Reviews

As a stand alone run of 12 episodes, Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Die Neue These is well worth watching. Essentially it is the story of two military leaders who are thrust into an interstellar war. One is a reluctant hero of a democratic society, the other is a covetous visionary and growing force in an authoritarian monarchy. Both make their choices to best serve respective societies, but perhaps more importantly - they make choices to win. Ideals and visions are important, but without victory, both are irrelevant. There is a large cast of surrounding characters, but all are connected to the central two, and their exploits. Characters may well be one of the weakest qualities of this show - background information is generally very shallow, and character motivations (while clearly stated) are not fleshed out. I like the characters, and am interested in their fates - but more as a result of the story arc.

Technically, I feel a lot of pieces are in the right place. I'm not critical of any of the style, design or mixing CG with traditional animation. In fact, Legend of the Galactic Heroes often emphasizes an audio/visual experience for the viewer - which is immediately evident with the OP. I also have not watched the original (and obviously highly regarded) series, so I really have no expectation in that regard.

I feel the moments that shine the brightest would have to be the space battle sequences - or really any of the sequences that occur in space. There is something really special about the scale of these scenes, which is juxtaposed in real time with individual characters making choices that effect thousands of lives. The sound, music and visuals of these scenes is a reason to watch this anime alone. Worth noting that these scenes are occasional punctuations, and there are entire episodes of dialog driven story, without any significant action. But the world building in the more sedate episodes is critical to understand the opposing sides, and why they are at war.

Besides being an entertaining, there is another quality I really like about this series: it's contemporary relevance.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes - either by design or coincidence, examines a very real power struggle happening on the globe at this moment. Authoritarianism is on the rise, and democracies around the world are descending (at least seemingly) into confusion. This anime takes a very sober look at the intoxicating nature of a strong military combined with unified leadership. It also examines the double edge sword of personal freedoms, elected officials and majority ruled democracy. One is clean, simple and strait forward - the other is all shades of grey, messy, and enduringly complex. It might be argued that one system enforces a rule book, while the other attempts flexibility with regard to the complex nature of reality. This anime is a fun playground for looking at divergent political values, choices, and ultimately military engagements in response to policy.