The story has a lot of sub-plot lines but at its core, centers around the exploits of two men. One is Reinhard Von Lohengram, a young, passionate soldier on the side of Empire, an autocratic nation. He attempts to mold destiny and the universe itself, in order to achieve his dream of becoming the ruler of the universe. And Yang Wenli, a nonchalant, genius strategist on the side of the Alliance, a democratic nation. By fate, these two face off against each other in battle, and their destinies become forever intertwined.
The scope of the show is quite remarkable, as it meticulously chronicles Reinhard’s rise to power. From his humble beginnings as a mere commoner, to him as an aspiring general, to him becoming the emperor. The show brings the viewer along, and we can see him at different stages of life and how he changes or more accurately, how he stays the same. The same with Wenli, who over the course of the show, we get to learn more about his personal history, his backstory, his motivations and, of course, his political beliefs. Legend of the Galactic Heroes is an ideological/plot driven show of incomparable scale. There is not an anime that I have seen that I can accurately compare to it. There are so many sub-plots interlaced throughout the show that you will need to devote a lot of attention and patience in order to grasp what is going on. It is easy to get lost if you are not dedicating 100% attention to it.
The show has spurts of heavy expository dialog which, depending or your likes or dislikes may be very boring. But they serve as a way to paint the world and give it color. The history of nations is given extensive focus to the point where they feel almost real. In the form of documentaries, or exposition by Yang, we learn about the expansive history of the Empire and the Alliance. The world-building is arguably the show's strongest point. The attention to detail in the world building is uncanny. Every aspect, every nook, and cranny is explained and expanded upon throughout the show. Never before in anime, has there been such a wonderfully crafted world, no, Universe. It is truly marvelous to behold.
The show has a lot of political-philosophical conversations. The conversations provide insight into the way ruling structures like Democracy, and autocracy work and the flaws both. Rarely does the dialog come off as proselytizing. Characters have interesting back and forths on what is the best way to run a government and what they would do if placed in a position of power. The dialogue is insightful but it borders on excessiveness.
Rather show through actions and events, Legends would much rather spoonfeed you every little idea that a character has. If not from the very characters themselves, then the narrator who also spoils plot points. The show comes off as condescending because it assumes the viewer lacks the capacity to understand the beliefs and motivations of the characters without them having to regurgitate it every few episodes. The show does very little to stimulate the viewer intellectually, not that it is a major flaw, but it does hinder my enjoyment of the show. In a show that deals with politics and philosophy, you would expect moments where you would reflect on what is done or said. But no, the show will gladly explain everything to you.
Another problem with the show is its direction. When I say direction, I mean how certain events are presented. Legends gives a highly romanticized depiction of war to the point where you can no longer suspend your disbelief. For example, there was an instance where, during a battle where a soldier took off his helmet and began to saw how the enemies were not human and, in the middle of a sentence, was stabbed in the eye and killed. You are probably thinking I am just being nitpicky, but you would be wrong. There are so many moments like this that it is not just a minor issue; it becomes an issue. Another instance where romanticization hampers the enjoyment of the show is during the space battles. There is no feeling of animosity between either the empire or the alliance. All the characters are portrayed as a “chivalrous soldier,” who rarely gets angry or expresses any contempt for the other side. During battles, generals will often compliment the other side, ignoring the fact that the other side just killed a large portion of their fleet. It is unbelievable. It just comes off as inappropriate once again, takes you out of the immersion. There are moments where characters who defect, are given positions of high standing right off the bat. You are left there, mouth agape at how unrealistic it all is. Now, I am not asking that the show maintains hyper-realism, but there should be a degree of internal consistency. As I said earlier, these moments of disbelief are so glaringly apparent, it is impossible not to notice them and brush them to the side.
Another large part of the show has to do with space battles. The show prides itself on tactics and not relying on firepower to win. However, once again there are issues with its presentation. Battles usually come down to this, one side being very smart, and the other side being unrealistically stupid. What is more noticeable is the fact that the people who are losing, are usually people of high military standing. These are generals and admirals, handpicked by the Kaiser so you would think that the battles would have some tension. However, you would be wrong. Battles are completely devoid of tension because, after a few episodes, you can predict who will win. If Yang is in the battle, Yang will win without breaking a sweat. If Reinhard is in the battle, he will win. It becomes repetitive after a while. There are also issues with battles between infantry. Often, soldiers will be seen using battle axes, and others will be using laser rifles. The soldiers with the laser rifles will coincidentally miss, causing them to be killed. You would think in such a futuristic society that soldiers would use less archaic weapons.
Now onto the characters. The plot revolves around Yang Wenli and Reinhard von Lohengram. Both characters are well-defined throughout the show, each of them have a strong identity and political belief. You will rarely see characters as well characterized as those two. However, it is fair to say that these characters are literally perfect. They have no “real,” flaws to speak of. The show tries to make seem like Yang’s lackadaisical attitude and passive demeanor would affect him negatively in the long run. Sadly for the viewer, that moment never comes. The same situation applies to Reinhard as well. The show makes it glaringly obvious that he heavily relies on other people to accomplish his goals. But he is never placed in a circumstance that solely relies upon his decision. Both characters are never placed in any kind of dilemma where they are forced to make hard decisions. These “flaws,” never impede on their decision making. The right answer is always given to them. Anything they do rarely backfires. If by some miracle, something doesn’t go the opposite way, the repercussions are minor and do not affect them, nor the rest of the universe. These characters almost never make mistakes and it gets really irksome watching them, major success after major success.
Legends also sports a very expansive supporting cast. The downside is, most of the characters rarely amount to anything. A lot of the supporting characters only exist to make Reinhard and Wenli look better than they already are. Supporting characters will do things that defy logic just so Reinhard or Wenli can defeat them. And when they are not losing to Reinhard or Wenli, they are talking about them. The show makes it seem like the majority of the characters do not have any kind of social life and would rather talk about their superiors instead of themselves. If only most people were that humble. However, a small portion of the characters become autonomous towards the end of the show. But this is too late, as this happens a good 90 episodes into the show. It takes time for the viewer to develop an attachment to the characters. The majority of the show, we are made to just care about Reinhard and Wenli and everyone else lies on the backburner.
Legends of the Galactic Heroes is a show as vast as the ocean, but as shallow as puddle. When I say “shallow,” I am referring to the cast not the ideas presented. The world the writers created is truly wonderful but its inhabitants needed the same attention to detail. Despite all my critiques, Legends of the Galactic Heroes is a very well written show but it just misses greatness. The flaws are not egregious enough to ruin the show, but noticeable enough to where it harms your enjoyment.
