Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a Japanese science fiction media franchise originally based on a series of novels by Yoshiki Tanaka. I have never read the novels, which have received only a partial and recent English translation. This post is about the anime, which ran for 110 episodes (plus a two hour prequel movie, “My Conquest is the Sea of Stars”) over a nearly ten-year period from 1988-1997 — partly a review, partly a way for prospective viewers to decide whether they want to take the plunge.
The Legend of the Galactic Heroes anime (henceforth LotGH) has a small cult following, and is currently being remade by the well-known Production I.G in an abbreviated form (I haven’t watched the twelve released episodes, and don’t particularly care to do so as a veteran of the 110-episode original series). It is occasionally recommended to those interested in “space opera” because of its epic scope and character focus. It’s also a huge time commitment for a subtitled animation series with generally solid but sometimes sketchy production quality. But what’s it all about? Why does anyone like it? Might you, the reader, like it? Read on. I will keep it spoiler free.
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