Talk me into watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Hamakami said:
I put off watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes for quite some time because the "fan" attitude around it was off-putting. I was later informed that the elitism from fans was a meme that they forgot was a meme.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes, while dated is fantastically structured. It starts out small in relative scale but broadens out significantly over time. It never extends itself beyond the story it's ready to tell. It very much becomes "galactic" in scale, but you never feel overwhelmed because you learn about the where and how as it is needed.

The strengths of LotGH is that it obeys its own rules throughout the series. There are no singing magical girl magic ass-pulls or the power of love victories. It's very consistent with its own reality and that reality is established early on. It's also a very unique piece of media. Its scope makes things like Firefly, star wars, even star trek and Battlestar Galactica seem infantile. Not because one or the other is "bigger" but because LotGH has most of the galaxy filled in with relevant locations and events.

It's also a great political drama without talking down to its audience. It explains things respectfully through the narrative but is pretty accessible. There are even logistical military tactics used - nothing feels "cheap" or "BS". The creator was very meticulous about not cheating and that translated well into the anime.

Because of this the stakes always feel real. At least for me it never felt like there were any Jesus-kun running around in some space battleship pulling out a victory. There are more than a fair share of battles of attrition and Pyrrhic victories for the various sides.

One last thing- it's not intellectually complex or anything, there isn't some deeper meaning that isn't revealed and the target age group feels like ~9th or ~10th grade in social studies knowledge or comprehension.

I don't recall any of the episodes feeling like "Filler" but it can slow down some for some of the mini-arc developments if one side or the other doesn't interest you as much. The pace picks up towards the midway point. It's definitely worth the watch as I don't think such a story will ever be made again. I'm glad it was made and I'm glad I watched it.

It's easy to see the high rating and think that it's inflated by people who like the smell of their own farts - but it legitimately deserves its high ranking. I think the large amount of episodes as well as it being subtitle only are the two biggest intimidation factors - but you will be surprised at how quickly the episodes go by (if it ends up being your thing).

The weakness of the show other than the dated animation - is that it's sort of like a historical retelling than it is a dialed in entertainment execution - while there are story arcs in it, it's not as tightly constructed as modern 12 or 24 episode 1-6, 6-12 LN volume arc beats.

If you don't like, at all, politics or space there won't be much there for you. There are romantic subplots but they never take center stage and while it's tagged as "romance" - the romance in it is there because nearly everything in life is there. The romance isn't at all convoluted though - probably as organic and realistic a romance as you would see.

I'd love for a modern remake of it mostly because of how they were limited in depicting space battles - but they are dealing with vast forces.

That's another thing- the show "realistically tracks" gains and losses of forces - as a matter of fact strategy and tactics are the primary driver of battles. If you were ever interested in army movement tactics - that's how battles are essentially depicted. It's not a single elite fighter saving the day - it's losses on both sides numbering in the thousands that determine an outcome. There are retreats, regroupings, feints, ambushes, and even situations where "time to arrive" of reinforcements comes into play.

This is already a wall of text but I hope that's enough to convince you. If you love the medium of Anime I'd say watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a "must watch" stop off eventually - if for no other reason as to see not only what was possible - but what was actually executed and delivered. As a whole it's definitely the best space opera in any media, especially story wise.

Makes Star wars feel like a weekend skirmish.

Hamakami said:
I put off watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes for quite some time because the "fan" attitude around it was off-putting. I was later informed that the elitism from fans was a meme that they forgot was a meme.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes, while dated is fantastically structured. It starts out small in relative scale but broadens out significantly over time. It never extends itself beyond the story it's ready to tell. It very much becomes "galactic" in scale, but you never feel overwhelmed because you learn about the where and how as it is needed.

The strengths of LotGH is that it obeys its own rules throughout the series. There are no singing magical girl magic ass-pulls or the power of love victories. It's very consistent with its own reality and that reality is established early on. It's also a very unique piece of media. Its scope makes things like Firefly, star wars, even star trek and Battlestar Galactica seem infantile. Not because one or the other is "bigger" but because LotGH has most of the galaxy filled in with relevant locations and events.

It's also a great political drama without talking down to its audience. It explains things respectfully through the narrative but is pretty accessible. There are even logistical military tactics used - nothing feels "cheap" or "BS". The creator was very meticulous about not cheating and that translated well into the anime.

Because of this the stakes always feel real. At least for me it never felt like there were any Jesus-kun running around in some space battleship pulling out a victory. There are more than a fair share of battles of attrition and Pyrrhic victories for the various sides.

One last thing- it's not intellectually complex or anything, there isn't some deeper meaning that isn't revealed and the target age group feels like ~9th or ~10th grade in social studies knowledge or comprehension.

I don't recall any of the episodes feeling like "Filler" but it can slow down some for some of the mini-arc developments if one side or the other doesn't interest you as much. The pace picks up towards the midway point. It's definitely worth the watch as I don't think such a story will ever be made again. I'm glad it was made and I'm glad I watched it.

It's easy to see the high rating and think that it's inflated by people who like the smell of their own farts - but it legitimately deserves its high ranking. I think the large amount of episodes as well as it being subtitle only are the two biggest intimidation factors - but you will be surprised at how quickly the episodes go by (if it ends up being your thing).

The weakness of the show other than the dated animation - is that it's sort of like a historical retelling than it is a dialed in entertainment execution - while there are story arcs in it, it's not as tightly constructed as modern 12 or 24 episode 1-6, 6-12 LN volume arc beats.

If you don't like, at all, politics or space there won't be much there for you. There are romantic subplots but they never take center stage and while it's tagged as "romance" - the romance in it is there because nearly everything in life is there. The romance isn't at all convoluted though - probably as organic and realistic a romance as you would see.

I'd love for a modern remake of it mostly because of how they were limited in depicting space battles - but they are dealing with vast forces.

That's another thing- the show "realistically tracks" gains and losses of forces - as a matter of fact strategy and tactics are the primary driver of battles. If you were ever interested in army movement tactics - that's how battles are essentially depicted. It's not a single elite fighter saving the day - it's losses on both sides numbering in the thousands that determine an outcome. There are retreats, regroupings, feints, ambushes, and even situations where "time to arrive" of reinforcements comes into play.

This is already a wall of text but I hope that's enough to convince you. If you love the medium of Anime I'd say watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a "must watch" stop off eventually - if for no other reason as to see not only what was possible - but what was actually executed and delivered. As a whole it's definitely the best space opera in any media, especially story wise.

Makes Star wars feel like a weekend skirmish.

haysikecemboles said:


Ahh, an internet classic. "You can't praise a franchise without shitting on another" , leaving aside the fact that they are completely different franchises with no real similarity whatsoever other than being sci-fi with a space setting. Hell, they are not even in the same medium or in the same format.
It's also ironic that you wrote this sentence , which practically screams elitism, after your criticism of elitism surrounding Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu at the beginning of your article.

Leaving all that aside, this is not a rec thread and it shouldn't be here in the first place.

Andrei_Rublev said:


I disagree about the dated animation being a weakness. Modern art wouldn't fit with the shows more sophisticated style.

Hamakami said:


I actually enjoyed the aesthetic - but I've found that the number one reason why people don't watch anime before [their cutoff year] has to do with the animation - so to sell a show that's dated I try and point out the virtues other than animation.

Most of the planetside animation and on ship or in a space station stuff is serviceable and "fine" even compared to today - and the "framing of shots" tends to be consistent and solid, much better than a lot of the cheap LN stuff that gets tossed out - but most don't watch a show with that compartmentalized of a viewpoint. The weakest part that gets to you is the reuse of "stock" space battle footage - it's more the re-use I'd criticize than the actual portrayals - but there are those extreme range "pinpricks of light" that aren't done any favors. The production could only do so much with the budget it had - but when selling the show to a newcommer I wouldn't hold up the dated animation as the highlight in 2017. If they dig it, my not praising it won't stop them - and if they don't my warning them about it will soften the blow.