English Dub Review: Saint Seiya: Battle for Sanctuary “The Land of the Dead”

Overview:

Long takes on the Gold Knight of Cancer: Deathmask.

Our Take:

Seiya and Long enter a creepy domain filled with severed human faces. This lair belongs to the Gold Knight of Cancer: Deathmask. He had previously attacked Long’s master, Dohko, which prompts Long to stay behind and fight while Seiya goes on ahead.

The two battle and Long gets sent to the land of the dead twice during this fight. During his second visit, he hears Shunrei praying for his safety. Deathmask hears her too and goes to send Long to Hell himself. He puts Shunrei in danger for good measure, which sends Long into a rage.

There’s also a subplot in which Marin and Genet ask Mu and Aldebaran for help on their quest. The Gold Knights agree to assist them, despite being hesitant at first.

The battle in this episode is fine. There’s also a decent backstory showing the bond between Long and Shunrei. I will say that Deathmask feels like the biggest threat so far and I appreciate that.

I still don’t fully understand how the land of the dead works. I guess it’s also for people who are near death since Long sees Magnus and Sienna there as well. It’s also interesting that Long regains his eyesight when he’s there. I’m not too sure how that works either. The fight leaves off in that location, so it’s possible it will be explained a little more.