...the deeds of men remain the same.
[SIZE="6"]Legend of the Galactic Heroes[/SIZE]
[SIZE="6"]Legend of the Galactic Heroes[/SIZE]
It is the 35th Century. Mankind has spread out amongst the stars, but for 150 years, war has plagued two nations, the Free Planets Alliance and the Galactic Empire. As millions are sent to their deaths by scrupulous nobles and politicians, two military geniuses begin to rise to prominence.
Reinhard von Lohengramm is a young military prodigy who has catapulted to fame in the Galactic Empire because of his numerous accomplishments. His desire is to overthrow the corrupt Goldenbaum dynasty that rules the Empire, motivated by the Kaiser's taking of his older sister. He also seeks to unite the entire galaxy under his benevolent rule by defeating the Alliance.
Yang Wen-li is a historian turned military tactician because (why else?) he needed a way to pay for tuition. His exploits begin to make him a hero in the Free Planets Alliance. As he rises in the ranks, he's exposed to the inner workings of a democratic government in decline. His desire is to fulfil his obligations and retire so he can get on with being a historian.
Along with these two brilliant men are the host of talented individuals that they command the loyalty of. Both men will face each other numerous times and begin to effect change in a war that has become stagnant and is used as a political tool.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a 110 episode OVA adaptation of a series of novels by the same name and released over the period from 1988 to 1998. It follows the development of the war by following the aforementioned men and their allies and subordinates. It's really good.
Why would you like LOGH? Well, presumably, it's because you like an epic space opera, with a lot of political shenanigans and court intrigue as well as high-level tactical space warfare. LOGH is about officers, not hotshot pilots. It's about much more of a clash of ideals rather than a clash between good and evil.
It's a large show in every way. The scale of the battles and what's at stake is huge. The length of the show is abnormally huge, excluding perpetually-running kids shows. The cast and the number of important players is staggering. The density and pace of the story is also huge. Even within the first season of the show, so much has happened that the strategic landscape of the war is very different from when we're first introduced to it.
If you like science fiction and are interested in a serious, meaty, high-quality work that's unlike anything that's been produced since, then you should be giving Legend of the Galactic Heroes a shot.