Mittermeyer and Reuenthal together for the first time

The 28th episode of Legend of the Galactic Heroes provides a little more background on the admirals who serve under Reinhard, particularly the duo of Mittermeyer and Reuenthal. Also, the next stage of combat against the Alliance begins to take shape, while internal politicking begins to take a toll on some characters.

The episode begins with Reinhard examining Oppenheimer, a noble who had sided with the Lippstadts, but was now saying he had no choice because he was related to Littenheim. Reinhard accepts the reasoning and allows him to return to his previous position, but first Oppenheimer presents him with a gift. It is a painting by a famous Imperial artist, but Reinhard admits he doesn’t know the first thing about art. He wants Mecklinger to send it to a proper museum, but Oppenheimer insists the painting is for Reinhard alone. The painting is now viewed as a bribe by Reinhard, and he asks Kißling to arrest him. Oppenheimer then questions how he could have retained Streit despite how close he was, while arresting him to which Reinhard responds that he is much more resourceful and talented.

The arrest now leaves the position of Chief of Military Police open. Reinhard wants to install Kesler in the job despite the Military Police having their own standard for choosing who leads them. He thinks they need an outsider to lead them and orders Feldewelt to take care of it. Now alone in his office, Reinhard wonders if this is what it is like to take power and why no one seems to understand him. He looks at his picture of Kircheis and gets the confirmation he thinks he needs that he is doing the right thing.

Theodore von Lücke enters the room and informs Reinhard of the events near Iserlohn. Reinhard curses Yang for forcing an Imperial withdrawal, before heading off to a ceremony to promote three more men into his admiralty. Kempf apologizes for being defeated and ending Reinhard’s winning streak, but Reinhard tells him that one victory will more than make up for it.

I'm still watching LoGH right?

Then, there is a little background on Mittermeyer and Reuenthal, the twin stars who head the rest of the admiralty. Mittermeyer is from a middle class family whose father believed becoming an expert was the way to advance in society. His family took in a young girl named Evangeline whose father had died in battle and seemed to idolize Mittermeyer. As he advanced up the ranks, she would always be there to welcome him back. Later, he encountered Reuenthal for the first time in the middle of a bar fight. The two bonded instantly, their relationship cemented with a beers as they sported bruised faces.

Mittermeyer's happy married life begins.

One day, Mittermeyer in an inspired mood decides to buy flowers, a cake and a ring and proposes marriage to Evangeline. She accepts as his father cheers him on from a distance. The two are wed and their happy marriage continues to this day, though without children.

Reuenthal, on the other hand, tends to look down on women. He has a history of short-lived relationships with women who he effectively uses before abandoning them. Only Mittermeyer understands why Reuenthal acts the way he does.

Reuenthal could care less about who he sleeps with

Five years earlier, the two were in a hopeless situation on the ice world Capuchelanca. Having killed too many enemy soldiers, they looked set to accept that they could no longer surrender, but they were saved by reinforcements. As the two celebrated their escape back at the bar, Reuenthal began to talk about his views on women.

Reuenthal had come to view them as creatures who lived only to betray men. His father, who could barely be considered a noble, had lived as a bachelor until he was 40, but was in great financial shape. An acquaintance set something up with his mother, who was part of a much more elite family, but in financial ruin. His mother’s family used his father’s wealth and the age difference between the two created a rumor that she had a secret lover.

In the middle of this Reuenthal was born. His two different eye colors, the blue eye matching both of his parents eye color, and the brown eye matching the alleged lover. One time, his mother looked set to stab him in the eye, but stopped herself as she was caught by a maid. She later killed herself. His father became an alcoholic after his wife’s death and constantly reminded Reuenthal that he wished he had never been born.

As Mittermeyer prepared to lecture Reuenthal about his views, Reuenthal fell asleep. The next day, Reuenthal wants Mittermeyer to forget anything he said as he was drunk. Mittermeyer, though, says he remembers nothing. To this day, the topic has never come up again between the two.

They come across Anton Hilmer von Schaft in a corridor. The Inspector General of Science and Technology is eager to meet with Reinhard, and leaves quickly. The two admirals wonder what exactly he has accomplished in his six years at his post. However, he does have something worthwhile. He proposes an attack on Iserlohn with another fortress. Reinhard wants conditions that they can construct a new one nearby without Alliance interference, but the plan is actually to attach engines to Geiersburg and move it to Iserlohn.

On Phezzan, Kesselink and Rubinsky talk about the Empire’s plan. There is a need to unify space, and just the fall of Iserlohn will not be enough. Rubinsky wants Yang pinned away from Iserlohn for long enough for the fortress to be captured.

Reinhard appoints Kempf to head the operation with Muller as vice-commander. The move is a surprise to Bittenfeld who talks over drinks to Muller, Reuenthal and Mittermeyer. They believe Oberstein engineered it in a way to prevent Reuenthal and Mittermeyer from officially becoming Reinhard’s number twos. They talk about Reinhard’s shifting appointments before Muller says Streit is the next to be promoted. Muller says Oberstein is meekly accepting the move.

The conversation then shifts to a dog Oberstein picked up. Muller says he picked up an old dalmatian who eats only boiled chicken, and Oberstein goes out in the middle of the night to pick up meat for the dog. Bittenfeld comments on how Oberstein can only be loved by a dog as he is one himself.

Meanwhile, Reinhard talks to Hilde about the state of the Empire as the two ride in a car. She says that the country has recovered financially from the civil war, but the political situation is far from stable. She believes Reinhard should be more concerned with internal politics than resuming conflict with the Alliance. Reinhard says that he is leaving the military duties up to his subordinates, and he has no plans to leave Odin.

Back at the bar, Reuenthal talks about a theoretical battle he would have with Bittenfeld. The latter would have the initial advantage, but Reuenthal would ultimately come out of it as the only one standing. Mittermeyer brings the conversation back on topic by saying he can’t believe someone like Schaft, with no combat experience, would have a plan approved by Reinhard. He says that this battle will be useless if the Alliance is not destroyed this time because misusing soldiers is not healthy for a nation. Mittermeyer realizes he is now in a position where he has to constantly consider his arguments. Then he asks Reuenthal to change his ways.

At the Prime Minister’s mansion, Reinhard talks about the Kaiser. The young child has dozens of attendants, but is effectively powerless. Reinhard could have him killed off, but keeping him alive is the better option, something Oberstein agrees with.

The episode ends with the beginning of the operation to take Iserlohn. Nobody knows what the future holds for all involved.

Thoughts: A rather interesting contrast between Mittermeyer and Reuenthal was established here. It’s always nice to have some detailed background on someone other than Yang or Reinhard…Continuing off last episode, Reinhard’s managerial style is nearly opposite Yang’s. While Yang tries to get consensus amongst his subordinates before acting, Reinhard acts leaving his subordinates constantly off-guard and perplexed by some of the moves as though he is trying to play politics…Mittermeyer’s sudden impulse which carries him from casually walking down a street to proposing marriage was completely unexpected for a series like this, but is totally in line for someone nicknamed the Gale Wolf.

Yang Wen-li is not above sleeping on park benches.

Even I am finding it hard to believe I have been doing this for six months. I could do a recap of the first season, but I think the show must go on. A whole 18 months had passed in real life between the end of the first OVA series and the start of this 2nd one. This 27th episode of Legend of the Galactic Heroes focuses mainly on a battle, and some of the struggles of ordinary soldiers. Some behind-the-scenes politicking does occur, but is largely confined to small sections of the episode.

The episode begins with a recap of the military events of the first season. Reinhard routing the Alliance at Estate only for Yang to intervene to prevent complete annihilation, Yang forming his own 13th fleet to take Iserlohn, the Alliance’s failed attempt at an invasion from Iserlohn and defeat at Amlitzer are all covered before moving into a recap of the political events. Reinhard securing power and plotting the coup in the Alliance while going to war with the high nobility, Reinhard defeating the nobles and taking Geiersburg and becoming the Premier of the Empire are the main events covered. Yang had stopped the coup and headed back to Iserlohn where the story resumes at the start of a new year.

The action begins with Dusty Attenborough’s fleet under assault by Imperial forces who are unexpectedly close. With combat about to begin, Attenborough is already thinking about the death toll in the upcoming battle and requests reinforcements with this in mind.

Elsewhere, Oliver Poplan prepares to command a fighter unit, which Julian is a part of, for the battle. In typical light-hearted fashion, he states his belief that the Allied forces have the upper hand because there are no geniuses in the Empire. However, he expresses doubts immediately to Ivan Konev. He believes the raw recruits the government has sent to out cannot match the Imperial pilots.

Meanwhile on Odin, a crown of people have gathered outside the Prime Minister’s mansion where Reinhard now resides. He expresses a belief that the people’s trust in a system is based on justice and fair taxation to two former nobles, Karl Bracke and Eugen Richter, who have proposed reforms. After the meeting, the two discuss Reinhard’s popularity and Bracke comments that all Reinhard has done is create reform in the way the nobles who wanted reform wanted. However, Richter still has doubts about a genuine reformation as the government is still under the control of one man.

The matter of paying for the reformation was taken care of by the hoarded wealth of the Lippstadt nobility. Reinhard sees a certain humor in how they gathered so much only for it to be taken away. Hilde tells him that Arthur von Streit has requested a meeting with him to get some of his share of the seized assets back.

Back on the battlefield, Julian prepares to sortie for the first time. He remembers asking a question about death to Yang only to receive another vague question in reply. He launches and his first combat experience begins with an Allied ship blowing up near him before being confronted by an enemy head on.

At Iserlohn, Frederica rushes to wake up Yang from his sleep on a park bench. She informs him of Attenborough’s situation and the request for reinforcements. Instinctively, he calls for Julian to go with him, but remembers he sent him to Attenborough because he thought it would be safest. Frederica assures Yang that Julian’s luck and talent will see him through. Yang quickly decides to send in the reinforcements.

Julian, meanwhile, is having a pretty decent go at his first battle. He is surprised by the maneuverability of his Spartanian in avoiding an attack before shooting down an Imperial Valkyrie.

The Imperial commander is surprised at the progression of the battle. He was expecting something a bit more organized from the Iserlohn fleet. As a result he holds back thinking it could be a trap. Attenborough is encouraged at this development as it will allow reinforcements to arrive with minimal loss of life.

At Iserlohn, debate begins over the size of the force to reinforce Attenborough. Yang asks Merkatz for his opinion, and he responds by saying they should send in the highest number of ships possible to overwhelm the enemy. Yang agrees with the suggestion and begins to make preparations, and he also asks Merkatz if he can join him on the flagship.

On Odin, Reinhard agrees to von Streit’s request on the condition that he serves as a subordinate at command headquarters. He easily accepts the Prime Minister’s offer.

On the battlefield, Julian shoots down another Imperial fighter before being forced in for refueling. Attenborough still has not heard a word about reinforcements. Yang’s force is heading rapidly toward the battlefield, fortunately. Yang gives a brief history on battlefield technology and how it’s development has effectively rendered itself useless in finding an enemy.

Meanwhile, Julian finishes off a meal between battles. Before he leaves, a young soldier comes in crying while being consoled by two others. Julian departs and encounters Poplan and Konev. Poplan says it would be a waste for Julian to die piloting a fighter while there are many other things he could be learning to do. Julian ends up back on the battlefield just as the heavily damaged Ulysses arrives. Julian barely survives colliding with an Imperial ship, and Julian finally understands the stress of battle. The ship deploys a turret only to withdrawal it and bring out a larger weapon. Julian responds by shooting the weapon and taking the ship out with it.

On Phezzan, Adrian Rubinsky discusses the balance of power with Arthur Kesselink. As a result of the civil wars, the Empire has a massive advantage over a weakened Alliance and a slightly stronger Phezzan. Rubinsky makes the decision that they should help the Empire and allow space to be unified under the rule of Reinhard, though he thinks he can still pull the strings of the new nation. Kesselink questions whether pursuing the elders’ ideas is such a good idea, but Rubinsky states that it is Phezzan policy and nothing more. The existence of Iserlohn, however, creates some problems.

Back at the battle, Attenborough desperately reorganizes his forces to try allow forces to retreat without allowing the enemy to notice. Unfortunately, the Allied fighters are being routed and control of space is being quickly lost. They need to hold out for just two more hours. Julian, though does not have that option. Chased by two Imperial fighters, a third one joins in before Poplan saves him at the last second by shooting down all three. Julian heads back to refuel as Konev arrives to chat with Poplan as the two rack up kills.

At this point, the Imperial commander realizes he has had the upper hand the whole time and begins to attack the Iserlohn fleet. One ship under attack is the one Julian stopped at to refuel. They couldn’t refuel it very much, and the commander tells him to survive. He launches as the ship is destroyed by an explosion. Julian shoots down an enemy ship in rage, as Attenborough hopes for his safety and Poplan runs out of ammo.

The reinforcements finally arrive en masse, which brightens the spirits of the Allied forces. The Imperial fleet, however, decides it cannot face that large of a force and retreats. Yang elects not to follow and Schenkopp comments that he has chosen to win without fighting. Frederica informs Yang that Julian is safe and reads out his performance. There is some surprise to hear he destroyed a cruiser in his first battle. Schenkopp thinks Julian may have a natural talent and can do something special in the future. Yang is more grounded ans says Julian has used up all of his life’s luck. His talent won’t matter if he underestimates combat because of this battle.

The first battle of the year is dismissed as a mere border dispute as the forces reunite at Iserlohn. Julian is happy to be back, while there are some laughs as Yang says he’s told him to avoid doing anything dangerous. However, the first marker has been set in how the battle between the Alliance and Empire will continue.

Thoughts: This was a particularly modular episode in that any of the scenes from Odin or the scene from Phezzan could have been placed nearly anywhere in the episode and it would have worked…There is some noticeable improvement in the character designs and animation from the first season here. Unfortunately, it’s because the beginning recap switched between the new and the old…The 2nd op is pretty poor, the second ED is a little better than the first one.

This man's transfer fee to Real Madrid was approximately 12.7 billion yen, or beyond the reach of any of the Seleçao.

So I’ve gone from weekly recaps of new stuff with occasional other posts, but since no one ever comments on those it’s now LoGH and torturing myself with absolute crap. That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped watching current anime, it’s just that I can’t be bothered to write about it every week. So what have I been doing with the last 3 months in that regard…

Continuing from Winter

I personally would have imagined Sealand much different than this

I’ve been continuing to watch Hetalia Axis Powers, which has apparently earned a second season. The World War II focus of the first half of the series has gone with a broader look at different countries in the present. With everything from the American Revolution to a platform off of East Anglia that everyone else ignores, national stereotypes can be fun in five minute chunks.

Spring Completed

Exactly how I would use my money, trying to buy my favorite team a championship.

Higashi no Eden was probably my favorite show of the spring season. With a high level of what I would call hidden fanservice, there was nearly always some extra way I would be entertained in each episode. At times part Bourne and with sendoffs to Dawn of the Dead and Taxi Driver amongst other films, there’s a cinematic element to this series. Other parts I was impressed was the attempt to raise NEETs above their current status in society and how collectivity can work in solving problems like stopping missile strikes or in a real life example combing through hundreds of thousands of pages of redacted MPs expenses. Plus, cigar cutters scare me now.

When character designs go bad: Part 121335435.

In stark contrast was K-On. While it was pretty much the typical KyoAni moefest I expected it to be, I had expected something a bit more. Judging by how popular it is though, I pretty much assume I’m in the minority. Perhaps it is a realization that my hopes for slice of life series to attempt something more substantial will never come to fruition. Maybe it’s why I will never get Aria and YKK, I just don’t know.

The last of the mere 3 completed single season series was Hatsukoi Limited. While it is pretty much standard school love drama fare, it did manage to stand out in its execution. Not everyone managed to hook up with who they wanted, 50% of the characters I hated ended up with nothing. However, there’s still a little lingering doubt that this may merely be a slightly better version of KimiKiss.

Continuing into Summer

I should be caring more about the characters in Cross Game, that would be the point in an Adachi series after all right? I shouldn’t be making box scores of the baseball games should I. Why am I noticing Kou struck out more batters than he said he did? I’m probably a terrible person for noticing him hitting for the cycle than his relationship with Aoba.

Hayate the Combat Butler!! has changed tone significantly from parody-heavy hijinks to a character-driven comedy/drama. It started out pretty weak, but the last few episode of the current season have improved significantly. As a whole, I may eventually end up rating this higher than the first season.

And the second season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is pretty hard to judge off three episodes, especially when two have been in a Groundhog Day-esque plotline. Perhaps more importantly, it becomes much harder to watch the first season in broadcast order now.

A Brief Preview of the Summer

What am I looking forward to in the next three months for new shows? As much as I would not want to say nothing, I’m going to have to say nothing. Perhaps I’ll watch some 1920s-era girls baseball, any of the traditional fanservice heavy series which serve as economic isolationism, a fourth incarnation of a series that looked to be running on fumes or even the “joys” of simple economic activity in simpler times. Good grief.

Is it me, or did Oberstein put on a little weight between Westerland and the end of the war?

The 26th episode of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and final episode of the first season, marks the end of the road for one of the main characters. It also marks the final changes to the political scene of the Empire. In addition, the character referred to as “that man” proves himself to be more than just influential.

The episode begins where the last one left off with Ansbach attempting to assassinate Reinhard. Oberstein instinctively protects Reinhard, but Ansbach’s rocket goes well wide of the two of them. Kircheis, then grapples with Ansbach, knocking his weapon away. Unfortunately, Ansbach also has a weapon in the form of a laser fitted onto a ring on his left hand. A first shot hits Kircheis in the chest and the two fall on the ground before Ansbach fires again, hitting his opponent in the neck. The other admirals take control of Ansbach, but Kircheis has been mortally wounded.

Panic spreads as Mittermeyer desperately calls for a doctor. Kircheis, bleeding profusely says that it is already too late. The other admirals agree with Kircheis’ assessment that there is nothing they can do to save him, as Ansbach laughs at a job well done.

Ansbach asks the spirit of Braunschweig for forgiveness for not killing Reinhard, while telling Reinhard’s allies that their leader will join Braunschweig in hell eventually. Ansbach, though is comforted by the fact he can take Reinhard’s other half to the grave with him. He takes a suicide pill before Reuenthal can stop him.

A moment of clarity for Reinhard as he realizes what should be important to him.

Stunned by the what has transpired, Reinhard walks down to say farewell to his best friend. He remembers his time with Kircheis with each step before finally arriving at his side. Kircheis’ continues to prioritize Reinhard’s state over his own, asking him if he is alright after the assassination attempt. Reinhard attempts to comfort Kircheis by saying he is well because of his efforts in stopping Ansbach. Kircheis then tells Reinhard he will no longer be able to serve under him. Reinhard tries to motivate Kircheis  to fight on by telling him that a doctor is coming and his wounds will heal in no time, and afterward they will celebrate their great victory together with Annerose. Kircheis, sensing the end, tells Reinhard to win the universe. Reinhard still wants to believe he can do it with his friend at his side. Kircheis, wants to pass one message along to Annerose, that he kept his promise from long ago. Reinhard, refuses and insists the Kircheis should do it himself, but Kircheis has already uttered his final words.

Kircheis is dead. Reinhard remains solely focused on his friend, while refusing to believe the truth. Only Mittermeyer stating the truth that Kircheis is dead snaps Reinhard out of his state. Reinhard turns on Mittermeyer by saying he is lying, and there is no way that Kircheis could die before he would. He screams for Kircheis to wake up, but it will never happen.

Later, the other admirals have a meeting as Reinhard sits next to the casket now holding Kircheis in the main chamber. Müller is surprised at how fragile Reinhard seemed at the death of Kircheis, but Mittermeyer says he is mistaken. He says that Kircheis was more special than any of the other admirals as he essentially represented half of Reinhard as a person. Mecklinger asks what they can do about the situation, to which Reuenthal that they must make Reinhard recover. He believes their very fate and that of the galaxy will be determined by their ability to make Reinhard recover.

Bittenfeld asks how they can do that. Reuenthal says Oberstein will figure something out, while refusing to actually say his name. There is an opinion that Oberstein caused this situation to begin with, and Mittermeyer is hesitant to ask him for advice, but Reuenthal says they have no other option. Reuenthal says that Oberstein is only in the position he is in because of Reinhard, so he should have some measure of loyalty, but the admirals will be able to take measures against him if he tries anything suspicious. They control the actual military force after all.

Oberstein then arrives to talk to the group. He starts by stating that despite having a long meeting, they have not arrived on anything resembling a plan for what to do now. Mittermeyer is enraged, but Reuenthal holds him back and admits that without a Number 1 or Number 2, they lack someone to mediate. Mecklinger asks if Oberstein has any ideas, which he obviously does.

He starts by saying they should ask a favor of Annerose. Mittermeyer says they considered that, but no one was willing to tell her the bad news about Kircheis. Oberstein says he will take responsibility for that. Oberstein says they should focus on catching the one responsible for killing Kircheis. The admirals are baffled, and Bittenfeld points out that Ansbach was the one responsible. Oberstein says that he was merely the executioner, and there is someone high up who is actually responsible. Kesler interrupts by saying Braunschweig is already dead. Oberstein says he wasn’t the one responsible either. Reuenthal and Mittermeyer demand to know who Oberstein thinks is the real criminal. Oberstein says it is the Imperial Prime Minister, Prince Lichtenlade.

A confused Reuenthal asks if Lichtenlade is trying to eliminate potential rivals for power. Mittermeyer comments that he doesn’t want to fight on the opposite side of Oberstein because it would be impossible to guarantee equal terms. Oberstein says Lichtenlade is forced to eliminate all rivals and he now sees Reinhard and the admirals as threats. Reuenthal asks if this could possibly be a false accusation, which goes unanswered.

Oberstein proposes that the group rush to Odin and arrest Lichtenlade to take the State Seal away from him. By doing this, Reinhard can establish his own right to rule the Empire. Oberstein says that when they do get that kind of power, they can then justify what they did to get it. Mittermeyer and Reuenthal say they see this as a good opportunity to take care of Reinhard’s remaining enemies. The rest of the admirals slowly come to agreement to go ahead with Oberstein’s plan.

Reuenthal and Mittermeyer insist on leading the charge to Odin, and Oberstein says they can do so as the highest ranking admirals. Mecklinger and four other admirals are put in charge of protecting Geiersburg and preventing any leaks of Kircheis’ death. The rest race off to Odin, which is normally a 20-day journey, but likely much less here.

The second half of the episode begins with forces arriving at Odin. Mittermeyer orders a perimeter around the planet and Reuenthal orders individual fleets to take control of the cities, while ignoring orders from the government. Ships begin to land wherever they can on the surface, and the noise wakes up Lichtenlade.

Reuenthal arrives in Lichtenlade’s chamber first to tell him he is under arrest for the attempted assassination of Reinhard. Lichtenlade can hardly believe the charge, but Reuenthal wastes no time in telling him that proof is not always necessary in the Empire. Mittermeyer’s team simultaneously searches for the Imperial Seal. He is asked whether they have the authority to search for it from the Kaiser, but he says that authority belongs only to those with true power.

At the Mariedorf estate, Hilde is not worried about the ships landing in the capital city. She knows they have to be from Reinhard’s fleet because of the sheer numbers. Change is in the air, and while this type of transition is not ideal, it is much better than having the country stagnate.

Back at Geiersburg, Oberstein informs Reinhard that there is a message from Annerose. Reinhard angrily asks if he informed her of Kircheis’ death, and Oberstein calmly says he did so. Reinhard is offended, though Oberstein is quick to point out he would not be able to hide it forever. Oberstein asks if Reinhard is actually afraid of talking to his sister, and if he is not he should speak to her. Reinhard remains angry, but Oberstein tells Reinhard that he has not betrayed him. Reinhard cannot simply pass his work onto Oberstein while torturing himself over something that cannot be undone. He has to confront the future if he is to move on and seize control of the universe. Importantly, he adds that Kircheis will look down in shame from Valhalla should Reinhard prove unable to move past this.

A man who is comfortable in the darkest of roles.

As Reinhard walks away to talk to his sister, Oberstein talks to Kircheis’ body about his own place in the world. Shadows must accompany light, but should light disappear the shadows do as well. Who represents what is pretty obvious by this statement.

So Reinhard has his conversation with his sister. Annerose tells Reinhard that he now has nothing left to lose, but he still believes he has her. She says they have nothing left but each other, and as a result she is moving out of his mansion. She believes she should not be near her brother at all. She is the one tying him to the past because that is all that she has, when Reinhard should be focusing on the future. He accepts her decision and says that he will only see her again when he fulfills his promise to Kircheis to seize the universe. However, he has one final question. He wants to know if Annerose was in love with Kircheis.

Reinhard leaves with renewed energy and a determination to take the universe. He has to do it because of what he has lost. He then talks to Reuenthal and tells him he will be rewarded. Reinhard plans to head to Odin as soon as possible.

Reuenthal tells Reinhard that all of Lichtenlade’s family has been apprehended. Realizing they can’t just kill off the Prime Minister, Reinhard tells him to offer Lichtenlade the option of suicide. He also wants all of the women in the family banished to the frontier while executing all males over the age of 10. Those under 10 are allowed to live because that was the age he entered the academy and until that age they cannot be considered responsible. If they grow up to attack Reinhard, that is fine because he would be seen as an incompetent ruler who should be overthrown. He says he is also prepared for any of the admirals to come after him as well.

Oberstein enters to tell Reinhard they are ready to leave, but he asks Reinhard if he thinks he is doing the right thing with the Lichtenlade family. Reinhard simply says that he has shed lots of blood up to now, and he will probably have to shed more in the future. The Lichtenlade family only represents a small amount of blood spilt.

In Phezzan, Boris Konev expresses his hatred of dogs while also saying he is to become a spy on the Alliance, and Yang specifically. He knew Yang when they were younger, which is why he was selected for the job. He is also disgusted at himself for not rejecting it.

Adrian Rubinsky looks on and says that while getting close to Yang is relatively easy, getting close to Reinhard politically is nearly impossible. He asks for Boltik to leave to take a post as the High Commissioner in Odin and try to get close to Reinhard. Boltik expresses concern over a replacement for him at Phezzan, but Rupert Kessellink walks in to transfer into the position. Kessellink is young, but Rubinsky tells Boltik that he will have to get used to youth in high positions to be able to deal with Reinhard.

Back in the Alliance, Yang reflects on his use as propaganda by Truniht. Truniht has been unaffected by the war and yet, he continues to gain even more power. Yang tells Julian that he has had thoughts about whether democracy is worth it if guys like Truniht can get power. He compares Rudolf to the National Salvation Military Council in that both said that they believed only they could do what was right. Rudolf ended up creating a despotic government out of a duty to humanity itself. Julian asks if Yang thinks Reinhard is the same, but Yang can’t bring himself to answer. Yang believes the civil war in the Empire should be over by now, and Reinhard will likely make a run at Iserlohn.

The episode concludes on Odin. We learn that Reinhard has been made the new Imperial Prime Minister and now effectively has absolute power over the Empire. Kircheis was posthumously promoted to a position on the Imperial Triumvirate, his grave bearing the words “Mein Freund.” Reinhard visits the grave and wonders if his sister has been there, while also reflecting that he now has nothing to lose in his quest to keep his promise. He still has a hole in his heart that must be filled with either a friend or a great foe, and he asks whether Yang will be the one to fill it.

Thoughts: That was a rather powerful and ambitious way to conclude a season, though I am a little disappointed that Kircheis died just as I thought he might last week…It looks like the second season will focus on the conflict between Yang and Reinhard with the political situations seemingly settled for now…I have to say the direction has improved light years from the first few episodes, especially the music which has gone from annoyance to seemingly critical to this entire episode…It was actually rather nice to see Oberstein acknowledge that his fate is tied entirely to Reinhard, while his use of deceit continues to give plausible deniability to the one he serves…Will I ever know what Oberstein said to Annerose how Annerose answered Reinhard’s question about Kircheis?

Ah the future, where everyone wears knee socks regardless of gender and the scarves are made of hard plastic so they can be always flapping in the "wind."

“Apocalypse Zero is an anime that lives up to its name. Zero merits, zero reasons to watch it, zero out of ten.”

Apocalypse Zero

Positives

• Inexplicably high level of VA talent assembled here.
• The official subbers of this elected not to subtitle some of the lines, the laziness of others can be beneficial.
• The effects of long-term exposure to radiation end up being comic fodder, though I doubt this was intentional.
• Ending theme is also far too good for this.
• Unintentional comedy score of 97 out of 100.

Negatives

• Lots of stuff I will never be able to unsee of a graphic sexual nature
• English title of Apocalypse Zero sounds like it should not be a post-apocalyptic title…unless the apocalypse is actually a pre-apocalypse.
• I should also mention that graphic sexual nature describes every villain
• Recycled footage in a 2 episode OVA, seriously
• Narrative is a complete mess, but I wouldn’t be watching a masterpiece for this feature.
• Main villain defeated comically easily

Well the story is pretty much a mess. The planet is rocked by earthquakes that last for 5 years and have exposed everyone to massive amount of radiation leaving many people deformed.

Kakugo gets friendly with his armored suit. Was this really necessary?

It’s a dangerous world where innocent teenage couples can be attacked by giant women who insist on full frontal nudity, and students go to school in unsafe buildings. There to protect them is Hagakure Kakugo and his armored suit named Zero.

The flow of the series is essentially fight scene, flashback, end of fight, bonding with other students with Horie (voiced by someone named Horie of all things) continuing her unrequited love of Kakugo before things repeat all over again.

The voice acting leaves surprisingly little room for complaint as it seems they simply hired a large chunk of the Evangelion voice team and threw money at them, or they simply needed work which is more likely.

Strange tongue deformity that.

Also, there is an overtly sexual element to nearly every scene. Whether it’s Kakugo making sweet love to his armor, or his brother/whatever changing genders because of the armor, or monsters with multiple penises, or detachable breast monsters or even a vagina capable of ripping off arms there’s no line that isn’t crossed.

In the end, the only redeeming factor is the comedy, though I doubt they set out for it to be like that. The terrible writing, the sex monsters, the physically impossible ways people are killed off and much more merely had me laughing. And no, that isn’t an endorsement of this at all.

And for anyone who comes across this, I am once again open to suggestions for terrible anime, or terrible anything else to watch for this feature. I’m hoping the next one doesn’t revisit this all too familiar theme of post-apocalyptic life.

Ansbach presents Braunschweig's body to Reinhard. Nothing exceptional happening here, or is it?

The 25th episode of Legend of the Galactic Heroes marks the last switch between the two powers for the first season. The episode’s main focus is on the relationship between Reinhard and Kircheis. Once close friends, the Westerland incident and it’s aftermath have seemingly done permanent damage to their friendship. There is also further insight into their relationship from those outside. The episode also ends with one hell of a cliffhanger.

The episode begins at Geiersburg as Reinhard’s admirals regroup and Kircheis finally able to return to his friend’s side. Oberstein is worried about the fact that Reinhard continues to show favoritism toward his best friend, a bad trait for a ruler in his opinion, despite Kircheis continuing to show himself to be at the same level as Reinhard.

Reinhard wants to catch up with his friend in private, but Kircheis presses him on Westerland. He asks if Reinhard knew about the plan in advance as the rumors suggested, and Reinhard says he did know. Disappointed by the answer, Kircheis then seeks an answer to why Reinhard wants to become ruler as allowing Westerland to happen goes against what he thought was the moral reason for Reinhard to rule. The new Empire is based on the sacrifice of the 2 million on Westerland instead of the liberation of citizens oppressed by the nobility in his opinion.

Reinhard, clearly disappointed by the fact he has let his best friend down, tries to justify Westerland by saying the losses were fewer and therefore, he had no choice but to end the civil war in the quickest fashion possible politically and strategically. Kircheis responds by saying the civil war was actually a war between nobles and anything he did against them would be acceptable, but involving innocent civilians has left his hands stained in blood. He says Reinhard allowed himself to be lowered by the nobles for the sake of a short-term goal.

At this point, Reinhard tells Kircheis to shut up as he didn’t ask for his opinion or to be preached at. He now wants a relationship where he is superior and will only asks for opinions from Kircheis when he wants an opinion from Kircheis. Kircheis doesn’t let the issue die, as he asks if there is any difference between Reinhard and Rudolf von Goldenbaum if both are willing to sacrifice the innocent. Reinhard angrily asks Kircheis what their relationship is, and the reply he receives is that Kircheis is merely a loyal subject to Reinhard, nothing more.

Having realized he’s lost his best friend, he relives the choice he had to make on Westerland, Oberstein’s proposal and the aftermath of the attack. He hopes Kircheis will eventually understand that he couldn’t entirely maintain their ideals. Kircheis, on the other hand, hopes Reinhard will realize one day that what he did was terribly wrong and unnecessary.

The second half of the episode begins with Reinhard watching a message from Annerose. In it, she stresses the need to remember what truly matters and that he should consult Kircheis and value his advice. He believes that Annerose valued Kircheis’ judgement more than his own, though she may have had a point.

Oberstein walks in and Reinhard tells him to listen to a message he received from Hilde. She says Lichtenlade, now Prime Minister, has been stirring up the nobles remaining on Odin in a bid to attain more power for himself. Oberstein says that Lichtenlade thinks of the admirals as a hindrance now that the nobility is out of the way. Reinhard isn’t surprised at Lichtenlade’s attempt to stab him in the back, but he has a plan to stop him. He asks Oberstein to return to Odin ahead of him and take steps against the enemy.

Before he leaves, Oberstein wants to talk to Reinhard about Kircheis. Reinhard thinks Oberstein is going to say he’s giving too much authority to Kircheis, and that is in fact what he says. He tells Reinhard it isn’t wise to give him special treatment, especially in front of the other commanders. Reinhard, though, insists that Kircheis should be treated the same as himself, and that Kircheis would be his friend even if the whole universe was against him. The special treatment is simply a way of rewarding his long standing loyalty to him.

Oberstein backpedals a bit and asks that Kircheis be treated at the same level as Reuenthal and Mittermeyer. There’s no room for a number 2 in command in his opinion. In order to be an effective ruler, he has to wield complete authority, and not delegate part of his authority through Kircheis. Reinhard asks Oberstein to drop the issue.

Meanwhile, Reuenthal and Mittermeyer discuss the relationship between Kircheis and Reinhard over a game of cards. They think the rumors of a split in their relationship could be dangerous, but Reuenthal thinks they aren’t in a position to interfere because of a potential backlash. Then, they talk about Oberstein. They know there is internal debate over whether there should be a Number 2, where Reuenthal thinks Oberstein may be right. Mittermeyer, however, is hesitant about changing the ways of a man who has been successful to this point, especially because it involves a relationship between people. The discussion ends when the game of cards ends, with Reuenthal’s 4 Queens (Joker as a wild card) beating Mittermeyer’s 4 Jacks. Mittermeyer leaves with Reuenthal joking that a good commander knows when to retreat.

The next day, Reinhard boards Geiersburg as part of a celebration to the end of the civil war. Kircheis arrives as well, but is stopped by a soldier for carrying a weapon. Kircheis remarks that he’s never been stopped before for that reason, but the soldier says he’s been ordered to make no exceptions. Kircheis reluctantly accepts the condition and enters the main hall to take his place amongst the other admirals. Reinhard arrives with Oberstein at his side and begins by having an audience with various POWs.

Kircheis, though, remembers the events after Annerose was taken by the Goldenbaums to the present. It is essentially a montage serving as the development of Reinhard as he became more powerful over the 11 years they knew each other.

The proceedings begin with Fahrenheit being presented in front of Reinhard. Reinhard says Fahrenheit made a mistake in choosing to side with Braunschweig, but asks him to serve under him anyway. Fahrenheit accepts because he has always viewed himself as an Imperial soldier, and with Reinhard now in command, he will accept his orders. He thinks he came to that realization in a roundabout way, but he finally has clarity. Reinhard comments that Fahrenheit’s talents are much too great to waste, so he asks him to serve alongside his other admirals.

Next, Ansbach arrives with the body of Braunschweig. He surprises everyone by pulling a weapon from Braunschweig’s jacket and taking aim at Reinhard. He fires a rocket before the episode ends.

Thoughts: Surely they could have timed their cliffhanger better, like as Ansbach was walking in…Well I held off on watching the next episode preview on recommendation. It seems odd that you would put a clear spoiler in an episode preview, they didn’t even do that with the classic 2-3 minute episode previews of the late 60s/early 70s…Was this the 3rd time a weapon had been hidden on a dead body in the series?…And on the next episode, I fear I can already guess someone is going to get killed and who it will be based solely on this episode, here’s hoping I will be surprised.

Accelerating masses of ice to the speed of light to blow stuff up is great, but why couldn't they have just done it without the ice?

Episode 24 of Legend of the Galactic Heroes returns to the coup by the National Salvation Military Council (NSMC) on the Alliance government. Yang had defeated the 11th fleet and was well on his way to ending the coup, which happens to be exactly what happens in this episode.

The episode begins with Yang’s fleet rapidly approaching Heinessen, and receiving reports of rebels who wished to join Yang’s side. Yang, though says they can’t place their trust in people who switch sides so easily because they have all been produced by a military culture that creates people with immovable ideals. That in turn led to the NSMC being formed with a belief they could not lose because of the ideals they held.

On Heinessen, the NSMC holds out hope that the Artemis Necklace will protect them from Yang’s fleet. Yang already has a plan for destroying the Necklace, but he doesn’t want to put the billion citizens of the planet at risk by destroying it with nothing to follow up. First, he wants to use Bagdashu to disseminate a little information he can’t actually confirm at this point. He wants Bagdashu to transmit a message to all of Heinessen that says Reinhard and the Galactic Empire are behind the whole coup. Bagdashu is surprised that he is being asked to lie, but Yang says that what he will say is fact even if he can’t prove it.

Arthur Lynch reveals the his part in the Imperial conspiracy

Bagdashu’s message on why he changed sides, and his allegation of Imperial involvement hit the airwaves. The NSMC are furious at the traitor, but even they can’t believe they are involved in one of the Empire’s plans. That is until Arthur Lynch shows the Council the plans he received from Reinhard including his future position in the Imperial military. Dwight Greenhill is surprised and also angry at Lynch for being exactly the person the rumors said he was.

At this point, Yang commences his plan to destroy the Necklace. Inspired by the nation’s founding story of Ale Heinessen escaping in ships disguised as ice, he attaches engines to blocks of ice and has them accelerate up to near light speed. Under his understanding of relativity, the ice would have near infinite mass at that speed and would destroy the necklace without hitting the planet or killing anyone in the process. The plan works just as expected, and the NSMC’s last line of defense is eliminated.

Greenhill realizes the plot is up, though Evans tries to convince him to use the population as hostages, but Greenhill refuses. He wants those who want to surrender to Yang to do so, but he insists they destroy all evidence of an Imperial plot. Unfortunately, Lynch kills him. The rest of the NSMC take care of Lynch, though and Evans transmits a message to Yang.

Evans begins by saying he is the acting head of the NSMC after Greenhill took his own life. The news is an obvious shock to Frederica. Then, Evans argues that they did the right thing by attempting to change the political system, but Yang tells him they were despots because they took away the people’s civil rights. The two argue over corruption and rights, but neither ever compromises before the transmission ends.

Yang’s fleet restores order on Heinessen as soldiers are permitted to rejoin their old regiments. Evans ultimately took his own life and his body is being transported along with Greenhill’s before Schenkopp stops Louis Mashengo and asks him to do an autopsy.

Frederica, meanwhile, mourns the loss of her father. She relives all the good and some bad moments between the two of them, including her career in the military and his eventual decision to lead the NSMC.

Truniht once again uses Yang for propaganda purposes.

Yang finds Bucock and gets him up to date on the events since the two last met, while Julian is confronted by Truniht and the Terraism cult members who kept him safe. Truniht wants to meet Yang again, and Julian, knowing how well the two don’t get along, is hesitant but asks Yang anyway. Yang knows he has to and is immediately caught in a photo-op. He is later furious that he is once again being used by Truniht to preserve the latter’s power.

Then, he receives word that Merkatz has arrived from the Empire and wants to take refuge. He arrives at Iserlohn and is asked to surrender his weapon, but Cazellnu knows his intentions are good. Later, there is a debate on allowing Merkatz to join Yang that revolves around Merkatz’s family. He left them in the Empire as he didn’t have an opportunity to get them as he fled. While there are questions as to whether the Empire can use them as hostages, Yang sees this as a good thing as he would have brought a fake family if it were a trap. Yang then talks to Merkatz, and agrees to take him in.

In the final scene, Yang shows some concern over Frederica, but she dismisses it before leaving as Julian walks in. Julian expresses some of the same concerns over Merkatz’s family, but Yang says he thinks the Empire’s civil war is probably over with Reinhard now able to exercise complete control over his nation. He wouldn’t need such a cheap trick and would instead come straight at Iserlohn.

Thoughts: Well the ice missiles were something completely unexpected, though I have serious doubts over whether it is actually possible…This seems like a good time to end the season on the Alliance side. I can’t see much more happening, while there is still drama on the Empire’s side…The Terraism cult now has influence over the heads of the Alliance and Phezzan, how long before they show up in the Empire?…The women in this series don’t seem to need much time to mourn over deaths, there’s significance in that somewhere.

Series Aired: October 3, 1995 to March 27, 1996

Why this Format? I thought it would be an interesting thing to try doing a live blog rewatch. In addition, I recently had a bit of surgery done, and really have nothing particularly going on for the next several days. I could have theoretically done some more LoGH posts in this time, but I think I’m a particular creature of habit. I’ll try to update this entry as I think of stuff throughout this marathon this. So if anyone out there actually stumbles across this in the next 10 hours or so feel free to post comments or send an e-mail.

6:53am: Kind of an early start to this, the sun is out an I don’t get to enjoy it. Hard to believe this was set in 2015. Thankfully, none of this came to pass.

7:00: Relatively quick into the second nuclear strike I’ve seen this week. And that poor Renault Alpine Misato drives in this episode. Reminds me of the greatness of Group B rally, though the A310 being driven preceded it by several years.

7:06: Shinji reunites with his father, and it seems to me already that he’s been dehumanized by Ritsuko and of course, it could be considered common knowledge how he gets on with his father. That reminds me to link to this for more info

7:16: Unit 01 is off for the first time, and with that the end of episode 1. A lot more service shots in that ep than I can remember, and ending with Misato’s first promise of more in the next episode. Lies I tell you, lies!

7:19: The battle begins and Shinji is fighting with the coordination of a blind alcoholic stroke victim in a bouncy castle. Then he wakes up in the room that so dominates this 2nd episode.

Relevant...I think

7:24: Last episode it was a Renault Alpine being product placed, now its a Mitsubishi Fuso heavy truck. The size of the rounds being loaded into the rifle in this scene are absolutely massive as well. Hidden fanservice I say.

7:26: Misato arranges to have Shinji live with her because he is completely unable to express what he really wants. Misato is probably trying to project her own idea of how someone his age should live, though it I still haven’t formed a definitive opinion on the matter. Also Tokyo-3 at sunset is still quite a sight.

7:30: Misato knocks back a can of Sapporo’s premium luxury beer. No fake brand names here. Misato’s reaction to Shinji jumping out of the bath at seeing Pen^2 and subsequent joke in hiding his shame are quite well done here.

7:34: Misato reflects on the last battle in thinking she’s treating Shinji like a tool. Ritsuko still is though be referring to Misato’s job in “maintaining” Shinji. However, in the berserker flashback, Misato’s first instinct is to rescue Shinji when Unit 01 stops moving initially.

7:38: Shinji remembers waking up after the battle and when the facial armor of Unit 01 comes off he sees the Eva in it’s “true form.” Misato continues to try to build up his confidence, but she may be better off talking to a wall. Episode 2 comes to an end, excellent on a design level for me at least.

7:40: Episode 3 begins with Shinji simple aiming at a target and firing as instructed. My god, he really is just a tool to be commanded by others. The newscast at the apartment informs its audience that Japan now has summer weather all year long. The second impact does stuff like that doesn’t it?

7:45: Ritsuko talks of the Hedgehog’s dilemma and how it could explain why Shinji has no friends at school.

7:48: While the teacher goes through explaining plot points to his students, Shinji decides to expose himself as an Eva pilot to his class. Toji, beats him up over injuring his daughter. Then, he says something under his breath which may be the first time he’s said how he honestly feels…and gets another punch in the face for it.

7:52: The next angel appears, the taller buildings in Tokyo-3 go underground, but the corner shops stay exposed to the elements. Why would anyone own a business in the city? Nice comment by Fuyutsuki that the military’s attempt to fight off the angel is a waste of taxpayer money? More hidden fanservice, how often do you get conversations in bathroom urinals in anime?

7:56: Shinji does what he’s been instructed to do to start the battle, and ends up messing up because of it. Then he panics, better training and perhaps some independent thought on Shinji’s part could have made this easier. Now, for Kensuke and Touji to get involved in the battle.

8:00: For Shinji, ignoring orders equals independent thought I guess. And in overly dramatic circumstances, the battle ends just seconds before Unit 01 was out of power.

8:03: Touji shows a bit of concern for Shinji and gets to be the first one to ever call his cell phone. No answer though. Episode 3 ends and what I got out of that was Shinji’s mental instability leading him to do stupid things once he has to deviate from a plan, Misato being able to adapt to situations even if the means are wrong, and Ritsuko strictly interpreting orders. Shinji, though, probably deserves his social situation at school.

8:07: A very literal episode title of “Rain, after Running Away.” Shinji runs away while Aida and Suzuhara show up at his apartment. Misato bemoans the fact that he runs only when he finally appears to have friends. So he spends much of the day looping around the city on a train seemingly alone even when surrounded by people. Only at night does he realize he has to go home. Instead, he hits a theater, looking more at a couple rapidly trying to stretch a double into a triple then the actual movie.

8:11: I really liked the scene where Shinji is forced to listen to the incessant chirping of the cicadas. It seems more like something from a horror movie than you would expect. Now the flashback to Misato talking to Shinji about the last battle. Shinji merely agrees with everything and also expresses an opinion that winning is all that matters. Meanwhile, Aida continues to live in war fantasies.

8:16: Aida has a conversation with Shinji in which he talks about the world in general, and he also reveals that he doesn’t have a mother as well. Men in suits show up to take Shinji away the next morning. Immediately it transitions to Aida talking to Suzuhara back at school. He says only idiots would fight battles they can’t win.

8:19: Shinji resigns from NERV and doesn’t even get a goodbye from Misato. Aida and Suzuhara have their own way of doing so. They realize they have to leave the city someday too, but understand why Shinji would want to leave. Shinji seems sad at the fact that he may be losing the only friends he’s ever had.

8:22: Shinji again expresses his own opinion of a situation by calling himself a spineless coward. Back at Nerv, Misato finally gets the hedgehog’s dilemma and at least has her own opinion of why Shinji acts the way he does. She drives to the train station in the repaired A310, and Shinji is still standing on the platform. The two stare at each other though  background announcements interrupt the scene. Episode 4 ends, probably as well directed an episode as I have ever seen. It’s probably why I seem to think of the series as a decade’s worth of directorial effort crammed inside six months.

8:32: Episode 5 opens with the reason why Rei was injured for the beginning of the series. On initial impression, it would seem that Gendo cares more about Rei than his own son, but I had to remember that NERV would have had Rei as their only Eva pilot at the time. Shinji sees the burns on his father’s hands, and I got a little laugh out of the fact that Misato astutely points out that when he says he sees nothing, it really means he saw something he was curious about. Which shows up again in the poolside fanservice show of the girls at the school. He’s staring at Rei, and he first says he’s not looking at anything. Outstanding writing I say.

8:38: Misato’s appalling dining habits in full view in this scene. The first thing I thought of was an episode of Kannagi (episode 4 I believe), where Jin and Nagi eat appalling meals before Tsugumi and Zange force their ways in at the end of the episode.

8:42: Ah, the scene where Shinji has to give Rei her ID card. The trip seems far too contrived to end up in the situation the two end up wi.th. I like how the two seem to be miles apart despite being close together on the journey into work.

8:50: Slight delay, seems the AC adapter on this laptop didn’t seem to like the outlet it was plugged into. Problem solved.

8:52: Rei seems so happy thinking about Gendo, it’s pretty obvious why Shinji has problems with his father. He doesn’t even understand who he actually is.

8:55: The 5th episode ends with the 5th angel appearing and Shinji being led into a trap. The kid couldn’t get a break in this episode. The thing I got out of this episode is just how transparent he appears to every other character. They know exactly what he is thinking, but he just can’t bring himself to say anything.

9:02: The 5th angel drills into the surface as it tries to get to the Geofront. I’m reminded of a rather pedantic letter sent into Mark Kermode’s film review program about the newest Star Trek film. In it, the listener felt compelled to point out that drilling from Earth’s orbit would only be possible in geosynchronous orbit.

Not possible apparently. At least the movie had an equivalent of the red-shirted ensign in it.

9:05: Misato taking away the beam rifle has a certain absurdist humor about it. She calmly asks the military for it knowing they can refuse, and with as sensitive a piece of equipment she has Rei lift the roof off the hanger so they can take it. Completely unexpected.

9:07: Now Ritsuko is asking whether he will pilot it again and Misato isn’t even taking that into account. The role reversals are as frequent as the are surprising. Even Rei can crack a joke about Shinji’s lack of clothing in bed. Though the interesting part about this scene was Shinji saying he doesn’t want to pilot Unit 01 was more a cry for attention than his real feeling. He mentally backtracks as soon as Rei says she can do the mission herself. Rei also seems to know Shinji will pilot it anyway.

9:13: After Rei says she will protect Shinji,  I suddenly think it’s a complete reversal on gender roles. The line would not have been anywhere near as powerful if Shinji were saying it to Rei, in fact, that would probably be expected.

9:16: The gun that has to adjust for relativity misses with its first shot, interesting that Shinji isn’t seen to panic until the 5th angel fires a second volley.

9:19: Shinji says some sappy lines as the episode ends and gets Rei to smile in probably the first feel-good moment of the series for me.

9:23: Breakfast at Misato’s place, and she starts the day off with a couple of beers and some toast. I tried that a few times at a bar during the last World Cup. The only time it felt right was after this:

Tomas Rosicky after scoring for the Czech Republic against the United States at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

I don’t think my stomach has forgiven me for that month 3 years ago.

9:29: The complete contrast of normal Misato to business-like Misato in the morning. Interesting during the product presentation that the NERV party seems isolated in a sea of attendees. They aren’t well liked it seems, and it doesn’t take long for Misato to return to normal form. Also, Ritsuko seems so devious when burning the Jet Alone documents.

9:35: Red tape can be a good source of humor. Getting authorization for shutting down Jet Alone forces a bureaucrat to have his golf game interrupted. It’s simply unforgivable for them to do that.

9:41: Misato seemingly saves the day after the absurdly heroic plan to stop Jet Alone. The next morning things are back to normal. Aida and Suzuhara get Shinji to understand that Misato’s morning antics are a good thing in general as the 7th episode ends. A pretty good episode for me that shows that the more things change (Tokyo being pretty much nothing), the more they stay the same (endless bureaucracy).

9:47: The fanservice steps up in the first few minutes of episode 8. Whether it’s a naval fleet, the convenient gust of wind at Asuka’s feet, or Suzuhara’s response to getting slapped, it’s all there.

9:53: The 6th angel appears just as Asuka is engaging Shinji in their never-ending one-sided game of oneupsmanship. Shinji is at least willing to play along with his new comrade by saying he’s embarrassed at having to wear one of Asuka’s plug suits. Misato’s endless fights with authority also continue to get laughs from me.

9:58: Unit 02 jumping from ship-to-ship is causing all sorts of damage, and Aida comments on the waste of planes being dumped into the sea. After they are dumped in the water, they show the remnants of a city under the sea. A pretty good display of environmental change if slightly exaggerated.

10:03: The defeat of the angel provides another contrast with convention. Unit 02 lands on a ship after the battle, but in the most uncool fashion possible. The episode ends with Asuka transferring into Shinji’s school. A decent episode, but one that shows the how well Shinji and Asuka work together as characters as well as Kaji and Misato.

10:10: Asuka seems to attract a crowd everywhere she goes. Aida’s pictures provide good insight into how the other girls at the school at least react to her. Hated by the other girls, in demand amongst the boys, it was probably good they showed that side.

10:14: I absolutely love the lack of segue to the debrief. Units 01 and 02 end up buried head first after the 7th angel split up, something Misato called cheating.

10:17: Stacks of paperwork greet Misato at her desk, a good display of more bureaucratic interference. It doesn’t help they leave dead angels lying around to be honest.

10:19: The product placement has backed off considerably. The A310 is now a generic red sports car, the beer is now Yebichu and Asuka’s DHL boxes are DHU boxes.

10:23: Two contrasting sequences, one where Shinji is tempted to kiss Asuka as she lay prone next to him only to stop. Then, Misato gives into Kaji on a NERV elevator. However, you sense the feelings of Shinji and Misato are about the same.

10:27: The battle plays out a lot different, with no sound apart from bgm for 62 seconds. The battle still ends with the two Units and pilots embarrassing themselves again. The 9th episode ends with a bit of slapstick comedy. The montage in the middle of the episode was a good highlight for me.

11:02: The 10th episode begins with Asuka shopping for a swimsuit with Kaji. He seems completely out of touch with modern fashion and with school life in general. Asuka says she is going on a school trip to Okinawa and asks him where he went for a school trip. Sadly, the Second Impact prevented him from ever having one. This shows that for the most part, life has returned to normal.

11:08: Asuka has already described Shinji as a housebroken man and a boring guy for his evasive answer on her breast size. She’s completely right in my opinion, though it doesn’t stop her from trying to get his attention at every opportunity.

11:22: The thermal expansion explanation earlier in the episode comes in handy here. The thought that this was the equivalent of a hot spring episode is confirmed with an actual hot spring scene. Misato has her scar from the Second Impact, and Asuka asks if Misato knows about her own past. Presumably this is some sort of comparison between mental and physical scarring.

11:30: The 11th episode begins with a further look at life in Tokyo-3, money being thrown away on not being able to do their own laundry. While Fuyutsuki still reads a newspaper on the train ride into work. It’s also revealed that government is essentially run by majority decision of 3 supercomputers.

11:33: Someone shut off all the power to the city. What will these people do now without their technology now that the 8th angel is on its way? Asuka appoints herself leader of the 3 pilots but appears to have no idea what she is doing as they try to make contact with NERV.

11:38: Fuyutsuki and Gendo with feet in water buckets to stay cool, and everyone else thinks they are cool under pressure. Even the higher ups have a sense of humor.

11:44: Lots of crawling through ducts in this episode, such an obvious trope.

11:46: Asuka finally shows some leadership skills and comes up with the plan that ultimately succeeds. Perhaps, she’s only good when she feels indebted.

11:49: The episode comes to an end, and the thing I got out of it was Shinji being able to express himself only in front of Asuka. The two go together I guess.

11:51: Episode 12 begins with a flashback to Misato’s experience of the Second Impact. It’s an absolutely hellish scene.

11:55: Misato’s promotion to major and Shinji’s test results seem to bring problems to the both of them. They don’t seem happy while those around them are. Strange paradox that.

11:58: The hellish scene at the South Pole 15 years earlier has turned the pole into a version of hell.

12:00pm: With the 9th angel blasting shots from space getting ever close to NERV, the evacuation of an area within 50km of the base seems to go a bit to easily for my taste.

12:03: Another look at contrasting generations. Misato’s offer of a steak dinner is scoffed by Asuka and Shinji after she leaves. It seems like a luxury dinner for someone from Misato’s generation, but the two pilots aren’t too impressed.

12:11: A rather short battle to defeat the angel by simply catching it is hardly worth mentioning. The trip to the ramen stand is. Shinji finally thinks of a reason for piloting an Eva, but just the desire for praise from his father still leads to a disparaging remark from Asuka. That episode was still pretty weak for me, it merely filled in a little of Misato’s background and stuck more to convention than anything.

12:17: The opening minutes of episode 13 have shown stress amongst the crew at NERV. Construction has gotten lazier as a result of constant attacks by the angels. Now that may be coming back to haunt them.

12:24: I knew this episode turned more into a more technology focused episode. The thing I’m more impressed with is Gendo’s absolute calm as everything looks to be falling apart.

12:32: As Ritsuko’s battle with the angel comes to an end, just in time for her to reveal that the Magi is governed by three aspects of her dead mother’s personality. An entire government run by a schizophrenic computer, and that represents the best of modern technology? I don’t know what to think. The episode concludes, and again I think it fits more into a formula than anything.

12:38: Episode 14 is a recap episode done in documentary style. Not really sure whether I should keep watching this or go straight to the next episode. At least I’m able to see all the different shots Gainax uses in later series in this all over again.

12:45: Still watching the recap, though I just saw that the new series of Celebrity Masterchef starts in about 75 minutes. They should really bring that show over to America.

A Masterchef publicity shot that has nothing to do with anything.

12:49: The first sort of look at the surreal direction of the last two episodes through Rei’s consciousness. Interchangeable tests between Units 00 and 01 turn into an absolute mess. Whenever they think of replacing the pilots with an automated system it doesn’t work out. Imagine that.

12:57: The episode ends with more questions than answers. It was probably needed to break up the flow of the last few episodes which seemed to go through the motions.

1:06: Well my pace is a little off in blowing through these episodes. I was sort of hoping to be near episode 20, but I’m now starting 15. The conspiracy grows, and it’s been so long since I watched I’ve probably forgotten 70% of it. Interestingly, the title card is black characters on a white background, where every other episode to this point was the opposite. Maybe it means something.

1:11: Some more insight into the world of Eva, couples are rushing to get married as soon as possible when most demographic trends indicate it going the other way. Meanwhile, Shinji engages Rei in absurdly awkward elevator conversation. He doesn’t know who his father is and guesses she does, then he says she would be a good housewife which actually gets an emotional response out of Rei.

1:14: Wedding receptions are just as boring in Eva than they are in real life. Somethings will never change.

1:20: Misato gets herself blind drunk and goes home with Kaji. She really wants a man like her father, and the thought frightened her. So while she spends her time lecturing Shinji about not running away, she continues to run away. Of course the self-hating lecture comes to an end when Kaji kisses her. Then, a bored Asuka confuses everything. She kisses Shinji in the process leaving him asphyxiated. Immediately, she regrets it saying it was a bad way to kill time.

1:26: Adam is finally revealed. Again, a confusing end to an episode, but in a good way. Though, I worry about the emotional stability of Shinji after Asuka’s actions. Merely using him to kill time is shameful, anything more could be considered cruel.

1:32: Shinji gets a bit of confidence from having the high test score among the three pilots, but a couple of grade schoolers snickering at him put him back in the hole.

1:34: Another angel attack, about time for Shinji to do something stupid in over-confidence. Asuka prodding him into action doesn’t help matters. “Combat is a man’s job,” he says as well. He probably deserves to get sucked into the shadow.

1:39: Time for Shinji’s brain to be messed with as Ritsuko proposes nuking the shadow with 992 N2 mines. Using enough power to destroy the world several times over seems a bit over the top, but who am I to know.

1:44: Perhaps this is a low budget clip montage disguised as existentialism. Shinji gets to live through his past failures again, maybe for the third time I’m guessing, before he gets to meet an aparition that looks he thinks is his mother.

1:48: There Will Be Blood, as Unit 01 breaks out of the angel. The levels of blood coating the city are on a level near that School Days OVA. No wonder Shinji can’t get the blood smell to go away in the hospital, as the episode ends. Each new episode seems to be bringing up new questions. A good thing in my opinion.

1:55: A weird incident in Nevada where a lab just vanished off the face of the Earth. The Eva project seems to at least have an international flavor. Unit 02 being developed in Germany and the new units 03 and 04 being American creations. The UN seems a lot different beast as well.

2:00: That was rather surreal. Shinji and Asuka argue over the lack of lunches, Suzuhara points out that it’s like a married couple quarrelling and canned laughs are heard. When did this become a sitcom again? It becomes even more apt when Hikari is ignored to accompany Suzuhara to Rei’s apartment.

2:08: Kaji tries to be a player in attempting to pick up Ibuki, but is stopped by Misato. He then gives her some information about what’s going on before Shinji interrupts them. Then, he tries a pick up line on Shinji of all people. Playing the straight man in this joke, he simply tells Kaji he’s a boy.

2:13: Hikari seems so happy at making the extra lunch for Suzuhara, while Suzuhara is busy nailing a free throw off the backboard. Poor technique. A decent episode that seems more formulaic than the last few episodes, though the formula seems to a situation tragicomedy. Did I just make up a word there?

2:18: Funny how Misato seems to answer all of Shinji’s questions except the one about about the fourth pilot.

2:25: Poor Hikari, she’s really never going to get to eat lunch with Suzuhara. Plus, there was a nice strange remark by Misato about being able to destroy the world with four Evas. Probably the kind of remark I would make in a similar situation.

2:27: So Unit 03 is an angel. Asuka seemed to be defeated quite easily by the 11th angel as is Rei. It all rides on Shinji as the sun sets.

2:34: Again, tons of blood as the angel is defeated. The dummy plug powered 01 destroys 03’s entry plug. The episode ends as Shinji screams after finding out Suzuhara was the pilot. No lunches for him anytime soon. A tragic episode for me, but it always seems to follow anyone new who gets involved.

2:40: How did Suzuhara get access into Shinji’s internal thoughts? Some strange dream.

2:45: So Shinji gets to run away again, and would he please answer that cell phone. Unfortunately, the situation seemingly won’t let him run away.

2:50: The sight of Unit 02’s head falling into the shelter Shinji was hiding in must have been some sight. Though the situation allows Kaji to water some melons. Rei appears in Unit 00 and fails in a suicide attack with an N2 mine. So once again it all comes down to Shinji to do something.

2:59: Yummy, Unit 01 eating the other angel. As I’m not in a position to be eating real food at this point it has no impact on me. And so ends episode 19, the end seems to be rapidly approaching.

3:04: A debrief on the last battle is how this episode begins. The base is now unusable and Seele has decided to act. Even Misato isn’t responding to a joke at her expense. How things have changed?

3:06: So Shinji’s been absorbed into Unit 01. Some distant group of islands have had a government change based on newscasts, Rei is surprised she is still alive and Asuka’s confidence is completely gone.

3:12: Apparently a month has passed since the battle while Shinji struggles to put the story of his life back together.

3:15: The women in Shinji’s life all offering themselves to him, followed by lots of sped up voices. He wants to stay in dreamland. Can’t really blame him to be honest.

3:20: Interesting segue from Shinji being saved to Misato immediately hooking up for a strongly implied sex-for-information mission on her own. An interesting episode, with Shinji nearly succumbing to his own desires, the Misato actually doing so. Six episodes to go.

3:42: Took a short break there, before having an interesting dilemma. Do I go with the original cut or director’s cut for the next four episodes? I went with the latter. I’m not sure if I’ve actually seen the cuts of these episodes before, so it could get interesting.

3:46: Good to see people more concerned with areas where they could smoke moments before they complete alter life on Earth. People can be so vain.

3:49: A nice introduction to both of Shinji’s parents in the year 1999. However, it is disappointing to see the year 2001 being described as hell without further explanation. I still find it interesting that Gendo took his wife’s surname.

3:59: I’m still having trouble believing Fuyutsuki wouldn’t have gone public with the information he had on Seele and the Second Impact even after viewing all that stuff underground.

4:03: So Shinji got to see his mother die right in front of him. While Ritsuko’s mother tries to comfort Gendo in her own way.

4:07: And Ritsuko’s mother dies as an indirect results of the cruel words of a child, Rei in this case. People seem to die so easily off-screen in this episode.

4:09: And there goes Kaji being offed as well. The body count keeps rising. It’s sure one way to wrap things up I guess. At least he had the decency to leave a dying message to Misato. She immediately weeps and Shinji realizes that his instinct to run away from the situation makes him a mere child. For an episode that is almost entirely backstory that was pretty good in my opinion. That probably happens when you go years without watching something.

4:14: Interesting opening which sees Asuka trying to prove she’s grown up by ripping off her shirt in front of Kaji. I certainly didn’t remember that.

4:19: Asuka is certainly having trouble adjusting to the status quo. I still can’t put my finger on the stuff going on in the background.

4:24: Silence on an elevator broken up by Rei starting a conversation. Roles just keep getting continuously changed.

4:29: Asuka’s last chance in Unit 02 comes to an abrupt end by a psychological atttack by the 15th angel.

4:36: Ah, the Lance of Longinus, I don’t think the real thing was hundreds of feet long though. Throwing it like a javelin doesn’t seem like it would be accurate enough to hit something in orbit either. Plus, good luck getting it back from space. It could land pretty much anywhere.

4:40: So ends another episode, I fear I may be running out of interesting things to say on the series (if I had said anything at all). Four episodes to go.

4:42: Misato has kept Kaji’s last message for long enough. She just can’t let go. Asuka has run away to Hikari’s place to play games. She doesn’t go home or go to school. Everyone’s running from their problems. Hikari tries to comfort her, but not with much success. Even Ritsuko’s cat has died.

4:49: So now it’s Rei’s turn to be psychologically attacked by an angel. The angel merges with her and tries to attack Shinji to merge with him. However, Rei chooses to self-destruct to save everyone. So it looks like all they are left with is Unit 01 and a Unit 02 without a pilot.

4:53: Well they found the entry plug after that. I’m sure they can create more Reis out of it. Shinji finds himself unable to cry at Rei’s death. Misato tries to comfort him in that way, but he’s too uncomfortable around people. Or she’s actually the one who is suffering incredible loneliness.

4:56: So Rei is still alive, or at least one of her anyway. Meanwhile, Ritsuko is forced to do her debrief with Seele wearing nothing. Odd treatment, advance terrogation techninques?

5:00: Rei’s original room resembles her current one, there’s a graveyard of failed Eva units, a pool of clone Reis being destroyed by Ritsuko. This director’s cut is certainly a lot different than I remember these episodes. 3 episodes to go.

5:06: So Asuka ran off after finding out about Kaji’s death, only to end up in an empty bathtub in a room with half a roof. Try finding that these days.

5:09: Virtually everyone has left the city, leaving Shinji with no friends until Kaworu shows up. Ah the shounen ai feel of this episode so far.

5:12: The car picture above Misato’s desk changed, and Shinji is running away from his problems again. That feeling continues into the bath. Kaworu waxes philosophically before ultimately confessing as he stands up in the bath.

5:18: After Shinji confesses a lot about his life in Kaworu, Seele comes into talk to the latter without so much as a segue.

5:19: So Kaworu is the 17th angel sent directly by Seele, and of course it’s going to be up to Shinji to stop his last friend from causing the Third Impact. Pretty sad how this all ends.

5:28: So Kaworu is dead, and Shinji killed off the first person who ever said they loved him. The feeling was mutual as well. Misato, though, is ready to spoil the mood by saying unequivocally that only those with the greater will to survive will do so. Just ruin his feelings why don’t you? Time to get to these last two episodes. Though the director’s cut goes straight into the End of Evangelion movie. This isn’t going to make much sense anyway.

5:33: Time to get started with either the greatest display of directorial talent ever, or the worst ending ever depending on your point of view. The fact Anno felt the need to remake the ending probably speaks for itself. Episode 25 picks up with the end of episode 24 of the director’s cut before descending into the surreal.

5:36: This format of interrogation with interspersed footage from the rest of the series can get rather annoying just on the surface. It also allows Ritsuko and Misato to both be dead and having a conversation with each other. Human Instrumentality project indeed.

5:44: Well I must have forgotten the use of scotch tape in this episode. What won’t Gainax come up with for effect. Burning animation cells is one thing I remember them doing as well, but that is for another post. Now it’s about Misato showing off the side she showed to Kaji to Shinji.

5:51: Asuka seeing the smile on her dead mother’s face still has the same impact it had originally.

5:54: The stage setup for the last part of the episode has lots of significance. Mainly that all life is really an act of some point when it comes to interaction with others. I could also be reading this episode completely wrong. Well, it’s on to the last episode. Need a little break first though.

6:10: Nearing 12 hours of doing this and I’m finally at the end of the road. Humans cannot live alone. At least I think that’s the lesson of this episode.

6:17: The thought of Shinji picking up a payphone just for every other character to say on the other end they hate him is pretty odd.

6:20: The more I watch this episode the more I appreciate the massive amount of courage all involved with it had in getting this on air. The right to try this on a sort of mainstream audience has to be earned. Now the existentialism moves on.

6:23: My favorite part of this episode, Eva imagined as a school comedy where Asuka is Shinji’s childhood friend. I really wonder if this would have actually worked as a series.

6:32: The series wraps up with an interpretation of the human experience, basically what I said when I started this episode. So it’s all really about accepting who you are?

So ends the marathon session. That ending is just way out of left field for anyone. A game changing ending is what I would call it. I don’t think it takes away from any of the previous 24 episodes though. As it’s own short film it would probably hold up pretty well too. So a little under 12 hours and I knocked out a complete rewatch of a 26 episode series. I probably haven’t done that since my early college days. Ah, what else can I do when I’m not allow to strain myself.

Next time: A much shorter look at the interaction of humanity and technology, some San Miguel Pale Pilsen and how to make a ship out of icebergs…wait, wrong series that.

]]> http://lowermidtable.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/the-dvd-collection-part-8/feed/ 2 Emperor J nge1 Relevant...I think Not possible apparently. At least the movie had an equivalent of the red-shirted ensign in it. Tomas Rosicky after scoring for the Czech Republic against the United States at the 2006 FIFA World Cup A Masterchef publicity shot that has nothing to do with anything. http://lowermidtable.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/blogging-legend-of-the-galactic-heroes-episode-23/ http://lowermidtable.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/blogging-legend-of-the-galactic-heroes-episode-23/#comments Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:30:37 +0000 Emperor J http://lowermidtable.wordpress.com/?p=330 ]]>

The party begins to die down for the Lippstadt League. You were expecting something different for a start weren't you?

The 23rd episode of Legend of the Galactic Heroes sees the end of the Galactic Empire’s civil war through a mist of atrocity, plausible deniability and political execution. The result is an episode that casts the end of the conflict on the decision of one man, neither Reinhard nor Braunschweig, but Oberstein; and with it the unimaginable moral dilemma he strips from the man he pledged absolute loyalty.

Tired of tyrannical rule by the nobility, a series of populist uprisings began in the Empire’s frontier region. Of special significance is the uprising on Westerland. It was a planet controlled by Braunschweig himself, but his nephew Baron Scheidt, was unable to put down the rebellion with military force. He was killed in the struggle, and the people of Westerland were free to decide their own destiny, or so they thought.

Word of the rebellion reaches Geiersburg, and Braunschweig wants the rebels dead. The entire planet. Dead. So he orders a nuclear strike on Westerland to wipe every living person on the surface out. Ansbach is shocked at the order as nuclear weapons have not been used since a “13 Day War” that nearly destroyed all of humanity. Ansbach asks that only the leaders of the rebellion be prosecuted, but Braunschweig is having none of it. It is his planet, and if he wants to nuke it, he can nuke it.

As he walks away, Ansbach states aloud that the Goldenbaums are finished if they resort to actions like this. Jakob Hauptmann hears this in the corridor and is quick to report it to Braunschweig. Flegel says he should be put to death for treason, but the order is merely to arrest him.

Meanwhile, Oberstein informs Reinhard of dissent in the Lippstadt ranks as far as the arrest of Ansbach and the marginalization of Merkatz.  Reinhard then asks Oberstein to send a force to Westerland to prevent Braunschweig’s attack. Oberstein, however, suggests that Reinhard let the attack happen as a demonstration to rest of the Empire on how the nobles treat their own people. They will lose control of the civilian population and most soldiers will abandon them he believes.

Reinhard can hardly believe what Oberstein is asking. He asks if Oberstein wants Westerland to die. Oberstein responds by saying that Westerland incidents will become common if the nobles were to win the civil war. Reinhard says that it is obvious which way the war is going, so they should not have to think about allowing it to happen, but Oberstein is quick to point out they have no strategy for taking Geiersburg. Reinhard wants to continue to cause unrest in the fortress, which could take time and deplete resources Oberstein points out. This is a perfect opportunity to end the war now.

Reinhard furiously states that there are 2 million people on Westerland, women and children included, that he is being asked to sacrifice. Oberstein asks him to look at it logically as surely more lives will be lost if the war drags on. Reinhard says that lives cannot be calculated by that, but Oberstein asks him to think of it like a ruler and that there are times that sacrifices must be made. Reinhard knows that it is Machiavellian logic, but he has to make a decision. The 25 billion citizens in the rest of the Empire or the 2 million on Westerland.

Reinhard asks when the attack will begin, Oberstein tells him 6 hours. Reinhard asks for the fleet to be on immediate alert for dispatch as a way of buying time to make the decision. Reinhard is left wondering what sort of decision he would have made had Kircheis been there to help him. Oberstein leaves, but asks for a reconnaisance probe to be sent to Westerland in four hours.

Four hours later, the citizens of Westerland are celebrating their first night of freedom from Braunschweig’s rule. They believe they will have to ask Reinhard for protection, but believe it to be no problem as has a reputation as a man of the people. Unfortunately, the nuclear strike arrives and in the end all 2 million people on the planet are dead.

Reinhard receives word of the attack and Oberstein has a live feed from the probe ready for him. He tells Reinhard that the attack came earlier than expected, but Reinhard immediately knows Oberstein lied to him about the timetable. Oberstein says the images will be beamed to the rest of the Empire, and everyone will know that the nobles have conceded the right to rule.

Reinhard says that he did not order the fleet to be sent out to prevent the attack from happening. Oberstein says that they did send out a fleet, but the attack was too quick to stop. Reinhard curses Oberstein for his plan to let the attack happen, though Oberstein says there is no point in complaining about it now. There must be justice for the 2 million killed.

Elsewhere on the frontier, Karl Steinmetz informs Kircheis of the continued success in pacifying 17 sectors. Steinmetz also tells Kircheis that he has heard a terrible rumor regarding Reinhard. That being Reinhard allowing the incident at Westerland to occur for the sake of propaganda. Kircheis says the official report was of the fleet not arriving in time, but Steinmetz points out the probe was there in time. Kircheis, though, puts the matter to rest by saying he will ask Reinhard the next time he meets him.

Kircheis still worries about Reinhard. He feels that their own visions of justice have split and that will only be confirmed once he talks about Westerland with Reinhard. Kircheis remains unsure of what he will be able to do next.

The images of Westerland end up being transmitted throughout the Empire for all to see, and just as Oberstein predicted there is a rush of support for Reinhard. The incident has effectively transformed him from a young leader of the Empire’s fleet to a leader for the Empire and its people. The incident also had an effect at Geiersburg, where troops show defiance and sabotage out in the open. Nobles who once supported Braunschweig begin committing suicide knowing their probable fate under Reinhard.

However, Braunschweig continues to live a charmed life at Geiersburg. The parties continue while other nobles plot to bring him down. Those that are plotting against him realize that the parties are just a facade to avoid reality. The remaining nobles are left with a choice: die fighting, take their own lives or flee with Phezzan the likely destination with the desperate option of surrendering also on the table. In order to do that, they will have to offer Braunschweig’s life in exchange.

At the same time, the small number of nobles still loyal to Braunschweig have an idea of their own. They will challenge Reinhard to one final battle. The surely drunk Braunschweig thinks its a good idea as well. Disagreeing, however, is Fahrenheit, who correctly points out that waiting it out in the fortress is their best option as it will force Reinhard to use up their supply lines. Braunschweig thinks nothing of the suggestion and dismisses it as cowardly.

Fahrenheit then chases down Merkatz, who says he is also joining in the battle. Fahrenheit is confused as to why Merkatz would join in an undesirable and unwinnable battle. Merkatz replies by saying that he has served the Goldenbaum dynasty for 40 years and he intends to share the same fate. He also tells Fahrenheit he should not sacrifice himself for a dying dynasty and it is his duty to continue living. Merkatz departs saying it is unlikely they will ever meet again.

The final battle begins with a longer than expected stalemate between the two sides. However, the tide turns when Reinhard orders the fleets of Mecklinger, Kesler and Müller to charge simultaneously. Reinhard also has his own ship charge into the fray. On Geiersburg, skirmishes break out between rebels and the remaining loyal forces. Leading the rebels on the fortress is Ansbach, who uses Westerland to convince men to change sides and pledge loyalty to Reinhard.

Flegel, meanwhile, wants to challenge Reinhard to a duel as he has finally realized their forces will never be able to win. However, Reinhard will only accept unconditional surrender. Leopold Schumacher tries to convince him to flee, but Flegel insists on dying gloriously in mortal combat. Schumacher mutinies, and Flegel tries to kill him, but the other soldiers on the ship assassinate him. Schumacher assumes control of the ship and plans on escaping to Phezzan even if it means living out life as a farmer. The rest of the men want to follow him, but he says they should let any man who wants to stay to do so.

Merkatz’s fleet is cut off from Geiersburg, and sensing the end looks to take his own life. However, Schneider will not let that happen. He says he had taken the ammunition out of Merkatz’s sidearm while pulling a clip out of his pocket, but Merkatz’s gun was in fact still loaded. Merkatz says living on will only bring shame and he is too proud to surrender to Reinhard. Schneider says that they should escape to an area where Reinhard’s influence does not reach to fight another day. Merkatz knows he does not mean Phezzan, but the Free Planets Alliance, a nation he has spent most of the last 40 years fighting. Schneider says they can rely on Yang Wen-li to take them in. He’s decided that Merkatz, and Merkatz alone will be his commander.

Back at Geiersburg, Ansbach confronts Braunschweig. The prince wants to make peace with Reinhard and believes he can convince the nobles who supported him to support Reinhard as well. He also thinks he can have Reinhard marry his daughter so he can take the title of Kaiser without ending the dynasty. Ansbach tells him that the suggestion is pointless as there is no longer any need for Braunschweig or the other nobles. Braunschweig realizes this means his life is also pointless now even if he was well respected by the other Imperial nobles, which is why Ansbach says he cannot be allowed to live.

Ansbach tells Braunschweig that Westerland has become a symbol of the brutality of the nobles, which has made Reinhard pledge to clear out the nobility because they exploited the people. Braunschweig accepts that he has to die, but pleas for Ansbach to do anything he can to prevent Reinhard from taking the throne. Ansbach says he will do anything he can to send Reinhard to Hell.

Ansbach has already prepared some poison for Braunschweig, who begins to back off the acceptance of his death. He offers Ansbach all of his wealth and territory to save his life. Ansbach, though has him restrained and forces him to drink to poison after asking him to accept death like a man. The prince dies and with it the Goldenbaum dynasty.

The civil war is now over though it remains uncertain that a Lohengramm dynasty will replace the Goldenbaums. On Geiersburg, Mecklinger and Reinhard’s other admirals work to save the works of art left on the fortress while the remaining nobles are rounded up. Reuenthal and Mittermeyer are surprised at how pathetic the high nobles now appear. The latter says it’s a wretched end for an old era for the nobility.

Thoughts: Not quite 2000 words as I thought but a little over 1900 before this sentence. Still my longest post by some distance…Where to start with Westerland? There is some temptation to say that the decision to stop the attack is similar to the one supposedly presented to Harry Truman before the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, the decision had already been made by Oberstein before he even presented it to Reinhard. It still remains a much different and probably harder decision than the one Truman would have made. Oberstein chose to sacrifice 2 million supporters of his side for the greater good, while Truman would have thought of the Japanese civilians as enemies…And to counter that serious point, I have to ask why they needed the poison to be presented on a platter.

Like those action movies where a cop is only days from retirement, LoGH isn't afraid of foreshadowing.

The 22nd episode of Legend of the Galactic Heroes is titled “Courage and Loyalty” and for good reason. The focus of the episode is on those two concepts and how they relate to the shambles that is the Lippstadt League. On Reinhard’s side, Oberstein’s strategy continues to pay dividends.

The episode begins with Kircheis’ fleet encountering a ship carrying members of the Terraism cult. Kircheis gives the ship some supplies and the ship’s crew members are grateful for the assistance, though one does comment that nice people like Kircheis do not live long in times like this.

Meanwhile, Reuenthal’s fleet encounters fierce resistance by a Lippstadt fleet commanded by Merkatz. With a disadvantage in numbers, Reuenthal considers withdrawing. Emil von Reckendorf, asks him to consider the impact to morale of such an action, but the withdrawal order is issued anyway. He believes the sector they are defending isn’t worth the potential loss of life.

Reinhard receives word of Reuenthal’s action and believes the job of defeating Merkatz has been dumped onto him. Oberstein tells Reinhard that Merkatz has had a reputation as a great soldier for many years, and he may be especially hard to beat if he has been given free reign. Reinhard doesn’t believe that is the case as it would be Braunschweig making Merkatz a hero.

With Braunschweig determined to be the true enemy, Reinhard decides to attack Geiersburg directly rather than attack Merkatz at Shang-Tau. Oberstein tells Reinhard that withdrawal from Shang-Tau will potentially give them a chance to take Geiersburg as part of a larger strategy.

At Geiersburg, Merkatz is congratulated upon his return. Merkatz, though, is quick to point out that the victory came more from the enemy giving up than anything his forces did. He stresses the need to not overestimate the strength of their own force to Braunschweig.

However, Littenheim has done the exact opposite. He was in the process of leading a fleet of 50,000 ships against Kircheis’ fleet of 40,000 out in the Empire’s frontier. Merkatz believes he should have been informed, but Braunschweig says he approved it as he is leader. Braunschweig then tells Merkatz that he finds Littenheim to be an annoyance when he is around him and that probably played a role in agreeing to let him go.  He also says it’s the Empire’s duty to get the frontier’s desire for autonomy put down.

Either way, the men at Geiersburg are going to celebrate their victory at Shang-Tau. Merkatz, clearly frustrated, decided he would rather rest. As he leaves, Flegel calls him rude for turning down an opportunity to celebrate and Braunschweig calls him dull.

In the frontier, Kircheis tells his men that he has received word that Littenheim’s fleet is going after them. The tactics are made for the upcoming battle, and Kircheis’ centerpiece is leading a group of 800 ships after the Garmisch fortress where Littenheim is believed to be.

With the battle about to begin, Littenheim comments that he would rather be facing Reinhard than his henchman. Kircheis’ fleet takes up a diamond formation before starting, while Littenheim thinks with a numerical advantage they can disregard a formation for a full frontal attack. His forces begin firing from hopelessly far away, while Kircheis’ fleet only begins firing when they are in range. With the battle commencing, Kircheis moves his small main fleet to the right flank.

Littenheim quickly gets frustrated that his whole fleet can’t take out 20,000 of Kircheis’ fleet. He’s told that it may be due to their unconventional tactics and formation, but his response to the criticism is to deny they are an undiscipline mob in attack. Kircheis’ main fleet arrives and quickly cuts through the middle of Littenheim’s fleet. Kircheis’ whole fleet is on the front foot and in the confusion, he spots Littenheim’s flagship.

Littenheim panics and flees the battle hoping to get back to Garmisch. However, some supply ships happen to be in the path. Littenheim orders his ship to fire on his own men to clear a path for his uh, course change. The supply ships end up annihalated as they were clearly unprepared for friendly fire.

On one of the supply ships, an injured Konrad Linser comes across another survivor in the 12-year-old Konrad von Moder. The latter says that the enemy, being Kircheis’ fleet, is approaching, but Linser is quick to say that the ones who fired on them are the real enemy. They contact Kircheis and ask for an audience with him.

Linser tells Kircheis that he can be of use because he is a witness to Littenheim killing his own men to save himself. Kircheis asks Linser if he has lost his loyalty to Littenheim, to which Linser responds by saying that though loyalty is a nice word it is abused whenever it is most convenient by those in charge. He says that the war can present to everyone evidence that there are leaders who have no right to have subordinates loyal to them. Kircheis agrees to let him join, though Linser immediately says that may not be necessary.

On Garmisch, Littenheim tries to drink away the shame of the last battle. Commander Laudisch, though, wants to talk to Littenheim about what he did. He walks toward Littenheim heavily bandaged, but also carrying the body of one of his men that died so Littenheim could escape. Laudisch throws the body onto Littenheim, then pulls a out a detonator. The resulting explosion is seen from Kircheis’ ship. The base is then seized ending a day which had seen the Lippstadt League lose its second in command and a third of its military force.

At Geiersburg, Reinhard taunts the remaining Lippstadt leaders and tells them to surrender. He generously offers to let them live while keeping a decent amount of their wealth. He warns them that continued resistance could see them meet the same pitiful fate that fell Littenheim. The nobles scoff at such an idea, however.

Outside the fortress, Mittermeyer’s fleet sits and waits for the nobles to make their move. The nobles desperately plea for Merkatz to make a move, but he tells them to be patient. Flegel, though, has no intention of doing so and launches an attack on his own. Mittermeyer’s fleet quickly withdrawals when the attack begins. When Flegel returns, Merkatz threatens him with courtmartial. Flegel appeals to Braunschweig while turning the knife on Merkatz, saying he has no pride or courage. The other nobles speak up for Flegel, which leads to Braunschweig telling Merkatz that winning was enough and morale is priceless.

The ensuing victory celebration is short lived as their enemy has returned. Flegel asks to send out another attack. Braunschweig goes one better and orders the entire fleet to be launched. Merkatz, though, is asked to stay behind and defend the fortress.

Mittermeyer receives word that Braunschweig himself is coming out for the battle. He says it reflects on the intelligence of the nobles that they would fall for such a simple trap. He also wishes he was fighting a more worthy opponent.

The battle begins and it appears Mittermeyer’s force is being defeated easily. It’s a trap though, which Adalbert von Fahrenheit is first to recognize with Braunschweig also sensing something amiss. Flegel, though, continues full speed ahead sensing victory.

Reinhard waits a bit longer, then orders the counterattack to begin. Fahrenheit is quick to order a retreat. Flegel believes the enemy is in its last throes, while being told that there are new enemy units arriving to surround them. The retreat begins and Kempf’s fleet sends out its Valkyries. Mecklinger tells his fleet to not cut off an escape route because it could cause a last-ditch counterattack. He says there isn’t a way for them to escape anyway.

Braunschweig’s ship is spotted by a couple of Reinhard’s admirals. Kesler tells his men not to let him escape even if it means killing him. Bittenfeld tells his men that whoever can finish off Braunschweig will instantly be made a Commander regardless of their current rank.

Fahrenheit decides that continuing along the current path of retreat will only lead to destruction since it seems Reinhard had deployed his forces along the expected path. He deviates from the main fleet and Flegel decides to follow.

With defeat imminent, Merkatz arrives to save Braunschweig. The prince is able to get back to Geiersburg and Merkatz withdrawals.

After the battle finishes, Oberstein tells Reinhard it is only a matter of time before they are victorious as Lippstadt League has lost nearly all of its military force. At Geiersburg, Braunschweig is furious at Merkatz for not arriving earlier.

Later, Merkatz tells Bernhard von Schneider that Braunschweig is a sick man who is symptomatic of the types of people who come to lead after five centuries of unchallenged rule. He also says Braunschweig is unlucky as he would have lived a much better life had he been around a century earlier.

Thoughts: Oberstein continued to show himself to be a brilliant tactician as he was able to quickly use defeats as part of a larger strategy…I’ve heard episode 23 is somewhat infamous, I fear on this basis I may break the 2000 word barrier on one post.