History Literature / LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes

* WarfareRegression: Downplayed. [[MinovskyPhysics Seffle particles]] have made melee combat by knives, bayonets and axes once more necessary in areas saturated with them, due to how combustible they can be. On the other hand, conventional and energy munitions are still used aplenty as Seffle particles are rather dangerous to use gratuitously.

* SchizoTech: Quill pens and bulky computers exist alongside cybernetic replacement limbs and armour-wearing soldiers wielding axes. Using ultrasound to examine the development of fetuses seems to be LostTechnology, given that the doctor who watches over the delivery of [[spoiler:Prince Alexander]] feels the need to announce "It's a boy!".
** No wonder, since the novels were written in the '80s.

* SettingUpdate: The ''Die Neue These'' adaptations update a lot of things from the 1980s [=OVAs=] like everyone having modern 2010s hairstyles and clothes, more diversity among the ranks in the military like non-whites and female officers, the computers are now sleek and thin with touchscreen holograms and everyone uses the internet and social media. Similarly, the Empire is updated from the 18th-century fashions of the [=OVAs=] to a late Victorian, Edwardian style of dress.

* {{Zeerust}}: Julian Mintz is actually seen firing up DOS to load a history program on his 39th-century desktop computer. Other things: handheld phones do not exist, and people still use answering machines, albeit with video functions. (The novels were written in the late '70s and '80s; the anime, made in the late '80s to '90s didn't even try to update the technology.)
** That computer is shown to have 566198844 megabits of RAM (539 terabits), though.
*** And the one Yang uses for research in ''Spiral Labyrinth'' has some degree of artificial intelligence.
** The Computer of [[spoiler:the Earth Cult on Earth Julian infiltrated]] seems to use some kind of optical or magneto-optical data storage technology which is still severely anachronistic.

A new anime adaptation by Creator/ProductionIG, subtitled ''Die Neue These'', was released in April 2018. It is being billed as a new adaptation of the novels, rather than a remake of the OVA series.

* DemocracyIsFlawed: The show spends a lot of time showing that democracy at its best is nowhere near as good as the best that can be done with an iron fist, but it also is unlikely to sink quite as low. The Free Planets Alliance is corrupt to the core, but people still can talk about it without being sent to GULAG. The Empire is becoming a great place to live, but this follows a period of despotism. The chief takeaway point seems to be that neither government form is ''necessarily'' better or worse than the other, but the quality of both is ultimately dependent on the virtue and wisdom of those who ultimately hold the reins -- and that if a "government of the people" allows itself to be seduced and deluded by the corrupt and venal, then it's the electorate's own fault for allowing it.

* {{Heroes want Redheads}}: Katerose von Kreutzer as a romantic interest for [[spoiler:Julian]] in the latter half of the main series.

** Fashion is very odd in general: Imperial farmers seemingly wear 18th century peasant wear, urban civilians sometimes wear the same late 20th century styles as the Alliance, other times late 19th/early 20th century styles. The late 20th styles were also in fashion circa 500 years earlier when Rudolf von Goldenbaum established the Empire and seemingly even when the first world government was established on Earth in 2129, some ''1400 years'' prior to the events of the series. And there is also the matter of the 18th century styles remaining in fashion since Rudolf deliberately introduced them, although Reinhard's rule shakes this up somewhat with a shift into 19th century ones.

* NuclearWeaponsTaboo: Averted. Nuclear warheads are still around but are otherwise limited by law and unspoken consensus to situations in space. This is due to the events of WorldWarIII, well over a thousand years before the events of the series, which nearly wiped out the entire human race in atomic fire.

* WorldWarIII: happens in 2039, over 1500 years before the series actually begins.

For a long time, no part of the franchise was released in America until Anime Expo 2015, when Creator/VizMedia licensed the original novels and Creator/SentaiFilmworks licensed the OVA which is now available on Hidive. (A noble yet feeble attempt at licensing a dub version of the anime was made many years earlier, but no one bit, and thus the ''only'' way the series was accessible in English until recently was via {{Fan Sub}}.)

''Legend of the Galactic Heroes'' (''Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu'') is a series of science fiction novels written by Creator/YoshikiTanaka, which were originally published from 1982 to 1989 (the main story is compiled into 10 volumes, accompanied by four volumes of side stories). It's also well-known as an enormous, sprawling 110-episode (plus side stories) SpaceOpera anime originally released on home video, preceded by the film ''[[Anime/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroesMyConquestIsTheSeaOfStars My Conquest is the Sea of Stars]]''. (It is, therefore, the longest-running OVA of all time, although it ''was'' later shown on TV.)

In 2015 a new manga adaptation of the novels began in ''[[Magazine/ShonenJump Weekly Young Jump]]'', by Ryu Fujisaki of ''Manga/SoulHunter'' and ''Literature/{{Shiki}}'' fame.

''Legend of the Galactic Heroes'' (''Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu'') is a series of science fiction novels written by Creator/YoshikiTanaka, which were originally published from 1982 to 1989 (the main story is compiled into 10 volumes, accompanied by four volumes of side stories). It's also well-known as an enormous, sprawling 110-episode (plus side stories) SpaceOpera anime originally released on home video, preceded by the film ''Anime/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroesMyConquestIsTheSeaOfStars''. (It is, therefore, the longest-running OVA of all time, although it ''was'' later shown on TV.)

''Legend of the Galactic Heroes'' (''Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu'') is a series of science fiction novels written by Creator/YoshikiTanaka, which were originally published from 1982 to 1989 (the main story is compiled into 10 volumes, accompanied by four volumes of side stories). It's also well-known as an enormous, sprawling 110-episode (plus side stories) SpaceOpera anime originally released on home video. (It is, therefore, the longest-running OVA of all time, although it ''was'' later shown on TV.)

The story is played straight and seriously and is crammed with detail. It's also crammed with characters, from the big players at the top of the government to the lowly farmers and grunt soldiers at the bottom who get everything done. There are so many, in fact, that each episode always shows a character's name when they first show up on screen in case you forgot who they were. At times, this can become confusing, to the point where you need a scorecard to keep all of the characters' names and ambitions straight. The pace of the story can also be slow. It's possible to watch an episode in which the heroes prepare for an invasion, skip ahead three episodes, and find the heroes ''still'' preparing for it.

And yet, said glacial pace gives way to one of the most well-regarded stories in anime history, rich with philosophical debates, tactical planning, a healthy amount of GeniusBonus, and enough political intrigue to fill the Bundestag three times over. The series is filled with CharacterDevelopment and dissertations on themes like authoritarianism versus democracy and takes inspiration from many real-life historical empires to form the basis of its background. Anyone from historians to politicians to engineers will find something to like in this series, and if you don't care about any of that stuff it's also a great character drama as well. Plus, who doesn't love [[SpaceOpera political thrillers set in space?]]

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Pause the screen at the start of episode 31 when we see Yang's journal that he's typing. The fact that there's a run-on sentence aside, the entire entry is in perfect English (and makes a valid historical observation to boot).

* AdaptationDistillation: The anime adaptation, while closely following the main plotline of the original novels, re-ordered a couple of sub-plots (e.g. "The Klopstock Incident" and "The Actress Exits") and character chronological appearances as well as fixing a number of awkward dialogues and filling in details which were absent in the novels (such as the names of some warships). Most notably, the anime introduced the concept of Iserlohn Fortress having liquid metal armor, which is arguably much more memorable than the [[Franchise/StarWars Death Star]]-esque solid metal fortress in the novels.

* HauledBeforeASenateSubcommittee: Yang is dragged into an Inquiry committee without any legal basis, ostensibly over his actions during the civil war and his personality. In practice, it's an excuse by the Council to discredit him, fearing his growing influence at the expense of doing their own jobs. Yang, however, sees through the pretensions [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and grills them in turn]], even threatening to resign if not for the Empire's invasion.

* HyperCompetentSidekick: Subverted, in that, while Siegfried Kircheis is this to Reinhard, Reinhard is nowhere near ineffectual (he's the most formidable character in the series, in fact). The first time Kircheis's fleet of 2000 is sent out, it's completely on its own against a ring of satellites that decimated a fleet twice their size in seconds. The second time, he has a force of 40,000 against 50,000 enemy ships. He wins both times with minimal effort and almost never losing the soft smile on his face.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Many High noble admirals complain that Reinhard only got his promotions because the Emperor like his sister, but most High noble admirals got their promotions largely because of their family names, not their actual merits.

For a long time, no part of the franchise was been released in America until Anime Expo 2015, when Creator/VizMedia licensed the original novels and Creator/SentaiFilmworks licensed the OVA which is now available on Hidive. (A noble yet feeble attempt at licensing a dub version of the anime was made many years earlier, but no one bit, and thus the ''only'' way the series was accessible in English until recently was via {{Fan Sub}}.)

''Legend of the Galactic Heroes'' is an enormous, sprawling 110-episode (plus side stories) SpaceOpera originally released on home video. (It is, therefore, the longest-running OVA of all time, although it ''was'' later shown on TV.) This is in Japan, of course, as neither the anime, nor the manga, nor the huge series of novels written by Creator/YoshikiTanaka which spawned the franchise has ever been released in America... until Anime Expo 2015, when Creator/VizMedia licensed the novels and Creator/SentaiFilmworks licensed the OVA which is now available on Hidive. (A noble yet feeble attempt at licensing a dub version of the anime was made many years earlier, but no one bit, and thus the ''only'' way the series was accessible in English until recently was via {{Fan Sub}}.)

* OffModel: The art style changes noticeably between seasons and within them. One strange example of this is how Elfriede looks noticeably tanned in her final appearance when she seemed to have very fair skin earlier.
** Prevalent in the earlier seasons in the UsefulNotes/BluRay edition, due to a digital remastering. It ''did'' fix some of the most off-model shots and botched perspectives, but ended up changing the character design somewhat.

** Reinhard von Lohengramm has his moments as well, due to his desire to live out his AsskickingEqualsAuthority philosophy to the fullest. This is, in fact, the reason that [[spoiler:Yang manages to get him at gunpoint]] in the first place, as instead of taking advantage of his present overwhelming advantage to [[spoiler:end the war once and for all]] Reinhard instead decides to set a trap for Yang using himself as bait so that he can settle once and for all who's the better commander in a head-to-head confrontation on relatively equal terms.

''Legend of the Galactic Heroes'' is an enormous, sprawling 110-episode (plus side stories) SpaceOpera originally released on home video. (It is, therefore, the longest-running OVA of all time, although it ''was'' later shown on TV.) This is in Japan, of course, as neither the anime, nor the manga, nor the huge series of novels written by Creator/YoshikiTanaka which spawned the franchise have ever been released in America... until Anime Expo 2015, when Creator/VizMedia licensed the novels and Creator/SentaiFilmworks licensed the OVA which is now available on Hidive. (A noble yet feeble attempt at licensing a dub version of the anime was made many years earlier, but no one bit, and thus the ''only'' way the series was accessible in English until recently was via {{Fan Sub}}.)

The meat of the story is this: sometime in the 36th century (the narrative of the main series takes place between January 3596 and July 3601), humanity has spread out amongst the stars and has split off into two great superpowers which are now sadly engaged in a decades-long knock-down, drag-out war with each other. Fighting in the forces of the Galactic Empire (whose government and society are based on 19th century Prussia) is the ambitious young noble named Reinhard von Müsel, better known by the name granted to him later, Reinhard von Lohengramm. Fighting for the opposing Free Planets Alliance (a government which resembles a crumbling, bloated 20th century democracy) is Yang Wen-li, an easygoing historian who only reluctantly joined the military because he was broke. Together, these two men, both tactical geniuses, are destined for greatness. They become the series' titular ''Galactic Heroes.''

The story is played straight and seriously and is crammed with detail. It's also crammed with characters, from the big players at the top of the government to the lowly farmers and grunt soldiers at the bottom who get everything done. There's so many, in fact, that each episode always shows a character's name when they first shows up on screen in case you forgot who they were. At times, this can become confusing, to the point where you need a scorecard to keep all of the character's names and ambitions straight. The pace of the story can also be slow. It's possible to watch an episode in which the heroes prepare for an invasion, skip ahead three episodes, and find the heroes ''still'' preparing for it.

And yet, said glacial pace gives way to one of the most well-regarded stories in anime history, rich with philosophical debates, tactical planning, a healthy amount of GeniusBonus and enough political intrigue to fill the Bundestag three times over. The series is filled with CharacterDevelopment, dissertations on themes like authoritarianism versus democracy, and takes inspiration from many real life historical empires to form the basis of its background. Anyone from historians to politicians to engineers will find something to like in this series, and if you don't care about any of that stuff it's also a great character drama as well. Plus, who doesn't love [[SpaceOpera political thrillers set in space?]]

In 2015 a new manga adaptation of the novels began in Weekly Young Jump, by Ryu Fujisaki of ''Manga/SoulHunter'' and ''{{Manga/Shiki}}'' fame.

A new anime adaptation by Production I.G., subtitled ''Die Neue These'', was released in April 2018. It is being billed as a new adaptation of the novels, rather than a remake of the OVA series.

** The actual ending is rather bittersweet, with [[spoiler:Reinhard dying, finishing the chain of KillEmAll, and Mittermeyer's [[EtTuBrute "You too, Felix?"]] This is also present with a peace treaty signed, but the question of whether the Empire will begin incorporating constitutionalism into its political structure left open. On the other hand, Julian managed to negotiate an autonomous democracy from the Empire, but its status still remains ambiguous at the end of the story.]]

* KillEmAll: the author, Tanaka Yoshiki is not nicknamed "Mass Murderer" for nothing. [[spoiler:By the end of the show, most of the main cast is dead.]]

*** The head of state is able to execute someone without affording them a trial as the Kaiser did to one of his concubines by making her drink a poisoned glass, as punishment for trying to kill Annerose out of jealousy. She was guilty, of course, but a trial where the defendant is afforded legal representation is a cornerstone of a free society.

*** Despite being formally classified as terrorists, vigilantes and militia like the Patriotic Knights Corps are being used by warhawk politicians (and especially Trunicht) to threaten (if not kill) not only political opponents but even voters with dissenting views. It's also suggested that the authorities aren't above jailing protesters for expressing anti-war views, in an IronicEcho of the Empire.