Reviews for Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Aratanaru Tatakai no Overture (6.72) 506v2i

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.