Legend of the Galactic Heroes
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Legend of the Galactic Heroes |
| Abbreviation(s): | LoGH, LotGH, GinEiDen |
| Creator: | Yoshiki Tanaka |
| Date(s): | 1982-89 (novels), 1988-97 (OVA), 2018-present (Die Neue These) |
| Medium: | Novels, OVA, anime |
| Country of Origin: | Japan |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
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Legend of the Galactic Heroes, or Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu, was originally a series of 10 novels. In the West, it's primarily known for its OVA series, which despite its length is one of the most highly respected titles in anime fandom.
Canon
LoGH is considered part of the space opera genre. Along with a sprawling cast, it contains lengthy musings on politics and human nature.
Fandom
In 1982, a Japanese science-fiction writer by the name of Yoshiki Tanaka introduced the world to a novel series that would forever change the nature of Japan's science fiction readership. Before his landmark space opera, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, female science fiction readers were few and far between. But by the time the third book of his epic was released, Tanaka had single-handedly corrected this imbalance to such an extent that male readers were almost swamped by the influx of avidly reading women. In fact, Tanaka was having a hard time hiding from the stampede of crazed female fans— rumor has it that the author and his characters still receive boxloads of chocolate on Valentine's day from lovestruck readers.[...]
Fans of high-speed action and mecha combat may be puzzled by Legend of the Galactic Heroes’ success, but readers of science fiction romance will immediately understand the series’ appeal. Without the rapid-fire action of so many animated features, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is instead a drawn-out study of power moves in personal, governmental, and military circles. With its intense, lovelorn male characters and story of eternal warfare, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is essentially a story of political intrigue set among the stars.Animag Volume 2 Issue 3: "Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Military Genius and Lonely Romance Among the Stars" by Takayuki Karahashi (1992)
A 1991 letter to the Japanese Animation News & Review from Helen McCarthy, editor of Anime UK, mentioned the OVA along with the Gundam series: "...and, yes, I'm not averse to the occasional cute guy either, as can be guessed from my two favourite shows - any GUNDAM and LEGEND OF THE HEREOS OF THE GALAXY."
On AO3, a sizable proportion of fanworks are in Russian or Chinese.
Shipping
LoGH also has a devoted BL following. Some of the most popular ships are Reinhard/Kircheis, Reuenthal/Mittermeyer, and Schenkopp/Yang.
Fanworks
Meta
- Post about pairing breakdowns on AO3 in English, Russian and Chinese languages
- LoGH Icebergs on Tumblr—"A queer, episode-by-episode close reading of Legend of [the] Galactic Heroes" by Elizabeth Simins and Rebecca Black
Links
- Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu and GinEiDen on Pixiv
- on AO3
- On FanFiction.Net