It is rather hard to believe but we’ve watched all of Legend of the Galactic Heroes. ALL OF IT! But it seems like less of a celebrated victory and more of a melancholy reality that this is all there is to the epic of Reinhard and Yang. I don’t have to say too much because if you’ve made it to the movies you are already invested. But actually  it is worth nothing that you could watch (two out of three) the films to know if this is a series you want to dive into.

And so we come full circle with Legend of the Galactic Heroes. We started in the middle of Reinhard’s plot to overthrow the Empire and followed Yang and Reinhard’s rise and fall through the ranks in four arcs as both men tried to nurture their ideals. We then went back with two side stories that showed how both men were molded by the corrupt systems that raised them but remained true to higher ideals. These last three movies tie both of the halves together. Our lasts steps in this unimaginable space operas has us re-examining where it all began.

1988 introduced the first Legend of the Galactic Heroes movie called My Conquest is the Sea of Stars. It is the most immediate prequel to the main series that takes place shortly before episode 1. While Yang Wen-li and Reinhard von Müsel have been on opposite sides of the battlefield previously in this movie is the first time they truly go head to head and start to learn what a formidable foe the other one is. In 1992 the Golden Wings came out. Another prequel to main story it covers Reinhard’s rise to the ranks. It is mostly known for its radical departure in characters designs, mechanical designs, and voice actors. And finally 1993 gives us an Overture to a New War which is an expanded retelling of the first two episodes of the main OVA series. This time there is more information from the novels on the screen as well as theatrical levels animation. These three movies are the bridge between the gaiden series and the main series.

My Conquest is the Sea of Stars while technically a prequel, does nothing that makes it difficult to start at this point. Despite it being a movie, it fits in seamlessly with the series both storytelling and animation wise. Here Yang and Reinhard get a taste of each other’s battle prowess, which is significant not only because it informs their relationship for the entire series. But also it shows that the world is changing, no longer is it just incompetence leading, these two can change the tides of war.  Yes, finally seeing where the rivalry between Yang and Reinhard comes from has more impact if you know them, but the battle is still memorable. And the original series isn’t info dumping you who everyone is at the beginning anyway, so you pick up on little things as you learn the characters.

We actually started watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes by watching My Conquest is the Sea of Stars. If you are in it to win it then this is a great place to start. It is the first direct confrontation that Yang and Reinhard have on the battlefield and it perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the series. We see the high and lows of both sides of the conflict with the haughty and spoiled aristocracy of the Empire and the corrupt and bureaucratic chaos that is the Alliance. Yang and Reinhard both get moments to shine and show how they are unique and extraordinary thinkers in stark contrast to the incompetents around them. We also see Yang’s penchant for speaking with the Bard’s Tongue as a running theme of the series. You know the second Yang goes, “Well as long as XXXX does not happen” it means they are going to cut right to XXXX happening while the people above him ignore his warnings. We get a few scenes with all the major players of the first arc as well like Mittermeyer and Dusty. Along side Yang and Reinhard’s story we also follow the story on two gunners in the Imperial navy. Their story in an interesting insight into what the grunts think on the Imperial side as opposed to the high level maneuvering we normally see from the Empire. Sadly these two characters never appear again in the series. The animation for this movie is like an excellent episode of the main series but it will not make you gasp at how radically different the budget is.  This a solid entry to the series and sets up the material that follows it flawlessly.

Golden Wings starts earlier than any other beginning from the series, with Reinhard and Kircheis’s early boyhood. We see them join the military together and engage in their first big battle as well as going against some of the nobility. Things that happen in this film are the foundations for what Reinhard and Kircheis are known for; being an unstoppable team; taking aristocracy down a notch; proving to the common soldiers they are capable; and yet, this movie is terrible. It isn’t just bad because I have expectations for the series or about how characters should look and sound. If the dull dialogue and amateur story progression doesn’t practically put you to sleep it is because you are dumbfounded by the villain and laughing at the horrid facial expressions of the cast. Don’t watch this if you are unfamiliar with Legend of the Galactic Heroes! I say this because on a certain level this movie is hilariously bad for fans who might be curious. Even though this seems like a film that is specifically trying to bring in a new audience to the franchise, they do it not one bit of justice.

My goodness. Golden Wings certainly lives up to its infamous reputation. Obviously someone thought that if they played around with the appearance of Legend of the Galactic Heroes they could get a new audience. The only voice actor who is consistent is the narrator and he does not spoil anything with innuendo about the future so is he REALLY the Legend of the Galactic Heroes narrator we have come to know and love? The characters designs just look so painfully early 90s especially when compared to the more timeless versions from the original series. You know who everyone is on the Empire side but Yang and the Alliance officers look like they are all characters from another series. Also the villain of this story looks like the least popular member of a second-rate goth rock band. The imperial uniforms are a tacky purple affair that look more like school uniforms. The story is clearly your standard Gaiden story about someone trying to kill Reinhard as he rises through the ranks. The problem is without the panache of the original the story just comes off as a serviceable but forgettable throw away 90s OVA. The less we say about this the better. They wisely abandoned this experiment and went back to the style that severed them so well for the rest of the series. It is worth seeing as a bizarre misstep in the franchise but hardly a priority bit of viewing like the rest of the series. Just make sure no one sees this as their first exposure to the series as it gives a bad first impression.

Having gone through such a huge story then seeing it from the beginning once again in Overture to a New War was like breathing new life into it. This was a stunning finish (I am ignoring Golden Wings) to an amazing series. Here we see the world begin to shift as two larger-than-life personalities collide and change the course of a war that is seemingly never ending. Reinhard, Yang, and every detail of the show is rendered in crisp, film quality animation. Overture to a New War shows all the potential of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, my only complaint would be how little of the amazing cast (read as: not enough Reuenthal) appears at this juncture.

To make up for the debacle that was the Golden Wings we end with Overture to a New War. For every misstep that Golden Wings made Overture to a New War does the same thing with unprecedented style. Overture to a New War is a re-telling of the first two episodes of the main series with luscious theatrical animation. Anyone who has seen the main series will tell you that the budget on the first two episodes is sort of low as they were not yet sure how successful this series would be so the ability to go back and redo those episodes with some major money is wonderful. It tells the story of the initial battle that would truly spark the rest of the series into being. We get parts of the story expand upon like the love triangle between Yang, Lap, and Jessica. It was the perfect way to end the series. It lets us go back to the start of the story and remember everything we loved about the series with the highest quality possible. If you have are trying to get someone who is reluctant to watch the series you might want to start with this movie. While nothing else in the series sadly looks as nice its initial wow factor cannot be denied.

It is really sad to let this series go. Considering how long Legend of the Galactic Heroes is, that the quality of its storytelling never wanes except for one film in its collective, and that there is still so much that I want to know about its people, this is a feat by any scale. It is one of the best in anime, a pinnacle, which will age gracefully and will never be forgotten.

And we have come to the end of the road. After starting this series it has been an amazing journey of 162 episode and 3 movies. But we have finally come to the point were there is no more Legend of the Galactic Heroes to watch. I finish the series with a mixture of joy and sadness. I am proud to have finished such an amazing and one of a kind series. It was an incredible epic that truly shows you what animation can accomplish. And the same time now I know there is no more is the series to watch so it fills me up with a bitter sweet regret. It is like parting with an unforgettable person that you sadly know you will never see again.  But even if you never see them again the time you spent together has enriched and shaped your life for the better. We will probably never be fully done talking about this series. I know we have a podcast about the series coming some time in the future. I am sure that articles on the blog will analyze various parts of the series and we will reference this show as a meter stick for wide range of topics. But for now we close the book on this masterpiece and urge you to open up the book for yourself if you have not already done so.

Warning: We assume that you have watched the main series of Legend of the Galactic Heroes (the original 110 episode OVA) before reading this. We will not spoil anything major in the Gaiden series but everything and anything in the main part is fair game.

I don’t know how many introductions I can write for Legend of the Galactic Heroes without constantly repeating myself. It is the best of the best when it comes to Space Opera and the side stories follow in those footsteps.

The first Gaiden series of Legend of the Galactic Heroes centered solely around Reinhard’s rising through the ranks with a minor guest appearance by Schenkopp and an even smaller cameo appearance by Yang. To make up for it the longest arc in this second Gaiden series is a look into Yang’s early career. And that is a decent recompense for his overall secondary status as a protagonist throughout the series. Of course we get more of Reinhard climbing of the ladder but the Blonde Brat has always had greater ambition than the simple living historian. Yang always tries to get away from complications in his life while Reinhard lives for them.

None of us fool ourselves into thinking that Legend of the Galactic Heroes isn’t the story of Reinhard, but happily half of this second gaiden series is also dedicated to Yang in his younger years, too. There are plenty of elements of surprise in the series, even though some things are obviously marred by us already knowing the future outcome of certain characters. The narrator also likes to harp on this by continuing the tradition of saying ominous things. But, ha!, this time he can’t ruin it for us.

This story begins with Yang’s early life and how he eventually found himself with no other option but joining the military which leads him to becoming the hero of El Facil. With his uneasy fame he is assigned to investigate the life and death of the Alliance hero, Bruce Ashbey. As Yang digs deeper into Ashby’s legacy he finds that it is certainly more complex and sordid than the history books make it out to be and there are many people who wish it to remain that way. Yang’s reluctant search for the truth puts him in harm’s way everywhere from the capital of the Alliance to a prisoner of war planet. At the same time we get some more side stories about the various roles of Reinhard including Reinhard the insurrectionist, Reinhard the rose duelist, Reinhard the privateer, and Reinhard the genius.

Rising through the ranks is kind of a theme for the gaiden stories, but as we know, unlike Reinhard, Yang never sought military achievement. But like Reinhard, trouble seems to follow Yang wherever he ends up and of course he always comes out looking quite good by accident or not. Yang’s disposition hadn’t changed too much from the man he is in these stories. But you do see him realizing the corruption in the government. The murder mystery that Yang is addressing brings in quite a lot of suspicion for him and the audience. I know I constantly found myself thinking someone was pulling strings as Yang’s duties changed. The journey is good, but the final conclusion is a little less than dramatic but perhaps that fits who Yang is. On the other hand, Reinhard always has a flair for drama like getting himself wrapped up in a duel. The old school kind. Or how about a mutiny? This really shows Reinhard’s ability to move people, even winning over the more common soldiers to trusting him. With such a strident class separation in their system, this is vital.

It is a nice change of pace for the Gaiden series to finally getting around to focusing on Yang. While he might not have had as many life of death struggles as Reinhard it is clear from even the first episode that Yang is used to being simultaneously put upon and ignored by his superiors while getting himself entangled is some serious trouble. And we quickly see that even Yang’s love of history has the nasty habit of getting him in over his head. Spiral Labyrinth is a fairly good exploration of the corruption and incompetence on both sides of the war and further explanation of why nothing really changed before Reinhard and Yang entered the picture. The mystery of Bruce Ashbey might be a bit anticlimactic but it is in line with the feel of the universe. This story also marks the first meeting of Yang with Fyodor Patrichev and Murai. It is interesting to get to see a little more of these two more than just being part of Yang’s dream team in the main series. Of course we also get to see a bit of the Empire’s side as well. As opposed to the normal formula of Reinhard getting assigned to a new position where everyone underestimates him until the end we also get the story of the Duelist. Here we get to see Reinhard involved in shenanigans outside of the military. Reinhard still does everything the Reinhard way but it is nice to see him a bit outside his normal routine. We also get to see a bit more of Magdalena von Westfalen who did not appear that much in the main series but was always awesome whenever she did show up. I have to wonder if she appeared more in the novels or was she just criminally underused in there as well. But as with the first set of side stories the most important part of these early Reinhard stories is to show really how much people are justified in saying, “Only if Kircheis were here.” We see what an indispensable ally and adviser he is time and again. Plus is fills the show requirement minimum of bromance which would have otherwise been deficient.

A nice crop of cameos and new faces show up these episodes. Yang’s story is peppered with early meetings and mentions of more important characters to come. Patrichev and Yang’s team up is one of those destined friendships so it feels really right how they come together. Through this Yang also starts his legion of followers. They also meet a guy at the nicest prisoner of war camp ever, who I called simply “the devil.” He looks like an old, devious demon and has a laugh to go along with it when he is helping Yang. In Reinhard’s half the best appearance is that of Baroness Westfalen. She is a cool, calculating lady who I must agree is not in the show nearly enough. This reminds me that both Yang and Reinhard could have tapped a lot of booty in this OVA but do not.

Some of the technical details should be mentioned as well. This is the first of the Legend of the Galactic Heroes OVA to heavily use CG. Before this most everything was hand drawn but almost all the ships are computer graphics in these side stories. It is super noticeable as the ships do not look as pretty as they used to and at some times their animation is sort of janky. It is hysterical when ships explode into puffs of pink smoke like they were taken out by a gang of vicious space pixies. You can tell that they are just trying out this new technology but don’t really get it. It is not enough to distract from the story but it has to be mentioned as you cannot miss it. On a positive note Hozumi Goda finally comes into his own in taking over the role of Yang Wen-li after Kei Tomiyama died. In the first gaiden series it is obvious that Yang has a new actor but in this series Goda finally sounds a bit more like the Yang we know and love.

While I never complain about more Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and actually still hope more will be made in the future, I do kinda wish the gaiden OVAs had been more, well, gaiden-y. The series is filled with interesting characters that we only see peripherally, so this could have been an opportunity to tell us about them. I can’t be the only one who would have loved to see Bucock or Merkatz in their younger years among other options. But this isn’t really a complaint about the quality of the stories told which make me feel like I never took a break in between series. If anything I just want more, more, more!

It is so odd to think that this is the last major chunk of Legend of the Galactic Heroes we have left. After this there will be a round-up of the movies but once that is done we will have closed the book on this series. It has always been exceptional from beginning to end. It had wonderfully flawed characters that grew as the succeed and failed often in equal measures. It had dastardly villains who represented all the vileness of men with power but too little morality that was as resonant then as it is today. An unbelievable mixture of high adventure and deep politics. They even were able to throw in some comedy and mystery when it was appropriate. There was something comforting about going home on Wednesdays and looking forward to four episodes of epic space opera with my friends. I am sure we will find other shows to watch on anime night but I don’t think any of them will have the power and scope that this series has. It was an unusual set of circumstances that let such a series run so long and I appreciate the fickle whims of fortune that let it come to be. Legend of the Galactic Heroes has been a one of a kind experience that I will treasure.

Warning: We assume that you have watched the main series of Legend of the Galactic Heroes (the original 110 episode OVA) before reading this. We will not spoil anything major in the Gaiden series but everything and anything in the main part is fair game.

The first gaiden series looks at the rise of Reinhard and Kircheis after they decide to overthrow the Emperor but before the beginning of the main series. Some of the tales of their dangerous but meteoric rise through the ranks is mentioned in passing before this but here we see a younger and less developed duo. During this time it is made even clearer than it was in the main series how vital the cool-headed Kircheis was to a reckless young Reinhard.

If you’re like most people who sat through 110-episodes of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, you probably didn’t want it to end. Lucky for us there was plenty of story to still be told. In this first gaiden installment, we go back a little ways to see Reinhard’s entry into military service of which we only glimpsed from the original OVA.

The first gaiden is broken up into four stories. The first story shows Reinhard and Kircheis as a pair of ground-pounders who have survive as tank troops on ice planet with a commanding officer who is trying eliminate them as part of lager political machinations. The second story has Reinhard and Kircheis acting as military police trying to solve the case of a series of murders at a school. The third story is Kircheis on getting caught up in investigating a drug ring while he is alone on vacation. And the last story Reinhard finally gets to do what he does best with a series of related space fleet battles between the Alliance and the Empire. In this story we also get to see what Schenkopp is doing on the Alliance side of the battlefield. We also get a late appearance by everyone’s favorite alcohol loving historian.

Even though these are mini-arcs, we don’t skip around in time wildly so it feels like a consistent flow. The first arc provides a lot of fun seeing Reinhard and Kircheis be strategical in more physical combat rather than an intellectual vein. It is an obvious place for them to start in the ranks, but at the same time feels like a departure from who we’ve come to know them as. From there we see their progress up the ladder with more large-scale space combat, meeting the right people (many wonderful cameos throughout), and pissing off just as many folks along the way. Each step in the stories brings them closer to their ultimate goals of climbing to high enough rank to change the Empire.

If you remember anything from the original Legend of the Galactic Heroes series it is that after the first arc everyone seems to gain a catchphrase. That phrase would be, “This would all be different if only Kircheis was still alive.” The gaiden series provides greater context for this oft mentioned statement. This is undoubtedly Kircheis’ chance to shine in the series. He is the first major character to die so despite his omnipresence due to his absence later in the series it can seem at times we hardly got to know him especially since the first arc of the story is dedicated to developing both side of the conflict. It is not that Kircheis was an undeveloped character in the original series. By the time he died we knew who he was. This series just expands on what we already knew. His little solo adventure gives you good perspective on him when he is outside of  Reinhard’s shadow for a bit. Plus I am sure the fans were hungry for these stories that were only mentioned in passing before.

These stories also helped remind me why I nicknamed Reinhard “Dennis the Menace” in the first place. He is more hot-headed, and he issues some amazing lines about people he meets, but he has this youthful quality about him that exudes know-it-all. While Reinhard does have growth in the original OVA, it is more apparent here with each promotion. It was also refreshing to see him outside of the military on a few occasions. Because we know the death of Kircheis, this OVA is also a rather melancholy endeavor as we watch him become the man behind the man. Other encounters are enlightening like Ulrich Kessler’s with Reinhard. Yang shows up a time or two but doesn’t really get much play till the final arc of the series. Though this may have more to do with the death of Yang’s original voice actor than anything else, and admittedly his replacement sounds extremely different. Again, we are privy to Yang dealings before anyone trusted him, in fact he is utterly ignored at this point in time. But this is also his big chance to show he isn’t a slacker after all. Very glad to see Dusty with Yang as well.

There are a bunch of minor antagonists for Kircheis and Reinhard to deal with in their rise to the top. Without a doubt the most vile of blackguards is Herman von Luneberg. Lunebrug is such a villain he serves as a foil for both Reinhard and Schenkopp during the last story. The man rapes his way into a marriage for goodness sake. You spend the story sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for him to get what he deserves. At the same time Reinhard has to butt heads with Richard von Grimmelshausen. At first it seems like Grimmelshausen is a senile and incompetent old man but we soon get clues that there is more to the old man than meets the eye. The the real question is what is he plotting and whose side is he on.

As per usual the narrator likes to say rather ominous things, but booyah narrator we already know the outcome from these meetings! Still there are many a turn of phrase that are chuckle worthy, like someone offhandedly mentioning Andrew Fork moving up and being extreme. Sadly we see Reuenthal and Mittermeyer only in passing. And of course it is endless fun to hear Reinhard or Yang wondering “who is that man?!” when finding themselves locked in combat.

If Kircheis and Reinhard fight for survival in the tundra with a broken tank does not sell you on this series in the first part then nothing in the series will hook you.  I am sure that the two detective stories contained within this series did not hurt Narutaki’s enjoyment in the least. I would go into them more but we will examine those cases as detective stories in their own No Case to Small segments. The last story is the longest of the series and clearly shows how utter incompetence on both sides made sure the war could keep going on forever had visionaries not stepped in.  You could say that the gaiden series does not really add anything new to the series. It merely expands on characters and stories already present in the first series. But since this episodes are the same masterwork quality as the original story any fans of the original will happily welcome this expansion of the vibrant tapestry that is Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

I want more Legend of the Galactic Heroes but with each series completed I come a step closer to the end. It is bittersweet because it is so good! The quality of this gaiden series is right in line with the main story, as if you never left, and very satisfying so any LotGH fan should pick this up without hesitation.

Warning: We assume that you have watched Legend of the Galactic Heroes before reading this. We will spoil anything and everything.

In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes is kind of an oddity in that its fans reverie it, rightfully so, and basically everyone else has never heard of it. But having experienced it, it really is the cream of the crop when it comes to anime and even more so space opera. I don’t really have a top favorites list of anime, but I do have ones that stick out to me the most and for a long time nothing has really broken into that category, that is until LotGH came along.

While we have covered all of the anime related to the first 10 books of Legend of Galactic Heroes saga we saved our final thoughts on the 4th season as well as the series as a whole for this bonus post.  We did this so you could read these posts along with watching the show and avoid spoilers for any section you were watching. This also gives us a chance to talk about a few things outside of the work proper itself like the fandom or specific characters that would require us to spoil parts of the ending. And ultimately it  is gives us one last chance to sell people reading spoilers on exactly why this series is worth sitting through 110 episodes in the main series let alone the movies and side stories.

The crux of what makes Legend of the Galactic Heroes so powerful is its ability to tell multiple stories with increasing numbers of points of view, philosophies, and ideas without ever telling the audience this is the hero, this is the villain, or even more importantly this is what you should think. This is a feat that is accomplished because of the focus on characters. Yes, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is about intergalactic space battles and politics, but the writer realizes that the most important thing is who is behind those battles and policies. I think what really hooked me in the beginning of Legend of the Galactic Heroes was the friendships that could be found on both sides. Reinhard and Kircheis, Yang and Dusty, Reuenthal and Mittermeyer just to name a few solidified that Legend of the Galactic Heroes was a people story. It’s that foundation that makes the series an emotional ride while being fraught with staunch political drama and epic space battles.

I think of the the major strengths of the series is how it ends such an epic story with just enough resolution. In the last season we see how Reuenthal is pushed into a rebellion and how that leads to his downfall, the marriage of Reinhard and Hildegard and the birth of their son, the confrontation of Julian and Reinhard, the final days of the Earth Cult, and the death of Reinhard von Lohengramm. The series knew exactly how much of the story to wrap up and then what to leave to our imagination. We see the personal lives of the surviving characters get solid conclusions or at least hinted at the direction their life will take. But the political situation and the future of the Empire and the new government of Heinessen is left up to your imagination. This gives you enough information that you feel satisfied but leaves enough open that you still tell the universe of  Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a living breathing thing that will continue on.

It is not lost on me that one half of each of those three friendships I mentioned do not live through the series. But the one that I found particularly tragic was the aforementioned Reuenthal’s and his push to rebellion in part 4. Reuenthal’s path from the very beginning is always teetering on the edge of darkness. He is a man marred by his past, even from birth, who is prone to brooding and pride. In so many ways he and Mittermeyer are like polar opposites but they are both brilliant strategists and inspire loyalty from their subordinates, it is their opposing personalities that makes each an indispensable friend to the other. In the end, when Reuenthal takes the reins against the Empire it comes across that even he isn’t sure if he is doing it for himself or misguidedly for Reinhard. In a way you see the signs from the beginning that this would occur but on the other hand I feel he was very visibly pushed. As the walls start closing in, he kills someone who I’m sure everyone cheers to see go, Job Truniht; we see the resolution of his torrid love affair as he meets his son for the first and final time; and he fails to meet Mittermeyer one last time. When Mittermeyer finally arrives and subsequent scenes are some of the crowning moments of the series. His mourning is greatly felt when he stares out into space on his ship heading back home. I think the effect was so great because of the inevitability of it and the desperate way Mittermeyer tries to fix things. It still makes me desperately sad to recall it all. Reuenthal greatly represents one of the many themes in the series: Can talented, life-long soldiers be happy with peace?

I will now share my possibly unpopular theory with our readers. I can blame a good deal of the tragedy in the series squarely on the shoulders of Paul von Oberstein. Oberstein was responsible for letting the planet of Westerland being nuked. As several characters note it is Oberstein’s weapons policy that is responsible for the death of Kircheis. The hole created by Kircheis’s unfortunate demise is felt throughout the whole series. Oberstein’s hard line stances, questionable methods, and lack of communication often led to a divide in the ranks of Reinhard’s top people. It could be argued that had Oberstein not been as high as he was the Reuenthal rebellion might not have taken place. Also his connection and patronage of Lang might have been one of the reasons that weasel got as high in the ranks as he did and to a place he could do so much damage. I’m not saying that Oberstein was not also often portrayed as being indispensable to Reinhard with his willingness to perform acts and spearhead policies other people would not dream of doing so. He was an amazingly well-written and provocative character. Had all of Reinhard’s top brass been the The Get Along Gang the series would have been far less interesting.

Oberstein was one of those characters where I was constantly grappling with his motives. He makes such short appearances but really makes them count for a lot. Every time he was there I was hard at work  trying to figure him out, to analyze him, to wrap my head around him, but he is pretty much left up to the viewer to interpret much more than other characters on the canvas. I found him to be equal parts cold and calculating. In my mind I am totally convinced that he colluded for the death of Kircheis and that he quite willing pushed and pushed till Reuenthal broke. Oberstein was always looking out for Reinhard but I never felt Oberstein actually cared about what was important to Reinhard beyond government. Almost like a parent that is grooming their child for greatness without regards to the fact the child might want happiness. But in fairness to that regard, Reinhard was constantly struggling with that too. Reinhard wanted to be able to separate himself and to be a good and just leader, Oberstein believed he was making that happen. I do not like the man but he was a fascinating part of the cast.

I would like to point out some odd misconceptions I had going into Legend of the Galactic Heroes from stories I heard. The first was that there are pretty much no women in the show and that the few women in the show were largely unimportant. While the cast is overwhelmingly male and men have most of the important roles, it is fair to say the women in the show are behind some of the monumentally important events. Jessica Edwards, Hildegard von Mariendorf, Frederica Greenhill, Katerose von Kreutzer are all important figures who contribute majorly to the plot. Jessica, Hildegard, and Frederica are all politically active at one point or another. Frederica and Katerose are also both active soldiers at different points in the series. Hildegard in particular wins the most important battle in the empire’s conquest of the galaxy when she spearheads the conquest of Heinessen simultaneously saving Reinhard’s life and avoiding a complete and utter defeat for the Empire. Speaking of men and women there is also a decent amount of courtship in the series but it is organic and never overwhelms the main plot. Yang and Jessica have a subtle but powerful romance until her death and Yang later marries Frederica after a leisurely working relationship that blossoms into love. Hildegard and Reinhard have an awkward but amusing affair while Julian and Katerose have the most standard courtship. There were also several other minor characters who have everything from cheap one night stands to full-blown love affairs. I appreciated that they knew how to delicately integrate these romances into the narrative. Also I got the strange impression that there were quite a few history episodes with Yang looking over achieves in info dumps. While they existed they were only three episodes, were usually pretty organic, and oddly enough never involved Yang, the historian.

I found the Alliance to have such a down to earth attitude with Yang the core of laidback, it was very lovable. They had a nice combination of the upcoming, the new and the old guard often times having a familial feel which always makes them more relatable. But also makes them contrast with the Empire greatly because so many of Reinhard’s gang are the youngish officers. The veterans like Bucock and Merkatz (among others) are pivotal to Yang’s team whose sacrifices in the final arc while not shocking are harrowing acts that are drenched with acceptance. Both deaths were essentially to ending the era, but that knowledge did keep me from shedding tears for them. And let’s not for get Schenkop, that incredible leader of the Rosenritters, bad-ass that he is gets taken out by someone no name grunt. Oh, he takes out a mountain of guys beforehand, and gives a great death speech but essentially the man got punked in the end, why? I am fully aware that LotGH likes to depict the uncertainty in war, but at the same time I do not care, his final bout should have been with someone significant!

I think I was both surprised by the fact that by the end of Legend of the Galactic Heroes ends with the death of both of the main characters but I also have to say by the end of the series I felt it would almost be disingenuous if it ended any other way. We fall the rise and fall of both Yang Wen-li and Reinhard von Lohengramm the two greatest men of their times. We see what they had to overcome, how they rose to power, what they accomplished, and the enormous legacy they both left behind.

The length of Legend of the Galactic Heroes really felt daunting at first. But somehow it ended up not being enough, I can say with all certainty that if 110 episodes of a show is not enough they are doing something right. I look forward to any and all supplemental material I can get my hands on. And I am on the hunt for LotGH merchandise, if there is any, maybe a roman album!

The legend ends and history begins.

Warning: We assume that you have watched the first three seasons of Legend of the Galactic Heroes (The first 86 episodes) before reading this. We will not spoil anything major in the fourth season but everything and anything in first three seasons is fair game.

The first half may have had scenes that threw you off balance but nothing beats the leg sweep that was season 3. With a mixture of sadness and curiosity we eagerly dove into the last section of  Legend of the Galactic Heroes. The questions that everyone was asking was how and where would they end this epic story? Would the ending live up to the first three sections? Who would live and who would die? Thankfully all the questions are answered in a fashion equal to the first three parts.

You’d think after more than 80 episodes you’d be ready for the end, but no, it goes by in a flash and you desperately want to see the continuing story of this galaxy. Legend of the Galactic gives its all 100% all the way through the end. The turn of events, the people who live and die, the final conclusions, and the unanswered ponderings make for a satisfying ending.

By the start of season 4 the Empire is triumphant in almost every way and all hope for democracy seems lost. Yang was trying to lead a duel life of retired married bliss and secret rebel leader when his own government sells him to the wolves. This forced him to hastily retake Iserlohn with the aid of the planet of El Facil. After barely fending off Reinhard’s attempt to retake Iserlohn Yang dies by the hand of Earth Cult assassins. The season ends with Julian forced to take the place of Yang while he wonders how can he keep this small new nation alive in a galaxy controlled by the Empire when Yang was barely able to do so.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, truly prepared me for the end of part 3 and the death of Yang. Even with the narrator constantly hinting at it, it was still an emotional and hard to accept turn of events. Believe me when I say there was a long period of silence after the end of the episode. Reinhard is the main character, but with the third season taking a greater look at Yang and since he plays an obviously pivotal role in the story it’s hard to see where things will go. Or maybe it’s just hard to really think they can be as good as when Yang was around.

On the surface Reinhard seems to be an unstoppable force in the galaxy but there are cracks in his armor. He is still unmarried and without an heir; there is tension within his top brass especially centering around Oberstein; and the Earth Cult continues to poison people’s minds. At the same time Reuenthal is restless and others plan to take advantage of these feelings. Reinhard has gained another victory in the worst possible way and now there is no way he can ever beat Yang. Everything he has won might seem amazing to anyone else but Reinhard sees them all as Pyrrhic or hollow victories. Also he notices that he excels more at battle than administration. With Yang gone who will provide the challenge he needs to thrive? Can anyone replace those he has lost in his journey?

Much of this season centers on the increased internal struggles going on withing Reinhard’s trusted officials and the growing threat of the ever-mysterious Earth Cult. The Empire comes back to center stage with some dire consequences presenting themselves very early on. Since these divides within Reinhard’s government are driven purposefully choosing a side is difficult for both the viewer and the characters involved. It also incredibly hard on Reinhard since there are few people he truly calls friend he must choose between understanding, loyalty, spite, and doing what he feels is right. Once again certain events have been foreshadowed again and again but with Legend of the Galactic Heroes it doesn’t seem to lessen the emotional impact of things on screen coming to fruition.

Good-night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. While I am sure that Yang’s death did not surprise some people I know it floored all of us watching. One of the two main characters is dead and the show marches on. While it was hardly a game ending event it does throw you for a loop. And so you have to wonder where does the story go from here. In fact everyone in the Iserlohn Republic must wonder as well. Julian is essentially forced to be Yang’s successor. While Julian is thankful that Reinhard has seen fit is ignore the Iserlohn Republic, it is only a matter of time before his small outpost of democracy must confront the Empire again. Can anyone fill his surrogate father’s shoes? Julian is facing a task that might have even been impossible for Yang with none of Yang’s reputation or experience.

As everyone grieves, the reaction to Yang’s death by his troop are heartfelt and varied. The moments where Julian must tell Frederica that he came back without her husband are truly great. Since Yang was the backbone of the rebellion his death sends many a person packing which only compounds the difficult task that lies before Julian and the few people that truly believe in his abilities. As always what is so enjoyable about the rebels is their easy-going camaraderie seen through Dusty, Poplan, and Schenkopp’s wit and banter. It is also nice to see some development of Schenkopp and Katerose’s estranged father-daughter relationship. Where Julian is able to lead this rag-tag team is so uncertain for him as he constantly struggles with Yang’ memory and what Yang would do in situations vs. his own instincts and ideas for the future.

The main theme for the last fourth of Legend of the Galactic Heroes is that keeping the peace is often harder than fighting a war. It is easy to know what to do when you have a clear enemy and a clear goal. When those goals are accomplished the more nebulous and hidden threats internally and externally are harder to see. Both Reinhard and Julian must deal with this situation in their own fashion. But beyond that lingering questions are answered and all the running themes are once again addressed as we see the conclusion of 110 episodes of build up.

A good deal of this season and its themes focus on the future, when will war end, and what to do if and when it does. There is a real conflict throughout the entire series about whether or not lifelong soldiers can ever really accept peace. Especially in a world that has been fighting for hundreds of years. There has always been a lot of scheming going on in Legend of the Galactic Heroes but we really get to see how strong it becomes in the fourth part and how manipulative and confusing information can be. Much as everyone has their ideas about how to handle things, there is no clear conclusions or definite answers in Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

This is not the end of our Legend of the Galactic Heroes coverage. On Wednesday we will give a short account of our overall feelings about Legend of the Galactic Heroes with full on spoilers. So much comes to fruition in this last section that we dare not do our final thoughts except in a separate post. We will discuss our thoughts on all the events of the last season and the series as a whole. Thus we turn another page in the history of the galaxy.

With Legend of the Galactic Heroes there is always more to say it seems, so even after writing so much about the series all of these posts just don’t cover it. We need to have a final post just to talk about the spoilers and conclusion of the series, we need to. I’m sure anyone who bothers to read this doesn’t really object to so much being written about the show anyway. Look forward to all the thoughts we’ve been holding back!

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Name Guide

So Legend of the Galactic Heroes has an epic cast of over 600 named characters, and even more problematic is that many of their names are insanely long and complex. So we decided to throw all that out, and it really became a fun game to find all these people memorable and easy to recall nicknames. This list will be updated as we review each part and new characters rise in prominence.

• Reinhard von Lohengramm – Dennis the Menace
• Yang Wen-li – WWYD/What Would Yang Do?
• Siegfried Kircheis – Red-Headed Step Child
• Oskar von Reuenthal – Batman
• Wolfgang Mittermeyer – Robin
• Paul von Oberstein – Professor Moriarty The Joker
• Julian Minci – Julian
• Landesherr Adrian Rubinsky – Kingpin of Pez Land
• Willibald Joachim von Merkatz – MCAT
• Ivan Konev – Han
• Olivier Poplan – Luke
• Walter von Schenkopp- The Rose Duelist
• Dusty Attenborough – Dusty Rhodes
• Ernest Mecklinger – Porn-Stache
• Alexander Bucock – THE Cool Old Guy
• Jessica Edwards – Yang’s Woman
• Andrew Fork – Fork You!
• Frederica Greenhill – Yang’s Woman Mk-II
• Rupert Kesseling – The Good Son
• Jean Robert Lap – Impaled for Love
• Sidney Sitolet – To Sir, with Love
• Job Truniht – Blow Job
• Annerose von Grünewald – The Rose Bride
• Bagdash – Frenchy
• Otto von Braunshwieg – Head Fratboy
• The Grand Bishop of the Earth Cult (does this guy have a name?) – Emperor Palpatine
• Kaiser Friedrich Von Goldenbaum IV – Emperor Pedophile
• Erwin Josef Von Goldenbaum II – Emperor Shota
• Louis Mashengo – Mandingo
• Adalbert von Fahrenheit – Fahrenheit 451
• Hildegard von Mariendorf – The Beard
• Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld – Shoot Another Black Lancer At It
• De Villiers – Lex Luthor
• Katerose von Kreutzer – Asuka
• Soun Soulzcouaritter – Soul Train
• Heydrich Lang – The Penguin
• Bruno von Silberburg – Uncle Jesse
• Ulrich Kessler – Char MP
• Alex Cazellnu – BFF
• Helmut Lennenkanpt – Joseph Stalin
• Emile von Seelle – Substitute Kircheis

Warning: We assume that you have watched the first two seasons of Legend of the Galactic Heroes (the first 54 episodes) before reading this. We will not spoil anything major in the third season but everything and anything in first two seasons is fair game.

We have just passed the halfway mark in Legend of the Galactic Heroes. I can’t say that I has any clue that season 2 would end like it did but that shows you why this anime is considered a classic. We have lost great charaters, learned about some new amazing people, and seen everyone one else grow over the course of the first two seasons. The way the game is being played has been utterly changed but the quality storytelling remains.

It’s rather obvious at this point that you are fully gripped by Legend of the Galactic Heroes to make it this far. But that is completely understandable. Legend of the Galactic Heroes always has an ending that leaves you enraptured, it isn’t a cliffhanger but more of the opening of a new door, and then from the very start the next arc intrigues you about what can happen next. The emotional investment in the series was quite high for me going into part three, it is a series that really takes the characters and solidifies them in your mind, but with that comes some difficult moments as well. Legend of the Galactic Heroes part three does so much in terms of making this series one of the most memorable anime ever.

In many other series the events of part two would have been the end of the story with either the Empire triumphant. The third season begins with the Alliance government being controlled by the Empire with full awareness that they are a single incident way from being completely annexed into the Empire. Yang settles into retirement while trying to secretly orchestrate the rebirth of democracy under constant surveillance by the Empire and the Alliance. At the same time Reinhard must contend with the fact that it is harder to control a galactic empire than it is to form it, especially since he excels and lives for battle more than administration. And the entirety of the cast must deal with the increased activities of the Earth Cult as they see a unified galaxy as an important step toward their mad dreams.

I have to agree that the ending to part two was really shocking only because you think it would be reserved up till the very last moments of the series, but as Legend of the Galactic Heroes goes on to prove this story is about Reinhard and Yang and where they are leading things so until they have any permanent plans the story is far from over. I was also struck by how Reinhard’s victory comes about, he acknowledges his impending defeat and possible death at the hands of Yang, but the rug is pulled out from underneath them both when the Alliance government steps in. Both of them end up grappling with the repercussions of this and as per usual change the face of the galaxy in the process.

Season three is Yang’s time to shine. While he has never been ignored, at times he plays second fiddle to Reinhard’s story. Yang is forced to change plans for long term rebellion into an impromptu rebellion and then constantly revise this plans due to various dealings with officials in his own government. At the same time I think everyone will find Yang and Greenhill utterly adorable. With Yang so busy we finally see Julian coming into his own. He starts going on solo missions and even gain’s his own unusual and definitely amusing romantic interest. Oliver Poplan also becomes Julian’s sidekick/mentor after the unfortunate death of Ivan Konev. More than ever it seems that Yang is fighting an impossible battle with every possible card in the deck stacked against him. Can he pull off his special brand of magic once again?

With a lot more Yang on the screen, it’s no wonder part three is my favorite above all the others. But the now-rebels have plenty of strong personalities who can engage the extra screentime with ease and really deserve to have it. We get to see a more personal side to many characters and really see some relationships flourish. Things have gotten even more complicated for our laid-back commander what with him and his colleagues under strict surveillance, Julian still away, and rebellion brewing things are rocky indeed. Yang’s attitude doesn’t fully change, but I think you can see him maturing even more about his situation and certainly feeling the pressure after his own government decides to bow to the Empire. Even though Yang truly doesn’t desire power, he realize the needed for leadership and reluctantly becomes the head of a major coup. As things start to heat up with Merkatz’s surprising (atleast to the Empire) resurrection from death and the many other people scattered across space coming together solidify Yang’s ability to plan for the long-term.

On the other side of the galaxy Reinhard and his supporters must figure out a way to integrate the newly conquered Alliance into the Empire as quickly and smoothly as possible while dealing with internal squabbles, dissidents within the Empire, and the shadowy Earth Cult. Reinhard seems to have more problems than ever and is a bigger target now that he is in charge of most of the galaxy than when he was trying to come to power. This is even more exasperated by the machinations of the Earth Cult. With Phezzan being under the direct thumb of the Empire, devious schemer Rubinsky has to go underground to continue his sinister activities while the rest of the Earth Cult gains some much needed attention as they violently try to further their twisted goals.

Reinhard is dealing with a personal anguish of sorts as he grapples with “defeating” Yang. He is both risen to the power he has desired but feels like he cheated his way to the top. And he can’t persuade the calm Yang over to his side when they finally meet in those climatic moments at the end of part two. Equally vexing for our blond Kaiser is his elevation as a ruler and being removed from frontline commander of fleets. Once again, there is a lot of personal issues that Reinhard has to contend with this part. This season has a heightened sense of conspiracy and the tension between close members of Reinhard’s staff start to expand. All of these issues go on to inform much of the next part’s events.

The meeting between Yang and Reinhard at the end of season two is considered one of the most intense and amazing parts of the series. Reinhard wishes to meet with the man who came within a hair of killing him and win this amazing man to his side. Yang just wants to go home and politely turns down the generous offer. This quickly turns into a gripping conversation that in many way encapsulates and makes clear all the political themes and questions of the series. I know everyone in the room was on the edge of their seats when this scene played out. If you did not need the build up of the previous scenes to make it as powerful as it is I would use this as the example as to why you should watch the series.

With three chapters closed in the narrative of Legend of the Galactic Heroes a lot has happened and many philosophies have been put on the table for the viewers to judge. This is one of the strengths that guides the series, it shows us the thinking, the people, and the events but does not deign to judge them for us, but rather let’s us decide what we believe in. I think part three will go down as probably the most memorable and dividing part of the series.

If you were shocked by the end of season two than the ending of season three will show you that this series still has some surprises left in it. There will be a mixture of feelings at the end of this season in anyone watching. I am sure some people will have to take a break while others will race ahead to find out what will happen next.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 4 / Name Guide

So Legend of the Galactic Heroes has an epic cast of over 600 named characters, and even more problematic is that many of their names are insanely long and complex. So we decided to throw all that out, and it really became a fun game to find all these people memorable and easy to recall nicknames. This list will be updated as we review each part and new characters rise in prominence.

• Reinhard von Lohengramm – Dennis the Menace
• Yang Wen-li – WWYD/What Would Yang Do?
• Siegfried Kircheis – Red-Headed Step Child
• Oskar von Reuenthal – Batman
• Wolfgang Mittermeyer – Robin
• Paul von Oberstein – Professor Moriarty
• Julian Minci – Julian
• Landesherr Adrian Rubinsky – Kingpin of Pez Land
• Willibald Joachim von Merkatz – MCAT
• Ivan Konev – Han
• Olivier Poplan – Luke
• Walter von Schenkopp- The Rose Duelist
• Dusty Attenborough – Dusty Rhodes
• Ernest Mecklinger – Porn-Stache
• Alexander Bucock – THE Cool Old Guy
• Jessica Edwards – Yang’s Woman
• Andrew Fork – Fork You!
• Frederica Greenhill – Yang’s Woman Mk-II
• Rupert Kesseling – The Good Son
• Jean Robert Lap – Impaled for Love
• Sidney Sitolet – To Sir, with Love
• Job Truniht – Blow Job
• Annerose von Grünewald – The Rose Bride
• Bagdash – Frenchy
• Otto von Braunshwieg – Head Fratboy
• The Grand Bishop of the Earth Cult (does this guy have a name?) – Emperor Palpatine
• Kaiser Friedrich Von Goldenbaum IV – Emperor Pedophile
• Erwin Josef Von Goldenbaum II – Emperor Shota
• Louis Mashengo – Mandingo
• Adalbert von Fahrenheit – Fahrenheit 451
• Hildegard von Mariendorf – The Beard
• Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld – Shoot Another Black Lancer At It
• De Villiers – Lex Luthor

WARNING: We assume that you have watched the first season of Legend of the Galactic Heroes (the first 26 episodes) before reading this. We will not spoil anything major in the second season but everything and anything in first season is fair game.

With the first season over it is clear that the story of the Legend of the Galactic Heroes has just started. Both protagonists have faced numerous challenges from within and without. Reinhard and Yang are now both famous and infamous with everyone in the galaxy and have become key figures in their respective sides. Both men have made great gains but have lost someone they cared for. Both sides have been irrecoverably transformed and the winds of change still blow strongly in this troubled galaxy.  So we continue with part 2 of our review of Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

After a “season” of Legend of the Galactic Heroes there is just no way to really slow down or take a break. The idea that it is broken into parts is really for discussion only and not as an indicator of stopping points. The politics, relationships, and battles only become more complex and grandiose as the series flows ever forward; add on top of that the kinship you start to feel with the characters and it should be obvious why it becomes an addiction. Thus we started episodes 27-54 with both fervent curiosity and heavy hearts.

The Galactic Empire and Free Planets Alliance have both weathered civil wars orchestrated by Reinhard. The Empire is now united behind Reinhard and his ambitions but the Free Planets Alliance controls the planet of Iserlohn which is one of the key corridors between the two powers. Both sides have been weakened by their respective infighting and have been changed in almost unimaginable ways. With Reinhard essentially ascended to the throne of the Empire the seemingly endless battle between the the two the superpowers cannot play out as it has in the past.

In the first season we see the series build these alliances and conspiracies, friendships and rivalries, victories and tragedies which sit as the foundation of everything to come. With the death of Reinhard’s biggest obstacle, the Kaiser, and the tragic loss of his closest friend, Kircheis, you start to realize that Legend of the Galactic Heroes doesn’t pull any punches. The Earth Cult which has rumblings in the first season starts to take on a more prominent role starting in this part which in turn also pushes Julian into the limelight a little more. As for Yang, he of course has his hands full as the weight of democracy always seems to fall on his shoulders. Once again Reinhard and Yang find themselves pitted against each other even though the world around them has altered considerably and what results is a series of confrontations where the true meaning of victory is challenged.

Reinhard is nowhere near the same man he was at the start of the series. He has gone from the scorned genius tactician in a corrupt bloated military weighted down by incompetent and decedent nobles to the most powerful man in the Galaxy ruling over an Empire making strides towards reform. But Reinhard will forever be shaken by the death of Kircheis. He has lost an invaluable resource, a gentle confidant, and most importantly his greatest friend and ally. Kircheis’ death will influence the rest of the series and don’t think that the narrator or the cast will ever let you forget that. Oberstein and Hildegard will try each in their own way to takes Kircheis place but neither will ever be a true replacement. Yang on the other hand has moved up in the world but is still as trapped in bureaucracy and politics as he ever was. Whereas Reinhard has the power to move people and resources where he needs them to be, Yang is always forced to work with one hand tied behind his back. This will be made extremely clear in this season more than ever.

Okay, can we just talk about the death of Kircheis another minute? Insanity is a hidden rocket launcher in a corpse and a laser ring! Insanity is Kircheis taking that on and going to his maker in epic fashion! Insanity  is somehow Legend of the Galactic Heroes pulling it off and creating an incredibly emotional scene that resonates beyond Reinhard and has the audience mourn Kircheis. Reinhard’s road seems to be forever maimed by potholes with the death of his best friend and conscience the biggest. At the beginning of this season we get to glimpse who Reinhard may have become if not for Kircheis’s council. And his confidant’s final words asking him to take hold of the universe become his mantra for remainder of the story. Yang seems to step in the way of this mantra as much as he possibly can. Even though democracy continues to get a beating, and Yang comes up against some of the worst examples of its abuse, he forever holds to its true meaning. Many will continue to think Yang is looking to take over, and the man can’t help but draw people towards him, but he still takes the role of defender.

As easy as it is to see the evolution of Yang and Reinhard everyone else is changing or making new connections as well. Julian continues to see growth under Yang but is clearly still in the shadow of his mentor.  With the sad death of Jessica Edwards it gives Frederica Greenhill an opportunity to grow closer to Yang both professionally and romantically. The defection of Merkatz to the Free Planets Alliance is a vital resource to Yang and Merkatz will makes him self irreplaceable thorough out the series. Also Schenkopp grows closer to Yang and keeps trying to convince him that only my taking control of the Alliance can he save it. On the Empire side we we also learn more about Reuenthal and Mittermeyer and get some foreshadowing on the roles they will go on to play in the rest of the series. We of course we still see some growth in the minor characters who are still playing a vital role in universe.

One of the things I enjoy most about Legend of the Galactic Heroes is the wealth of personalities in both factions. In fact, it’s one of the things that makes it so hard to choose a side but truly my heart lies with the Alliance. One of its strengths is the diversity of ages, there are wise old-timers like Bucock and the surprise defector Merkatz; stolid contemporaries of Yang like Schenkopp and Dusty; and the eager younger generation like Poplan and Julian. Julian continues to be the unsaid follower in Yang’s footsteps, and as he departs from his side on his own mission we start to solidify who he is. Julian is smart and capable but he shows his young age and Poplan takes on role of big brother guiding him but also teasing him. Each of these people are able to bestow some kind of wisdom on Yang even if it is only to make him laugh or relax. Reinhard’s support system is a bit different but certainly essential as well. The biggest changes come from Oberstein and Mariendorf, Oberstein with his cold logic who has behind the scenes influence and Meriendorf with her nurturing guidance who helps to retain a benevolence in Reinhard.

In season two we get delve more into the merits and flaws of democracy and monarchy as experienced through Yang and Reinhard. We see the flaws in a corrupt democracy with the bureaucracy, politicking, and the inability to act quickly. In the Empire we see near instantaneous sweeping reforms, unity, and heightened sense of purpose. But through Yang we are reminded while the Empire may flourish under Reinhard all it takes is one despotic or incompetent ruler in the empire to wash away all that Reinhard has accomplished just as quickly. But this all is discussed in much greater details and passion at the end of this season in an episode many people consider the best in the story.

The end of this season is particularly interesting because it is probably the most enraptured you’ll be. In a way it’s a perfect halfway point and very satisfying. Even as you start to better understand Legend of Galactic Heroes, by no means does the series start to become predictable. The turns the series takes are measured and deliberate and it’s a sight to watch it unfold. Legend of the Galactic Heroes continues to deliver a character driven, political and tactical drama that is pure addiction.

As with the end of the first season the second sends on a tremendous galaxy shattering event. Even more so than the first season the balance of power has shifted and I was immensely curious to see how they were going to continue the series after the events of season two but you know it is going to go somewhere that is logical and builds on the threads presented. Legend of the Galactic Heroes stays one of the smartest anime you will ever see.

Part 1 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Name Guide

So Legend of the Galactic Heroes has an epic cast of over 600 named characters, and even more problematic is that many of their names are insanely long and complex. So we decided to throw all that out, and it really became a fun game to find all these people memorable and easy to recall nicknames. This list will be updated as we review each part and new characters rise in prominence.

• Reinhard von Lohengramm – Dennis the Menace
• Yang Wen-li – WWYD/What Would Yang Do?
• Siegfried Kircheis – Red-Headed Step Child
• Oskar von Reuenthal – Batman
• Wolfgang Mittermeyer – Robin
• Paul von Oberstein – Professor Moriarty
• Julian Minci – Julian
• Landesherr Adrian Rubinsky – Kingpin of Pez Land
• Willibald Joachim von Merkatz – MCAT
• Ivan Konev – Han
• Olivier Poplan – Luke
• Walter von Schenkopp- The Rose Duelist
• Dusty Attenborough – Dusty Rhodes
• Ernest Mecklinger – Porn-Stache
• Alexander Bucock – THE Cool Old Guy
• Jessica Edwards – Yang’s Woman
• Andrew Fork – Fork You!
• Frederica Greenhill – Yang’s Woman Mk-II
• Rupert Kesseling – The Good Son
• Jean Robert Lap – Impaled for Love
• Sidney Sitolet – To Sir, with Love
• Job Truniht – Blow Job
• Annerose von Grünewald – The Rose Bride
• Bagdash – Frenchy
• Otto von Braunshwieg – Head Fratboy
• The Grand Bishop of the Earth Cult (does this guy have a name?) – Emperor Palpatine
• Kaiser Friedrich Von Goldenbaum IV – Emperor Pedophile
• Erwin Josef Von Goldenbaum II – Emperor Shota

Random warning: Never watch the previews, NEVER, they are full of spoilers. And so are the episode titles, so never look at them, NEVER.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes can be one of the most intimidating series to start in all of anime with 110 episode in the main OVA series, several movies,  and 52 OVA side story episodes it can seem like madness. But this is the definitive space opera inside or outside of anime. There are dozen of reasons to watch Legend of the Galactic Heroes: the complex politics, the epic space battles, and just the overall maturity of the the whole production. But the only reason any of that matters is because the characters are so compelling that they make you care about everything that happens. This is why I never cared for Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series despite how good it might be it never connected me to the characters. I had considered starting Legend of the Galactic Heroes on my own several times but thankfully Narutaki and my roommate decided to join me in watching this series once a week otherwise I would be watching this at a much slower pace. Even if you have to brave it alone know that it few series will reward for your effort and dedication. This review is for the first arc of the series with 26 episodes.

So perhaps you don’t know anything about Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Well, let me tell you, it’s infamously epic and quite long. And no we didn’t write that wrong, it is a 110 episode OVA. You might be saying to yourself, well 110 episodes sounds long but compared to many a shonen fighting show it’s not too crazy. But this isn’t a shonen fighting show, these 110 episodes are a dramatic, political, and strategic running narrative with a cast that swells with significant characters. But don’t worry, as the title implies, you can quite easily break the show into parts. You can even take a break between parts, but I promise you won’t want to. That is what makes it so amazing! Space opera has never been done better than Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

The Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance have been dead locked in intergalactic war for centuries. The Galactic Empire is a decadent monarchy and the Free Planets Alliance is a corrupt democracy both so weakened from within that they cannot conquer the other. But there are two rising stars, one on each side, whose actions will forever change the balance of the galaxy. Admiral Reinhard von Lohengramm plans to overthrow the corrupt regime of the Empire where as commodore Yang Wen-li merely wishes to keep the democracy he loves alive. Reinhard is disgusted with the decadent nobles who stole his sister from him and vows to gain power through the military to get his revenge. Yang on the other hand keeps rising through the ranks despite his best efforts and in the process drawing the attentions of the vile Patriotic Knight Corps. Countless men and women will dedicate themselves to helping or stopping these two men. As a man who studies history, Yang realizes that this story has happened before and will happen again.

Yes, there are huge space battles, we are thrown into one in the first episode where numbers like 300,000 get batted around when discussing the loss of soldiers in an attack. People get blown up, set aflame, impaled, and everything else but LotGH likes to throws these moments at you sparsely, so much so that you get surprised by the graphic nature of things each time it happens. This story is about a huge war that has been waged and never ceased but something about the clash of these two men, Yang and Reinhard, is about to change the course of the war. The ideas they represent, the moral ground that is tread, and the ability to show two sides, each with a set of values that are not demonized is what gives LotGH a unique flavor.

Everyone in LotGH comes off as someone to either root for or hate on both sides of the conflict. Yang and Reinhard are amazingly charismatic each in their own way and the similarities and contrasts between the two of them in the first arc are brilliant. Reinhard with his ambitious and upstanding goals but morally gray motivations and methods perfectly flank Yang with his slacker charm, easy genius, and upstanding character that is seasoned with a realistic view of the world. They are both tactical geniuses but both are remarkable strategists with their own distinct style. Reinhard is able to set up situations where he cannot lose and Yang is able to come up with brilliant strategy on the fly to survive in hopeless moments no matter how horrible the hand he is dealt. I definitely felt myself leaning towards Yang but I was still enthralled by Reinhard’s story. Both Reinhard and Yang strive to make the galaxy a better place but their ideals make it destiny to clash time and time again. Each time they meet it is not only a clash of their military strategy but of their world views. Reinhard wants to burn away the corrupt nobility of the Empire and feels only he has the vision and strength to reform the galaxy. Yang wishes just to keep himself and the people under his command out of trouble but we see that he has deeper and more grand ideals than just survival. Yang just knows you have to survive to make them a reality. As the first arc goes on both of them must also deal with internal struggles within their respective governments which exposes the strengths and weaknesses of both of their philosophies as well. When this part ends both men have changed themselves, their organizations, and the very course of human history itself.

Yang, Yang he’s our man! If he can’t do it no one can! This poor guy clearly comes off as the underdog in the series because not only does Reinhard just have more resources, his own government is constantly getting in his way. The Alliance seems to flip-flop from thinking Yang is the hero of the hour to thinking he is going to plot a coup to overthrow them. This actually stems from their own greed and corruption, they just can’t understand that a man exists who doesn’t want power and dominion, especially one has military and strategically capable as Yang. And this is what makes Yang such a contrast to Reinhard. Reinhard is trying to do all those things! However, Reinhard also has noble ideals and grand dreams for the Empire he so desperately wants as his own. Both of these men are plagued by the deceit, arrogance, and disregard for the people by their respective factions but their personalities and ways of dealing with it couldn’t be more different. Yang has sort of accepted that the democracy that he defends is rotten from the inside, but he doesn’t believe in using military might to fix it. Reinhard on the other hand believes the only way to cure the downward spiral of the Empire is by becoming the Empire himself. They are two sides of the same coin and as such they are perfect rivals.

The Empire is popular if for nothing else the sheer number of outstanding personalities in its ranks. Siegfried Kircheis is Reinhard’s childhood friend and right hand man. He’s not only utterly dedicated to Reinhard but he is also Reinhard’s moral and spiritual compass. He gives humanity to Reinhard ans shows the audience the purity still in the Empire as a whole. Oskar von Reuenthal and Wolfgang Mittermeyer are two admirals that side with Reinhard early on. Their ability to go from charming, witty personal banter, to intense political philosophy, and then to brilliant military strategy often all in the same conversation not only encompasses why people love these two characters but the show as a whole. Daryl Surat’s favorite character, Paul von Oberstein, is a Machiavellian supporter of Reinhard who seems dedicated to putting Reinhard on the throne but with no real moral compunctions about anything he feels he has to do. There are about a dozen other great admirals in the Empire that are worth rooting for from Merkatz to Mecklinger. There are some equally despicable nobles and military personnel as well but they don’t stand out as much as usually get crushed under the weight of Reinhard’s brilliance.

The Empire seems to get a lot more screentime, especially in this first arc, so that gives it some advantage as far as character popularity and understanding their motivations. And whether you like it or not, you can tell by the opening sequence alone that this is a story about Reinhard and then everyone else. One of the first real connections we see on screen, and one that really brings you into the story, is the friendship between Reinhard and Kircheis. They have been each other’s confidants since almost the moment they met in their boyhood and are by far the most bonded people in the series. Where Reinhard goes, Kircheis follows, but don’t for a moment think it’s an unequal relationship. You are privy to their private conversations where many times it is only Kircheis rational thought that keeps things in check, as the series continues you come to realize, as does Reinhard, that Kircheis is an indispensable part of the dream that Reinahrd is trying to build. Adding to the party who rally around Reinhard early on are Reuenthal and Mittermeyer another two with a friendship that is engaging. Since the first time you really meet them they get into a bar fight, you can tell they are going to be fun to watch. And are probably my personal favorites from the bunch as their comments are witty and once again you see how each understands and helps the other even though they are vastly different. All of these guys, and many of Reinhard’s crew unsurprisingly, are these upstart kids causing no end to the string of distrust and belittling that goes on by many of the older generation in the military. This is also combined with the many incompetent nobles that have been given high ranking military titles without a lick of sense in their brains. Which is just another reason the new guys trying to take charge are beloved by fans.

At times it feels like Yang is the Alliance but there are still complex and fascinating people beside the Hero of El Facil on the side of democracy. Take Julian Minci, Yang’s young ward, he is still very green but you can easily see that he is learning to be a great man from his mentor. Dusty Attenborough is Yang’s charming friend from the military academy. He too has a laid back charm like Yang but while being nowhere the genius that Yang is but he is also more socially and romantically competent. The Alliance side also has a good look at the grunt soldiers like pilots Ivan Konev and Olivier Poplan who give a distinct humanity to the Alliance and are definitely the most mischievous of the cast. Despite what some people may say there is some romance in LotGH. Early on Yang starts to get some romantic tension with Jessica Edwards and it is always well handled. The Alliance is also made up of horrible squabbling politicians and military men like Job Truniht and Andrew Fork. You tend to forget the horrible people in the Empire that Reinhard steamrolls over but you never forget the jerks in the Alliance even when you try your hardest. They all seem to go out of their way to make Yang’s life harder.

While the fine cast of the Empire comes off as elegantly awesome, the crew on the Alliance side is ruggedly charming. There is a more laid back feeling from them, that’s not to say all of them have such a good attitude, but all the cool people do! They are represented by guys like Schenkopp the rough and tumble leader of the Rosenritters who’re known for their ferocity in battle that literally sends guys running away when they hear the name. And thanks to the efforts of him and Poplan, every woman they run into is pretty much given full attention! Speaking of women, I shouldn’t forget to mention Greenhill who is reliable and cool-headed much like her military man father, but these two don’t always end up on the same side of the fight for democracy. The Alliance also has one of the few cool old guys worth mentioning, Alexander Bucock, who the military often looks to to be opposed to Yang but will make you cheer with his distention. Since the class structure of the Empire doesn’t exist they Alliance comes off as much more accessible, down-to-earth, and common which are all good things, they are the every man side of the battle.

If the politics and the characters don’t hook you fully there are the massive space battles to sink your teeth into. They are amazing battles involving hundred of ships that can boggle the mind with the sheer grandeur of the fights and the horrific tragedy of the causalities that weigh on the minds of both sides. The battles themselves are based on the real world strategies of famous generals invoking the brilliance of geniuses of the past while still taking into account the nuances of fighting in space. Battling is done on three dimensions shown through taking into account factors like solar winds, gravity wells, and composition of gas giants. But it is not all ship vs ship battles. We also see ground soldiers fighting hand to hand in some of the bloodiest and most gruesome battles in the series. There is even a rather awesome siege of a liquid metal planetary fortress. And best of all, these battles are all set to classical music giving everything sense of majesty.

If you like the first 10 episodes of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, you’ll like all 110. I say this because of my own viewing experience where after 4 or so episodes I thought LotGH to be a fine series but not engrossing however by about episode 10 I was fully on board and could never turn back. That’s not to say that the show is all the same after it gets going, quite the contrary, major strides are made each episodes and after just one arc you’ll be amazed how far you’ve come. But the storytelling stays consistent throughout and the character prominence amidst this war is a main stay. I will admit that Legend of the Galactic Heroes is not for everyone but if you want to see space opera at its finest then I beseech you to take on LotGH!

Do not let the size of this show dissuade you from getting into one of the greatest anime of all time. It has everything that the mature anime fan could hope for in an series: rich and wonderful characters; a deep and complex political plot that remains human while operating on a galactic scale; epic space battles with amazing tactics; nuanced romance; and so much more. It is all too easy to let the slow pace of the first few episodes give you the wrong impression of this show. Give it four episodes which is pretty much one DVD and you will see how much the series draws you in once you get to know who the people are and what they are fighting for. This is a one of a kind show that will make you understand why 110 episodes is just not enough.

Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Name Guide