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Disclaimer: I have not watched all of the episodes of Logh, however, I am well aware of anything that happens in these episodes and my limited understanding shows that none of those things significantly impact the quality of the story.

The Legend is a cult classic in the anime community and is held up by elitists and plebs alike to be one of the best anime series to have ever been released. Personally, I find it to be the best anime that I have currently watched, although, as is all else, that is up to debate. What I will say ... is that the Legend boasts a finely crafted, if not a bit unreasonable at times, narrative with a cast well beyond the size of any normal anime that does a surprisingly good job at making sure that all characters have some sort of characterization and are in some way useful to the plot.

Characters:
In terms of the main characters, the show boasts both Yang Wen-li and Reinhard von Lohengramm. Yang Wen-li is a simple man who doesn’t enjoy the thought of his actions and is only loyal to his paycheck and to the basic ideals of democracy. Wen-li received a decent amount of character development as he grew more accustomed to being the spotlight of the galaxy, and to truly fighting for the ideals that people like Heinessen preached and creating his own Democratic system in the form of the Iserlohn Republic. He is often defined as a little preachy on his monologues about the ideals of government, however, he is often described as a mentor figure to Julian who he spouts most of this too, and, when he is not trying to teach what he believes is correct to Julian, he is usually arguing against authoritarians such as the National Salvation Military Council and Reinhard, or to question his own actions as to if he should believe in a system that led to people like Job Trunighct to being in power. In that way, he is excused. Julian acts like an extension of Yang and genuinely feels as though he grows as a person into Yang’s successor.

Next on the chopping block is Reinhard and Kircheis. Reinhard is a man of lofty ambitions, and believes, occasionally wrongly, that he can achieve the same of that of Rudolf von Goldenbaum, the man who founded the Galactic Empire. Reinhard, however, is a bit emotionally unstable and acts out of bounds on multiple occasions, such as challenging his subordinates to rebel against him and allowing 2 million citizens of Westerland to be killed by Prince Braunschweig in order to accomplish his goals. This makes him feel more realistic than many other characters in anime that try to accomplish the same purpose as him. However, he always (yeah, certainly always) has his friend, Siegfried Kircheis, to consult on matters he really shouldn’t do. He is portrayed a little bit too much as a white knight, knowing what is right in every situation, however, his goodness is what eventually killed him at the hands of someone he really shouldn’t have died against. He felt compelled to help Reinhard as they both have a motivation against the nobles in the form of Countess Grunewald, and he really needed to be that way in order to provide for Reinhard, so, in that sense, there is a reason as to why he acts the way he does, even if it feels somewhat jarring while you are watching the show.

As previously mentioned, there is an extremely large cast of characters, so I must shorten this character section for the purposes of keeping this review from being one of the longest on this website. In that sense, I will only mention a few more characters, as well as putting general cast problems at the very end. There are also other good characters in this series. Some of my personal favorites being Oscar von Reuenthal, for his arc that inevitably ended in his betrayal and his personal friendship with Wolfgang Mittermeyer; Paul von Oberstein, for his scheming and albeit a little jarring attitude of agreeing to do acts that seem unjust for the purpose of completing his goals; and Admiral Bucock, for his steadfast belief in Democracy, even in the face of the Galactic Kaiser himself. There are other good examples that need mentioning, but, for the sake of brevity, I will try to leave them out for now. They do have some individual problems between them, but nothing that would hurt the overall quality of the shows.

Things that do hurt the overall quality, however, are those one-dimensional characters that creep up every once and again. The terraists are clearly the worst example of this, for being simply one-dimensional maniacs bent on destroying all those who believe that the Earth shouldn’t be the main focal point of the galaxy. There is an explanation for their fanatic behaviors, in that they are poisoned into becoming fanatics, however, it should not totally excuse that they are lazy villains in an otherwise fairly brilliantly crafter narrative. The others are the one-dimensional politicians, such as the councilors that suggested the invasion of the imperial territories simply for getting another term in power. This did have a purpose in the criticism of democracy, and is exaggerated for the purpose of getting off that theme of the show, but is jarring to the point of ridiculousness at points. The Imperial Nobles are not much better, as they believe they are allowed to do things to their subjects simply because they are their lords. Of course, one could argue that it was the centuries of pandering to the nobility that allowed them to be this way, however, this flaw is still worth mentioning regardless.

Overall, the characters are portrayed in a way that allows them to feel as though they are actual people. The plot allows you to care for these people after seeing their motivation and struggles over a decent amount of screentime. I have noticed some complaints that the show is too pro-empire in terms of character focus, but, considering that the empire only has a few more episodes dedicated to them than to the alliance, it really is not as big of a gap as some critics make it out to be.

The Story:
The Legend is a show that manages to be extremely in depth to the point where it actually feels as though there is a world beyond the events that we are shown on screen. There are several episodes that are focusing on smaller scale issues of nobles within the empire and of citizens of all sorts of worlds which give the impression of cultures that exist outside of the main cast, something most anime of large-scale struggle with. The Legend, however, is on a much larger scale than most of anime that would fall under that category. With hundreds of named characters spanning a series that contains 110 episodes, around 60 side stories episodes, and 3 movies, you can tell that the Legend fits into that long-running series category. However, unlike many other long-running series, the Legend does not degrade in quality significantly over its run. It keeps consistency in the quality of its characters and of its battle and storylines.

The first main point of the plot is the themes. LOGH has two major themes, War is hell and Democracy vs Autocracy. The first main theme is War is Hell. This is mainly shown not only through the battles, where tens of thousands to sometimes even millions die and where portrayals of the ‘true brutality of combat’ are shown, but also through the dialogue of people like Yang Wen-li and João Rebelo, who show the true horrors of war from not only a physical perspective, but also a political and societal perspective. The next major theme is the benefits and detractions of Autocracy and Democracy. For the most part, I would say they are portrayed fairly evenly. Some may argue that the empire was favored more than the alliance, but I would argue that the only reason that is, is because the majority of the time, the empire was either under the direct control or under the influence of Reinhard von Lohengramm, something Yang acknowledges during his personal conversation with Reinhard. However, that does not belittle Yang’s point of view, with him constantly bringing the argument of how a person such as Rudolf the Great can always rise to power with very little protection against him. Even though the author is somewhat using the characters as mouthpieces for philosophy, it is never as bad as a series such as Fate/Zero and is believable due to the character’s personalities and actions before said dialogues. Overall, the themes are portrayed extremely well.

For a small paragraph, I wish to bring up the point of the space battle in LOGH. Some criticize them for not fully utilizing the three dimensions of space. Firstly, there are a couple of scenes where they do use three dimensions. Secondly, there isn’t really any sci-fi that accomplishes this well, that doesn’t involve some kind of giant humanoid robot. Thirdly, the strategy and use of natural components in these battles at least makes up for this lack of use.

The Legend utilizes some of the most interesting and captivating storylines in anime. The Legend gives much time on its character, however, the story is not left entirely alone. The Legend portrays the events unfolding in the series as parts of history, with a narrator involved. Many people dislike the narrator because he “spoils” many of the major events in the series. The narrator allows the series to be portrayed as the title suggests, a ‘Legend’. He also gives us some insight of how future historians and people viewed the men and the events that occurred during the events of the story. He is also good for foreshadowing, as he always gives hints on to what occurs in the future without explicitly telling the audience. The audience is not completely devoid of knowledge of the past either, as it is portrayed to the audience in two episodes (cleverly as well, deciding against direct exposition and instead vouching for the characters themselves to learn of these events along with the audience).

Another bonus point to the Legend is its portrayal of events in the storyline. The Legend, especially in the first season, enjoys portraying both small incidents that do not affect the plot all that much and massive events that will change the events of the character forever. There are episodes that show how the politicians of the Free Planets Alliance come to their decisions, how the people who live in imperial territory reacted to the Free Planets Alliance invasion into imperial territory, how the nobles of the empire attempted to carry out plots against the Kaiser and other nobles (never truly losing the audience’s interest as they always involve the main characters in some capacity), as well as many other events that I will not name here. All of these happenings give rise in the audience to the idea that the Legend has a world that extends far beyond what the main characters are experiencing. This helps to upkeep the abnormally large scale that the Legend tries to have, and gives the audience more investment into the world and the story than what can be accomplished by much other anime series.


Art/Animation:
The art style of the Legend is certainly dated, looking extremely reminiscent of its compatriots in the 1980s and 1990s. However, the realistic style of the Legend helps to overcome these flaws. Many of the characters in the show were designed to be handsome, however, unlike the characters designed today that fulfill the same purpose, the Legend never makes the character designs overly unrealistic to the point where you can not take them seriously, as is what happens to some of the series of today. It always makes the character designs believable, while maintaining the style that many producers use as to capture the attention of those who would otherwise not notice this product. There are several scenes that are not as detailed, not necessarily because of the laziness of the artists (although that does play a role), but because of the budget constraints that the production studios faced during the economic depression that occurred in Japan during the early 1990s. However, most of these mistakes were touched up in the DVD releases which is what an average person who has seen the show would have seen due to the show’s old age. The characters also never make unrealistic movements, which adds to the serious tone that the show possesses. Overall, nothing in the animation and art department degrade the plot in any serious way and can even boost the viewer’s experience in some instances.

Sound:
Legend of the Galactic Heroes’ soundtrack is comprised almost entirely of classical music. This allows the audience to take it more seriously, as any other form of music would not work quite as well for the background soundtrack, as it would make the series seem as though it is not taking itself seriously, which is something it surely is. The soundtrack is objectively quite beautiful, and not something that any viewer would normally attempt to stray away from. None of the songs are forgettable, and many would easily see themselves listening to this soundtrack outside of the series itself. None of the songs are necessarily misplaced either. The sound design is, for the most part, quite good and fits the series extremely well.

Conclusion:
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a series that boasts both a highly realistic cast of characters and an immersing story that will never become overly lacking in quality as many series are. It is truly a classic that can be enjoyed by both elitists and casuals alike. This reputation has earned the series the moniker of “the anime for people who hate anime.” While it may have its flaws, they never overtake the series’ quality in any major way. The legend is truly a classic of anime that deserves much praise and respect. In the very least, that is one man’s humble opinion. I would recommend this anime series to anyone who watches anime that is not overly fixated on any single genre (of course, if they are fixated on space dramas, then that bypasses this point). Anyway, regardless of my opinions and the series itself, I want everyone who took time out of their day to read this to be in good health. I have been Kakorat859, this has been Kakorat’s review of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and I wish all of you to have a happy day. Be safe.

Disclaimer: This review will count for both seasons of the series.

I’m sure anyone who is genuinely reading this review knows what Fate/Zero is, as it has gained a large following in the anime community, from, what only I could discern being the high quality of the animation and the fanbase it has already received from its predecessor series, what many often refer to as Deen/Stay Night. It has been generally positively reviewed by the community, but, as one could most definitely tell from my score of it, I don’t particularly follow that train of thought. This is due, in a brief exposition for those who ... don’t have the patience for long reviews, to the uselessness of many of its character, the somewhat pretentious philosophy of said characters, and the general slow and not well executed thought. However, I will say that it does have good ideas, they are just not properly fleshed out to the point where I can award the show points for it. The premise means nothing if there is bad execution. With that being said, allow me to get into the actual review.

Characters:
Many characters in the show have their backstory shown and their goals explained (if not drastically then at least in part), however, this in and of itself does not justify being warranted as having good characters. The first main point against the quality of these characters is there general uselessness. Many, such as Lancer, Archibald, Sola-Ui, Irisviel, Waver, etc., do not have any main role to serve in the show. That is not to say that all characters should make a considerable donation to the plot, but they should at least be used in a way where they felt they had some limited impact. Tokiomi, for instance, was said to have had an infallible plan and was pushed to be one of the main contributors to the story, but never did anything except burn Kariya and get killed by Kirei.
There are also instances in the show where character development is shown. Waver developed the most in the show and got a surprising amount of screentime considering he was one of the lesser mages in the main characters. Saber also had character development, however, it didn’t really feel like it made much sense. She let a few sentence speech by Rider change her views on her philosophy that she had followed for many years, and could have easily been told of her oversight by Lancelot, who seemingly left the roundtable instead of just telling Saber how he really felt. The worst offender of bad character development is Kirei, who basically got told by Gilgamesh what to do, and then ended in desiring to make people suffer, a very bland and typical villainesc goal for a series that is supposed to have grey characters.
The historical inconsistencies, such as Arthur’s Gender, his existence as a whole, and Iskander’s height were a little off-putting, but that is just a nitpick. It also bugs me that they had so many better historical figures to chose from then what they chose. Wouldn’t it be better to have Arthuria face off against, say, William the Conqueror. That sure would be interesting. Wasted potential, I suppose.
The character’s sense of philosophy is always annoying. Irisviel basically has no reason for adhering to Emiya’s philosophy, and Emiya himself has a very silly goal, considering that he wants to save humanity by killing all who stand in his way, a thing a normal human being would clearly find to be repulsive. The whole honor thing as spouted by Lancer and Saber is basically a time waster and a method from the authors to make the characters “dance their dance” as they say. There is also Caster’s philosophy, which is so stupid it doesn’t even deserve mentioning. There should always a motive that would be befitting of a human to do their own actions, which is certainly not what I see here. Anyway, that is enough rambling about the characters, let us move onward.

The Plot:
The Plot drags its feet along in the first season and then shoots off like a rocket towards the end of the second season. The first season was almost entirely skippable, with the only things missing being the death of Assassin (not that they mattered to the show anyway), and the near death of Archibald, which I guess mattered but he instead died in the 2nd season after an entire sequence with Emiya that didn’t really matter. The conversation between Gilgamesh, Iskander, and Arthuria was also important in some ways.
A minor thing was that they shoved in Emiya’s backstory in the middle of the 2nd season for practically no reason, considering that it had absolutely nothing to do with the events that were conspiring in the present. It was also boring as it moved far too fast and was basically edge lord material in the first episode. The 2nd episode was good for what it was, but if was still far too rushed.
Another thing that bothered me was the powers that the characters were using. The masters were said to be all strong with magic (excluding Ryuunosuke and Waver), but the only people to ever show it were Tokiomi, Kariya, Archibald, and Emiya (and Kirei slightly but that doesn’t really count). Even when they did show their magical powers, it only mattered to the story and only caused damage when they were being used by Emiya. It made it feel like Emiya was so much powerful than everyone else and it killed the tension. If that were the case, all of the noble houses should’ve hired people like him instead of wasting times with these useless fools. The Servants also had the power to teleport and ride any vehicle they so desire (as explained by Arthuria in the first season), however, they never did. Gilgamesh could’ve easily wiped the competition and Rider could’ve defeated Saber if he didn’t just simply run away and actually decided to fight. It really kills the tension when you know that these characters could instantly defeat opponents but don’t due to the plot demanding so.
The whole setting of the show also irks me. Why would the houses agree to send only a few men into battle when they could gather a literal magical army in order to claim the holy grail. Also, the holy grail was used before, in which case, what wishes did it grant and why doesn’t one magical family rule over the world at this point. Something like Emiya’s and the royal families’ ambitions should have already been carried out if the grail truly has unlimited power like the legend states. Also, everyone should already know that the grail has bad intentions if people have seen the wishes fulfilled before. There also very little possibility that the ever attentive governments of the world would not know about these magical abilities. It also doesn’t make sense why the Church would allow magic considering it was heavily panned by early church philosophers as being the work of the devil and his followers.
My other gripes with the story were already listed in the character section, so I will not bother to repeat them here, but I am sure I missed some and will have to come back to this later.

The Art/Animation:
Despite the lack of good choreography in many of the fight scenes, the animation was good for the most part. The art style didn’t really fit the dark tone that the story was going for, but considering that the original Fate/Stay Night has these types of designs, there was really no way around that so I won’t fault them too much for that. It has good detail on most of everything and does sometimes give the impression that the surroundings could be an actual place while not losing the stylistic look of the original. Animation, however, can not save this series from being the disaster that it was.

The Soundtrack:
Nothing really to say here, I, personally, didn’t notice any pieces that were too memorable or too forgettable. The music fit well with the series, I suppose, and there was never a time where I thought the music was misplaced. The sound effects for the series are also fairly good. However, this should not be considered a major category to logically find the quality of any show, at least not to the same extent that the Story and Characters are.

Conclusion:
Fate/Zero was a series that certainly had potential, but failed to capitalize on it. The plot felt contrived at points, and stupid at others. The characters had the potential to be written well, as the writers seem to have known what they were doing with a few of them, however, most were completely useless and felt as if they were more of an excuse to elongate the anime rather than to be genuinely good. The sound and animation are great, for the most part, and is probably the reason why you should watch this show if you decide to do so after reading this review. It certainly could have been a fantastic anime to have been remembered for years after, but instead ended up as another overhyped show that pops up once ever couple of years. At least, that is my educated opinion. I have been Kakorat859, and this has been Kakorat’s review of Fate/Zero. Be sure to be safe and have a nice day.