When I use the word epic, I don’t cheapen it like everyone else on the internet:
Epic wasn’t meant to be some watered-down internet catch phrase. First of all, epic can only describe stories/accounts/tales/legends/recollections/etc…. The following things aren’t stories and therefore cannot be epic:
- Maddox
- Soundtracks by Yuki Kajiura
- ShizNat fanart
Epic was meant to describe the rare confluence of quantity and quality, not just anything that doesn’t suck. To be Epic, a show must at least contain:
- Significant spatial scope
- Significant temporal scope
- Separable plots
- Consistently high quality (absolutely no bullshit filler)
- High stakes
Here are a few examples of shows that fall short of epic status:
- DBZ: Too much bullshit filler
- Naruto: Too much bullshit filler
- Bleach: Too much bullshit filler
- Kenshin: Too much bullshit filler
- Inu Yasha: Too much bullshit filler
- Death Note: Too short
- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: Too short
- Strawberry Panic: Too short (needs another season or two)
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Too short, no separable plots (only a few simultaneous subplots)
- Touch: Low stakes
- Monster: More of a saga than an epic
- Berserk: See Monster
- Tsubasa Chronicle: Not bad, but far from elite
Legend of the Galacted Heroes has it all:
| Well developed minor characters |  |
| Simultaneous subplots | |
| Simultaneous plots | |
| Unforeseeable plot twists | |
| Comical victimization | |
| Recurring random character(s) |  |
| Badass mid-episode transitions | |
| Soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura | |
| Catchy dance sequence | |
| Comically awkward dance sequence | |
| Themes of Hatred/Suffering/Revenge | |
| Lesbians | |
| Hilarious ambiguously gay dude | |
| A bad poet | |
| Stylish visual effects | |
| Dinosaurs | |
| Rivalry | |
| Graphic violence | |
| Character vaguely resembling myself | |
| Failed confessions | |
| Misunderstandings | |
| Mangled German | |
| Pimp in a White Suit | |
| Time Travel | |
| Woman who can’t cook | |
| Catch phrases | |
| Largest voice cast in anime history | |
| Guy who never says anything | |
| Self-parody | |
This show has over 100 named characters, all of whom kick ass. I’ve already profiled my hero, Yang Wenli. Then there’s this guy named Eisenach. He gets about three total minutes of screen time and never says anything. He snaps once for coffee and twice for alcohol. You don’t get quality characters like him anymore.
There’s a real man. Sideburns. Hair slicked back. No bullshit. Unlike modern anime characters, LoGH characters realized that bangs drooping over your eyes are a liability in battle. Even pretty boy Reinhard didn’t have bangs.
I could go on, but you get the message. Legend of the Galactic Heroes is probably the best anime I’ve ever seen. It’s unlicensed and fansubbed by Central-Fansubs, one of my favorite groups. Everything about this anime rules (except the graphics, but that’s because it’s old). Watch it.