Learn Japanese with Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These

Anime by Japanese level › N1

How hard is the Japanese in Legend of the Galactic Heroes?

Ikkimi rates Legend of the Galactic Heroes at N1 (the hardest level). What sets its level: formal political and military speeches. Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 183 are easier and none is harder.

Levels follow the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). They are Ikkimi’s estimate of how hard a show’s Japanese is to follow, from how fast people talk, how many unusual words there are and how clear the voices are. They are not official JLPT ratings.

Format, episodes, year and genres are from AniList’s entry, which may cover only the first season.

The words in the title

The Japanese title, 銀河英雄伝説 Die Neue These, is a first lesson in itself. Its 3 words, as a dictionary lists them:

How to learn Japanese with Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Ikkimi lists Legend of the Galactic Heroes on Crunchyroll. What each service carries varies by country. Ikkimi does not stream anything: you watch on your own account, in Chrome on a computer, and Ikkimi adds a Japanese line you can click on top of the player.

On Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll rarely has Japanese subtitles. On a Crunchyroll episode, Ikkimi looks for a matching Japanese subtitle file in Jimaku’s public catalogue, loads it and lines it up with the episode by itself. If Jimaku has no file for an episode, you can search by hand in the Ikkimi popup or load a subtitle file from your computer.

1. Add Ikkimi to Chrome

   Get the extension from the Chrome Web Store and sign in.

2. Play an episode

   Open Legend of the Galactic Heroes on Crunchyroll. The Japanese line appears on top of the video.

3. Click the words you keep hearing

   The video pauses and the word opens: kana, romaji, meaning, JLPT level and a recording by a native speaker where one exists (never a computer voice; otherwise the line from the show plays again). At this level, turn on the English line under the Japanese at first, and keep only the words that come back.

4. Review them later

   Kept words come back as flashcards on the Ikkimi website, with the scene and the line they came from, just before you would forget them.

Easier and harder shows

Legend of the Galactic Heroes is at the top of Ikkimi’s levels. Shows within a level of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, with the most genres in common first.

Easier

• N2 to N1Code Geassコードギアス 反逆のルルーシュformal speeches, politics and military wordsCrunchyrollNetflix
• N2 to N1Neon Genesis Evangelion新世紀エヴァンゲリオンmilitary, science and psychology wordsNetflix
• N2 to N1Gintama銀魂fast parody, wordplay, period speechCrunchyroll

Also N1

• N1Psycho-PassPSYCHO-PASS サイコパスpolice and law wordsCrunchyroll
• N1Bakemonogatari化物語wordplay, very fastCrunchyroll
• N1Saga of Tanya the Evil幼女戦記military and economics words, formal narrationCrunchyroll

See every N1 anime or all 192 anime by Japanese level, and read how to learn Japanese by watching anime from zero.

Questions

Is Legend of the Galactic Heroes good for learning Japanese?

No, keep it for later. Ikkimi rates it N1 (the hardest level). What sets its level: formal political and military speeches. It is among the hardest shows Ikkimi rates, hard even for advanced learners.

What Japanese level is Legend of the Galactic Heroes?

N1, on Ikkimi’s scale from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 183 are easier and none is harder. The level is Ikkimi’s estimate, not an official JLPT rating.

Where can I watch Legend of the Galactic Heroes with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists Legend of the Galactic Heroes on Crunchyroll. What each service carries varies by country. Crunchyroll rarely has Japanese subtitles, so Ikkimi looks for a matching file in Jimaku’s catalogue and lines it up with the episode.

What does the title 銀河英雄伝説 Die Neue These mean, word by word?

銀河 (ginga) means “Milky Way”; 英雄 (eiyuu) means “hero; heroine; great person”; 伝説 (densetsu) means “legend; folklore; tradition”.

How many episodes does Legend of the Galactic Heroes have?

AniList’s entry lists 12 episodes of about 25 minutes, first aired in 2018. Later seasons may be listed separately.

What should I watch before Legend of the Galactic Heroes?

Shows a little easier than Legend of the Galactic Heroes, with genres in common: Code Geass (N2 to N1), Neon Genesis Evangelion (N2 to N1) and Gintama (N2 to N1).

Sources: show details from AniList; meanings from JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0); readings and word splits from kuromoji.js with IPADIC; JLPT word levels from Jonathan Waller’s unofficial lists. See Credits. Spotted a mistake? Tell us at hello@ikkimi.app.