Anime: Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Aratanaru Tatakai no Overture 6wq5b

This is very overrated.

I watched the 2018 remake and felt like it could have potential, but I almost nothing because it was so rushed and uninteresting. So I decided to watch this movie which is a remake of the first two episodes to motivate myself to watch the 110 OVA episodes. Guess what? This movie just made me make a point of never wasting my time watching 110 episodes of Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu, as much as Yang and Reinhard might be interesting characters (that were wasted in 01:30:00 with a war that lasts a long time and the reason was not explained).

What bothers me the most is the fact that the war does not have a reason, the war simply exists. Seriously, in one minute of dialogue it would be possible to explain why this war has been going on for so long. It is senseless to make a work about war, where the war is only happening because it is.
And no, I will not watch 110 episodes just to hope that at some point this will be explained. Because it is the work's obligation to make the reason for the war clear right at the beginning.

Another thing that bothered me:
Lad, Yang's friend likes Jessica, but she apparently doesn't like him. Why did she agree to marry him? It was not explained. She even cries while dancing with Yang (and it looks like a cry of regret). She clearly likes Yang, and he apparently likes her too.
It's funny how simple things have no explanation and happen because they do.
And no, I'm not going to watch 110 episodes just to hope that at some point this will be explained. They introduced it in the movie, and I wanted explanation in the movie. And even with explanation, I probably wasn't going to accept the fact that she cries (a cry that is apparently one of regret) for agreeing to marry someone she apparently doesn't like to the point of getting married.

One more thing that bothered me:
The battles in the war.
Seriously, there are 60,000 ships battling, but only one or two are blown up and highlighted.
Why exaggerate the number of ships when there is no highlight? This is clearly to try to make it more grandiose than it should be.
The war happens, but it is all so poorly elaborated and without emphasis on one of the most important things that it is stupid.
And the strategies were not as genius as many people say they are.

There is a scene where Reinhard tells Sieg to send a letter to Yang on his behalf, and from one scene to the next, Yang is already holding the letter. Seriously, how is this? Right in space, at the end of a pointless battle he receives a letter out of the blue, without even showing how it was received.

The technical part isn't bad, but it's not so good for a movie either. But that doesn't bother me.
The character design is very good, especially the female design, which is so beautiful.

It's ironic how Reinhard talks about Yang's training towards the end of the fight being pointless, whereas the whole movie is pointless for the simple fact that the war just happens without having a reason explained.

I really wish I had enjoyed this to go see the 110 episodes that it is so acclaimed for, but I won't even waste my time with this piece of work.

Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Aratanaru Tatakai no Overture (Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Overture to a New War) is a 1993 movie that is part of the main Legend of the Galactic Heroes series. This is a great movie but simply there is not that much to be said about it as it is greatly overshadowed by the main series. So I will be brief.

The plot is an alternate version of the events in the first two episodes of the main anime, the Battle of Astarte, but the outcome is the same. This new plot gives a lot more details that the main series either skips out on or reveals later.

This movie definitely improved in of animation. For starters, the resolution is no longer square as it is with the main series. That is already a serious improvement. The animation overall is pretty good, especially for the time, and especially compared to the main series, not to say that the main series' animation is bad. The drawing itself has improved as well and the direction remains top notch. I would not say that the direction is much better than in the main series, but it is very good. Following the combat is actually even more fun in this movie than in the main series, which seems more monotonous by contrast. I feel that they have too many scenes shot from behind an Imperial or an Alliance ship, but these scenes look very good especially for the time. The limitations of the time still stand, such as ships in the background being represented by white lines, but they went all out in improving other aspects of battles, such as the Valkyrie dogfights.

This is a decent part of the Legends of the Galactic Heroes, but it is unclear if it was necessary or how to relate it to the main series. Do the creators expect the viewer to watch this instead of the first two episodes of the main series? I am unclear as to the answer to this question and therefore I am not sure what purpose this movie serves in the actual storytelling of the series. Therefore I can't help but feel that the movie was slightly underwhelming. It is like the opposite of an alternate ending. It was probably made almost as a filler episode equivalent at the time when the main series was about half way done and people needed reminding what was even at the start. This is the downside of releasing an anime over the course of 8 years. As far as I am aware only One Piece can contend that length as it has ten times as many episodes and at least twice the release run. Very few modern studios will even attempt to air an anime as a whole if it has over 26 episodes.

Critic’s Log: June, 22, 2013. Review #52: Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Overture to a New War

After the disappointment that was the previous Legend of the Galactic Heroes movie called Golden Wings, another movie came out. This movie came out a year before the show started its third season. What did the creative staff make that time? A movie known as Overture to a New War.



I don’t think giving you a sypnosis of this movie will be needed this time because this movie is an extended retelling of the first two episodes of Legend of the Galactic Heroes.



To be technical, this is a production by Kitty Films and Magic Bus. I can tell you that this movie has some of the best animation to offer on Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Yes, I know this is because of the fact that this is a movie, meaning a higher budget and so forth. This movie also follows the same character designs from the Main series and not that atrocity known as Golden Wings. The character designs look fantastic as always. The animation is also very damn good in this movie.





The music (like the Main series) is a mix of classical pieces and they are used terrifically in this movie. Is there more to say about the soundtrack to this series?.



When it comes to voice acting, The original cast reprise their roles. Ryo Horikawa is terrific as Reinhard von Lohengramm. The late Kei Tomiyama is also terrific as always with his role as Yang Wen-li. Masashi Hironaka is another terrific seiyu as Siegfried Kircheis. Hideyuki Tanaka is great as Jean Robert Lap. Katsuji Mori is great as Mittermeyer. Kazuhiko Inoue is also great as Attenborough. Keiko Han is terrific as Annerose. Mami Koyama is great as Jessica Edwards. Unsho Ishizuka is great as Job Truniht, and Norio Wakamoto is fantastic as always with Reuenthal. The voice acting is solid in this movie which the show as a whole has solid voice acting. If you are looking for an English Dub to this show, you are out of luck. No English Dub exists for this movie, the main series or any other entry in this franchise.





As far as characters go in this movie, this movie does the first two episodes justice by adding more than what was shown in the first two episodes. I did feel that more could have been added at the first two episodes and this movie does just that. We get some background on Yang Wen-li and Reinhard von Lohengramm in this movie compared to the first two episodes which is great. This movie feels more like an extended cut on the first two episodes which I think this movie makes it obvious. There are moments that put weight on the characters and the story and some moments are different on the first two episodes and this movie makes those moments better.



As far as the story is concerned, know that this movie is an extended take on the first two episodes of Legend of the Galactic Heroes. That’s it! There are some scenes that were not in the first two episodes and these new scenes really give more detail to this particular part of the story as well as more detail on the characters early on. My only nitpick is how the movie ends, they could have thrown in a little more to end it on a spectacular note. If you already saw the first two episodes, you really should watch this movie. If you do re-watch this anime. Start off again with My Conquest is the Sea of Stars, then jump into Overture To A New War. In a way, you got your first two episodes right there, then you can watch the rest of the show afterwards since this movie is an extended take on the first two episodes, Hence my analogy with the two movies. Golden Wings may have been a disappointment, but this movie sure as hell makes up for this.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Overture To A New War is unlicensed, your only way to experience it is online. Look it up at your own leisure.



With all that said, Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Overture To A New War is a nice addition even though it’s an extended re-telling. It does give more detail on the beginnings of a few characters which the first two episodes lacked a little. Fans of the show may appreciate this extended re-telling. If there wasn’t much that the first two episodes offered that haven’t convinced you enough, this re-telling is the definitive take on the first two episodes.



I give Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Overture To A New War a 9.5 out of 10, it is EXCELLENT!



Feel free to leave a comment, and be at peace.