The 2023 fantasy action movie,Knights of the Zodiac, based on a successful anime, proved itself to be as disappointing as its live-action anime predecessor that was released 14 years prior. Directed by Tomek Bagiński,Knights of the Zodiacfollows a young orphan named Seiya, who spends his time fighting on the streets for money, while at the same time, searching for his sister, Patricia, who was abducted as a child.The cast ofKnights of the Zodiacbrings the acclaimed characters from the anime to life as Seiya uncovers his destiny to save the Earth.
Knights of the Zodiacwas adapted from the manga series,Saint Seiyaby Masami Kurumada, which ran from 1985 to 1990; the manga inspired several spin-off series and an anime series which ran for more than 100 episodes. A live-action adaptation of the manga had been anticipated for years, but upon release in 2023,reviews ofKnights of the Zodiaccriticized the movie for its plot and miscasting. While it had the potential to be a great action movie,Knights of the Zodiacunfortunately made the same mistakes that ruined the live-action adaptation ofDragonball Evolution,released in 2009.
Both Knights Of The Zodiac & Dragonball Evolution Were Critically Panned
The series' creator, Masami Kurumada, had planned a live-action adaptation of hisSaint Seiyaseries since the 1990s, with Toei Animation announcing its development in 2016 (viaVariety). However, upon release,Knights of the Zodiacunder-performed in terms of success, becoming one of the biggest box office bombs of 2023 (viaSoftonic). Critics stated thatKnights of the Zodiac"teases an epic journey, but execution is quite the sluggish opposite," and proved to be as bad asDragonball Evolution(viaIGN). The negative response towardsKnights of the Zodiacmakes it uncertain if the franchise will continue in the future.
2009
14%
Knights of the Zodiac
2023
21%
$60 Million
$7 Million
As one of the most popular manga series of all time, there were high expectations for aDragon Balllive-action movie, butDragonball Evolutionwas a critical and commercial disaster upon release. Receiving a score of only 14% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossing only $56 million at the box office,Dragonball Evolutionhas since been ranked asone of the worst live-action movies based on anime. WhileKnights of the Zodiacreceived a slightly higher score on Rotten Tomatoes, scoring 21% from critics, its lack of proper visionmakes it just as bad a live-action adaptation asDragonball Evolution.
Knights Of The Zodiac Repeated The Same Mistakes From Dragonball Evolution
Both Movies Failed To Fully Embrace Their Source Material
One place whereDragonball Evolutionwent wrongwere its visual effects and reliance on poor CGI throughout the movie’s battle sequences and depictions of Goku’s Kamehameha. Critics described the effects inDragonball Evolutionas “cobbled-together FX fakery” and “seemingly edited so as to disguise a general lack of necessary footage” (viaSlant Magazine).Knights of the Zodiacalso used visual effects throughout the movie; similar to its 2009 anime predecessor, critics felt the CGI inKnights of the Zodiacwasn’t enough to add anything significant to its “badly written and predictable” storyline (viaIGN South East Asia).
The reason whyKnights of the Zodiacflopped with critics and viewers was that it was afraid of embracing its source material. The movie adaptation ofKnights of the Zodiacmadeseveral changes from the originalSaint Seiyamanga, including omitting characters such as the Bronze Knights, Cygnus Hyoga, Andromeda Shun, and Dragon Shiryu, and changing Seiya’s backstory from the manga, which proved unpopular with viewers. These unnecessary changes meantKnights of the Zodiacmade the same mistake asDragonball Evolution, which also received heavy criticism forits inaccurate depiction of Gokuand lack of faithfulness to the original manga.
Dragon Ball And Saint Seiya Deserve Better Live-Action Movies Than What They Got
Saint Seiya & Dragon Ball Are Considered Some Of The Greatest Animes Of All Time
BothSaint SeiyaandDragon Ballare considered two of the greatest manga series, and certainly deserve better live-action adaptations. TheSaint Seiyaseries had the perfect blend of fantasy, action, and mythology that made it one of the most popular manga ever created. While it remains uncertainifKnights of the Zodiac 2will happen, a sequel to the live-action movie could potentially utilize the themes, characters, and action that were missing from the original. The franchise’s 40th anniversary and the release of new content means thatDragon Ballalso deserves a better live-action movie.
Dragon Ball’s Disastrous Live-Action Movie With 14% On Rotten Tomatoes Could’ve Been Fixed With One Simple Saiyan Change
Dragonball Evolution told the most bizarre alternate universe Dragon Ball story possible, yet its premise would’ve worked for a different character.
In recent times,Hollywood has been turning a new corner with its live-action anime adaptations, as seen with theOne Pieceseries on Netflix and the announcement of a live-actionBakuganmovie.The critical success of theOne Pieceserieson Netflix shows that live-action anime adaptations can work, provided that they remain faithful to their source material, cast the right actors, and collaborate with those who understand the original stories. These are aspects that the cast and crew ofKnights of the Zodiacshould have used to avoid making the same mistakes that ruinedDragonball Evolution14 years ago.
Cast
Knights of the Zodiac is a 2023 fantasy movie based on Masami Kurumada’s manga titled Saint Seiya. The film was originally released at the end of April 2023 in Japan before hitting select theaters in the United States in early May. The film centers on Seiya, a street orphan who discovers he is destined to protect a young girl that is a reincarnated goddess.
