That’s mostly down to two essential things, the first being its surprising accessibility. There’s an omnipresent narrator, whose foreboding voice constantly indicates that every corresponding scene is a Historically Important Event with Grave and Far-Reaching Consequences. Death toll in routine skirmish frequently reaches seven figures.
There are stretches where it introduces a dozen new characters in every episode. It takes place far away in the future with the usual space colonization set-up, spanning a few centuries’ worth of historical backstory and thousand lightyears of interstellar travel (*although as can be understandably expected, its depiction of future technology is hardly prophetic). The show really likes to remind its audience how BIG the whole business is. It’s definitely worth it though, and the show deserves most of its lofty reputation in certain fandom corners, where it’s often spoken about with the kind of hushed reverential tone typically reserved for the most divine of art work.
#Is legend of galactic heroes good series
It’s only last year that I took the plunge and watched the main series myself, which… only took me a whole year or so to finish (*slow watcher).
#Is legend of galactic heroes good license
It’s somewhat of a cult classic in either Japan and overseas these days, with the lack of official English license (until very recently) and daunting age + episode count being significant entry barriers. Adapted from Yoshiki Tanaka’s 10-volume novel series, the anime spans 110-episode mainline OVA series, with a bunch of prequels, side stories, and movies on the side. I also manage Mecha Damashii and do toy reviews over at .YOU AREN’T TRU ANIMU FAN IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THIS!!! 1: Dawn is now readily available in English from the Haikasoru imprint from VIZ Media via retailers like Amazon.ĭisclosure: I was sent a copy of this book to review.įollow me on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. You will cheer both sides on as they try to unify an immense galaxy and revel in the feats of strategy enacted, as well as balk at the immense stupidity of those that try to capitalize on the talents of the protagonists.Īfter nearly thirty years since the series ended in Japan, we can now appreciate Yoshiki Tanaka’s brilliance firsthand and his thorough, yet terrible, future history that awaits the human race among the stars. This then is a fascinating novel and essential reading for anyone that enjoys immaculately complex fiction. While I love galaxy spanning science fiction like Frank Herbert’s Dune, Legend of the Galactic Heroes in comparison makes that come across as almost provincial. Regardless of whether you are a fan of anime, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is an epic space opera that needs to be read. It also reads well and that was definitely a pleasant surprise.Īs this is the first volume in a ten book series, of which all the editions are expected to receive a Western release at some point, I can only hope it receives the success it so obviously deserves. Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a massive and complex work and to translate that while keeping it all comprehensible is no mean feat.
In terms of the localization, it’s been done very well here. The old adage that the book is better definitely holds true here and that is very high praise indeed considering how amazing the anime version is in this case. The battles also seem more epic in scope somehow, as the dizzying numbers involved emphasize the sheer scale of the conflict and you are kept more abreast of important tactical maneuvers in a way that the anime partially glosses over. This first novel is also in many places a lot easier to follow than the anime, as you can keep track of the never-ending cycle of characters as well as the intricate strategy used in battles. This is because you realize why both the protagonists desperately want this stupid war to end as its continuation would result in the slaughter of further billions. The scale of the conflict and the breadth of slaughter is also something this first novel does a far better job of describing and you then begin to understand the stakes a lot more. In this novel though, you start understanding the reason why this conflict exists from the outset as well as the immense problems of trying to govern a galactic wide nation state.