In 2003, Wright Staff (who manages Tanaka’s work in Japan) attempted a sub-only release of the series in the United States on DVD. Whatever the reason, the dub wasn’t picked up. At that Anime Expo 99 panel, producer Yukio Kikukawa said there was interest from one undisclosed company, but that they felt it wasn’t a serious offer. Perhaps the Japanese rights holders were difficult to deal with. Maybe the show was too boring or old for television execs and too lengthy for a home-video market whose business model relied on 4-episode VHS tapes. Consisting of episodes 51 and 52, “Death Match at Vermillion,” it was screened to hopeful licensors and to fans at conventions like Anime Expo 99, Sakuracon 2000 and Anime Central 2000. To better entice potential partners, the company commissioned Vancouver’s Ocean Studios to record a pilot. In 1999, Tokuma Shoten enlisted Outis Productions to find a suitable home for the series in the United States. The English-speaking world was one of those markets, though it wasn’t meant to be. Its unique mix of political intrigue, serialized storytelling and engaging cast of characters winning fans all over – even in markets where the franchise had been relegated to unofficial fan translations for decades. It quickly inspired multiple anime adaptations, with the longest-running being the 110-episode direct-to-video series produced by Kitty Films from 1988 to 1997. Penned by Yoshiki Tanaka and published by Tokuma Shoten, the novel series ran between 19. Legend of the Galactic Heroes is one of Japan’s beloved science fiction epics.
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