English Dub Review: Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These; “Before the Storm”

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Parallel to the political maneuvering occurring in the Empire, several seeds of discontent are sown within the Alliance

Our Take

The prisoner exchange between the Empire and Alliance allows us some small insights into our key players. As we can obviously see after the fact, this was a prime opportunity for Yang and Reinhard to better size each other up. Both walk away thoroughly impressed, to nobody’s surprise. The clashes between these two are what create the defining moments of the series, so due diligence paid here goes without saying.

The other person who we gain a little insight into is Kircheis. His cordiality precedes him and permeates the prisoner exchange proceedings. His politeness to Yang is a bit tense to watch, but the pleasant outcome isn’t unexpected. We see even more of his courteous character when he goes out of his way to talk to Julian during the ceremony. We knew they had somewhat similar upbringings, but seeing the comparison brought to light here further highlights the loyal but honest nature of both Kircheis and Julian. 

To another point, Julian’s proximity to these delicate matters despite his age brings an important perspective. How younger generations interpret the actions of the people shaping the world they will inherit is a tried but true element of war stories. The importance of this grows as matters become direr in the Alliance.

The shades of foreshadowing in the previous episode pay dividends here. Worshippers of Earth as the true home of humanity pop up in the Alliance. This further fragments the populace of the Alliance, adding another cult-like faction into the mix.

In addition, Reinhard’s gambit and Yang’s prediction of it both come true as well. A coup within the Alliance to run parallel with the civil war in the Empire is a pretty ingenious idea on Reinhard’s part. Just the sort of grand elaborate scheme you’d expect from a man who plans to take over the galaxy. 

Greenhill being one of the men leading the coup is a bit of a plot twist. Seeing Falk’s face it there isn’t as big a surprise though. This does explain why Greenhill was so ready to help Falk back during the battles at the end of the first season. Additionally, utilizing an obscure character like Lynch from the first season as well is also fascinating. Past faces and events coming together later on in the story like this give each event a greater sense of importance and cohesion, making the narrative overall much richer. 

Much has happened in these past couple episodes, but most of it wasn’t very character-defining. I think this a sort of function of these large scale war/history stories. A lot of political and tactical positioning occurs before the big action scenes take place. It may not be as exciting, but these parts certainly give the parts that are their brevity. And with two large insurgencies being orchestrated and balanced simultaneously, the battles that will follow may prove to be large and dramatic.