The English language died in the making of this anime.
Taking more than a week to watch from start to finish, this is the review of the humongous space soap-opera Legend of Galactic Heroes, finally fully subbed by Central Anime. Any self-respecting anime-lover must not give this masterpiece a miss. Read on for more details.
Story:-
Two space superpowers in a distant future setting are locked in a long war, led by 2 charismatic leaders who tried to bring it to end and achieve their dreams. Basically that’s all to it in this anime. What makes this anime so excellent is the interwoven stories involving major characters at both sides of the interplanetary war. Betrayal, romance, friendship, adventure, you got it all. Major characters died left and right, inclusive of the main protagonists by the end of the series. It’s like watching some telenovela or something, only that this anime is far better than that Yo Soy Betty La Fea that my mom seems to like.
The awesome story flows along nicely, but tapered down somewhat towards the end especially after the first of the commander died in an inglorious death. Character development for many of the major characters are done very well, probably helped by the sheer amount of airtime available for them. Flashback are done judiciously, unlike Naruto that can have 3 consecutive flashback episodes. The ending does not seem to tie up all loose ends though, maybe those movies/OVA may do the job.
Kaiser Reinhard von Lohengramm, the one who died last.
Character Design:-
The character design here is great, and despite the huge number of characters, their individuality are mostly retained (unlike Jigoku Shoujo).
Fleet Admiral Yang Wenli, the one who died first….
Voice acting:-
The voice for at least the major characters are decent, although I would have like a more imposing voice for Reinhard. The minor characters’ voices are mixed bag though.
….and this is his death’s scene.
Music:-
The OST is great, and I noticed it use a lot of tracks from classical music (that’s what you got from watching Nodame Cantabile a lot of times). Meanwhile about the themes, 3rd and 4th OP and 3rd ED themes are pleasing to the ear.
Animation/Direction:-
The animation, for its time could have been better, but this is not an action anime so this can be forgiven. The directing is great, but in some plotlines it could have been better at ensuring better presentations.
Proof that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Conclusion:-
9 out of 10. 1 point lost from average animation and some weak themes. Do not let these factors prevent you from watching and anime that defines storytelling at its finest. You will not regret it.
A minor character who has problem with women tried to satisfy his urges with the wrong ‘object’. It reminds me that this cat is missing toward the end of the series.
