Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Toei Animation's Saint Seiya arrived in 1986 as a television adaptation of Masami Kurumada's manga and quickly became a defining action property of the era, prized for its mythic framework of Greek cosmology fused with martial spectacle. Legend of Crimson Youth, released in 1988, is one of the theatrical features that expanded the Saints' world beyond the weekly serial, giving Toei's animators a bigger canvas and giving fans a communal, big-screen event around characters they already followed closely. These film outings remain a touchstone for collectors of vintage anime cinema, standing apart from the television run as dedicated theatrical artifacts.
This cell carries the name Cygnus Hyōga, the ice-wielding Bronze Saint whose quiet discipline and frozen technique made him a favorite among the core cast. Reels bearing his name draw interest from collectors who follow his particular arc within the Saints' brotherhood, valuing any surviving frame tied directly to his presence in this theatrical release. As a piece of 35mm film history, it represents a physical fragment of the actual print struck for Legend of Crimson Youth's original run, a tangible link to how audiences first encountered Hyōga on the big screen.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm color release print of Saint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youth (1988).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no visible tearing or distortion.
Soundtrack
Not visible in this capture; the edges outside the perforations are cropped out of frame.
Edge print
Partial text visible at upper-left corner reading 'TM' (mirrored), no key numbers or safety text legible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a warm amber-brown tint typical of processed color print stock; dye image shows saturated blue, gold, and flesh tones with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks seen in this capture.
Picture
Positive color image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with an animated theatrical release print matching the film on record.
Era check
The saturated cel-animation color palette, warm amber base stock, and absence of digital soundtrack formats are consistent with a late-1980s Japanese theatrical release print.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063011
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
