I must say, at first it looks like a pretty ordinary shounen anime. It isn't until the 12 temples arc (starts in episode 36) that the story really turns into something else. The first 35 episodes work as a perfect introduction for the main cast, their abilities, their backgrounds, and their motivations to fight. The story doesn't waste time and has a tournament arc as soon as the second episode. After that, our main character fight against several forgettable foes (except the black saints and the silver saints). But, in episode 36, the real Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac magic starts. Seiya, Shiryu, Shun, Hyoga, and Ikki need to cross the 12 Zodiac Temples to save Athena, each temple is protected by a Gold Saint, each representing a Zodiac Sign (Aries, Leo, Virgo, etc). They are the most powerful saints in the world. And after this arc, it just gets better. Our characters go to Asgard to save it from corruption, they fight Poseidon, God of the Sea, and his army, and later on Hades and his army.
The series breaks a lot of stereotypes as well, instead of being dark and gloomy like most anime released at that time, Saint Seiya is filled with color, emotion, and it has its own unique vibe that really makes it stand out.
One of the most impressive aspects of the series is its music, it is easily one of the animes with the best soundtrack in history. With amazing fighting tracks like "Pegasus Ryu Sei Ken", "Glide! Pegasus", "Heated Saints", "Arrow Of Sun", "Saints Of Hope, Forever" sad songs like "Sad Brothers", "Frey - Hero Of Love And Justice", "Save The Goddess", "Remember Sadness" and beautiful songs like "Abel's Theme", "Blue Dream", and "Mime's Requiem". These are the songs composed by Seiji Yokoyama and they really make the series feel alive, making you feel the emotions that the series portrays in a magnificent way.
The series is also no stranger to gruesome violence, including blood and pain in many episodes, but in a way that it doesn't feel disgusting like other animes, but in a way, that you the viewer is able to see the struggles the characters are having and how big the challenge is for them to overcome.
Overall, Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac is an amazing series that will not waste your time!
