January 17, 2026 • 2759 Words (for the full article)

Legend of the Galactic Heroes Watch Diary, Season 1 Episode 1

Wikipedia summary (and yes, I intend to read the light novels at some point, although I saw online discourse complaining about the quality of the translations):

Legend of the Galactic Heroes (Japanese: 銀河英雄伝説, Hepburn: Ginga Eiyū Densetsu), sometimes abbreviated as LOTGH, LOGH, LGH or Gin'eiden (銀英伝) in Japanese (and also depicted as Heldensagen vom Kosmosinsel in the anime intro), is a series of epic science fiction novels written by Yoshiki Tanaka. In humanity's distant future, two interstellar states – the monarchic Galactic Empire and the democratic Free Planets Alliance – are embroiled in a never-ending war. The story focuses on the exploits of rivals Reinhard von Lohengramm and Yang Wen-li, as their rise to power and fame in the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance, respectively.

I have started Legend of the Galactic Heroes sometime at the end of 2024, and was planning to keep a watch diary, but somehow the binge-watching frenzy and the alcohol involved got the better of me, and before I knew it, I had the series on hold at season 1 episode 20, definitely hooked but with a great feeling of regret hanging over my head. I decided to rectify that, and after about 2 months of hiatus, I bit the bullet and started the series over.

I instantly recognized Legend of the Galactic Heroes as media that was hand-crafted for my brain. The moment I saw that vast starscape littered with thousands of warships, I knew that no story would ever feel grander. This had, for me, the potential to be the greatest story that can be told, at least in terms of scale and stakes. It felt like looking up at some grand example of brutalist architecture or massive natural formation and having that sinking feeling in your stomach, realizing how small you are because you’ve placed yourself next to a colossal point of reference. I loved the framing and cinematography, the long lens-look which compressed space for close-ups and the layered shots of outer space emphasizing the gargantuan scale of the ‘battlefields’ and giving them depth, emulating the best type of prestige TV cinematography of its time. In short, I knew that I was in for something special, and maybe, just maybe, LotGH could scratch that itch that TNG tried and somewhat failed to do (still love The Measure of a Man though).

There’s something to be said about the opening theme, or the first one as a quick search on YouTube reveals that there are multiple iterations, as per anime custom. Opening on that galaxy shot, heavy brass notes easing into strings, the German form of the title in bold, silver letters, they all give the series heavy gravitas fitting for the subject. The song is also timeless, and while the fading in and out succession of headshots might seem corny to a modern viewer, it is a clever way to help the audience retain the faces of the Galactic Empire’s major characters, particularly helpful in a space opera with a large cast. The ending is equally beautiful, a mirror of the opening but this time showcasing the Free Planets Alliance cast. Sandwiched between the two are roughly 20 minutes of great storytelling.

Ok, enough prelude, let’s start with the diary! There are 110 episodes of this anime according to MyAnimeList, so I’ll keep these diary posts short and sweet, ideally 1 every week. I’ll release them on Patreon and Substack, so pick whatever platform you prefer (I tried to keep price parity across them - $5 a month). As I said, I have not seen the series past episode 20 and have managed to keep my experience so far spoiler-free, so if I end up contradicting myself on certain topics going forward, take into account that each episode represents my views at that moment.

Season 1 Episode 1: In the Eternal Night

War touches every age.