Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Saint Seiya, released in 1988, arrived during the height of Toei Animation's dominance in televised anime adventure, adapting Masami Kurumada's manga into a saga of armored youths battling for justice under the banner of the goddess Athena. The franchise became a defining pillar of the shonen genre, prized for its mythic scale and its cast of Bronze Saints, warriors bound to constellations. Its enduring popularity through the late eighties helped cement Toei's reputation for adapting sprawling manga properties into visually ambitious serials that shaped a generation of action animation both in Japan and abroad.
This cell centers on Pegasus Seiya, the series' central protagonist and the most recognizable of the Bronze Saints, a figure collectors seek out as the franchise's defining hero. Framed under the banner of crimson youth, the cell speaks to the passion and determination that define Seiya's arc, the burning resolve of a young fighter forging his path. As a standalone piece, it represents the character in his most essential form, isolated from the wider ensemble, offering a direct link to the era when Saint Seiya established its lasting hold on animation history.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm positive release print of Saint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youth (1988).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean throughout the strip.
Soundtrack
Not visible in this capture; the area beside the picture frame on both sides is obscured by the curl and crop of the strip.
Edge print
A partial character visible at the upper-left corner reads 'W'; no further edge text, key numbers, or SAFETY FILM legend is legible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-golden tint consistent with a colour dye image; no obvious fading or red shift is apparent.
Projection history
Light surface scratching is visible running parallel to the film length across all three frames, consistent with a projected print.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single animated shot and are consistent with the anime feature Saint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youth (1988).
Era check
The positive colour print on what appears to be a safety base, with warm dye saturation typical of late-1980s Japanese theatrical release stock, is consistent with a 1988 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 000063016
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
