English Dub Review: Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These; “My Friend”

With enemies like these, who needs friends?

Overview (Spoilers Below)

With their respective conflicts handily wrapped up, both Yang and Reinhard spend their time in the afterglow counting their regrets. 

Our Take

Celebrating its escape from the grasp of the violent military regime, the Alliance holds a celebration lead by former councilman Job Trunicht. As the representative of the military arm of the Alliance, Yang is made to shake hands with Trunicht, much to his disgust. Yang ponders reneging and utilizing the fall of his reputation as his exit from the business of war. 

Yang is now very clearly near the end of his rope with the state of the Alliance. No longer hopeful or even cautiously optimistic, he is far more cynical and acerbic in his demeanor, jaded and tired. After two seasons of creating victory out of thin air, he has become all too familiar with its price and who it is paid to in the end. For each battle he wins, the spoils of war go to the incompetent and selfish hands who crafted it. Thus, while he has successfully salvaged some good out of each disaster, said disasters are designed to repeat themselves. Ruminating, Yang begins to discover the futility of his actions, as he realizes that the architecture of his nation restricts and conflicts with his ideals. 

And Yang’s patience seems to run out with his sharp distaste of Trunicht. Trunicht is a slavering sycophant who has reared his head throughout the series in several Alliance incidents. Never definitively taking any side in any conflict, he positions himself where his head is most likely to remain intact and his coffers replete. On the surface, this behavior appears like indifference, or perhaps honorable neutrality at best, but in reality, it’s simply selfish pragmatism. A parasite who subsists off of war, his only definitive interest is in perpetuating it, which is where he earns Yang’s ire. Trunicht even stoops to buttering up Yang by promoting Julian and rewarding him with medals, to Yang’s disgust and dismissal. 

Yang’s distaste for the Alliance’s government does not go unreciprocated. The leadership laments his unprecedented success, afraid they would lose to him in a national popularity contest. To this effect, they consider ways to knock him down a peg, even ironically shuddering at the possibility of Yang becoming a politician. And as expected, the only person willing to play devil’s advocate is Trunicht. Yang’s grim estimation of the Alliance leadership is, unfortunately, spot-on: a group more concerned with the security of their jobs rather than the liberties of their people. 

But not all goes completely wrong for Yang. The former Imperial commander Merkatz successfully defects and awaits admission into the Alliance navy. Amidst appropriate suspicion from his officers, Yang is surprisingly willing to believe Merkatz and grant him amnesty. Merkatz and Yang share the same enthusiasm and optimism regarding this new partnership, which suggests it is genuine. How unfortunate that this is the last episode, for it would have been fascinating to watch this relationship bear fruit. 

Meanwhile, in the Empire, a new age dawns. Reinhard obtains the title of Duke and the role of Prime Minister, establishing himself as the dictator. But despite the sheer awe and magnitude of his achievements, Reinhard does not take part in the jubilation. He is seen spending all of his time doing one thing: reflecting. He makes sure he does not forget the price his friend had to pay to get him here. Reinhard publicly adorns Kircheis with a multitude of prestigious and lengthy titles, but keeps the inscription on his grave short and decidedly sweet: “My Friend.”

This anime loved to spend a lot of time and effort juxtaposing Reinhard and Yang, and here at the end, the comparison is all the more pronounced. Two men in the prime of their lives, with a career’s worth of accolades behind them, and more than enough time to garner several more ahead. What these two have accomplished has shaped both of their nations, but more pertinently, it has also shaped them. They started as leaders with infinite potential who have both learned the cost of war. Reinhard learns to accept these consequences as stepping stones to his goal, bolstered by the power of his ambition. Yang, on the other hand, interprets them as detriments, serving only to stagnate him and empower the system he is fighting against. 

But despite their opposing views on this, they both remain steadfast and head towards the same direction. Looking for some small measure of hope in all this chaos, their potential remains infinite. With some loose ends still untouched, and one even teased in the epilogue, it would surely be a treat to see another season of this space opera. Or you could just learn how to read and buy the original novels, I guess.