#gladiatori 2009

[con-la-forza-del-sole]

Today marks the 17th anniversary of an animated series that remains largely unknown.

Gladiators: The Tournament of the 7 Wonders feels like a cross between Avatar: The Last Airbender, W.I.T.C.H., and Netflix's Blood of Zeus. It is a darker and edgier gem of the same studio that made Angel's Friends.

No, it's not just about fighting.

This is a tale of force and courage, of moral complexity and inner growth, of survival and sacrifice, and of loyal friends united by the light. Beautifully animated, with an array of diverse characters and locations, this series deserves to finally be recognised.

Check out the opening theme and see for yourself ⚔

[con-la-forza-del-sole]

sigh

Original meme by pom

[con-la-forza-del-sole]

Gladiatori text posts, part II

[con-la-forza-del-sole]

Gladiatori text posts, part III

[con-la-forza-del-sole]

Gladiatori text posts, part I

[con-la-forza-del-sole]

Canidia should've had better character development.

There is literally one moment in the whole series that explains her motivation – in the first episode, when Catilius asks her about her motives, and she replies, "Vengeance." Among her other horrible deeds, Canidia is poisoning the emperor while posing as his friend solely because she wants revenge. Revenge for what exactly?

Well, according to the (archived, currently absent) character description on the Mondo TV site, they were childhood friends and grew up together; they're about the same age as well. She was in love with Hadrian, but he chose another, and now he's oblivious to whatever evil Canidia is doing behind his back. There are many things he's oblivious to. The topic of her feelings/attitude towards Hadrian is never explored, which is, in my opinion, a pity. Gutta could be involved in their conflict as well, assuming he's a blood son of Canidia and not just a random corpse.

Canidia doesn't have to be a one-dimensional power-hungry religious fanatic. I'd love to know more about her backstory, relationships with the surrounding characters, her reasoning for being a High Priestess of a god who's highly unpopular in Rome. Come on, creators. I don't want your wicked old hag. Give me a spurned young woman, a dedicated practitioner, a pained mother, after all. Show people what, or who, made her into a monster.

[con-la-forza-del-sole]

Hello, folks!

This is a fan blog dedicated to Gladiatori: Il Torneo Delle 7 Meraviglie (eng. Gladiators: The Tournament of the 7 Wonders), an Italian animated series from the late 2000s. Despite winning several awards, it received very little recognition and remains an obscure piece of media. The goal of this blog is to make it less obscure.

I’ve been in the Gladiatori fandom for over a decade and still hyperfixate on it from time to time. I like sharing my thoughts and theories, making silly text posts, editing the page on TV Tropes, and drawing, but not enough to call myself an artist. I'm also rather talkative.

There is no posting schedule, so updates may be infrequent.

The published content is made by me, unless credited/specified otherwise. The series and everything in it is obviously not mine.

The name con la forza del sole (“with the strength/might of the sun”) was borrowed from the opening theme’s lyrics. Non parlo italiano ma spero di continuare a impararlo un giorno.

The English dub is overwhelming and inaccurate.

The Italian dub is superior.

That’s it.

Peace!

[con-la-forza-del-sole]

For those of you who is new to the fandom (or simply hasn’t heard about this before), visit the Gladiatori page on TV Tropes! The site works like a more informal version of Wikipedia and is focused on the use of tropes in media. I’ve created that page a while ago and am slowly working on expanding it. It currently includes several pages in different categories, check them out too. Any help with editing/adding material would be appreciated.