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Netflix Announces CG Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya Remake Anime

Netflix announced at its "Netflix Anime Slate 2017" event on Wednesday that Masami Kurumada's Saint Seiya (Knights of the Zodiac) manga is getting a new remake CG anime adaptation. The anime will be a Netflix Original Series tentatively titled Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya.

The anime's first 12-episode season will feature the story from the Galaxian Wars to Silver Saints arcs of the manga. Each episode will be about 30 minutes long. Netflix describes the anime's story:

Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya follows modern day adventures of young warriors called "Knights", who are sworn protectors of the reincarnated Greek goddess Athena. Each Knights wears a powerful armor based on their chosen zodiac constellation, and are called Knights of the Zodiac. They aid Athena in her battle against powerful Olympian gods who are bent on destroying the humankind.

Yoshiharu Ashino (Tweeny Witches, CROSS ANGE Rondo of Angel and Dragon) is directing the series at Toei Animation. Eugene Son (Duel Masters, B-Legend! Battle Bedaman script writer) is the story editor and head writer. Terumi Nishii (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, Penguindrum) is designing the characters, and Takashi Okazaki (Afro Samurai manga creator, Summer Wars character designer) is designing the armor.

Kurumada will resume his Saint Seiya: Next Dimension - The Myth of Hades manga in September. Kurumada began serializing the manga in 2006, and the most recent "season" ended in February. Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine announced at the time that the series would resume with the next season this summer. After the manga's previous "season," Kurumada put the manga on hiatus from January 2014 to December 2015. The tenth compiled volume shipped in June 2016.

Kurumada published the original Saint Seiya manga from 1986 to 1990. The manga has inspired a number of television anime, OVAs, anime films, and spinoff manga. The Saint Seiya: Saintia Shō spinoff manga, recently licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment, has an anime in the works. A live-action Hollywood film has also been greenlit.

Viz Media published the original manga in English under the title Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac. ADV Films released Toei Animation's anime adaptation with an English dub under the title Knights of the Zodiac, and later released it unedited under the title Saint Seiya. New Video Group later also released the series on DVD.

Thanks to Mewzard and Felicia for the news tip.

Sources: Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web, Cinema Today