This review will take the place of those two episodes of Guin Saga that I wanted to review today. I will review them tomorrow, instead. Promise.

So, after Alone becomes Hades, King of The Underworld,  the Holy War begins between the two sides. Faced with the reincarnation of the greatest evil on Earth, The Sanctuary has only one option. To fight and exterminate evil.

At the start of this episode, a group of Silver Saints are sent to Italy, to scout ahead in search of any dangers. After defeating a group of Specters, they reach the same Cathedral where Alone has become Hades. There, they are defeated and corrupted by the power of evil, and sent back to the Sanctuary, to kill Athena.

But their attempt is brought to end end by the two Golden Saints that are the personal protectors of Athena: Douko and Shion, who unleash their powerful attacks, killing the fallen Saints. Their attacks are spectacular both in looks and names: Stardust Revolution and One Hundred Dragons of Mount Rou! As they pass into oblivion, the three fallen Saints confess that in their hearts, have been always devoted to her.

Seeing those fallen saints in the Sanctuary is like seeing the Sith in the Jedi temple from Coruscant (I could not helped myself to say that!).

After this incident, Douko and Shion are ordered to take a few Silver and Bronze Saints and travel to the cursed cathedral from Italy.

A Bronze Saint himself (Pegasus) and involved in this mission, Tenma knows for sure that the “forest with the cathedral in it” is a place near his hometown. We can see with this occasion that he grew up a little, both him and Athena/Sasha (her boobs are pretty big and she is a beauty). The old sparing partner of Tenma, Yato (Unicorn), is also going in this Imission.

When they arrive near the cathedral, Tenma sees his hometown burning and he runs ahead. Many memories bound him to this place, as he remembers playing in these forests with Alone and Sasha.

His town is burning, and everyone is dead. He finds his old house. There, some old drawings belonging to Alone, are stuck on a wall full of blood.

Then the wall crumbles and Phlegyas of Lycaon, The Divine Star of Crime, a servant of Hades,  appears! Yes, pretty pompous name for a guy with a pretty ordinary spiked armor. But these names are giving such a spice to this anime and don’t bother whatsoever. This guy, Phlegyas, unleashes his attack called (get ready) Howling Inferno upon Tenma.

To his wonder, Tenma, who is just a Bronze Saint, blocks the attack with ease. The Pegasus is very mad, and he totally destroys the enemy, seeking Hades instead, who is responsible for the death and destruction that hit his hometown. He joins the group of Saints, who already engaged Hades and his forces into battle, with Yato already fallen.

Now Tenma suffers another hard blow, recognizing that his friend, Alone, is Hades impersonated. But his old friend smiles, and kills him with a merely gesture. The Golden Saints attack, but their are forced to flee soon after. After the murder, Alone’s personality is totally absorbed in the one of Hades, as if the last thing he had to do to accomplish this was killing Tenma and cutting all his present bonds with this world. His eyes change, his hair color change, as he truly becomes the King of the Underworld (makes me think at Anakin o.O). As the earth starts to shake and  crumble, a dark citadel raise from the bowels of the earth.

This tower is actually the old cathedral engulfed in a huge claw-like rock, is so masterfully drawn. Bleak, lonely and sad. The personal fortress of the King of the Underworld on Earth. Soon, Hades orders an attack on the Sanctuary. lead by the Three Judges of Hell, the dark correspondents of the Golden Saints.

But a strange event occurs. Hades personal bodyguard (thank you Hyoga08), Kagaho, discovers that the attack of the Golden Saints hurt Hades a little, as he sees a cut on his arm. Well, he is not so invincible, is he?

The episode ends with Yato waking up from the crumbles and discovering Tenma’s body alongside him.

An exciting and emotional episode this one was (speaking like Yoda am I), with an almost exhilarant beat, never getting boring or going of pace. What I remarked in this episode was the brilliant animation. Unlike other anime, where not so many things move around, well, in this one almost anything (and everything moves). Clothes, armor, hair, leaves, smoke, eyes… this is clearly not an economical animation production. It is made to impress in looks and dynamics. And it does. The story keeps simple, in a way that it doesn’t keep you thinking too much, but is not a brainless script either. It is just Saint Seiya.

Now, I suspect that everyone already saw the forth episode (except me), but I don’t think this review is in vain anyway. When I am reviewing something I discover new faces of that anime, and new things that I didn’t noticed begin to appear. I may end up reviewing the fourth episode today as well, who knows. Err… how was it? Oh yes, One Hundred Dragons of Mount Rou!

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