Finished watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes Golden Wings

Finished watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden: Golden Wings (1992, Magic Bus, 59 mins) on 12/13/2017.

Young Reinhard von Müsel has just moved in town with his father, Sebastian and older sister, Annerose. The next door neighbor, not much older than Reinhard is curious to meet them, but also shy. His name is Siegfried Kircheis, and his curiosity is soon quenched when noticed by Reinhard in his yard. And when Annerose meets the two by the bushes where Siegfried peeked from, he immediately falls in love with her and the three become the closest of friends. A bond that would shape humanity and even space itself for years to come.

I think I had already watched Reinhard and Kircheis' meeting in one of the Gaiden arcs, but I found it interesting to see them drawn in a different style. Even the military outfits are different. Well, it's actually the style from the first manga adaptation in 1986 by the same name. However, I haven't read it so I can't say how it compares. Personally I enjoy the style of the original show better, but obviously that's from a different studio and it's one I've gotten used to. Anyways, I digress. The movie was still enjoyable and its animation quality was pretty decent.

7.5/10 - At 59 mins running time this movie is not too long and not too short.

Finished watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden 2: Duelist

Finished watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden 2: Duelist (2000, JC Staff, 4 OVAs) on 12/13/2017.

Reinhard von Musel finds himself involved in Imperial power politics after volunteering to duel on behalf of his sister's friend, Viscountess Dorothea von Schafhausen to settle a dispute over mining rights. Upon hearing of Reinhard's participation, Sussanna von Beenemünde hires an assassin to take the place of Reinhard's original opponent.

There's no keeping Reinhard and Kircheis from finding trouble, be it in space or on land. Again, these misadventures are very fun to watch as we accompany Reinhard's climb up the Imperial ladder.

8/10 - Moooar!!!

Finished watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden 2: Mutineer

Finished watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden 2: Mutineer (2000, JC Staff, 4 OVAs) on 12/8/2017.

Chief Navigator Reinhard von Müsel and close-friend, Security Officer Siegfried Kircheis embark on their first Imperial Fleet assignment aboard the Hameln II Destroyer. While captain of the ship, Adenauer welcomes the two on board impressed by their achievements, the rest of the ship's crew are not so warm to new recruits. During an Iserlohn Corridor patrol later on, Hameln II and the unit its part of are ambushed by a Free Planets Alliance squadron, severely injuring Adenauer who passes command over to Reinhard.

This story almost reminds me of an episode of Macross 7 where the colony ship is headed for a collision with a sun while repairs to an engine take place outside. Either way, the dynamic duo of Legend of the Galactic Heroes keeps on entertaining the fans with their smarts and bold ideas.

8/10 - Very entertaining as usual. Let's keep watching!

Finished watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden: Silver-White Valley

Finished watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden: Silver-White Valley (1998, Artland, JC Staff, 4 OVAs) on 12/09/2017.

Upon graduating from an Imperial military school, Reinhardt and Kircheis are dispatched to serve at a snow covered military base on planet Kapche-Lanka. There, they receive their very first assignment against the Empire's enemy, the Alliance of Free Planets. But something more sinister is afoot when their assigned tank mysteriously runs out of fuel, leaving them stranded in a snow-storm.

Boy, what a duo of characters. It's really fun watching Reinhardt and Kircheis fold their enemies' plans as inseparable best buddies. I like how sly they can be too. Makes their revenge that much sweeter to watch. I'm also really enjoying this series art style. It's very beautiful. And I think it's interesting how the music tracks are all classical music by famous composers like Mozart.

9/10 - Really great, unique series here! It's very entertaining to watch!

Finished watching Megazone 23 Part II

Finished watching Megazone 23 Part II (1986, Artland, AIC, Tatsunoko, 80 mins.) on 12/05/2017.

Attempting to return to a normal life with "Trash", his bike gang and Yui, his girlfriend, Yahagi Shogo finds himself answering the call for help from EVE, the digital songstress idol programmed to protect the city of Megazone, as the government that rules the people plots to take control over EVE's capabilities.

Well, this was... interesting. And a bit hard to follow. The first thing you'll notice about this second entry in the Megazone 23 series is the drastic change in the visual style. And it's one I'm not very fond of, to be honest. It got a bit distracting. But I can't say I completely hate it either. I think I understand its appeal. It has to do with the age it was produced in, and I have to say it's certainly a style from the 80's. I'm sure they picked it up from some other media, maybe even western media like the Heavy Metal movie. The art style is especially distracting with the scene where human ships get attacked by alien robots and it's really gory, unnecessarily so and they just keep playing it over and over or whatever. And then there's the Captain of the ship who just looks like a Muppet character. It was cringy for sure. But let's move on. The visual style was not the only thing that changed. It was the character's basic design. The girl's hair, for example used to be blue, now it's just brown. Funny enough however, EVE, the digital music idol seems to have retained her original appearance from the previous movie. Other than that, the movie was alright. Animation quality was pretty good and the story wasn't too bad, maybe some plot points were skimmed over.

6.5/10 - It didn't really catch my attention that much, but I still enjoyed it... somewhat.