A long running Japanese anime show comes to America in its original, unedited form.  While I didn't care for the US TV version, edited and retiled Knight of the Zodiac, this show with it's more violent battles wasn't much better.

As this volume opens, the Bronze Saints are transported to the mountains to try to win the other half of the gold armor which the Phoenix Ikki and the Black Saints possess.  The Saints splits up, of course, and are attacked one at a time.  The broken  Dragon and Pegasus armor are repaired by Mu, but only at a high price to the Bronze Saints.   The Saints fight a lot, and we learn about Phoenix Ikki's history.  A new villain shows up to cause trouble.

This unedited version has more violence than the Knights of the Zodiac shown on television, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  I think this version, though I haven't seen the corresponding edited versions, was a little more interesting and enjoyable.  But just a little.  I still think the battles were too often and went on for too long, at the expense of the plot.  The story just didn't move along as fast as I was hoping it would.  There were a couple on nice flashbacks that fleshed out some characters a little, but there wasn't nearly enough development for my tastes.  It boils down to the fact that I really don't care for any of the characters or what they are fighting for.  I just couldn't get into this show.

This series originally aired in the late 80's, and the animation is definitely of the old school style.  There are a lot of pans over static figures, and zooming into still pictures.  They seemed to cut corner wherever they could, and it shows.  The low quality animation hurt this show, though even top-notch animation wouldn't have saved it.
 

There is the choice between the original Japanese or an English dub and there are optional English subtitles.  The two channel track was essentially mono, there was no use of the sound stage made.  The quality is about what you would expect from an older television show.  Both tracks were fairly clear, but not dynamic or full.

Video:

The video for this show is a little less than average.  The 1.33:1 picture had occasional specks and dirt, and was slightly muted.  Though it was from the late 80's the picture actually looked older than that.  A slight amount of grain was present throughout the shows.  There were a few artifacts present in the picture, especially in the background and in dark scenes.  Nothing to horrible, but not anything great either.

The Extras:

There are minimal extras.  Just the Japanese opening without English titles, and a text piece on Greek armor.

Final Thoughts:

Though I thought this version was better than the edited version shown on US TV, this show still didn't do too much for me.  The fights seem to be unending, and there was little advancement in the plot.  If you enjoyed the Knights of the Zodiac, shown on TV, you should check this disc out.  If you are new to this show, best to Rent It first.