Line #60 AudioPlay/SaintBeast


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tcounttosix.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: From the top, left to right, Saint Beasts Luca, Judas, Rey, Shin, Goh, and Gai + Maya and Kira]]
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4	Created by Arisugawa Kei, ''AudioPlay/SaintBeast'' is a {{Yaoi}} series that grew out of characters introduced in ''Anime/AngelTales'' but largely divorced itself from those origins. First a series of audio dramas, it has been adapted to two anime arcs, [=OVAs=], a rather unsuccessful manga, and even a videogame.
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6	The audio dramas follow the growing dissension in Heaven as the god Zeus creates a ranking system among angels, causing competition and jealousy in the formerly paradisic realm. The position of ''Saint Beast'' is widely coveted as it will go to the six highest-ranked angels, who end up being of course, our heroes. Judas, the de facto leader of the group, is particularly troubled by this promotion due to the unrest it has caused and because Zeus sends the six-some on increasingly morally ambiguous missions which they are to follow without question. The anime ''Saint Beast: Kouin Jojishi Tenshi Tan'', commonly referred to as the [[{{Prequel}} prequel series]], follows this material up until Judas' and Luca's decision to oppose Zeus for his growing tyranny.
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8	Skipping large amounts of time and plot, we come to the first-produced anime ''Saint Beast: Seijuu Kourin Hen''. In the intervening time the other [[{{Brainwashed}} four Saint Beasts]] [[FaceHeelTurn had turned on]] Judas and Luca in the war against Zeus. Without their backing, Judas and Luca lost and were banished to hell. The anime picks up with them breaking out of hell, now with a vengeance, and beginning to kidnap guardian angels. The disappearances attract the attention of the Goddess, and the four Saint Beasts are sent to investigate. Some fans consider this short series purely fanservice and deride the plot as contradictory to the established Canon. Either way the ongoing audio drama storyline does turn out rather differently.
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10	The [=OVAs=] ''Saint Beast: Ikusen no Hiru to Yoru Hen'' are largely LighterAndSofter, dealing with the Saint Beasts becoming adult angels and meeting each other. They do however unveil the StartOfDarkness for Zeus, Lucifer, and arguably Judas.
11	----
12	!!''AudioPlay/SaintBeast'' provides examples of:
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14	* AgainstTheSettingSun: Judas and Luca repeatedly end promises or finish important conversations by staring off at the setting sun. ''Kouin Jojishi Tenshi Tan'' finishes with all six main characters deciding to rebel together before gazing at the sunset.
15	* AllThereInTheManual: The anime doesn't explain anything.
16	* AngelicBeauty: A massive [[CastFullOfPrettyBoys cast of pretty boy]] angels.
17	* AnimeHair: Several characters have unusual hair colors or two-tone effects.
18	* AntiGravityClothing: The Goddess.
19	* {{Arcadia}}: Heaven is meant to be like this, but has a sinister edge thanks to the {{Jerkass God\|s}}.
20	* AsceticAesthetic: Zeus' shrine and Heaven's Palace are opulent for their sheer size, but there's very little filling the space and the dominant colour is white.
21	* BeQuietNudge: Goh applies his fist to Gai's head whenever he says something tactless or gets too worked up. Gai never understands what the problem is.
22	* BirdsOfAFeather: Quite literally Rey and Luca, who are brought together by their ability to fly.
23	* BoysLove: Generally considered shounen-ai although the audio dramas are more explicit than the very tame anime series
24	* BreakingTheFellowship: The formerly inseparable Saint Beasts are drawn apart after four of them [[CavalryBetrayal betray]] the other two as a result of being BrainwashedAndCrazy and Judas and Luca get sent to hell. Then, after shaking off the brainwashing and plotting to save their friends [[spoiler:the other four are being betrayed in turn by the goddess, separated and TakenForGranite]].
25	* [[BrotherSisterIncest Brother-Brother Incest]]: Definitely played with in Kira and Maya, particularly in the official art.
26	* CastFullOfPrettyBoys: Just look at the page picture. Or the character sheet.
27	* CallForward: In the [=OVAs=], young Kira and Maya are searching around the treasury and find the twins of Saint Beast weapons that will eventually be used to {{brainwash}} Goh, Shin, Rey, and Gai.
28	* CatapultNightmare: Goh has one at the start of the first OVA.
29	* CavalryBetrayal[=/=]TreacherousAdvisor: Due to {{brainwashing}}, Goh, Shin, Rey and Gai turn against Luca and Judas at the moment they are most needed. Then, after Judas and Luca go to hell, [[spoiler:the others plot to free them with the help of the Goddess. The Goddess is sick of fighting however and sells them out to Zeus, and they get TakenForGranite and have their souls sealed away in darkness. And Judas and Luca are still stuck in hell.]]
30	* ChainOfPeople: A giant one at the end of the first anime, all being held up by Rey. [[spoiler:Of course, they end up collapsing anyway, thanks to Hell.]]
31	* ChangeTheUncomfortableSubject: Luca is the main instigator of this, knowing that relating mutinous sentiments are very dangerous under the tyrannical rule of Zeus. Pandora also tries to guide Judas away from defiance at the end of the prequel series with Judas indicating that he's done silencing himself and intends to openly defy Zeus' rule.
32	* ChastityCouple: Both Judas and Shin and Rey and Luca are portrayed as romantically linked, but physically the most ever they do is hug in the anime.
33	* ChekhovsGun[=/=]SomedayThisWillComeInHandy: An angel helping Shin move drops a stack of his books, and the first one Shin picks up is about witchcraft transformation. The MonsterOfTheWeek? An evil tree that's actually an angel who underwent witchcraft transformation.
34	* ChildhoodFriends: Judas and Luca, Gai and Goh, and Rey and Shin are all childhood friends. Judas and Luca's friendship is explicitly the "person who you trust the most and knows you better than anyone" kind.
35	* ColourCodedCharacters:
36	** Judas - purple - Nobility, command and also possibly a reference to his potential for evil.
37	** Luca - teal- Reflects both TheLancer aspect and [[TheQuietOne a certain mystery]].
38	** Goh - blue - His [[TheHero heroic]] nature as well as cool-headedness.
39	** Shin - black - Definitely [[DarkIsNotEvil not evil]], perhaps a certain comprehensiveness.
40	** Rey - red - - Passion, TheHeart.
41	** Gai - white - Innocence/naivete and energy.
42	* CompressedAdaptation: The 2007 anime does not cover very much of the story, and as a result, Seija, the Goddess, and Takeru are all absent.
43	* CrashIntoHello: Gai and Maya crash into each other at the Festival while wearing the [[DressesTheSame exact same home-made cat costume]]. After taking a moment to gawp over this fact, they break out into laughter and decide to become instant friends because strange minds evidently think alike.
44	* CrossoverCosmology: The setting mixes Judeo-Christian monotheism and [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]] with Greek JerkassGods and eastern concepts such as TheFourGods.
45	* CrucifiedHeroShot: [[spoiler:Shin]] is crucified by Zeus as punishment for stealing PandorasBox, but being an angel, he survives. [[FridgeHorror Which might even be worse]].
46	* DividedWeFall: The failure of the rebellion can be directly attributed to the [[spoiler:forcibly]] FaceHeelTurn of four of the six Saint Beasts.
47	* DivingSave: Luca saves Rey from falling rocks (that Rey blew up) in both anime versions. In the first, it's played off as something of a MeetCute RescueRomance whereas the second {{retcon}}ned it into happening during training practice, long after they had met.
48	* DraggedByTheCollar: Instead of waiting for Shiva to say he'll help them with the festival preparations, Gai grabs his wrist and starts dragging him along with them. This upsets Shiva even further and he violently wrenches away and runs off.
49	* DraggedOffToHell: [[spoiler:Shiva]] in the first anime.
50	* DramaticHighPerching: All the characters (but particularly Judas) spend time standing around on cliffs, trees, and other tall objects which add a sense of the dramatic. Zeus doesn't always have to even stand on anything when he can just float above everybody when he likes.
51	* ElementalPowers: Though they run against [[TheFourGods expectation]] Goh has Fire, Rey has Ice (Water), Shin has Wind and Gai has Earth. Judas and Luca appear to have powers involving light and [[DarkIsNotEvil darkness]] respectively, a theme which comes out in their personalities too.
52	* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: Subverted as there is one training academy in heaven and everyone did go there but only a few of them met during that time because they were learning different disciplines.
53	* {{Expy}}: The only difference between Lucifer and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]] is hair colour. Oddly enough, Sephiroth's usual voice actor plays Goh.
54	* FallenAngel: Lucifer and Gabriel. While kind of evil, it's hard to say they were wrong to fall however.
55	* FeminineWomenCanCook: Gender inverted. Rey is [[TheHeart the most]] [[PrettyBoy feminine]] angel in the show and the designated cook among them. Surprisingly though, the second-best cook is [[TheHero Judas]].
56	* FantasticRacism: Kira and Maya are the subject of it for being half-human half-angels. Made even more prominent because, though most don't know it, they are the sons of Lucifer and are treated specially by Zeus as a result.
57	* FlashbackNightmare: Both Goh and Shin have dreams of the war in heaven at the beginning and end of the [=OVAs=]. Zeus has a flashback daydream in the first [=OVA=] as well.
58	* FlightStrengthHeart: Luca got flight, strength, and ''the ability to read minds with his fingertips''--and that last one was the one he really wanted...
59	* ForgottenFirstMeeting: In the drama cds, Rey reveals to Shin that he had met Luca long before the day he actually introduced himself, and felt guilty for hiding it. In their adolescence, Luca found Rey crying and lost in a forest and led him out. After searching out his rescuer, Rey was too embarrassed to introduce himself until many years later when he received wings and felt he had something to bond over. Shin remarks that Luca probably knew all along and was too gracious to say anything.
60	* TheFourGods: Where the series gets its name from, these animals are associated with Goh, Gai, Rey and Shin. There is an actual distinction made between the Vermilion Bird and ThePhoenix in this case, with the former title going to Rey and the latter to Luca.
61	* FullCircleRevolution: Zeus overthrows a tyranny and subsequently becomes a tyrant leading to another (failed) rebellion.
62	* TheGoodTheBadAndTheEvil: The Saint Beasts are the good, Lucifer is the bad, and Zeus is the evil although initially, the latter two seem the other way around. The angels know things aren't right with the missions Zeus is sending them on but reject Lucifer's offer to join him because they know he's responsible for demons attacking humans. Then they finally decide to rebel against Zeus and end up on the same side as Lucifer without actually agreeing to work together.
63	* GoodWingsEvilWings: All the angels who get sealed in hell have their wings turned black.
64	* HalfHumanHybrid: Kira and Maya's mother is human, and their father is the angel Lucifer.
65	* HappyFlashback: The [=OVAs=] are meant to be this, although they are tinged with hints of [[CallForward darker things to come]].
66	* HarpOfFemininity: Shin is an effeminate male example.
67	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Judas and Luca full stop, and Goh and Gai if you consider them JustFriends. Surprisingly Rey and Shin avert this. Despite having known each other for as long as the others and being the non-[[CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds romantic loose ends]] of the group in this respect, they interact more closely with the other four instead of each other when they grow up (Rey->[[LoveInterest Luca]] and [[{{Foil}} Gai]]; Shin->[[LoveInterest Judas]] and [[BigBrotherMentor Goh]]). All six consider each other TrueCompanions however.
68	* HopeSpot: The remaining Saint Beasts get one when they think they will succeed in rescuing Judas and Luca. [[spoiler:They get separated and [[TakenForGranite turned to stone]] instead.]]
69	* HotGod: Zeus. The Goddess qualifies for this as well.
70	* IcePalace: Zeus turns the palace where the Saint Beasts live into an ice palace and imprisons them there as punishment for disobeying.
71	* IKissYourHand: Judas does this as obeisance to Zeus.
72	* ImageSong: Seeing as the series has an AllStarCast of VoiceActors, there are multiple image songs and cds for the series.
73	* ImHavingSoulPains: The prequel series ends with Judas and Luca in critical condition due not to physical wounds, but being polluted by the miasma of the evil spirits.
74	* InnerMonologue: Judas is very prone to this, as a lot of what he is thinking about is treason.
75	* KissingDiscretionShot: In episode 11 of ''Kouin Jojishi Tenshi Tan'', Luca and Rey lean in ''really'' close to each other, Rey grabs Luca's hand and put it on his cheek, presumably so he can mind-read the LoveConfession that Rey [[CannotSpitItOut cannot spit out]], and then the screen fades to black. DidTheyOrDidntThey, indeed.
76	* LaResistance: The Saint Beasts lead it until four of them end up BrainwashedAndCrazy leading to their failure and Judas and Luca taking the fall for it.
77	* LongHairedPrettyBoy: So very many.
78	* MeaningfulEcho: In episode 3 Luca telling Rey: "All you have to do is follow me," is a tender moment, but when it's echoed in episode 8 with Zeus [[spoiler:(his father)]] giving this as an order to Judas, it's far more sinister.
79	* MindHive: The monster at the end of ''Kouin Jojishi Tenshi Tan'' is made up of the angry spirits of purged angels, sharing one giant body of miasma. A similar case occurs earlier with the dead of the lake town.
80	* NoBloodTies: Angels are described as being created through the love of God and have no man-woman distinction so blood relationships are impossible. Humans and gods, however, can reproduce normally resulting in the half-human half-angels Kira and Maya, sons of Lucifer, and [[spoiler:[[AmnesiacGod Luca]], Zeus' son.]]
81	* OddlyVisibleEyebrows: All the characters have their eyes shown through their hair.
82	* OfficialCouple: Judas/Shin and Luca/Rey most clearly.
83	* TheOldGods: There was another set of gods led by Kronos before Zeus became the high god by destroying them (the implication being because they were AbusivePrecursors).
84	* OminousLatinChanting: There is a little in the [=OVA=] soundtrack mixing up the Sanctus and some other GratuitousLatin.
85	* OpeningMonologue: The opening and closing narration appear to frame the story in both the [=OVAs=] and the prequel series--which has it in GratuitousEnglish to boot).
86	* OvernightAgeUp: Angels have three stages of maturity, infancy, adolescence, and adulthood, and are transformed abruptly from one to the next by Zeus rather than gradual aging. The [=OVAs=] begin with the main characters having their final Age of Conversion ceremony, becoming adults.
87	* TheParagonAlwaysRebels: Lucifer and Gabriel. History then repeats itself with Judas and Luca.
88	* PowerGivesYouWings: Rey gets functional wings bestowed on him at the Day of Benediction ceremony as mediated sort of power-up. Luca's conversely appears under duress, also fitting this trope. These wings exhibit PowerGlows and are made of PureEnergy.
89	*** OurAngelsAreDifferent: Though it seems all angels have wings, only a select few have ones that allow them to fly, an odd distinction.
90	%%* ThePowerOfLove: How Shin overcomes the brainwashing.
91	* ThePurge: At Judas' request Zeus starts a yearly ritual of purging all the impure angels in heaven. He starts to enjoy it way too much.
92	* PurityPersonified: This is what the angels think they and Zeus are ''supposed'' to be, but slowly start to learn it is not what they ''are''.
93	* QuiveringEyes: Used in emotional scenes, such as Maya throwing a tantrum over Kira wanting to leave heaven, and Rey and Luca promising to always fly together.
94	* RageAgainstTheHeavens: It's a story of angels rising up against a tyrant god.
95	* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler:Zeus to Judas in the audio dramas.]]
96	* RedOniBlueOni: Judas (blue) and Goh (red) are portrayed this way in the opening titles of ''Kouin Jojishi Tenshi Tan'', which is interesting [[WildMassGuessing food for thought]] given that both are variations of TheHero ''and'' you might expect the colours to have been reversed.
97	* SceneryPorn: There is a lot of time spent panning over the peaceful scenery of heaven in the anime.
98	* ShiningCity: Zeus' shrine has a white-and-gold neo-classical aesthetic and sits on top of a giant plateau which is only accessible by an extremely long, steep staircase, setting it off from the surrounding scenery.
99	* ShowWithinAShow: The ''Poison Saint'' anime that pops up on television on Earth. Incidentally, it recaps in SuperDeformed style things the characters just did, yet the characters never react to it as being about them and Gai particularly likes watching it.
100	* SolemnEndingTheme: In comparison to the more HotBlooded opening theme and first and third endings, "Tsubasa Aru Mono," the second ending song from ''Kouin Jojishi Tenshi Tan'' is very subdued and gentle.
101	* SoundToScreenAdaptation: Adapted from a popular drama cd series.
102	* SplitScreenReaction: To be expected, considering there are six protagonists and it's a standard action scene trope.
103	* TakenForGranite: While plotting to [[spoiler:break Judas and Luca out of hell, the other four Saint Beasts are betrayed by the Goddess and turned to stone. After years pass, [[ChekhovsGunman Saki]] manages to free Goh.]]
104	* TasteTheRainbow: The series has {{Bishonen}} of every shape, size, archetypal personality, and shipping potential a fangirl could want. And they probably do cover the entire rainbow as far as hair colour goes.
105	* TearfulSmile: Maya wakes up Shin from a HappyFlashback turned FlashbackNightmare and asks why he's crying. Shin responds that he's crying over happy memories, and when pressed further, explains it's because he's sad that those times are now over.
106	* TreasureRoom: There's one in the shrine, which Kira and Maya go poking about when they aren't supposed to. It's also where the [[ChekhovsGun Case of Hope and the dark pairings of the Saint Beasts' weapons]] are kept.
107	* TreeCover: Shiva breathes this trope. It's even lampshaded in some of the more playful [[http://www.animepaper.net/art/116643/funny-chibis official]] [[http://www.animepaper.net/art/59345/saint-beast-picture art]].
108	* TrueCompanions: The six Saint Beasts. Unfortunately [[spoiler:brainwashing can override friendship]].
109	* WingsDoNothing: Wings that do ''something'' are viewed as a "power" in the series, meaning most angelic characters have wings that do nothing if it's not granted to them. These wings tend to be hidden as such.
110	* WorldTree: The tree that stands in front of the training hall is infused with memories of the angels who spent time there, allowing Kira and Maya to access them and gather courage before taking their first step toward adulthood.
111	* YankTheDogsChain: Whether the protagonists will ever succeed is up for debate, but up to this point things keep getting worse for them every time they get a HopeSpot.
112	* YouMustBeCold: Judas gives his cloak away twice in the [=OVAs=]. Once to Shin in the typical fashion, and the other time to Pandora after saving him from an AttemptedRape because he had ClothingDamage of the shameful kind.

Context AudioPlay / SaintBeast