Story: 9 Overture to a New War is both a prequel to the OVA (doing its best to bridge the first film, My Conquest is the Sea of Stars to the OVA) and a remake of its first two episodes which depict the Battle of Astarte. The prequel parts give insight to supporting characters who were only given a few mentions/appearances and what relationships they have with the main characters. On both sides, an important message to take away from this arc of the greater story is old ideas holding the new generation back. Several times on the Imperial side, we hear talk about the theoryvs practice, and higher ups deliberately holding Reinhard back due to various agendas associated with the aristocracy. On the alliance side, we see both Yang and Lap being victims of old ideas, but the message on how they are overcome differs slightly from the OVA.

Art: 10
We see the Battle of Astarte reanimated in gorgeous widescreen and all the ships have even intricate details and greebling. Character design and animation is on point; noses are present, they're proportioned like adult humans, and a lot of work must go into making the hair wavy and lifelike.

Sound: 10
Great pieces by the likes of Wagner, Chopin Mozart and more accompany the animation and work particularly well during the aforementioned Battle of Astarte. However, probably one of the greatest use of classical music in anime is the diegetic use of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata in a very heartbreaking scene.

Character: 10
In the remake scenes, the biggest change is Lap. His new, alternate depiction here is by no means a replacement for the very minor depiction he had in the OVA, it instead serves to complement it. He shares Yang's ideas and he is also held back by his fleet's Vice Admiral. In the OVA, we are lead to believe a lack of conviction to get his strategy applied seals his fate (also dramatic in the movie, but in a very different way). In this movie, he is much more confrontational with his Vice Admiral but the actions he does take are ultimately useless.

Enjoyment: 9
An amazing audiovisual experience that cinematically tells important messages.
It does not replace, but complements to the OVA's first two episodes.

Overall: (9+10+10+10+9)/5 = 9.6 rounds up to 10