Legend of the Galactic Heroes Episode 8 Review: The Castrop Rebellion

Episode 8 of our intergalactic adventure takes us (at last) on the other side of the space corridor to the Empire and Count I-want-to-be-Emperor. He and his childhood friend Kircheis are on their way to another great achievement and to taking advantage of one of the Empire’s greatest defeats.

Japanese Title: カストロプ動乱

Plot

The Castrop rebellion was the perfect chance for Kircheis to prove his worth to all those who still see him as a commoner who does not deserve his rank and station. Against a rebellion led by a gold-thirsty ruler who has no respect for his subordinates, Kircheis managed to win against an army double in size without dropping a single drop of blood. The idiocy and over-confidence of the enemy commander, a noble whose worldview was painfully restricted to his own desires, allowed Kircheis to appeal to the enemy soldier’s desire to follow a leader whose judgment they could trust. Maximilian Castrop was certainly not that leader. His dithyrambic victory elevated him to the eyes of the rest of the commanders Reinhard has chosen for his new headquarters and for his own personal squad and got him a very much needed promotion. Sentiments are all good, but in the military, it is the rank that matters and his rank should justify why Reinhard considers him his Number One.

The second half of the episode brought us up to speed with the events on the other side of the fence. The top brass of the Empire’s military submits their resignation to the Emperor to assume responsibility for the fall of Iserlohn. The Emperor, to please Reinhard for his excellent service, offers him one of the position, but Reinhard denies the opportunity and even advocates in favor of reinstating them. His ultimate goal was to achieve a pardon for Oberstein the deserter, who in the previous scene confessed to Reinhard his utter hatred for the emperor and his lineage. Now, Reinhard has another confidant, whom he doesn’t trusts completely, but if he wants to be the emperor, he needs all the help he can get.

The emperor is so zen. SO ZEN.

Episode Highlights

Your hair looks nice: I have trouble understanding why Reinhard caressed his friend’s hair unless the show is trying to put some very subtle hints in there that there might be something going on between the two. I get it, there are a lot of people out there who just love to ship characters, but I found it a bit… awkward.

Themes & Trivia

Barbarossa: The name means ‘red beard’ in Italian and it usually refers to the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in World War II. Yet, the most common theme that comes to mind when pronouncing the name is pirates. Many fictional characters have taken up the name, most of them sailing the seven seas. Most famous to video gamers are Barbarossa Rugner from the 1995 Playstation Jrpg Suikoden and Haureddin Barbarossa, a pirate captain in the Nintendo 3DS Jrpg Bravely Default.

An Emperor in the Making

I am clearly rooting for Reinhard, even if I find his reason for becoming the ruler of the known universe a bit childish. Yet, he is capable of succeeding and with an Emperor who is probably the Enlightened Buddha of his era, I don’t think he will fail.

The next episode will air in two weeks’ time on 5 June. See you, then!

Next Time: Each Person`s Star (それぞれの星)