Legend of the Galactic Heroes takes itself seriously, and that might be its biggest strength as well as its greatest flaw. While I think it’s overrated on this website, to say that I didn’t like the series would be a lie, and I wouldn’t have finished it if there hadn’t been aspects of it that I really enjoyed. The parts I liked and disliked differ from what I’ve read on other reviews, so I’m hoping my perspective helps other viewers that don’t necessarily belong to the demography that has hailed LOGH as a classic decide if this is a show worth investing time on.

The story follows two rising military geniuses, one from each side of the conflict presented: young and ambitious Reinhard von Müsel from the Gallactic Empire, and the reserved historian-turned-tactician Yang Wenli from the Free Planets Alliance. While the focus is definitely on these two and the people around them, their allies and their enemies, the series tries to tell its story with as much detail as possible, resulting in episodes entirely dedicated to minor characters that are somehow related to the conflict, and even episodes written with the format of a history documentary. We even have a narrator to fill us in on the events that we don’t get to see, and to give light on the characters’ feelings and purposes. It certainly gives the plot a sense of greatness I haven’t found in other anime, but it’s a form of story-telling that isn’t for everyone. I'm a History teacher and maybe that’s why I found all of Yang's long discourses about the nature of human history (and even History as a discipline), and all the detail-orientated world-building episodes entertaining, but I can see how such an exposition-heavy show might be just plain boring for others. I think that's a valid complaint but it's not one of the things that affected my enjoyment of the series.

Something that was totally lost on me was battle strategy. I have no interest in the specifies of war and was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was not missing much plot-wise by not paying attention during battle scenes, except in certain cases. Sometimes, these scenes serve as important moments of characterization. Even with my disinterest in what some might call the core of the series, I still found plenty of other things to enjoy and that kept me entertained.

One thing that wasn't disappointing as much as it was just surprising, given the reviews and opinions I had read about LOGH before, was that the political themes really aren't as complex as some people make them out to be. It's not about democracy versus autocracy, or the rights and wrongs of democratic and authoritarian governments. It's always about Yang versus Reinhard, or Yang's fleet versus Reinhard's. It’s about the people that fight for them and their reasons to do so, and it’s also about war and peace. I was scared the Empire centric episodes would be apologetic towards autocratic governments, but I really don't think that was the case. LOGH critics (in a rather simplistic way, too) bad, deteriorated, corrupt governments, but not democracy itself. Ultimately, it all comes down to Yang and Reinhard. Yang fights for humanity’s freedom and not for power, and values human life above all else; Reinhard fights for personal motives and wants to spread his vision and rule over the entire universe. To me, this makes all the difference, and if the creators were really trying to make viewers engage in a debate on democracy and autocracy then I don’t think they succeed. The bigger theme is war and how it affects people, starting from civilians but with an obvious focus on the military. All characters have lost or will lose something to the war, be it loved ones or individual freedom. I found LOGH's political themes interesting, but I wouldn't say it does anything revolutionary. It did make me think, and that's something I value in the media I consume. Also, if you expect a cheesy space opera anime from the 80s to teach you politics, ethics and philosophy, I think you'd be better off taking a 101 college course on the subject or even just reading a Wikipedia page.

Finally, I found the end of the series immensely disappointing. Paradoxically, it gave me exactly the resolution I wanted, but the execution left much to be desired. Mysterious and sudden sicknesses (plural) came to light in the most convenient moments, bordering on deus ex machina territory. The last 20 episodes or so were also simultaneously cheesier and bloodier than every other episode combined. It left a bad taste in my mouth, and I’m still not entirely sure if my enjoyment of the previous episodes makes up for how much I disliked the ending.

The story greatly benefits from how charismatic its two main characters are. Particularly, it was very hard for me to be objective about anything Yang did. He somehow manages to win every battle he takes part in, despite all odds being against him? I liked him so much that I was willing to accept it without questioning it or expecting a more realistic outcome. I wanted Yang to always win, I wanted him to survive, I wanted everyone from his fleet to get a happy ending. Yang’s backstory, mannerisms, ideas, hopes and flaws make him a really interesting and successfully fleshed-out character. Reinhard too is a well-made character, and his phycological progression throughout the series, his experience with loss, grief and loneliness, is deep, complex and something that made me feel sympathetic towards a character that I would have otherwise disliked. Both characters are immensely self-aware and that makes their rivalry slash camaraderie all the more satisfying.

This level of dept isn’t achieved by many other characters, which is to some extent understandable given that LOGH presents not only wide cast of secondary characters but also dozens of minor ones, that get a name and a second on the spotlight. Some secondary characters only get one or two traits and stay static throughout the series. I think this is more evident for Yang’s fleet (besides a few exceptions, particularly Julian), Poplin being the biggest victim. On the side of the empire, Hilda, Mittermeyer and Reuenthal get some excellent development that really carries the plot for the second half of the series. Sadly, the characters that get the shortest end of the stick are undeniably the women of the series.

LOGH's treatment of its female characters is honestly a shame. I was hoping it would turn out to be a "quality over quantity" situation, given how there are only about 5 female characters of any significance on the show, but that was not the case. I appreciate how varied they are, but even that doesn’t make up for how poorly they’re handled. While Hilda ended up being one of my favorite characters, and one of the most complex and interesting ones, the rest felt flat and replaceable. As a female viewer this was not only noticeable but also something that took away from my enjoyment of the show. Annerose had the potential to be a compelling, layered character, but she gets all agency stripped from her very early on in the series and never manages to get it back. Frederica is another example of wasted potential. She holds a significant position, yet we never see her take an active role besides one small arc. Besides Hilda, Jessica was the only other female character that was allowed to have a story of her own with agency over her actions, but she doesn’t get to become a "fixed" part of the series. Having even just one genuinely fully fleshed out female character is still something many anime today don't accomplish, but with LOGH having such a huge cast, it really was just plain disappointing that only a small handful of them were women, and that only an even smaller fraction of those had any real relevancy to the plot besides being the main character's relative or romantic interest. Even Hilda lost a big part of the importance she held as her own character when she went from advisor to wife. This is my only real complain about the characters on the show, but it's an important one and something that I consider to be a major flaw.

Despite the issues I’ve mentioned, I think the characters and the relationships that they establish with each other are some of LOGH’s strongest points. These bonds are deep and dynamic, and in some cases, like with Mittermeyer and Reuenthal, they become major plot points. The character drama centric episodes are amazing, and the ones I enjoyed the most by far.

The animation isn’t spectacular, and it can get choppy at times, but it fulfills its purpose. There were even some very visually pleasing scenes, with detailed backgrounds and nice use of lighting. I found the character design strong enough to make up for the below average animation.

As for the sound, the voice acting is fantastic. It gives life to the characters, specially Yang and Reinhard. I would argue that this is one of LOGH’s biggest accomplishments. Except for the the big bad villains, most characters sound like regular people and it really works in favor of the serious and realistic tone the show aims for. The soundtrack features exclusively classical pieces, and again it works in favor of the show’s atmosphere.

All that being said, I can’t bring myself to rate this show with something lower than a 7. I loved the characters, and I enjoyed being a part of their journey throughout all 110 episodes. I wish a lot of things had been handled better, but in the end, I appreciate the show for what it is. For those still not convinced, I recommend watching the 2018 remake, Die Neue These, to get a taste of what you’d be in for if you decide to watch the 1988 original.