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Gundam has been described as being to Japan what Star Trek is to the USA.

That would make Legend of Galactic Heroes (LOGH) like the Babylon 5 among anime! Word of this series is spread by showing at anime clubs, conventions and word of mouth by fans.

The break down is it's the story of the struggle between two empires and the two heroes at the center of it all, each fighting for their own reasons. On the Empire side there is Reinhard Von Lohengram, military ace and nexus point to bring about change within the Empire and do away with the corrupt nobles. On the side of the Free Planets there's Yang Wen-Li, who joined the military just to pay his tuition to be a historian. This makes him well versed in past military tactics and a genius in his own rights. Yang to wishes an end to the corruption in the so called democracy of his government.

The differences are the two characters approach, Lohengram wants more power to effect that change and Yang wants none. If you look at these two characters they want the same thing for their people, you think they could have been friends if the situations were different.

The series is epic in scope and legendary in it's execution. Making it one of the best anime series that hardly any one has ever seen. Which is why I liken it to the Babylon 5 of anime.

The series may never be brought to the US dubbed because of it's length, although the task of it would not be impossible seeing as the Urusei Yatsura fans have gotten the last DVD box set of that series. But with so many anime series now that are like a flavor of the month, a licensed release of LOGH seems like it will never happen.

8.4.2007 I have finally watched the last episode of this OVA series, and WOW! just doesn't seem to cover it.

One of best series I've seen in a long long time. This space opera is without equal. Words fall short of praising this creation.

Great character development in this anime. Its evident that a tremendous amount of effort was put into the production of this anime, with detailed background info on most characters as well as locations, history, art, culture and the scenery.

Each episode will leave you wanting for more. Stories have been carefully designed not to show any bias to any particular political view. Impartiality is the motto of this anime.

The animation is good, considering the anime is from the late eighties. But, animation is not at all the defining aspect of this anime. Its the story and the characters.

The soundtrack is exemplary. The tracks clearly voice the thoughts of some of the characters in the sage. Beautiful to listen to.

Overall, this anime is a true masterpiece. Comparing this with other creations from this genre would be a disservice to this anime.

I started watching this 30 years old anime series after seeing the first season (Ginga Eiyû Densetsu: Die Neue These - Kaikou 2018) of a reboot based on the original. I liked the story so much, didn't have the patience to wait for new seasons to come out and decided to binge watch this ancient animation series.

This is one of the most unique anime series I have watched, it didn't depend on action sequences, heroic fighting, intrigue or showy effects to tell a story as is the style for such animation series, instead it relied on believable strategy's and actual storytelling, it genuinely felt like a good adoption from a Sci-fi novel as is the actual case.

The Sci-fi anime is focused on Space Warfare between two Inter-Galactic Powers, the story is told by showcasing the lives of two geniuses who clash against each other over the years. Their lives are as dissimilar as it can be yet they parallel each other in achievements. This is as much a biography of these two as a military sci-fi. Loved the social commentary and the conflicting questions asked all through the series.

The animation and music are mediocre at best considering its 30 years old but serves the purpose as the focus of this series is the storytelling and it does have an interesting story to tell.

Legend of the galactic heroes (LOGH) is a massive space drama that is being set in a small section of space. This anime is almost unmatched in any media, there is not many shows that have these many locations, characters, topics, side plots and intricately strategic battles and have all of them written not only well, but exceptionally.

It is a sprawling epic with many dynamic and interesting characters that have their own philosophy and thoughts on extremely complex topics, and they represent the many facets of these topics without presenting one inherently above the other and instead showing the natural progression of certain philosophies and belief and what they would lead to.

I won't mince words here, forget star ratings and all the 9.3213/10 or whatever ratings you see here. It isn't possible to convey thoughts on a topic/show/movie with a simple rating, what I can tell you is that you should do yourself a favor, if you have any interest in politically dense, philosophical, and detailed world then give this anime a shot, there is almost nothing like it.

Whilst the mentions of Babylon 5 aren't far off the mark, I'd say this is more akin to what Game of Thrones would want to be once it grew up - and was set mainly in space.

I recommend Failsafe to anyone with control of nuclear weapons, and this series to anyone who is in or intends to go into government-it covers timeless questions concerning power and how those in charge manipulate others, and themselves, and the justifications they use. A much more nuanced look than the 'evil vs good' plots dominating Western media - both fictional and in reality.

Perhaps you've seen this superior science-fiction series on the Net or at your anime club. It looks like a TV show because each episode is 25 minutes long but I understand it is a direct-to-video adaption of Yoshiki Tanaka's 19-book series "Legend of Galactic Heroes". Thanks to that devoted fan-base the 28 tapes finally were completed after 10 years.

LGH tells the story of Reinhard, son of a poor nobleman in the Galactic Empire. Reinhard's father allowed his older sister Annarose to be carried away to court as a concubine when he was a young boy. Because of that Reinhard vowed to topple the Emperor one day. This series is like a soap opera because there are a lot of schemers and schemes and while the plot seems to advance slowly you really can't skip many episodes. There is a big payoff at the end and everything comes to a satisfying conclusion. The writing is very good but I can see people getting bored.

I know there are efforts underway to get an official subbed version to the US but it is going to be a hard sell because there are so many episodes.

I've always been of the opinion that great works of fiction almost exclusively belong to literature. This is even more true in the realm of Science Fiction. There are some SciFi shows or movies I've seen with shades of brilliance, but none really compare to the works of the my favorite writers of the genre(Isaac Asimov, Ursula K. Le Guin, Frank Herbert, etc.).

Not that something has to be truly great for me to enjoy, I watch several shows and animes over and over for pure enjoyment, even if there are obvious faults. There are just so many things that seem to go wrong in shows and animes. Too short, too long, poor character depth or development, weak pacing, unnecessary fan service, the list goes on and on, and I very rarely find shows that don't fail in some way, even if they are otherwise wonderful.

This show not only succeeded in every aspect I look for but it excelled. I'm writing this review purely, because I want to talk about it and have no one to discuss it with.

The style had me intrigued from the word go. A space opera written in the style of a 19th century epic!? Star Wars meets War and Peace?! It didn't take me long to get a sense of the show, and I was hooked within the first few episodes.

Animation was the only thing that could have limited this show, as it's a product of the time it was made. Yet, the creators made it work, focusing on the things they could do well and finding ways to work with the things beyond their capabilities. The narrative was never limited by the limited animation, and that was a feat in itself for something so grand in scope.

For a show with so many major characters, they were all remarkably well thought out and portrayed. Every single character, from the two main protagonists, to characters who only showed up for an episode or two were fleshed out. Character development for the major characters was so well done and thorough, that it almost made it hard to remember what they were once like at the beginning of the show.

The pacing was flawless. Even the slower episodes had a purpose and drove the story forward. The universe of this anime was so large and intricate, with such a long backstory, that it seems like it'd have been impossible to build our understanding naturally over the course of the show. Yet, this was accomplished without ever making me feel bored or confused.

The fleet battles were my favorite aspect of the show, and I feel like the limited animation actually increased my enjoyment. Instead of focusing on the vivid explosions and ship design, strategy and maneuvering were the central focus. Every battle was intricate, and I was extremely happy with the frequency they occurred.

That's not to say that every other aspect of the show wasn't absolutely magnificent as well. The political intrigue, conspiracies, moral and political philosophies, dialogue, friendships, and even the handful of romances were all woven into the show masterfully.

I attempted to tell one of my clients about it(A huge Star Wars and Star Trek) buff, and when I told him that I enjoyed it more than either The Next Generation or The Empire Strikes Back(my two favorite installations of these franchises) he scoffed at me. As though an anime could hardly compare to Western Film and TV which is a shame. This is without a doubt the best show I've seen, and one of the best pieces of fiction I've had the opportunity to enjoy.

Tis during the winter of lockdowns, and all was silent.

For I watched this opera with great interest, In the lasers and the explosions, And I enjoyed it.

Was life so simple then.

It offers rich commentary on war, politics, government, history, corruption, good and evil, etc.; the list goes on and on.

It would take too long to explain the social commentary going on in this series, but one thing that stands above the rest is how tyrants come to power. Is it through the people (democratic rule of the many over the few), or government control (aristocratic rule of the few over the many)? Does the goal of a perfect system begin as a good dream that becomes tainted, or is the dream already tainted? How long does it take a system to grow corrupt? Is the system at fault or are the people who run it? It asks a lot of these questions by setting up a corrupt (or rather decadent) democracy that is fighting a growing benevolent aristocracy that has just overthrown a tyrannical government. Of course, it addresses the problems of a single monarch's rule versus representative democracy; there are good things and bad things attached to each system.

The show creates political and moral problems and the characters on both sides must find solutions. The story itself remains very nuanced to allow the audience to make up their minds about the issues presented. There are advantages and disadvantages to all forms of government presented. That is, the story is not a one-sided narrative that forces its audience to choose a certain side. It is a complex and intelligent social commentary, which forces its audience to think about all kinds of things. I also really like how classical music forms the soundtrack; that is, classical pieces are the only music in the show-Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Mozart, Brahms, Schubert, Wagner, etc.

It is a masterpiece, but it can be very slow at times. It is basically the War and Peace of anime.

Attack on Titan 10/10

Legend of the Galactic heroes 10/10

Vinland Saga 10/10

Just a well thought out anime from the battle tactics to the political scheming

A true hidden gem.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes is one of the most ambitious works I've seen. The setting is the Milky Way Galaxy, with two sides in a great war. The Galactic Empire is a monarchy, where rank is determined by lineage instead of competence. There's class inequality, but young upstart Reinhard von Müsel seeks to take the throne and bring reform. The Free Planets Alliance split off from the Empire to form a democracy. But corruption in the government prevents the people's representation. Yang Wen-li still believes in the system, and becomes Reinhard's respected rival in battle, both masters of military tactics.

LotGH delves deep into politics, character, and military strategy. Its realistic, with few stereotypes in its gigantic cast. Its such a space opera, it even has classical music in its score! But wow do you need to be patient. At 110 episodes, it demands commitment from the viewer. And its slow-paced too. Events rarely unfold in a single episode. Some barely move the plot, and focus on building characters and the universe. There's no immediate pay-off, and you might be underwhelmed by the time the wheels start rolling.

If you are not totally into the show, it can be easy to be blown out, even when you're not halfway in. I kinda broke down by the 80s. But if the concept intrigues you and you don't mind the length and pace, its a sci-fi classic.

Introduction:

Legend of the Galactic Heroes is one of the best anime ever made. An excellently written space opera, with interesting characters, and one of most original science fiction shows. And if you're getting started with anime, I recommend this as a start.

The Narrative & Characters:

This show has some of the best writing of any TV show. Why? Well let me tell you.

The show centers around a war between The Alliance and The Empire. And the show doesn't portray either side as evil. The Alliance may be a democracy, but it's still incredibly flawed and filled with corruption.

And while the other is a dictator ship. It gets things done better than the democracy. And has less corruption, however, there are more limits in freedom. Both presenting arguments, and asking the audience to choose. Like a good war story should do.

I can't praise this series enough, it also had interesting characters on each side. Some in the Alliance are evil, and some are descent people. And the same goes for the Empire. This is honestly the most realistic space opera ever written. As it feels like a real war, it just happens to be in space.

The series raises questions and gives us interesting characters to follow.

The Animation:

This is a weaker aspect of the show. The animation, it's only okay, and just kind of low quality. And I don't mind so much, because the writing makes up for that, but it's an anime. And I just expect a little more.

Conclusion:

Legend of the Galactic Heroes is an anime that should be watched by more people. It might be long, with 110 episodes, and there may not be a dub, but it's still worth a watch.

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

Haven't you always wanted to find an anime that is equal to a great book, an anime that you'll hold dear as you will age through time? Then search no further, cause this anime alone is sufficient to satisfy your hunger.

Story : 8.7 / 10 "Great"

Legend of the Galactic Heroes (LOGH for short) is a space opera taking place on a small amount of planets in our Milky Way Galaxy, with a greater and noble main purpose : To teach you about the political and war schemes of men. In this Galaxy, there are three separate sides : The autocratic Galactic Empire, the democratic Free Planets Alliance and the politically neutral planet and product trading center, Phezzan. The plot is mainly centered around the political and war games between the first two, but also around the political importance of Phezzan in forming the shape of this great war. The plot thickens when Reinhard Von Lohengramm, a military genius from the side of the Galactic Empire who constantly rises in the military ranks and begins to change the autocratic government from it's foundations, clashes with another military genius from the side of Free Planets Alliance, Yang Wenli, who wants democracy to prevail as the best out of the existing government types and, ultimately, to end this futile war. Empires rise and fall and democracies turn into military-driven governments as the series progress and our characters shape their opinions on human ideals and mature in the most logical way possible out of the results of this endless and brutal war.

Art : 7.4 / 10 "Good"

The art of LOGH could be seen as it's most vulnerable side. It has many still scenes, many sloppily re-drawn scenes and maintains a mediocre facial consistency till the end. However, the art is improved through the years and could be recognized as something unique, artsy and very fitting to the mood and themes of the series.

Sound : 8.8 / 10 "Great"

The works of the big classical composers such as Brahms, Strauss and Tchaikovsky are worldwide known as masterpieces. Thus, I will not further analyze the importance they hold, not only in the classical music section, but to the whole world of music. However, when used properly, they instantly turn a show into a majestic one, with LOGH being the most obvious and well-refined example.

Characters : 8.1 / 10 "Very Good"

There are lot of characters who have significant value in forming the elaborate plot of LOGH and all are three-dimensional, but two of them shine the most: Reinhard and Yang. Reinhard Von Lohengramm is a poor noble from the Galactic Empire side who, along with his best friend Siegfried Kircheis, want to overpower the Kaiser (emperor) , rescue his sister from Kaiser's hands and then unify and rule the whole known universe. An interesting character full of ambition, born to be a wise and thoughtful leader and showing the utmost respect to his citizens, soldiers and subordinates. Yang Wenli is a stoic, sarcastic and witty character, a rising star in the military section of Free Planets Alliance, who, along with his son Julian, wants to contribute the most into ending this endless war between Galactic Empire and Free Planets Alliance and give an end to the unlimited numbers of dead soldiers. Also an interesting character, who is more interested in history lessons than going into battle, and feels the weight of the dead soldiers keep growing on his shoulders, as a respectful and wise military commander should do. The other members of the cast are, if not equally, rather interesting because of their contribution to the plot, their three- dimensional and believable aspects and their redeeming qualities.

Verdict : 8.4 / 10 "Very Good"

There is no other show like it. It have some cons, but they are completely surpassed by it's magnitude of feelings and emotions, giving maybe the most powerful anti-war message of our recent times, and most meaningful political analysis on the schemes of men.

A review ends, an amazing experience begins.

During the war era, Japan that we know today was an Imperial Japan and was an authoritarian state. While it has been a full fledged democratic country since the Post war period, they have retained their constitutional monarchy. Throughout this anime, we have constantly seen the comparison between the democratic government and the absolute monarch.

Many years after the repetitive disasters on earth, a large majority of the humanity moved away from it and settled within the various parts of the galaxy. For 150 years, two mighty space powers have intermittently warred with each other: the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance. The Galactic Empire resembles the 19th century Prussia, which used to rule by the emperors, also known as Kaiser. The Free Planets Alliance represents the democratic country.

During the 1980s, the economic growth of Japan was at its peak. The standard of living grew drastically. The citizens enjoyed high real wages, low unemployment rates, excellent health care, above average consumption of goods and services. However, people became workaholic and other than their jobs, they took little interest in other things. Till date it is said that not many Japanese are interested in the politics and the voting percentage during the elections remain low. Even Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu is a rare fiction from Japan, which primarily focuses on the world politics. The possible influence I could think of is that during the 80s, Japan saw 4 different Prime Ministers throughout the decades. There were variations. Even if we talk about the empire, the Showa era ended with Hirohito, starting the new Heisei era.

Huge debate was sparked around the world when the ex-nazi officer Kurt Waldheim was elected as the President of Austria from 1986 to 1992. The accusations of war crimes started flowing as soon as he started his campaign for the election. Similarly, it has been observed that Oskar Von Reuental was accused of disloyalty multiple times after his Kaiser appointed him as the Governor General. Oberstein's character too was disliked by the Kaiser's other subordinates for his methods or policies just as how Waldheim would be labelled as 'persona non grata'.

On multiple occasions, Mozart, Beethoven and other artists' themes were played in the background. The opening songs themselves give us the feeling of listening to the extended themes of the Oscar winning movie 'A sound of music'. The American movie was entirely shot in Salzburg, Austria.

In 1990, the Berlin Wall broke down and the East and the West Germany became one country 'Germany' again. The Galactic Empire setting is largely based on the pre war Prussian but even then on multiple occasions, the main characters of the Galactic Empire were pressing on the 'unification of the universe'. Also, for many decades, Germany kept using the currency Deutsche Mark, before it got replaced with the Euro. Similarly, the Galactic Empire uses the currency called 'Imperial Mark'.

USSR was on the verge to collapse, while China experienced the Tiananmen square protest. As a result, communism had a bad reputation. I am not sure if it was included in the novel version but during the last season, there was a scene in which we can see Attenborough telling Poplan that he wouldn't want the word 'Commune' to get attached with them. He didn't want them to become the graveyard for the democracy. Everything with the word 'Commune' has eventually 'collapsed'.

There is no creative liberty in this series. Despite being set in the distant future or most of the scenes taking place in the space or in the galaxy, there are no illogical weapons or supernatural elements. There is no exaggeration at all. Yoshiki had a clear intention of portraying only the human deeds(as per the historical evidences) and didn't opt to portray any cyborgs or the robots. Even though by the time, it becomes apparent that Yoshiki Tanaka prefers Yang Wenli over others when it comes to battle, his strategies were always realistic. He was not shown as someone with some sort of wizardry power(yes, he was called a magician but he wasn't a magician). So many battles take place in the series and none of them are hastily fabricated or having contrived plot twists. Moreover, even though the main characters rise through the ranks throughout the series, they were the products of their respective domestic situations.

The funny thing is whenever we see a complex character interested in poetry, the Galactic characters deride him/her for being a romantist.

In this series, we often see the main characters reacting strongly to certain things. In fact, Reinhard von Lohenngram was many a times an angry-young-man and quite a few times, we see him getting devastated and for most of the second half suffers from fever. In one scene, when Mecklinger passes a message to his opponents and pays respect to a deceased individual, Schenkopp was quick to label him and the Galactic Empire as 'sentimentalists'.

The anime doesn't try to be something it is not. Despite the frequent humour, the characters don't act cute unnecessarily. In short, there is no guilty pleasure or fan service.

Throughout this series, mostly from the side of Free Planet Alliance, we see some contemplation over the comparison between the monarchy and the democracy. Especially, Julian has wondered multiple times if democracy is what people choose, then should the Kaiser chosen by the people be considered as a part of democratic foundation. Yang Wenli has also questioned that which one is worse. The Empire, with a few nobles ruling the masses, is bad government. The Alliance, with a government chosen by the people, is badly governed. However, despite himself being the victim of the corruption of the democratic government, Yang Wenli strongly believes in the democratic institution. He did not even let military(or himself) have control over the system even when he/they had a chance. Bucock was even more sorted. Even if the ruler is kind, he strongly emphasis on preferring a kind friend over a kind servant or a kind master. Despite having seen the shortcomings of democracy, he strongly believes that if we have democratic principles on our lips, it is our (people's) responsibility to safeguard it.

Von Reuental from the Galactic Empire feels that the Usurpation is ten thousand times better than the inheritance. At least the usurper will toil for the sake of gaining power.

I was tricked into believing that Yoshiki through Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu is preaching us Pacifism. He gave some of the best anti-war messages during the first season. Not only, we get to see the horrors of war, or its psychological effects on the soldiers but we also get to see how badly it affects even the day to day lives. However, despite these anti-war messages, Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu is more of a comment of political realism. Not only does it acknowledge that the eternal peace is unattainable (only a few decades of peace is possible), at times, we even witness, when exactly the war not only becomes inevitable but also a necessity. It has happened in the series that even a wise character would start a battle so as to justify their existence or strengthen their geo-political power. Even though Reinhard may not have necessarily started conflicts, he would at times wouldn't hesitate to show aggression or assertiveness on the basis of his own individualistic philosophy. However, despite this political realism, this series never shows us the theory, which realists argue all the time - The theory of balance of power. In this series, you won't see any sides equally powerful, one side will always be powerful whereas the other one will always be an underdog. We can assume that the theory of balance of power is not relevant ever since the humanity has migrated from the earth.

Since the planet earth is now left with few inhabitants, it has now occupied by or reduced to a cult organization called 'Terraists'. Just like in the real world, we do see politicians in Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu using the religious terrorism for their advantage and even though the 'Terraists' have some major role to play in the primary storyline, they have very little screentime and the characters don't consider them as major threats either. Perhaps, Yoshiki believes that the religious beliefs wouldn't last much in the distant future. Through Julian, he even subtly suggests that the fanaticism could be a tool to unite rest of the humanity.

I wouldn't hesitate to say this is one of the best anime I have ever watched. The message was loud and clear. In every era, the deeds of the humans remain the same. The Galactic Empire was totally based on the political system of the 18th century Prussia. Not just the names but the fates of some Kaisers were similar to that of the famous personalities of those time periods. Yoshiki argues that the history keeps repeating itself. In fact, the very reason why Yang Wenli was such a genius tactician was because he was an expert in history. His original dream was to become a historian. In the last few episodes, there is also an 'Alexander' reference and/or the ambition of conquering the universe. While Yoshiki cleverly and accurately put forward his thoughts, it is to be noticed that he wasn't always clear in predicting the distant future. This was especially seen when Schenkopp breaks into the Reuental's fleet and in order to open the door of the Reuental's cabin cabin, all he required to do was scan his fingers and the door opened automatically. Now, Reuental was a reputed Admiral, how it is convincing that any outsider would manage to open that door so easily. It must be either password protected or a person may have to register himself to acquire permission to visit the area. It was clear that Yoshiki didn't intend to focus much on the futurism. Even in the battle, much of the tension was felt when the Admirals or the Commanders formed their respective strategies. Not much tension lies in the action.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a true gem of oldschool anime, unique in many ways. For example, this is an extremely rare instance of an anime being based on a series of cult classic science fiction novels. This is also a very accurate adaptation, which follows the original story almost word for word.

This was not an easy task, however, as the story is very grand in scope and tells us about a huge intergalactic conflict between two civilizations, showing us the effects of the war from both sides equally. The characters always stay important and interesting on both sides. It deeply delves into the social, political, military and other in-world nuances of the two fictional governments, but it also doesn't forget explore the minds of the people who lead these governments and armies. And that's where the story really shines.

Fitiing for a story of such grand scope, there are hundreds of characters in this anime. Soldiers, politicians, diplomats, merchants, average civilians - you name it. The amount of characters, storylines and intrigues is huge, similar to Game of Thrones or, perhaps, The Wire. Despite having so many characters, the overwhelming majority of the main cast is very likeable, well written, sympathetic or charismatic (in many cases, it's all of the above). It's impressive how this story manages to successfully combine the grand and epic storyline of the ongoing galactic war with the interesting personal conflicts of the main cast, including many charming, well written and memorable interactions between them. There are good, bad, broken and grey people on both sides of the war and, as the series goes on, you gradually start to wish that everything would turn out good for the characters themselves, not the factions they represent, as there are always no sinless and completely innocent sides during the all-out war.

It's a shame that this anime is not so well known outside retro anime fans, as I genuinely think that it rivals some of the best Japanese animated series out there in terms of writing, worldbuilding and many other aspects. The animation may be a little dated, but as soon as you get used to it, which usually happens pretty quick, you'll begin to understand why this anime is so highly rated.

I highly recommend this series to any anime, sci-fi or space opera fans out there.

If you want to see something like Star Wars, I recommend this piece. You just have to understand that this is not a satry tale of good and evil that will end in the explosion of "DEATH STAR" but it is a complex story about senseless victims in the war, also this story about the virtues of one political system, which are both its disadvantage, and the main thing is the story of the numerous people in this war who are trying to finish it and continue it.

So, this is a level of shakespearean esc classic, it is like watching Berserk, Star trek. Star wars, game of thrones and meets world history. It is slow but if you go into it knowing this you will enjoy it the journey is worth the slow burn. Show does a great job of never taking sides and letting you decide what is right. Its great watching a show taking the character arcs from episode 1 to the end. I would suggest the following order to watch it, My Conquest is the Sea of Stars

Overture to a New War

Main OVA series.

I must admit that LOGH have its problems, since the original source its a novel it doesnt translate perfectly into anime being most episodes text, now dont get me wrong the text is amazing but yeah its way too much for a anime, theres a lot but a lot of monologues and dialogues but i reaffirm the text is damn good. Even so the anime may get too classic for some people, what i mean is the characters are that just characters not people, theyre not that deep, dont get me wrong they are good (and theyre a lot), everyone have their own believes, wants and obstacles and change a bit during the serie but theres is no really a great introspection into the mind of the characters or their lifes outside the plot like there is in bojack horseman or evangelion but it doesnt have to, the biggest concern of LOGH is his worldbuilding, lore and plot even more than his characters and thats not bad is simply different. The autor have a story he wants to tell and he needs vehicles to direct that story. There may be people who dont like this kind of stories and thats ok but i do and what i love about LOGH is the themes democracy, true freedom, the value of a strong and true leadership, power, troops and the core of the serie his perspective about the history of humanity "Two thousand years ago, people were building pyramids and complaining about their bosses. Two thousand years later, people will be piloting spaceships and shedding tears for their lovers." this being said by the autor himself i feel its the very core of the anime that give form and purpose to everything else.

In conclusion it is not a perfect anime (who is?) but is damn good. If you like history and politics you will enjoy this hidden gem.

This series is very different from the other anime series I have seen so far (admittedly it's not a huge number). As the other reviewers have stated it follows the struggle of two main protagonists on galactic scale, one fighting for a "good" dictatorship and the other for a flawed democracy. The main strength of the series is definitely its well developed characters. There is back story, there is character development and complexity. You sympathize with a lot of characters on both sides of the struggle (in fact there are more sides than two) and can see things from different perspectives. There are no "right" answers or right courses of actions in many situations for a lot of the characters and a lot of things are not black and white. People often face thorny ethical issues where every decision has a cost, often a big one. The show is also not afraid to kill off important characters when the story calls for it. This is not uncommon in anime but rather rare in western TV.

There are a number of flaws however and there is much here that can be improved upon. I have not seen the recent remake (only just finished watching the original) but I hope it addresses some of them. First, animation is quite poor. I don't know the reason for this ( perhaps lack of money?) but the low quality of animation is quite grating, particularly when showing space battles. Next, despite a number of characters being complex and well developed there are also quite a few which are cartoonishly simplistic. I would not expect to see stereotypical cartoon villains in a series like this, yet there are quite a few. There are also a number of situations where many characters (usually secondary ones but still) act as such complete idiots it strains suspension of disbelief beyond breaking point. This also applies to many political situations which is particularly bad as it's one of the main topics the show investigates.

Next, there is a bit too much pontificating at times. I prefer "show, don't tell" in movies. This series often seem to follow a different adage: "show and tell, and tell, and then tell some more".

Lastly, the show is quite dated, sometimes hilariously so. I understand that one must make allowances given the show's age but still. It's SciFi so one would expect the writers to put some thought into depicting life and technology 1000 years in the future. Yet, apart from videophones and self driving cars a lot of things look pretty much as they did in the late 80s. People write letters by hand on paper using ink pens, laptops look like they did around 1990, computers use floppy drives (!), and interstellar communication is done by, I kid you not, telegraph (!!).

Some of the above issues are less pronounced in seasons 3 and 4 but you have to watch a lot of episodes to get there.

Overall, an interesting series, worth a watch, particularly to see a different type of anime series than most series out there.

This will forever be one of my top 5 Anime of all time. Its characters, writing, and the social, economic, and military issues it deals with will be relevant for as long as humans exist. I would say it's greatest weaknesses are female characters are not given enough agency... Though maybe it was good for its time, and the animation is not the best... Though for its time it was incredible. The show is so good that it makes you glad for every episode and each twist along the way as you follow both protagonists through their trials and tribulations. Both equally wonderful people, but very different in their styles. My favorite character is Yang Wenli, but Reinhard is awesome as well. A great watch for anyone who enjoys history, sci-fi, military tactics, and well written characters.