinjō, Donten ni Warau ("Laughing Under the Clouds") * Sawa-sensei, Dō ni ka Naru Hibi * Yūto Takamine, Eien no Aseila * Sting Eucliffe, Fairy Tail * Merlin, Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majū Sensen Babylonia ✅ ✅ * Saber ("Saver"), Fate/Prototype ✅ * Cloud Strife, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children ✅ * Ayame Sōma, Fruits Basket (2019) * Mitsuya Majime, Fune wo Amu ("The Great Passage") * Kazuki Endō, Gakuen Heaven * Shun Ukiya, Gate Keepers * Hiroto Amagiwa, Geneshaft * Hikari Genji, Genji Monogatari Sennenki ("The Tale of Genji") * Orpherus Fürst von Marmelade Nahe Görz, Ginyū Mokushiroku Meine Liebe * Yūji Kazami, Grisaia no Kaijitsu ✅ ✅ ✅ * Kazuya Watari, Guardian Hearts * Inugami, Gugure! Kokkuri-san ✅ * Akiteru Tsukishima, Haikyū! ✅ * Dande, Pokémon: Hakumei no Tsubasa ("Twilight Wings") ✅ ✅ * Suefumi Ono, Harukanaru Toki no Naka de ("Beyond the Stream of Time") * Alzeid, Hatenkō Yūgi ("Dazzle") * Hiroyuki Sogabe, Hatsukoi Limited. * Kanade Takahashi, Hatsukoi Monster * Noboru Take, Hibike! Euphonium ✅ * Enza, Historical * Richard Ranashinha de Vulpian, Hōsekishō Richard-shi no Nazo Kantei ("The Case Files of Jeweler Richard") * Ichitaka Seto, I''s * Jōji Minami ("Tekkaman"), Infini-T Force ✅ ✅ * Jin Tsurasawa, Innocent Venus ✅ * Kazuhito Harumi, Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyō ("Dog & Scissors") * Rockman X, Irregular Hunter X: The Day of Sigma ("Megaman X") * Rohan Kishibe, JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken Part 4: Diamond wa Kudakenai ("JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable") ✅ ✅ ✅ * Tazaki, Joker Game ✅ * Misaki Takahashi, Junjō Romantica ✅ ✅ ✅ * Ryūkō Mōten, Jūshin Enbu: Hero Tales * Izumo Kusanagi, K ✅ * Yoshihiko Nagai, Kaikan Phrase * Leon Oswald, Kaleido Star * Kaizō Katsu, Katte ni Kaizō * Giyū Tomioka, Kimetsu no Ya…

The actual conclusion, the final clash, which leaves in some respects a feeling of disappointment. *SPOILER* After the sacrifice of the golden knights and the destruction of the wall, the protagonists set off (for the umpteenth time) to rescue Athena, in the Elysium. The clashes with the last specters quickly end, and there is a good flashback with Pandora (perhaps the only good thing about this final piece). The battle is in the Elysium, against the gods, Hades and two of his followers, Hypnos and Thanathos, obviously much stronger than the protagonists. Here we have gods, very powerful beings, who can't kill 5 kids (because the protagonists can't die at any cost), and not even marginal characters left on Earth, ridiculous. We then have Poseidon who, after having sworn revenge before being sealed, suddenly becomes good and helps the protagonists, sending the golden armors. Gold armors that will be destroyed in 2 seconds by Thanathos, yeah. Then Seiya, and following his friends, make yet another senseless miracle, divine armors, and defeat the twin gods easily. Clash with Hades, the final boss, fast, fight dominated by him, until "the power of love" arrives. THE END. Besides being totally devoid of logic and disappointing as a final, it leaves the impression of a hasty closure. Without mentioning, Seiya's sister. It was one of the main themes for the protagonists, ended up on the third floor, although during the series many clues were launched towards Marin, the Pegasus teacher. But no, Seiya's sister is found at random, and they don't even meet. A "mystery" solved at random. The only nice thing about the Elysium would be that Seiya dies, but unfortunately this fact was changed by the author about 15 years after the end of the manga (first with the movie Tenkai-Hen, and later with Next Dimension).

Overall: (6.5 / 10) The truth is that to be the "final" arc of a whole story that lasted for so long and transcended between different generations, I had much more expectations in this regard. I am one of those who grew up watching this series on television until the "Poseidon" saga and then I had to lose track of it until now, but let's return to the present. Strictly speaking of these "Elysion" OVAs, they were very brief and with a forced history rhythm. I do not consider that the battles seen against Thanatos and Hypnos, including Hades himself represent their true powers, since it would finally take at least 3 or 4 more chapters to develop good battles, but they cut everything due to the time that these 6 chapters gave. In the same way, the plot in general was felt, as in the case of Pandora's Death, which is quite questionable, being very superficial and transmitting nothing to the viewer. Also added the partition of Seiya's sister in all this, it seems that they put her only to be the focus Thanatos, since there were never any real clues of her and suddenly she appears with Marin as if nothing, only to give an excuse to the Power Up of our protagonist. Last but not least, the battle against Hades. Honestly it did not feel like such, it was just an average battle that they had to put in by obligation to end at once, and it did not really matter if this was able to reach some kind of empathy to the viewer, they just put it in and that's it. The "death of Seiya" is so fast that they don't give time to anything if he wants to say goodbye as he deserves. I clarify that I am aware that there is a film from "Tenkai-hen" that is later, but no matter how much they make up this does not remove the disappointment that it leaves. Version en Español: General: (6,5 / 10) La verdad es que para ser el arco "final" de toda una historia que perduro durante tanto tiempo y trascendió entre distintas generaciones tenia muchas mas expectativas al respecto. Soy de los que se crió viendo esta serie por televisión hasta la saga de "Poseidon" y luego me toco perderle el rastro hasta ahora, pero volvamos al presente. Hablando estrictamente de estas OVA "Elysion", se las vio muy resumidas y con ritmo de la historia forzoso. No considero que las batallas vistas contras Thanatos e Hypnos, inclusive el mismo Hades representen sus verdaderos poderes, ya finalmente llevaría al menos 3 o 4 capitulos mas desarrollar buenas batallas, pero recortaron todo debido al tiempo que daban estos 6 capítulos. De igual manero se sintió la trama en general, como en el caso de la Muerte de Pandora que es bastante cuestionable siendo muy superficial y no transmitiendo nada al espectador. También sumado la partición de la hermana de Seiya en todo esto, que pareciera que la pusieron solo para ser el foco Thanatos, ya que nunca hubo pistas verdaderas de ella y de repente aparece con Marin como si nada, solo para dar una excusa al Power Up de nuestro protagonista. Ya por último y no por ello menos importante, la batalla contra Hades. Sinceramente no se sintió como tal, solo fue una batalla promedio que debían meter por obligación para terminar de una vez, y no importo verdaderamente si esto era capaz de llegarle algún tipo empatía al espectador, solo lo metieron y listo. La "muerte de Seiya" es tan veloz que no dan tiempo a nada si quiera de darle una despedida como mereciera. Aclaro que estoy al tanto de que resta una película de "Tenkai-hen" que es posterior, pero por mas que maquillen esto no quita la desilusión que deja.

I enjoyed the Hades arc when it started but the arc to got more boring as it went on. I can't really put my finger around it, the fact that they spent multiple episodes fighting 2 gods when they already spent episodes fighting the Spectres, the "God Clothes" came out of nowhere, Hades gets beaten in a super anti climatic way with Saori beating him with the power of "love". Seiya's sister coming out of nowhere and despite Sanctuary attacking Marin for being Japanese, no one ever even spotted or even noticed that there was another Japanese woman in Sanctuary before she showed up, a lot of the other characters mostly being sidelined and were just cheerleaders. The amount of times characters die, get brought back and then die again. The ending being super anti climatic. Honestly, by the time I was done this part of the arc, I was glad it was all over. Not because it's bad but it was really starting wear out it's welcome both the arc and the tropes the series loves to pull as a whole like characters dying but then coming back then dying again, Saori getting kidnapped or is a damsel in every arc(seriously the reincarnation of Athena in this series was basically a purple haired Princess Peach), and the fights being special move spamming and then the characters saying, "the same move doesn't work twice" just to spam the same attacks again, all of it was just starting to get tiresome. I did wish the ending was better so I could've felt satisfied when I got to the end but I am left underwhelmed. I get a lot of the behind the scenes drama regarding the series, and the whole thing reminds me of something that would happen in Marvel and DC with editors disagreeing with what the creators want but all of it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I wish I can say I got *something* from watching the Hades OVAs and the Overtrue movie, but all I get is just is "why did I bother?" I am sounding like a downer but that's how I felt.