Legend of the Galactic Heroes Episode 10 Review: Interlude

There is good reason Episode 10 of Legend of the Galactic Heroes is called Interlude. Last time, after what seemed to be the pivotal point of the war, the capture of Iserlohn backfired in an unpredictable way. The Free Planets Alliance declared a holy war in the name of ‘freedom’. Someone needs to ‘free’ those poor Empire subjects and teach them what real oppression feels like.

Japanese Title: 幕間狂言

Plot

The pre-credits scene was full of truth and great quotes. The leader of Fezzan, like the capitalist puppet master he is, informs the Empire’s ambassador that the Free Planet’s Alliance is planning an offensive. He sets the stage for his eventual economic domination of both nations since a prolonged war will damage both of them so much that they will eventually rely on his money to rebuild. And the one who controls the money in this game is king. While the nobles of the Empire and the politicians of the FPA are pre-occupied with retaining their position and wealth, the leader of Fezzan will use his wealth to dominate them both. It’s unbelievable how an unreasonable focus on one’s self can make one so blind to the enemy that lurks behind the curtain.

‘There are many ways to enrich one’s life but nothing is more stimulating that using whole nations and the very fate of humans as intangible chips in a game of politics and strategy.’

Is the whole world just a big casino table? It seems so.

The rest of the episode spends some time on FPA and the Empire, as the first is trying to plan its offensive amidst strong protest from Yang and those with better sense who agree with him, and the second, with Reinhard in front, plan not just a defensive plan but a counter-offensive.

We also have a new character whose name we will remember (unlike the names of all those admirals). Commodore Falk is a loudmouth officer whose prime ambition is to become THE general. The difference between him and real heroes like Yang is that Falk doesn’t care how he is going to achieve his goal. We are going to see a nice contrast between him and Yang in the last two episodes.

Episode Highlights

Redhead: That redhead woman seems more than just an escort. She has too much screen time to be just that. Yet, I don’t think we have seen her name written on the screen, have we? And no, I’m not going to check the wiki. Wikis are for… ehhh… people who want to search for things.

Spaceships: For a space opera, this series doesn’t have enough spaceship battles. We need more lasers and pew pew and stuff exploding. Yes, the loss of life will be regrettably high, and that’s why I’m glad this is fiction and not real life. Yet, in a few thousand years, this is probably what war is going to look like.

Themes & Trivia

Odin: The Zeus of Norse mythology, Odin is one of the oldest gods and is found throughout the recorded history of the Germanic peoples, from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania through the tribal expansions of the Migration Period and the Viking Age. Actually, the name for the day Wednesday comes from Old English ‘Wōdnesdæg’ and Middle English ‘Wednesdei’ which means ‘day of the Woden’ (Odin). English were not always Christians.

Comments

Since the anime is based on a series of sci-fi books, after watching a few episodes and making sure that this is my cup of tea (military and space, it certainly is) I went and bought the first book (it has been translated in English if you are wondering). But I haven’t read it yet. I am waiting for the series to end before allowing myself to be spoiled. Don’t forget that the 12-episode TV series is just the first part of the story. The second part will be coming next year in a string of theatrical movies, much like Yamato did with 2022, the remake of its second season.

To War We March

I feel that this offense is going to turn into a bloodbath. We need a good tragedy, and by ‘good’ I mean a very bad one that will serve as the antiwar message the anime has been trying to get across. Or maybe I got the series all wrong…

Did you like Episode 10 of Legend of the Galactic Heroes? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to check the rest of our Spring 2018 reviews.

NEXT TIME: The Verge of Death (Part 1) (死線［前編］)