Saint Seiya is being removed from Netflix's services and will no longer be on the streaming service after December 14th. Saint Seiya is a Japanese manga that was adapted into an anime and was widely popular during the late 90s.
Saint Seiya is a Japanese Manga turned anime that many fans loved. The story follows a character by the name of Seiya who is a part of a group of mystical warriors called the Saints that engage in battle a set of armor which the series calls, "cloths". Each of the characters' designs come from constellations they took as their guardian symbols. The Saints are tasked with defending the reincarnation of the Greek goddess Athena from the other Olympian gods that want to take over the planet.
The series had a strong cult following and was also widely recognized among the Anime community. In fact, it was so popular that it received multiple spin-offs as well as adaptations and movies that most anime or other cartoons just don't get. Just as with Cowboy Beebop, this IP also is getting a live-action adaptation and only time will tell if it has the same impact the anime did.
Another aspect of it was the openings that many fans loved. As many casual and of course hardcore fans know animes are usually praised for their openings. It can make or break a show, this even translates to other forms of television series (live-action / animated series). An intro sets the tone, it sets the vibe and gets the fans hyped to begin the next chapter in a show.
It's unclear as to why Netflix is removing this anime from its services but one thing that's clear is that there aren't any plans to renew its license. This anime was otherwise very hard to find for most, only being available on limited sites or physical copies. So when fans heard a while back that it would be streamable on Netflix in its full entirety, the news was too good to be true and they were incredibly thrilled however it, unfortunately, didn't last as long as one would hope.
Netflix, however, will keep the content rolling. The company just cast Uncle Iroh in their upcoming Avatar The Last Airbender live-action series and it's very clear that Netflix will not slow down with the anime-inspired content anytime soon. Anime is becoming very popular and universally acclaimed as well as accepted. Demon Slayer and Attack On Titan have both become pop culture phenomena, both with a massive presence on social media.
With any luck, this won't be the last that fans see of Saint Seiya and the live-action adaptation will do well enough to revitalize the series. As far as promotion goes, the live-action series will hopefully be as heavily promoted as Cowboy Bebop, seeing as it has managed to attract a good audience for the show. Fans have around a month to finish streaming the show and get as much as they can.
Saint Seiya is currently available on Netflix until December 14th
Source: ComicBook.Com