Why hello there, anime thread.
I am here to provide a... recommendation? commentary? on a specific series.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes (or LOGH from now on)
LOGH is a 4 season long (plus spinoffs/miniseries) 'space opera'. The story is one of galaxy-wide political manoeuvres and multi-episode strategic feints. With a premise like this you might think it too complex or detailed to easily grasp, and certainly not character-driven.
However, (almost) every character introduced has some role in the story, and in shaping the conclusion, whether it be through their ambitions or their conniving. Characters are regularly reintroduced, so as to remind you of who they are, and each episode starts with a brief recap of the story so far.
The story provides a fairly accurate representation of space/future combat, albeit with a few scientific slights of hand (FTL travel) for the sake of creating a reasonable pace. (Chances are you don't really care about this too much, but it's worth mentioning). The starmap is also pretty well correlated to actual starmaps, which is neat.
The main drive of the story is a conflict between a monarchy and a break-away republic, one struggling to reclaim its rebellious citizens and the other fighting for independence. Over the series, as a direct result of actions seen in the series, the nature of the conflict and the terms of war change, with varying effects on the characters and their motivations. Two rising stars, one on either side, become figureheads for their respective nations and grow, both in terms of strategy and in personal terms. They are supported by a diverse crew, each with a history (that is often expounded upon) that leans them towards their unique worldviews and strategies. In the backdrop, political conflicts bubble and boil,leading to moral ambiguities and difficult choices.
As well, the nations are not the stars, but rather the people. I.E.: LOGH is not a show about space conflict and politics, it is a show about people embroiled in these things and how it changes them, and their effects on the rest of the world.
By the end of the series, you will have learned the history and key players in the galactic conflict, and watched dozens of large scale space battles, fought for planets, empires, freedom, and power. You will have seen regimes change, seen assassinations, and seen one man drink tea dozens of times.
Although I don't watch too much anime, I'd recommend it for fans of...
Code Geass: Multiple episode tricks and tactics!
Battlestar Galactica: Space battles! Politics and war mixed together into a delicious treat. It's also a show about people - not about the ship or the war.
There are probably a lot more, but I'm... uncultured.
Things it gets wrong:
The animation style dates the show heavily.
Sometimes too many characters.
A little bit on the slow side.
Not very progressive in its representation of women.
Anyways that's enough from me. Back to your regularly scheduled programming!
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Topic: I like anime, do you like anime? (Read 3149551 times)