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 Zodiac follows 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 of Knights of the Zodiac brings the acclaimed characters from the anime to life as Seiya uncovers his destiny to save the Earth.

Knights of the Zodiac was adapted from the manga series, Saint Seiya by 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 of Knights of the Zodiac criticized the movie for its plot and miscasting. While it had the potential to be a great action movie, Knights of the Zodiac unfortunately made the same mistakes that ruined the live-action adaptation of Dragonball Evolution, released in 2009.

Knights Of The Zodiac Was Sadly As Bad As Dragonball Evolution

Both Knights Of The Zodiac & Dragonball Evolution Were Critically Panned

The series’ creator, Masami Kurumada, had planned a live-action adaptation of his Saint Seiya series since the 1990s, with Toei Animation announcing its development in 2016 (via Variety). However, upon release, Knights of the Zodiac under-performed in terms of success, becoming one of the biggest box office bombs of 2023 (via Softonic). Critics stated that Knights of the Zodiac “teases an epic journey, but execution is quite the sluggish opposite,” and proved to be as bad as Dragonball Evolution (via IGN). The negative response towards Knights of the Zodiac makes it uncertain if the franchise will continue in the future.

As one of the most popular manga series of all time, there were high expectations for a Dragon Ball live-action movie, but Dragonball Evolution was 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 Evolution has since been ranked as one of the worst live-action movies based on anime. While Knights of the Zodiac received a slightly higher score on Rotten Tomatoes, scoring 21% from critics, its lack of proper vision makes it just as bad a live-action adaptation as Dragonball Evolution.

Knights Of The Zodiac Repeated The Same Mistakes From Dragonball Evolution

Both Movies Failed To Fully Embrace Their Source Material

One place where Dragonball Evolution went wrong were its visual effects and reliance on poor CGI throughout the movie’s battle sequences and depictions of Goku’s Kamehameha. Critics described the effects in Dragonball Evolution as “cobbled-together FX fakery” and “seemingly edited so as to disguise a general lack of necessary footage” (via Slant Magazine). Knights of the Zodiac also used visual effects throughout the movie; similar to its 2009 anime predecessor, critics felt the CGI in Knights of the Zodiac wasn’t enough to add anything significant to its “badly written and predictable” storyline (via IGN South East Asia).

The reason why Knights of the Zodiac flopped with critics and viewers was that it was afraid of embracing its source material. The movie adaptation of Knights of the Zodiac made several changes from the original Saint Seiya manga, 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 meant Knights of the Zodiac made the same mistake as Dragonball Evolution, which also received heavy criticism for its inaccurate depiction of Goku and 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

Both Saint Seiya and Dragon Ball are considered two of the greatest manga series, and certainly deserve better live-action adaptations. The Saint Seiya series had the perfect blend of fantasy, action, and mythology that made it one of the most popular manga ever created. While it remains uncertain if Knights of the Zodiac 2 will 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 that Dragon Ball also deserves a better live-action movie.

In recent times, Hollywood has been turning a new corner with its live-action anime adaptations, as seen with the One Piece series on Netflix and the announcement of a live-action Bakugan movie. The critical success of the One Piece series on 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 of Knights of the Zodiac should have used to avoid making the same mistakes that ruined Dragonball Evolution 14 years ago.

Source: Variety, Softonic, IGN, Slant Magazine, IGN South East Asia