Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Golui
I have never written a review, but this anime just blew me away so much, I think it's finally time.
This review was slightly revised on July 28th, 2024 to be a little more coherent. The original review was posted on June 15th, 2021.
TL;DR It was bad.
It was in fact so bad, it almost cured my crippling anime addiction.
I, like many others, was drawn to this anime due to its high rating, and equally high praise. I was in the mood for something a bit more serious, with clever writing, smart characters, political intrigues, and conspiracies. I was disappointed in every aspect.
Obligatory "no, it did not get better after 20/60/109 episodes".
At the risk of beating a dead horse, the first sign that something is off was that the battles in 3D space were, in terms of tactics, in 2D (save for…
Read at the sourcesushiisawesome
Often times, we end up with shows that are praised merely for attempting what they attempt, and not for what they actually execute in practice. Legend of the Galactic Heroes (from here on out shortened to LotGH) is one such show - while the show has an incredibly niche following and is a cult classic of sorts, it's beloved for supposedly being a hyper-realistic story about a clash of ideologies, military might and will, with a fanbase that'd religiously defend it - to the point where almost every time I'd update my progress with the show, chances are some fan would either PM me or write an angry comment on my wall, asking why I gave the show a low score.
So, my curiosity over its insanely high rating and cult following drove me to try and experience the show. On my first two viewings, I'l…
Read at the sourceOptigisa
Legend of the Galactic Heroes feels like reading a book.
I won’t sing LoGH any praises and call it the undisputed crème de la crème of the Anime medium, nor will I go ahead and call it a terrible experience simply because it felt nauseating during times. LoGH is good, but if you are expecting anything entertaining to come out of it, then please don’t watch it. This Anime barely has any action or plot twists of that sort, and while the occasional “surprising” death appears here and there, it barely makes up a percentage of the huge catalog of episodes this Anime contains. From this introductory paragraph alone, one would guess that LoGH has several strong points to it, but also has weak points as well that people seem to overlook most of the time.
The strongest point regarding Legend of…
Read at the sourceGoukeban
For a while, some of the people who I usually talk to on MAL have come to claim that I am some kind of contrarian, due to my refusal to shout unconditional praise for some works considered to be “classics” in the same fashion a few circles do. I don’t feel that is true, though, when taking into account my general stance (just look at my other reviews!), it just so happens that I have a very particular way of judging any given work, hipster glasses off. For that same reason, when I began watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes, or Ginga Eyiuu Densetsu, I tried to free myself from any external preconception, so that by the end only my own judgment would be as fair a result as possible, coming only from my own perspective and no one else’s. Currently, the anime sits at 8th place among the high…
Read at the sourcedefunctmaluser
This isn't Star Wars. George Lucas's franchise should NOT be renamed into anything else.
If any work of entertainment in our history deserves the title of 'Star Wars,' then it is the entirety of George Lucas's franchise and NOT this anime. Star Wars is more star wars than LOGH ever was, is, or will be. Constant spiels of exposition about various topics, a constant show of myopia in regards to its setting and subject matter, all the while consistently failing to act on the countless possibilities presented to us, this is 110 episodes of pure, unadulterated wasted potential in the most inexcusable ways possible.
In case you couldn't tell, I don't "like" Legend of the Galactic Heroes. This isn't to say that I don't think that it's an admirable programme, because there certainly is a lot to…
Read at the sourceNervin
It is so rare to find any type of lengthy series that span over 100 episodes without declining in quality over its duration due to various factors such as the abundance of inconsistencies in the story, or rehashing the same narrative structural wise, which is pretty common in long running series. Other limiting factors are the available funds for its execution, or its own popularity, which can induce authors to change the course of the story. However, there is one title that managed to evade said issues, being an adaptation of a series of novels by Yoshiki Tanaka, with a lengthy production of 110 OVA episodes released over the span of nine full years, from the period 1988 to 1997.
I am talking of course of "Legend of the Galactic Heroes" or in its japanese title, "Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu", w…
Read at the sourceLindle
I do not use the term "the greatest anime ever made" lightly. There are very few anime that, under scrutiny, could be considered a reasonable candidate for a title such as this. And, true enough, the only titles that stand in competition to Legend of the Galactic Heroes (henceforth LotGH) are able to do so simply because they have nothing in common with it - if it weren't for the fact that they were fighting a different battle altogether, they would lose.
Of course, it would be very easy to give LotGH hollow praise, given its status as "lofty elitist anime that pretentious people use to impress people on the internet". As such, those contrarian in nature have begun to put it under scrutiny. And for good reason: LotGH is definitely not perfect, as tempting as it might be to pretend otherwi…
Read at the sourceliteraturenerd
Overview:
It finally happened. I'm finally going to review what is probably the most beloved anime on all of MAL. An anime so sacred that even trolls on 4chan don't dare to insult it and sully its glorious name! I'm sure everyone reading this review is already quite aware how amazing this anime is, so I am going to talk about WHY it's so good, why you should watch it, and even discuss some minor imperfections (gasp). I'm finally on Summer break from medical school, so I can afford to write a long review! I picked the right series for this!
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is so grand scale and epic in terms of plot complexity and number of characters, that I feel it would overwhelm the reader if I actually tried during this review to summarize everything that happens in the plot and describ…
Read at the sourcePoeticJustice
The cosmos. Man has head dreams of venturing the final frontier since the dawn of time. It is an endless void for which ambition can take can spread its roots. If only we could reach there. There have been many epic space operas about young men with grand ambitions of power. However, none of them could ever quite match up to the proportions and magnitude of Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Legends of the Galactic Heroes is an anime so ambitious, so expansive that this review won’t be able to cover everything. However, I will try to be as concise about my views as possible.
The story has a lot of sub-plot lines but at its core, centers around the exploits of two men. One is Reinhard Von Lohengram, a young, passionate soldier on the side of Empire, an autocratic nation. He attempts to mold de…
Read at the sourceHanimir
What I have just witnessed was history unfolding before my very eyes!
Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu, it’s a myth, a myth so old that many of today’s anime enthusiasts wouldn’t dare watch it. People on this site rate this anime so immensely high, that one would eventually come to wonder what that ridiculous score is based on, and give the whole thing a try. Are these people merely the retainers of old, classic shows that have been made in a style that has long since come to an end? I sincerely believe that it’s more than that.
To make one thing very clear, this anime was made before I was born, so if I am biased in any way, it would be towards modern anime, whose style is more of my cup of tea. Still, Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu was fascinating, in a way that no modern anime is. Beware though, I have rat…
Read at the sourceTheDeedsOfMen
Are you tired of Good Republic vs Evil Empire? Are you tired of archaic honor and pointless martyrdom? Are you tired of war dramas with runaway nationalism and selfless sacrifice to secure the government's next election victory?
Well, look no further because Legend of the Galactic Heroes is tired of those tropes too. This is a show that takes political philosophy seriously and debates about it in a pretty analytical and argumentative way and at great length. Which is superior: a corrupt democracy or a virtuous autocracy? What good is having an election if the majority tramples on the rights of the minority? Does the legitimacy of government hinge on the method of election or achieved results? What are nations and does mankind even need them? Is there any point in following tradition for t…
Read at the sourcektulu007
Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu is a somewhat odd series, in anime terms. It began as a series of novels in the 80s, got adapted into a manga and, over the course of the late 80s to late 90s, it was turned into a 110 episode OVA. The odd part being that it was released as an OVA. For those of you who don't know, an OVA is a direct to video/ DVD release rather than one that runs on a televised network. Usually OVAs are pretty short, running somewhere from an episode to maybe a dozen. A hundred and ten episodes is virtually unheard of from an OVA. Why was it an OVA? I have no idea. It's possible that its content was deemed unbroadcastable at the time but I really don't know. Let's take a look at this insanely long OVA.
The basic story is that two forces, the Imperial Empire and the Free Planets Allia…
Read at the sourceManlyTears
I can’t believe people has dubbed this most intellectual and complex to have come to anime. This is pretty much all talk and an unoriginal generic war story. Basically it follows two men and a guy who drinks tea on death star. These three are your typical “fight against the man because they are corrupted” characters. Of course everyone is corrupted because apparently humanity always ruins itself in the future. Humanity is split apart so our heroes must re-unite the universe, lame. If this was like 50 episodes I would probably rate this 7 and consider recommending to people.
This anime pretty much consists of dialogue that people claim to be complex and deep but is actually boring and made up of re-used history quotes.
I am going to pull a LoGH right now,
“One cannot taste bitter until o…
Read at the sourcemartin03345
History is not just the study of the past, but the events that occur throughout history hold a different meaning for different people. These past events encompass the overall thoughts, beliefs, ideas, and conceptions of all those who lived throughout it. When a war between two different states and political ideologies breaks out with both states claiming to be fighting on the side of righteousness, which side is truly the right one? This is the overarching theme of of the epic 110 episode OVA space opera, Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Adapted from the science fiction novel series by Yoshiki Tanaka and directed by famed Ishiguro Noboru (SDF Macross), LotGH is a brilliantly orchestrated OVA that is carried out through its overall grandeur presentation of political and historical ideas, magn…
Read at the sourceLovo
Usually, when I have a high expectations for a show, after watching it I end up somehow disappointed. For this reason, before I watch a show I lower my expectations.
Before watching LoGH, I was forced to have high expectations
Since it's ranked no.1
Maybe this was the only anime that I had really high expectation for it and it actually even managed to surpass those expectations
It just blew me away
I really don't know how to describe my feeling towards it
What a plot….what a characters…what a scenario…what everything
Intelligence…drama…action…romance…humor…tragedy
LoGH had all these elements in an efficient way
They never overused any element in here
I think for that reason that the viewers loved it to much
The more "dramatized" the show is….the "lesser" impact it has on people
It may hav…
Read at the sourceBeatnik
This is Star Wars. Lucas's franchise should be renamed to something else.
If any work of entertainment in our history deserves the title of 'Star Wars' then it is this anime, and not George Lucas's franchise. This is more star wars than Star Wars ever was, is, or will be. This is star wars. Epic wars among the stars, grand vision with something to say, something to show, all the while consistent narratively, thematically and audially, never pandering to a clamouring fan base, this is 110 episodes of pure sci-fi operatic drama of the highest quality. This is star wars.
Preferably experienced after watching the prequel movie My Conquest Is The Sea Of Stars, the story of the LotGH OVA pits two systems of living against each other. Two charismatic men. Delving through politics, military, rel…
Read at the sourcenoteDhero
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is an epic tale of the rise to power of two men born at the right time on opposite sides, leading to a clash of brilliant spectacle that could only be executed with care in as an animated original.
Animation- 9/10
Though Legend of Galactic Heroes is 20 years old the visual quality and care is quite priceless. As a viewer who is reluctant to watch series over 40 episodes or over 10 years old, I was taken aback by the engaging art ranging from Ancient Rome, to Victorian England, to Blade Runner-esque futuristic set-pieces and costuming. Both factions, The Free Planets' Alliance and the Galactic Empire, had its own distinctive look, engaging the eye in nearly every direction. Add to these looks, the numerous space battles waging between the two factions and you…
Read at the sourcearistocles
A masterpiece! This is anime for adults. When watching it you are seeing a historical epic unfold before your eyes. It is not only one of the greatest anime series of all time, IMHO, but also one of the greatest science fiction series of all time. For both anime fans and science fiction fans it is a must see.
With the general praise for the show out of the way, a word of warning to potential viewers. While I laud the show it is *EPIC*, both in terms of the story, the setting, etc. but also in terms of length. At 110 episodes (*plus* the side stories if you wish to get into those) it is something that you have to be prepared to devote the time toward, and those who are will reap considerable benefits.
This is not your typical anime, don't expect it to be action packed. But, rather inste…
Read at the sourcedurendal4444
I'd like to preface this review with the fact that I'm an avid science fiction reader and have chewed through a fair amount of books in my day. Within minutes of beginning this show you can see how derivative it is from a series of books.
The story is long (obviously) and intensely philosophical. There are jokes but they're either without humor or simply not funny, so if you're looking for something light look elsewhere. As far as character development goes there's a huge ever-developing list of people to keep track of and this is where it gets a little tricky. Since it is so obviously taken straight from a book, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is no more than a collection of conversations. Even the action sequences (which are still extremely intense) are portrayed through dialog rather tha…
Read at the sourcesantetjan
This series is overrated on this site. That is to say, with 110 episodes, your vote only counts after you've seen 22 episodes, almost a full season, and those who don't like this show probably won't wait for 22 episodes to decide.
Which is a shame, as it's only after about 20 episodes that this series progresses from something that is slow, somewhat overly bombastic, and hinting at more to come to show itself to be one of the most intelligent pieces of anime that's been made to date.
When I say 'intelligent', I don't mean it to be cunning, surprising the viewer with unsuspected plot lines or new angles to view something. Nor does it delve deeply into some obscure theory of science or arts, bombarding the viewer with ideas he couldn't have come up with himself. In fact, there's absolutely…
Read at the source