This movie has the soul of the original series, and not just because it retells the first two episodes. Lap, Jessica, and Yang have a complex friendship with each other. Lap is like Yang's Kircheis; they share a one mind with Lap being Yang's moral compass. Both are both in love with Jessica but Lap is dating her. There's a beautiful scene without any dialog in the first act where we see how deep their emotions are with each other explaining why the tension exists later between Yang and Jessica when they reunite after the battle. Yang's story moving forward is primarily his relationship with Lap leading up to the fateful Battle of Astarte. But you can't have Yang Wenli prominently featured in the movie and not have his political observations on the shortcomings of a democratically run military. Reinhard's story is the same as the first two episodes without any meaningful additions I noticed. He's facing opposition within the military hierarchy because of his age and lack of experience. He proves himself at the Battle of Astarte with a special focus on Fahrenheit and Merkatz's opinion of the young Commander. Overture to a New War also plants seeds for viewers watching the series next by introducing them to Reinhard's primary antagonist for the first season; admittedly, it's difficult to notice as it's a single scene since chronological viewers won't know who he is yet. Yang's story was far more interesting, but Reinhard's is high quality as well.
A strength and weakness of Legend of the Galactic Heroes is the sheer amount of characters being followed with Overture to a New War being no different. Lap and Jessica get a significant amount of development, something desperately needed for watching the first season. Lap is a relatively shallow character, mostly defined by his love for Jessica. Jessica herself had a little more depth because of her closeness with Yang. Yang, Reinhard, and Kircheis are their usual selves. All three are entertaining, intelligent, and keeping the story moving. Reinhard's job during the movie is to keep the plot progressing through the Battle of the Astarte facing his own opposition from the old fashioned Admirals. My favorite parts of the movie are the little character moments. Fahrenheit realizing Reinhard knows what he's talking about, Lap and Yang saying goodbye to Jessica, Yang thinking of Julian when he sees a heavily injured soldier, and more carry the spirit of the franchise. In such a massive story we need these tiny moments to humanize the characters, something I think is done incredibly well.
The technical aspects of the movie meet my expectations set by the original series. Even though it came out in 1993, it looks like it came out in 1988. No improvements were made whatsoever in terms of animation. It's slightly blurry, space battles were sinply done, and characters look like they were pulled directly from the first season. Golden Wings may have changed the character designs too much, but at least the animation was improved overall. I can't say that about Overture to a New War. It makes me question if this was made around the time if season one but never released for some reason. In terms of sound, the voice actors all reprised their usual roles and the music was reminiscent of Star Wars. Legend of the Galactic Heroes is obviously inspired by Star Wars, but that aside, the music sounded like it was ripped directly from its western counterpart. Brassy fanfare was used throughout the film instead of the usual classical themes. While I like the idea behind music being changing, I definitely prefer the original score. Classical music is leagues better for the beautiful tragedy playing out before us.
I enjoyed my time watching this movie. It's good for viewers new and old and is a natural addition to the franchise. Small character moments steal the show, but it's always fun to see some of the flashier battleground strategy from Reinhard and Kircheis. I'm glad Lap finally got some characterization to flesh out Yang's actions throughout season one. Animation is worse than I expected and the music is derivative of Star Wars. If you're watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes then you should definitely watch this movie. If this is your first time ever hearing about this franchise, start somewhere else.
Plot: 8/10
Characters: 8.5/10
Art: 6/10
Sound: 9/10
Enjoyment: 8/10
Overall: 7.9/10
