Saint Seiya Episode G
Encyclopedia
is an ongoing shōnen manga written and illustrated by Megumu Okada
. A side-story and a derivative work of Masami Kurumada
's Saint Seiya
, it first started being serialized in the monthly magazine Champion Red
on January 19, 2003 and was later compiled into volumes by Akita Shoten
, with the first being published on June 19, 2003.
The story is set seven years before the events of the original Saint Seiya
manga and six years after the death of the Sagittarius Gold Saint Aiolos, the brother of Episode Gs main character. It takes place in a fictional universe
where the Greek gods cyclically reincarnate into the world, often waging war on each other for dominance, and depicts the battle of the Gold Saints, warriors with superhuman powers who fight for Peace and Justice in the name of the Goddess Athena
, to protect the Earth from the recently awakened Titan gods.
Although no English version of Saint Seiya Episode.G exists, it has been translated into various other languages by publishers from around the world, where it was well received, but not without controversy regarding its differences to Saint Seiya. In Brazil, it was published by Conrad Editora
; by Panini Comics
in Italy, Germany and France; Glénat
in Spain; Ivrea
in Argentina and by Chuang Yi
in Singapore.
, and whose duty is to protect the world from evil. The protagonist is the Leo Gold Saint Aiolia, who is mistrusted by the rest of the Saints because of the seemingly traitorous actions of his brother Aiolos in the past. In turn, he holds a grudge against the Saints as a whole, and against the elite order of the Gold Saints in particular.
While the Pope, the leader of the Saints, sends Aiolia on mission after mission to prove his loyalty, evil forces manifest that threaten to destroy Sanctuary, the home of the Saints. A modern-day Titanomachy
begins as the Titans, ancient gods with a desire for revenge on the Olympian gods, attack Sanctuary to retrieve the "Megas Drepanon", the weapon into which Zeus had sealed their King Kronos in the age of mythology. Their first assault is thwarted by Aiolia, who subsequently gains the attention of the Titans as the "man of the evil omen" who is destined to free their King.
With the Titans once again roaming the Earth, all kinds of ancient monsters that the Saints have to deal with are also resurrected worldwide. Meanwhile, the Titans gather their forces to strike at Sanctuary a second time. In the course of their next assault, Kronos is inadvertently released from Zeus's lightning seal by Aiolia's own lightning-based technique, but the god appears to be amnesiac. The Titans determine that it was Aiolia's attack that was responsible for this condition and that the Leo Saint might hold the means to fix it as well. They retreat to their base at the Time Labyrinth and kidnap Aiolia's servant Lithos to lure him there. Aiolia does not hesitate to go to Lithos's aid and, together with five other Gold Saints, initiates a series of battles in which the Titans fall one by one. Throughout these battles, the primordial god Pontos, who first released the Titans from their imprisonment in Tartarus and initially claimed that he wished to help Kronos, reveals his true intentions, stating that he only revived the Titans as part of a larger plan and has been playing them in order to awaken his true mistress, Gaia, and help her take control of the Earth, destroying gods and humans alike in the process.
left him free to write the story that would act as a prequel
to the original manga. As such, Saint Seiya Episode.G is substantially different from its predecessor. In terms of drawing style, characters appear more stylized than in Kurumada's manga and details are enhanced, for example, in backgrounds and cloth designs. Brief comedic scenes are also included throughout the manga, where the characters are drawn in a super deformed state. Drawings are made both by hand and with recourse to digital media.
Classical mythology also plays a more visible role in the plot than in Saint Seiya. Okada constantly draws from mythology, having the protagonists fight heroes of old and even legendary supernatural creatures like hydras, hecatonchires, giants and gorgons. The gods' influence is not limited to the battles against the Saints and it affects the lives of regular people. The casual clothes that the characters are seen in while in Sanctuary are reminiscent of Ancient Greek indumentary and many of the names used for places, characters and other elements of the story are in ancient Greek.
) published by Akita Shoten
and a total of 83 chapters published in the monthly magazine Champion Red
. The first images of the manga appeared in the Champion Red issue of January 19, 2003, along with posters by and an interview with Masami Kurumada. The first chapter was then released on the following February issue and the first volume published on June 19, 2003. Releases arrested in 2009, as author Megumu Okada
put the manga on hiatus to dedicate himself to other projects following an unspecified dispute with the publisher, and resumed in Champion Red's April 2011 issue, with the release of a new chapter, as well as a compilation of past chapters that had not been grouped in volume format yet (chapters 74, 75 and 76) called "Volume 17.5".
Saint Seiya Episode.G has yet to be licensed in English, but it has been published in several countries outside of Japan: in Brazil, by Conrad Editora
; by Panini Comics
in Italy, Germany and France; Glénat
in Spain; Ivrea
in Argentina and by Chuang Yi
in Singapore.
), most of which in color, that either tell little side-stories or highlight moments from previous chapters. Some have little relevance to the overall plot of Episode G, with characters that play little part in the main story but who are well-known to readers of Saint Seiya, while others explore the personality or the past of important characters and detail minor events pertaining to the plot.
In October 2007, a new side-story started being published with Episode G. It takes place a few years before the main plot and details the exploits of Sagittarius Aiolos in Egypt, revealing some plot points that influence the main story. A younger Aiolia and Galan also appear. This side-story appears compiled in a special volume called "Volume 0: ", released on May 20, 2008, which also contains an encyclopedia with information on all the Episode G manga published up to that date.
as Leo Aiolia, Hikaru Midorikawa
as Aquarius Camus, Kōji Yusa
as Galan, Chiwa Saitō
as Lithos, Kōsuke Okano as Okeanos and Hiroki Yasumoto
as Pontos.
French critic Thomas Berthelon, writing for Actua BD, makes a note on the unoriginality of the plot. While the manga is full of references to Saint Seiya, the story is based on the same known schemes and the characters are too similar to the protagonists of the original series. Meanwhile, for Brazilian critic Pedro Hunter, Episode G sets itself apart from the usual shonen manga by not featuring only endless battles and undeveloped storylines. He finds the way Okada depicts his characters as an integrating part of the real world particularly interesting and highlights the inclusion of real life events like the Three Mile Island accident
into the plot. A third stance defends that Episode G might suffer from being too faithful to the original series, but that the ideas and concept behind Saint Seiya, with all its imperfections, go beyond its representatives.
Generally praised as "impressive" is Okada's graphical skill, his use of composition and textures which enhance the divine aspects of the characters, although it is also noted that the heavy amount of details in a black and white manga often interferes with readability. Thomas Berthelon says such difficulty is reminiscent of passages from Kaori Yuki
's manga Angel Sanctuary
. The author of Blog Bazar's review of Episode G sees it as "a definitely baroque manga, where the flow of action comes second to contemplation."
Megumu Okada
is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of the series Shadow Skill and Saint Seiya Episode.G.- Works :In 1992, Megumu Okada begins the creation of his first major work, Shadow Skill, a martial arts manga published by Kodansha and serialized in several Japanese magazines, including...
. A side-story and a derivative work of Masami Kurumada
Masami Kurumada
is a Japanese manga artist and writer, known for specializing in fighting manga featuring bishōnen and/or mahō shōnen. He is famous as the creator/author of popular manga, such as Ring ni Kakero, Fūma no Kojirō, Saint Seiya and B't X. His male protagonists are a reflection of the classical and...
's Saint Seiya
Saint Seiya
, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
, it first started being serialized in the monthly magazine Champion Red
Champion Red
is a monthly Japanese shōnen manga magazine published on the 19th each month by Akita Shoten since . is a special edition of Champion Red.-Current serializations:*Chaotic Rune Es*Domina No Do!*Desperado*Franken Fran...
on January 19, 2003 and was later compiled into volumes by Akita Shoten
Akita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company established on August 10, 1948 in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its main editorial target has always been teenagers , and it currently publishes mostly manga...
, with the first being published on June 19, 2003.
The story is set seven years before the events of the original Saint Seiya
Saint Seiya
, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
manga and six years after the death of the Sagittarius Gold Saint Aiolos, the brother of Episode Gs main character. It takes place in a fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
where the Greek gods cyclically reincarnate into the world, often waging war on each other for dominance, and depicts the battle of the Gold Saints, warriors with superhuman powers who fight for Peace and Justice in the name of the Goddess Athena
Athena (Saint Seiya)
The Greek goddess is one of the main characters in the Saint Seiya series, a manga authored by Masami Kurumada, which was later adapted to anime and originated three other spin-off manga.Kurumada created her character based on the Greek goddess of the same name...
, to protect the Earth from the recently awakened Titan gods.
Although no English version of Saint Seiya Episode.G exists, it has been translated into various other languages by publishers from around the world, where it was well received, but not without controversy regarding its differences to Saint Seiya. In Brazil, it was published by Conrad Editora
Conrad Editora
Conrad Editora is a book publishing company in Brazil. Generally known as one of the most popular distributors of manga and manhwa in the Brazilian Portuguese language.-Manga:...
; by Panini Comics
Panini Comics
Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, best known for their collectible stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy...
in Italy, Germany and France; Glénat
Glénat (publisher)
Glénat Editions SA is a French publisher with its head office in Grenoble. The company publishes many things, including comic books and manga in France, Benelux, and Spain; it was founded by Jacques Glénat. The Spanish subsidiary has its head office in Barcelona. The Benelux subsidiary, Glénat...
in Spain; Ivrea
Editorial Ivrea
Editorial Ivrea is an Argentine manga and comics publisher that publishes in Argentina, Spain and Finland. They also published Lazer, a magazine which was specialized in anime, comics, manga, series and other media. The magazine has an acid humor and has also organized parties in Argentina...
in Argentina and by Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd. is a publishing company based in Singapore that specializes in producing domestic and imported comics and comics-related merchandise, in English and simplified Chinese. Chuang Yi distributes all or some of its products in Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines...
in Singapore.
Plot
The story of Saint Seiya Episode.G is set seven years before the events of Masami Kurumada's Saint Seiya, in the same fictional world in which the Greek gods cyclically reincarnate to dispute dominion of Earth. The story revolves around Athena's Saints, humans with superhuman powers who are devoted to the goddess of War, AthenaAthena (Saint Seiya)
The Greek goddess is one of the main characters in the Saint Seiya series, a manga authored by Masami Kurumada, which was later adapted to anime and originated three other spin-off manga.Kurumada created her character based on the Greek goddess of the same name...
, and whose duty is to protect the world from evil. The protagonist is the Leo Gold Saint Aiolia, who is mistrusted by the rest of the Saints because of the seemingly traitorous actions of his brother Aiolos in the past. In turn, he holds a grudge against the Saints as a whole, and against the elite order of the Gold Saints in particular.
While the Pope, the leader of the Saints, sends Aiolia on mission after mission to prove his loyalty, evil forces manifest that threaten to destroy Sanctuary, the home of the Saints. A modern-day Titanomachy
Titanomachy
In Greek mythology, the Titanomachy or War of the Titans , was the ten-year series of battles fought in Thessaly between the two camps of deities long before the existence of mankind: the Titans, based on Mount Othrys, and the Olympians, who would come to reign on Mount Olympus...
begins as the Titans, ancient gods with a desire for revenge on the Olympian gods, attack Sanctuary to retrieve the "Megas Drepanon", the weapon into which Zeus had sealed their King Kronos in the age of mythology. Their first assault is thwarted by Aiolia, who subsequently gains the attention of the Titans as the "man of the evil omen" who is destined to free their King.
With the Titans once again roaming the Earth, all kinds of ancient monsters that the Saints have to deal with are also resurrected worldwide. Meanwhile, the Titans gather their forces to strike at Sanctuary a second time. In the course of their next assault, Kronos is inadvertently released from Zeus's lightning seal by Aiolia's own lightning-based technique, but the god appears to be amnesiac. The Titans determine that it was Aiolia's attack that was responsible for this condition and that the Leo Saint might hold the means to fix it as well. They retreat to their base at the Time Labyrinth and kidnap Aiolia's servant Lithos to lure him there. Aiolia does not hesitate to go to Lithos's aid and, together with five other Gold Saints, initiates a series of battles in which the Titans fall one by one. Throughout these battles, the primordial god Pontos, who first released the Titans from their imprisonment in Tartarus and initially claimed that he wished to help Kronos, reveals his true intentions, stating that he only revived the Titans as part of a larger plan and has been playing them in order to awaken his true mistress, Gaia, and help her take control of the Earth, destroying gods and humans alike in the process.
Production
In the author commentary page published with the first volume, Megumu Okada explains that he had concerns about taking on the project because he had never written anything that was related to a pre-existing original work and because Saint Seiya was such a renowned piece. Original author Masami KurumadaMasami Kurumada
is a Japanese manga artist and writer, known for specializing in fighting manga featuring bishōnen and/or mahō shōnen. He is famous as the creator/author of popular manga, such as Ring ni Kakero, Fūma no Kojirō, Saint Seiya and B't X. His male protagonists are a reflection of the classical and...
left him free to write the story that would act as a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to the original manga. As such, Saint Seiya Episode.G is substantially different from its predecessor. In terms of drawing style, characters appear more stylized than in Kurumada's manga and details are enhanced, for example, in backgrounds and cloth designs. Brief comedic scenes are also included throughout the manga, where the characters are drawn in a super deformed state. Drawings are made both by hand and with recourse to digital media.
Classical mythology also plays a more visible role in the plot than in Saint Seiya. Okada constantly draws from mythology, having the protagonists fight heroes of old and even legendary supernatural creatures like hydras, hecatonchires, giants and gorgons. The gods' influence is not limited to the battles against the Saints and it affects the lives of regular people. The casual clothes that the characters are seen in while in Sanctuary are reminiscent of Ancient Greek indumentary and many of the names used for places, characters and other elements of the story are in ancient Greek.
Manga
There are currently 18 volumes (tankōbonTankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
) published by Akita Shoten
Akita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company established on August 10, 1948 in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its main editorial target has always been teenagers , and it currently publishes mostly manga...
and a total of 83 chapters published in the monthly magazine Champion Red
Champion Red
is a monthly Japanese shōnen manga magazine published on the 19th each month by Akita Shoten since . is a special edition of Champion Red.-Current serializations:*Chaotic Rune Es*Domina No Do!*Desperado*Franken Fran...
. The first images of the manga appeared in the Champion Red issue of January 19, 2003, along with posters by and an interview with Masami Kurumada. The first chapter was then released on the following February issue and the first volume published on June 19, 2003. Releases arrested in 2009, as author Megumu Okada
Megumu Okada
is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of the series Shadow Skill and Saint Seiya Episode.G.- Works :In 1992, Megumu Okada begins the creation of his first major work, Shadow Skill, a martial arts manga published by Kodansha and serialized in several Japanese magazines, including...
put the manga on hiatus to dedicate himself to other projects following an unspecified dispute with the publisher, and resumed in Champion Red's April 2011 issue, with the release of a new chapter, as well as a compilation of past chapters that had not been grouped in volume format yet (chapters 74, 75 and 76) called "Volume 17.5".
Saint Seiya Episode.G has yet to be licensed in English, but it has been published in several countries outside of Japan: in Brazil, by Conrad Editora
Conrad Editora
Conrad Editora is a book publishing company in Brazil. Generally known as one of the most popular distributors of manga and manhwa in the Brazilian Portuguese language.-Manga:...
; by Panini Comics
Panini Comics
Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, best known for their collectible stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy...
in Italy, Germany and France; Glénat
Glénat (publisher)
Glénat Editions SA is a French publisher with its head office in Grenoble. The company publishes many things, including comic books and manga in France, Benelux, and Spain; it was founded by Jacques Glénat. The Spanish subsidiary has its head office in Barcelona. The Benelux subsidiary, Glénat...
in Spain; Ivrea
Editorial Ivrea
Editorial Ivrea is an Argentine manga and comics publisher that publishes in Argentina, Spain and Finland. They also published Lazer, a magazine which was specialized in anime, comics, manga, series and other media. The magazine has an acid humor and has also organized parties in Argentina...
in Argentina and by Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd. is a publishing company based in Singapore that specializes in producing domestic and imported comics and comics-related merchandise, in English and simplified Chinese. Chuang Yi distributes all or some of its products in Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines...
in Singapore.
Special chapters
The volumes usually contain short special chapters (gaidenGaiden
is a Japanese-language word meaning "side story" or "tale", used to refer to an anecdote or supplementary biography of a person. This use of gaiden is commonly used in popular Japanese fiction to refer to a spin-off of a previously published work that is neither officially considered a sequel nor...
), most of which in color, that either tell little side-stories or highlight moments from previous chapters. Some have little relevance to the overall plot of Episode G, with characters that play little part in the main story but who are well-known to readers of Saint Seiya, while others explore the personality or the past of important characters and detail minor events pertaining to the plot.
In October 2007, a new side-story started being published with Episode G. It takes place a few years before the main plot and details the exploits of Sagittarius Aiolos in Egypt, revealing some plot points that influence the main story. A younger Aiolia and Galan also appear. This side-story appears compiled in a special volume called "Volume 0: ", released on May 20, 2008, which also contains an encyclopedia with information on all the Episode G manga published up to that date.
Special editions
In Japan, there are two versions of the Saint Seiya Episode.G volumes. One is the normal version and the other is a Limited Edition. The Limited Edition features different covers and includes various goodies packaged with the comic books. These goodies include postcards, pins, a coin key holder, a day planner, tarot cards, a t-shirt, puzzles, calendars, a pass case and a key chain. A bust figure of the protagonist, Leo Aiolia, has also been released.Drama CDs
Two drama CDs were recorded for Episode G. One was released with Champion Red and the other along with the Limited Edition of volume 11. These CDs reproduce the events of several chapters with only slight modifications that reduce the cast: Aiolia's battle against the Giant in volume 1, Pontos's test of Aiolia through Galan from volume 1, and Camus's and Aiolia's fight against Okeanos from volumes 9 and 10. Voice actors include: Hiro ShimonoHiro Shimono
is a Japanese voice actor employed by I'm Enterprise.-TV anime:*30-sai no Hoken Taiiku *Asura Cryin *Baka to Test to Shōkanjū *Baka to Test to Shōkanjū: Ni!...
as Leo Aiolia, Hikaru Midorikawa
Hikaru Midorikawa
is a Japanese voice actor from Otawara, Tochigi who is represented by Aoni Production.He is most known for the roles of Softon in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Tamahome in Fushigi Yugi, Seiran Shi in Saiunkoku Monogatari, Heero Yuy in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Kaede Rukawa in Slam Dunk, Zelgadis Greywords in...
as Aquarius Camus, Kōji Yusa
Koji Yusa
is a Japanese voice actor born in Osaka Prefecture and raised in Kyoto Prefecture. He is best known for his roles in Choja Raideen , the Sonic Series , Bleach , Ikki Tousen , Majin Tantei Nōgami Neuro , Zettai Karen Children and Kamen Rider Den-O...
as Galan, Chiwa Saitō
Chiwa Saito
is a Japanese voice actress employed by I'm Enterprise.Saitō is one half of the voice acting duo "coopee", along with Natsuko Kuwatani. In the "Divine Design" arc of the Getbackers drama CDs, she voices a character who battles the character voiced by Kuwatani. She is a member of the voice acting...
as Lithos, Kōsuke Okano as Okeanos and Hiroki Yasumoto
Hiroki Yasumoto
is a Japanese voice actor.-Television Animation:*Black Blood Brothers *Bleach , *Coyote Ragtime Show *Dōjin Work *Durarara!!...
as Pontos.
Reception
The manga was well-received in France, where volumes 7, 8 and 9 sold thirty-one thousand copies each in 2006. Its differences and similarities to the original Saint Seiya, however, have divided readers.French critic Thomas Berthelon, writing for Actua BD, makes a note on the unoriginality of the plot. While the manga is full of references to Saint Seiya, the story is based on the same known schemes and the characters are too similar to the protagonists of the original series. Meanwhile, for Brazilian critic Pedro Hunter, Episode G sets itself apart from the usual shonen manga by not featuring only endless battles and undeveloped storylines. He finds the way Okada depicts his characters as an integrating part of the real world particularly interesting and highlights the inclusion of real life events like the Three Mile Island accident
Three Mile Island accident
The Three Mile Island accident was a core meltdown in Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg, United States in 1979....
into the plot. A third stance defends that Episode G might suffer from being too faithful to the original series, but that the ideas and concept behind Saint Seiya, with all its imperfections, go beyond its representatives.
Generally praised as "impressive" is Okada's graphical skill, his use of composition and textures which enhance the divine aspects of the characters, although it is also noted that the heavy amount of details in a black and white manga often interferes with readability. Thomas Berthelon says such difficulty is reminiscent of passages from Kaori Yuki
Kaori Yuki
is a female Japanese manga artist best known for her gothic manga such as Earl Cain, its sequel Godchild, and Angel Sanctuary. Yuki debuted in 1987 with which ran in the manga anthology Bessatsu Hana to Yume published by Hakusensha. Her work is typically serialized in one of Hakusensha's two shōjo...
's manga Angel Sanctuary
Angel Sanctuary
is a shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Kaori Yuki. Originally serialized in Hana to Yume from February 1995 to February 2001, the chapters were collected and published in twenty tankōbon volumes by Hakusensha; the first volume was released in 1997 and the final volume was published in...
. The author of Blog Bazar's review of Episode G sees it as "a definitely baroque manga, where the flow of action comes second to contemplation."