Die Neue These (DNT) is a re-adaptation of the original novels, and Kaikou adapts all but the last two chapters of Volume 1: Dawn, thereby leaving Kaikou with a cliff-hanger ending and Seiran completing the adaptation with its first episode.
To preface this, I have yet to see the original 1980s OVAs and Movies, so I'm only going to compare Kaikou to Vol. 1. I've both read Vol. 1 and watched Kaikou in alternating sequences to be able to point out the differences between the two. It was a pretty tiring experience and I wouldn't recommend that you enjoy LotGH in this manner.
Now, here's the big statement: Despite all odds, Kaikou has masterfully managed to incorporate the core of the story and its character interactions. Yes, they've managed to trim details and come up with an intact core product that is still satisfying to watch.
What are the some of the major changes Kaikou has made in adapting Dawn?
1. Kaikou consolidated and rearranged some of the flashbacks and past events in Dawn to make it more chronologically smooth. Examples include Yang's and Reinhard's pasts. By consolidating their backstories in two episodes (E03 and E04), it does make it easier and more logical to understand the succeeding events.
2. The novels are told from a 3rd-person perspective of a narrator or a historian. The anime tries to incorporate details in the novels by using characters to tell or explain them. This reduces the amount of narration needed in the novel so as to not bog down the flow of story.
3. Some of the characters actually get more backstory than the novels ever did. Jessica was one of them. Yang's backstory added more interactions among Jessica, Jean Robert, and him.
4. Some of the existing characters like Alex Caselnes (Cazerne) and Dusty Attenborough are better utilized in the anime. Dusty, for example, was not present in Dawn and only appeared later at Vol. 2: Ambition. He was then only introduced as an underclassman of Yang, but the anime gave him a more crucial role in the ending of Kaikou and the beginning of Seiran (season 02) during the Battle of Amritsar.
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There are negative aspects of this adaptation that I believe ought to be pointed out:
1. Details. Yes, many details were trimmed and omitted from Kaikou. The most egregious is the lack of explanation for the history of LotGH. The anime barely adapts the prologue that details how the Galatic Empire and the FPA came into being, what happened to Earth, etc.
There are also details explaining why the Galactic Empire is the way it is, why the emperor's castle is so huge and impractical compared to the FPA's more utilitarian style.
This is why I would urge anime viewers to read the novels immediately. There's just so many details missing from the anime that you'll wonder why you didn't buy the novels in the first place.
2. Phezzan (Fezzan) was introduced pretty late into the anime, and Rubinsky didn't really have much screen time compared to the novel. This sort of gave the Anime version of Rubinsky a more mysterious veil around him, but it does so at the expense of not getting a clearer picture of what Phezzan actually is and what the leader is like.
3. Some details in the anime have been altered slightly, but resulted in a much different impression. One example would be how Lichtenlade gave the mission of putting down the Castrop rebeliion to Kircheis.
In the novel, it was Reinhard who arranged Kircheis to be appointed as the commanding general via Weitz. In the anime, it was Lictenlade himself who came up with the idea. The anime version tries to make Lictenlade appear more cunning and conniving than he actually is.
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Overall, I really liked Kaikou and thoroughly enjoyed every second of it, especially the massive space battles coming to life. This is truly an epic space sci-fi drama with lots of political commentaries that are surprisingly still relevant to this very day. The politics I refer to are those related to governments and the military, and as you watch Kaikou you will find some striking parallels and notable quotes, especially from Yang the military historian buff.
