If there is such thing as "progress" for mankind no one can say that "progress" was not born at war.
An anime that begins with these words has already set itself apart from the rest, by a long margin.
CONTAINS FEW SPOILERS: Read after watching. Or just the conclusion, all above.
I have seen it again and I have given it a higher score (9) compared to the previous one (8), because it is simply impressive. There is no place for rest, all the action is direct, and the few dialogues that there are, are not only justified because they contribute to the plot, they are also of good quality. Thus, it shows us the enmity of the admirals of the Empire with respect to Reinhard, the main protagonists of the main saga (Oskar & Mittermeyer) and also what is the difference between Reinhard's fleet and the traditional fleet. This is important because it gives the idea of a generational change, of values, represented in Reinahard's fleet and that directly affects the "endless war". All this is shown without forcing at any time, neither dialogues nor scenes. In the simplest way, the episode connects ideas and executes them brilliantly. For example, the scene that arises from the imperial soldiers' pursuit of pleasures before going into battle, it gives rise to explaining all of the above.
The first and second battles are a tactical work of art by Reinhard (and good saves by Wen-LI). Its hard to see such a level of realism and military quality in other series. War is death and yet the series accompanies the first entries with music by Chopin as if it were a dinner in a restaurant in Paris. In addition, the viewer is given enough information to know what elements are going to be important (the planet is made of helium) but without specifying the plan until the end. In the second battle, Ravel's bolero accompanies the battle until it reaches the point of not hearing anything but the music, accompanied by close-ups of the different characters, this achieves a high level of delicacy. Not to mention the situation of total silence as the ships pass one by the other, no one being able or willing to shoot. Despite the feeling that nothing is going to happen, the scene suddenly connects with Reinhard's own personality. Even though he is a genius, he is proud and willing to sacrifice himself in order to win the battle.
-Attack!
-Sir, as far as the command of the ship im concerned, I'm the one in charge. Admiral, please perform your duty has fleet commander.
Can we ask for more?
Perhaps the episode's only weak point is Yang Weng Li's own lack of intention. Although it is part of his personality, it may seem hard to believe that he would be willing to die following an incompetent commander. If he really were to die, he wouldn't resign himself and go to his room, would he? In fact, that he survived because his mate controls the engines and lifts the ship seems too convenient.
Above all, the weak point is how a ship that was also in the rear, manages to sneak under Reinhard's ship. But without counting this detail, the episode manages to take advantage of it, as it connects the two characters, "makes them look like antagonists" and leads to the final scene with Mahler's 3rd symphony in the background. At the same time it connects with the idea of the "heroes" exposed in the introduction at the beginning, giving a circular closure to the episode. The final scene of the President's speech, along with Yang Weng Li's disapproval also already takes us into the world of politics and propaganda.
CONCLUSION: In short, a work of art from a POLITICAL point of view (that sort of shit happens in the Empire too: 37:04) that shows us how authoritarian and democratic regimes are not as black or white as they want us to think, MILITARTY (with two great tactical battles, and a bit of strategy, related to the Iserlohn fortress) and the PLOT (it shows us the personality of the main protagonists, through good dialogues, and also what implications does this episode have, throughout the series), accompanied by great scenes, close-ups and great classical music.
