Gene Starwind has always dreamed of piloting his own ship out into the vast sea of stars. Unfortunately, not all dreams come true, as he spends his days working odd jobs alongside his partner, James Hawking, on the small planet Sentinel III instead. However, this all takes a turn when the duo takes on a job from Rachel Sweet who, unbeknownst to them, is actually a treasure-hunting outlaw. Tasked with protecting a mysterious girl known as Melfina, the meeting irrevocably changes the pair's lives as they are sent out into the great unknown aboard the highly advanced ship, Outlaw Star.
Seihou Bukyou Outlaw Star follows Gene and his ragtag crew as they brave the final frontier, navigating the stars in search of answers to the mysteries surrounding Melfina. Encountering dangerous bounty hunters, space pirates, Taoist mages, and even catgirls, there is sure to be an exhilarating adventure around every corner.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Crofty
This anime is a rare piece of genius, across 26 episodes it ranges from light-hearted humour to dark philosophical questioning, with neither ever seeming out of place. The premise is a young man, Gene Starwind, and his friend and business partner Jim Hawking, who run a business best described as a jack-of-all-trades operation, including bounty hunting, bodyguard work, anything that will pay. At the arrival on their planet of Hilda, a mysterious outlaw who frees Melfina, an amnesiac girl, from the clutches of pirates, they get caught up in events far beyond their understanding, and Gene chooses to follow his dream of freedom as anoutlaw, and to solve the mystery of Melfina and the Galactic Leyline that Hilda and the pirates were searching for.
Each of the major charachters were written and portrayed perfectly. Gene, seemingly a selfish and arrogant ass, surprises you again and again with displays of his softer side, especially when it comes to Melfina. Jim, while only 11 often seems more mature than Gene, and tends to be the voice of reason trying to keep Gene's impulsive nature under control, yet despite that still has a lot of growing up to do, and was my favourite charachter in the show. The charachter of Melfina mostly remains undeveloped until the final few episodes, as her lack of knowledge of who she is is essential to the plot, yet it is not a bad thing that for most of the series she remains the nervous and innocent girl who only wants to find out who or what she is, as this brings out a lot of the hidden qualities of Gene and Jim. Finally, Gilliam, the Outlaw Star's computer, who one would expect to just be a functional machine, stands out as a charachter in his own right, showing bonds with Gene, Jim and Melfina that one wouldn't expect from a machine, and sometimes a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he complies with Gene's "brilliant" orders.
The story itself moves at a decent pace, never too fast to keep up, yet in places does have the occaisional filler episode, which either serves to entertain in breaks in the serious plot, or to highlight a certain plot point. While the series would be no worse without them, they were entertaining and enjoyable, and the two that spring to mind both provide background information to the universe that wasn't necessary, but still interesting to know. The universe is a wildly varied setting perfect for such an adventure, with a combination of science fiction technology and ancient eastern mysticism. The technology never gets in the way of the plot, and the mystic powers driving some events keep the show from becoming hardcore science fiction. Combined with Gene's very down to earth way of dealing with the unknown, this mix keeps the plot moving rather than letting it get bogged down in pointless explanation. That's not to say that nothing is explained, everything relevant to the plot is, but in an interesting way that doesn't just becoming a drone of dull facts, technobabble and nonsense that can often be the downfall of science fiction.
Overall, this show is incredibly enjoyable and has something for everyone. It's an adventure of the kind you used to dream of as a kid, yet it also asks what makes us human. It has it's funny moments, and also it's touching moments. It combines human (/alien/bio-mechanoid/machine/etc) drama with awesome space battles and gunfights, and even leaves this fan of explosions and lasers unsure which he enjoyed more. Watch it, you will not be disappointed.
thekindamad
I remember awhile back, I use to come home from school and watch this on Toonami. This and DBZ were the highlights of the few hours I spent watching TV before getting to homework. I just recently found Outlaw again and decided to rewatch the series again, since it had been years since I watched it last. It was not as good as I had remembered... it was 10x better! I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and I wasn't bored... once. And if your able to keep my attention for 26 episodes straight, then your doing something right. I'll start with the story. It was veryenjoyable, and something that pretty much anyone could jump into, anime fan or not. It has a straight forward story but still manages to be deep and meaningful. If I were trying to get someone into anime, this would be the anime I would hand them.
The art was also very good. The animation (particularly the action scenes) flow very nicely and isn't choppy or glitchy at any point. There were a few times that I noticed that Gene was missing some details, but this is easily forgivable and not very noticeable.
The sound was good. The soundtrack wasn't anything memorable, but wasn't bad by any means. Not much to say other than that.
The characters were extremely fun and diverse, which I like in a cast. You got the main protagonist; Gene Starwind, an outlaw and womanizer. You then have Jim Hawking (kid sidekick), Melfina (a bio-android with an unkown propose), Aisha Clanclan (catgirl and comic relief), Suzuka (badass assassin chick), and the best fictional computer ever, Gilliam II. You can't help but fall in love with all these characters as the show goes on.
The villains were all pretty cool, but I wish we could've seen some more development with them. Like Lord Hazanko and his unit The Anten Seven. You really don't see much of them until the last few episodes. The MacDougall brothers were pretty cool (Ron especially since we share somewhat of a resemblance >_>)
Overall, this is one of the best anime's I've ever seen. There's ton's of fun to be had here, and the rewatch value is very high with this one (which is a major plus on my end). If you enjoy Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Blade Runner, and just Sci Fi in general- no, if you just enjoy fun movies in general, I HIGHLY recommend this series. You won't regret it....
JesuOtaku_
On the technical side of things, Outlaw Star has aged incredibly well. While not a fossil by any means, this show is at least old enough to have hand-painted cels instead of being digitally painted like what new fans are used to, giving it a classic texture. Don’t let the aged appearance fool you, though, because the action sequences in Outlaw Star are caster-tastic. There are zero corners cut in the space battles or hand to hand combat and there are often numerous fights per episode to pop your peepers at. The music is pretty low-key unless there’s a grappler duel a brewin’, but it’sa fun mix of techno, rock, and a lot of brass to lay down some smack to, though I quickly forgot it in the heated wake of the opening song and a soothing closer written for Melfina to sing throughout the show.
The voicework is nothing real special in either language, I’m afraid, but for a show devoid of serious drama, that’s to be expected. It’s standard typecasting all across the board. Gene is crass, Jim is impetuous, Aisha is manic, Suzuka is femme fatale-ish, the MacDougalls are crazy and evil, and Fred is very very very gay. So you shouldn’t expect the actors to do anything but fill their single notes, and they all do this quite well. The only character that breaks the Toonami-trope barrier into something more complex is actually Hilda, voiced by the cold and commanding Mary McGlynn, and while the outlaw’s role in the story is minimal, her performance is by far one of the most memorable. Okay, her and Fred. But that’s because he’s always preceded by his own theme music. (No, really. He is.)
You know what, I usually deliver the bad news last in these reviews, but forget that, I’m going to start thumbing my nose a few minutes early this time. This is one of the most immature shows you can sit through. I defy you to find an episode that goes five minutes without making a dirty joke or blowing some mutha’s house down.
When I said the characters are all stereotypes, I darn well meant that too. There is a very small attempt made at developing Gene in an episode where he questions the value of his own empty life over that of his passionate assassin’s, and it’s a good one. That is it. Period. Other than that, nobody changes or develops, not counting Melfina because not having a free will and then gaining it isn’t all that exciting. Add to that the story dances about like that game where everyone makes a story by speaking one sentence each and culminates in a deus ex machina so literal that they actually meet god in a machine a la Star Trek V.
So all this clearly detrimental flack ultimately detracts from the show's value a total of ...ZERO. Yeah. None of it matters. Forget all of it.
I once mentioned in a past review that a series can be episodic or stick to a storyline, but it’s a very bad idea for a show to pretend it has a plot and then never get around to it in favor of fun rabbit trails. Okay, I am now nuking those words, addin’ a little ketchup and scarfing them down because this is exactly what Outlaw Star does and it is unbelievably addictive. I wouldn’t recommend this approach most of the time, but this show gets a free pass for being the most wish-fulfilling sci fi title ever. Everything you can love about sci fi is here: space races, space combat, diverse planets, alternate dimensions, weird aliens, hot aliens, aliens of questionable gender, giant robots, bio-androids, human cyborgs, cold sleep beauties, shapeshifting beastmen, lazer gunfights, swordfights, fistfights, paintball, mad scientists, tao magicians, robotic panthers, kung-fu housecats, and a hot springs episode that is actually funny, amongst other episodes featuring a universe’s strongest woman competition, a sunken alien galleon, or a prison where intense gravity is your greatest enemy.
I assure you I have barely scratched the surface.
Here’s the added bonus: it all fits together! Sure, the story is embarrasingly directionless, but the universe of Outlaw Star is immersive with a creative Trek-esque history that is easy to understand through the hokey narration at the top of each episode. Despite being 2-dimensional, every character is lovable and sparks great chemistry with their fellow scoobies. Even Gilliam is a riot throughout. Yes, the computer is fun. Since when was the ship’s computer ever fun?
The villains are silly enough to put Captain Planet’s nemeses to shame, but there are so many of them and they are so deliciously evil that it only ADDS to the already fever-pitched cool factor. Harry MacDougall is by far the most fun for his bipolar attempts at courtship... Simply put, there isn’t one boring millisecond in the entire show, which is tremendously rare and absolutely worth seeing. I can safely say that the most unexciting episode revolves around an evil telepathic cactus who mind controls people into buying bad ice cream. For reasons that should now be obvious, it’s still awesome, and that makes Outlaw Star just plain awesome above all else.
All in all, it does not get much more fun than Outlaw Star. The universe is engrossing, the characters are extreme, and the combo makes for exceptional sci fi that never gets lost in technobabble. That being said, it drops any attempt at plot or development squarely on its rear, but the thrills are so constant that you shouldn’t care much. I highly recommend this to sci fi lovers in particular, but also anyone looking for escapism done right.
*THIS IS A PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT OF MY VIDEO REVIEW WHICH CAN BE FOUND HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkCASszWeL4
Thanks for reading!
Benduski
What a let down this anime was, don't get me wrong i was really amazed for the first 4 episodes and i had my favorite character already, yeah Hilda, just 4 episodes and she had better development than Gene in all the other 22 eps. and not just that, the episodes were packed with action, interesting plot and a story that could be really great for the next eps. but that wasn't the case and i love 90's anime but the art style on this was bad, getting worse every episode. Story The story is interesting for what it could be not for what it is, afterthe 4th episode, the story is put aside and it turns to be an episodic anime, where it leads to nowhere and they live to pay their debts by making jobs that aren't interesting not even for Gene, but he does anyways if the sum is high or if he needs money fast, then the story sort of continues 2 eps. in the middle then again episodic, and in the last 3 eps. the story finally gets somewhere and is really good and i thought if every episode was like this, the story could be amazing but it was mediocre.
Art
The art style looked good at the beginning but in every episode the drawing was inconsistent and got worse and the characters face looked different, the animation in the fight scenes were bad, almost always, even for that time there were better animations, and because of this i couldn't like or relate to the characters, a mediocre art style.
Sound
The sound was the best of the anime, very good voice acting, great OP song, i wasn't bored because the VA, or the sound overall, there are 2 ED songs which are melodic, they are good, but i didn't felt it was fitting for the anime, the sound effects were good, overall was very good.
Character
Well the characters were normal, nothing special, just Hilda, 4 eps. and she was the best, is a shame what happens to her, she easily could be the MC, I didn't felt Gene was well developed, not even his backround, Jim was kind of interesting, i felt sorry for him in ep. 20 because he never knew what he did, it was sad, Aisha was likeable but annoying too and Suzuka wasn't interesting, she was there because... i don't know, they never got a backround, mediocre character development.
Enjoyment
For some reason i enjoyed the anime, i wasn't bored, i think i couldn't handle the animation, the filler episodes weren't bad but didn't add anything to the story, maybe i enjoyed it because the setting was in the space but anyways i got a good enjoyment.
Maur
So I started watching Outlaw Star again, and I'm glad I did. First off I'd say, right away, Outlaw Star does a fantastic job of painting a beautiful world of good vs. evil and those inbetween, the outlaws. The characters are all solid, but I particularly love that the main character is so... human. He's morally complex (and sexually deviant). I find something about his character so... believable, if not relatable. I hate it when characters, main ones in particular, are so pristine or so caught up in idyllic optimism that they just come across as naively romantic. In that sense, I guess I prefer realistic,flawed characters to symbolic ones.
In fact, I'd say I like how the show deals with sexuality in general. Gene with his harmless, if sleazy, perversions and even with the way it humorously flirts with homosexuality. I find something very "mature" about this and I think it sends a good message, that it's ok and perfectly natural to be sexual, of any orientation. So things like this help give the show a feel of more "realism" because these are real issues that are part of people's lives one way or another.
Secondly, I'd say the show has real style. Particularly I like the way the story is told. The prologue that sets up each ep is always informative and almost profound. It's not always a lead up to what's going to happen in the episode, sometimes it's just insight into the Outlaw Star universe or some insightful message. So this style of storytelling is pervasive throughout the whole series, though usually more subtle.
Once you get through the first half of the series where the background, characters and plot are all being set up, then the show really starts to go beyond the basics and delve into more substance. Themes start to get more pronounced, like how Gene is gradually influenced by his experiences, his memories of Hilda, what he learned from Leifong, and even that run in with the old man. You start to get a sense that Gene starts to really get an idea not only what it means to be an outlaw, but also an idea of who he is, and what he really wants out of life.
There's also Melfina and her excellent supporting role. Her inner conflict of coming to terms with her existence are an integral theme to the story. She's new to the world and trying to figure out all the who's and what's of it, and at the same time, asking the same of herself. And in a story where the question of "what is human" is prevalent, is there any question more human than that? We all ask ourselves the same thing at some point in our lives.
The plot also starts to become more concentrated as the mystery of the Galactic Leyline, the confrontation with the Kei Pirates, and the conflict with the MacDougal brothers all come to a head. The show has almost everything, and the cast has all bases covered. A strong fighter werewolf, a sword wielding assassin, a gun shooting bounty hunter, a tech savvy kid, and a high tech bio android. The only thing this show was missing was a ninja. Also, the soundtrack rocks. So overall, I did enjoy rewatching this series, the ending was climactic and sweet and leaves an impression. Everything was pretty much resolved, with the exception of maybe the MacDougals, but I suppose it's not going too far to leave a little room for the imagination or to fantasize about a sequel/movie.
So I tried to rewatch this once before, but I guess I wasn't in the right mood for it. Rewatching things is tricky. Time and nostalgia work in funny ways, often conflicting with one another. The first time I tried to rewatch it it wasn't really grabbing me. That's the problem with rewatching shows, once it's had a significant effect on you, its difficult to replicate that same sense of awe and mesmerization. But, determined, I tried again. I've successfully managed to get back into the show and started to remember all the subtle nuances that made me fall in love with it the first time around. The rewatch value can vary wildly from person to person, but overall, definitely worth watching at the very least once.
Huntsman
It had the unfortunate time of coming out the same time as Cowboy Bebop. Outlaw star is a great anime, it just had the unfortunate time of coming out the same time as Cowboy Bebop. I hear and read people saying it's a rip off of Cowboy Bebop, but it's not. First the tone of the shows were different. Cowboy Bebop was more of a action/Drama and Outlaw Star was a action/adventure. The animation styles were different. Cowboy bebop was darker in tone while Outlaw Star was lighter in tone. The stories were completely different. Cowboy Bebop was more condensed in broadness of the show, insteadgoing into details about the characters lives and how they got where they are. Outlaw Star was a adventure, traveling through space searching for the Galactic Lay Line, never going to deep into the characters. Finally the music was different. Cowboy Bebop mixed it's styles from Jazz, rock, classical and Opera. Outlaw Star didn't, just having one style of music.
So to sum things up Outlaw Star isn't a rip off of Cowboy Bebop, they are two completely different shows and are nothing alike except they came out about the same time. Outlaw star is a great anime, but not a classic like Cowboy Bebop for some of the reasons listed above.
TakaCode
Ahh Sunrise you have made such beautiful and enjoyable series over the years. You gave us such classics such as Cowboy Bebop, Code Geass, Gundam 00, U.C Gundam and much more and today I will be reviewing an another classic but this time it’s from the 90s. That anime is Outlaw Star. Hello, everyone, this is Shawn aka PhantomKurata and welcome to my review of Outlaw Star and with that said let’s get started. Story. The story of Outlaw Star follows Gene Starwing and Jim Hawking who run a small business called Starwing and Hawking enterprises who they do odd jobs. One day they meet a mysterious woman named Hildawho wants to use them as bodyguards to receive a certain spaceship later called the Outlaw Star as well as picking up a naked girl in a suitcase also known as Meflina who is an Android who can somehow connect to the spaceship computer and serve as the navigator. From there Gene and his crew will go to a place called the galactic leyline which is the most mysterious place in the entire universe which holds the greatest treasure in all of the existents.
The story of Outlaw Star is great for the most part.
I really liked how Outlaw Star handled its induction. From the very first episode, Outlaw Star does a great job of hooking the viewer.
Also, almost all of the episodes were very enjoyable to watch and they are mostly well written with very few hiccups. The show does a great job at theme exploration such as managing your own crew, dreams to even bonding with your crew.
The show, for the most part, has solid pacing as almost every episode was paced in the way where you don't get bored. However, some of the episodes of Outlaw Star can be a bit slow at times.
One thing that I loved about Outlaw Star was the beach episode. It' was fun, hilarious and entertaining and I wish more anime can have beach episode like that.
If I had any problems with Outlaw Star, in general, it would be the final 2 episodes. The final 2 episodes were kinda rushed and I feel the writing of those 2 episodes is nowhere as good as the rest of the series.
Besides the final 2 episode, the story in Outlaw Star is very good for the most part
8/10
Characters.
The characters in Outlaw Star are great and memorable. Some may say these characters were tropey but in my opinion, these characters have great personalities great, chemistry with each other and some of the characters have good to great development.
I didn’t dislike any character in Outlaw Star, however, there was one character that I wasn’t a fan of.
I personally really liked Gene Starwind.
I really liked his character growth from Gene getting rid of his space sickness as well as learning to become the captain of the ship. I also liked his relationship with Melfina as it was extremely well build up and it makes you believe that they are really made for each other. I also really liked his lack back personality as well being a womanizer where he likes to flirt with girls when he's not being serious. The final thing that I like about Gene is his determination as he likes to take huge risks on deals so he can earn easy money for his business Starwind and Hawking Enterprises.
Gene Starwing is a great example of how to write a good protagonist.
Next up with have Jim.
I personally adore this character. Some people may find him annoying due to him being whiny and bossy at times but for me, he didn’t bother me at all.
He’s a mature, kind and a very smart character that can build anything. I just adored his reactions and chemistry with Gene and the crew,
Even tho Jim was my favorite Outlaw Star character I wished he had more character development. Don’t get me wrong he does develop quite a bit but he didn’t have the same character development of Gene.
Despite his shortcomings, I adored Jim and his one of my favorite kid characters in anime.
Melfina is also a great character that I personally liked. I also really liked her relationship with Gene Starwind as it was well build up from the start and at the end of the series, you start thinking that they are meant for each other.
Suzuka is a character that I adored. I really liked her badass and calm attitude.
Lastly, we have my personal least favorite in Outlaw Star Aisha Clanclan. Don’t get me wrong I still like Aisha but I found her character to be kinda annoying at times due to her voice and at times attitude which kind of ruined my enjoyment for this character quite a bit. Sure she has her badass and funny moments from every now and then but for me, I didn’t enjoy this character as much as the others.
The side characters were good and entraining for what they were especially Hilda who is just amazing.
In short, the characters in Outlaw Star are mostly great and very enjoyable to watch from start to finish.
9/10
Visuals.
The visuals in Outlaw Star are great for the most part. I really like the character designs as well as the actual backgrounds. If I had a complaint with the visuals is certain scenes in the show can look a bit rough and oddly drawn at times. It not as bad as Gundam Wing where the visuals on the show were constantly rough. As for the animation, it’s very good. It’s smooth mostly contasint and it doesn’t rely on stock footage.
In short, the visuals were great, especially on Blu-Ray.
8.5/10
Soundtrack.
The soundtrack for Outlaw Star was amazing.
Most of the tracks were very executed and there’s hardly a track I consider to be dull.
The opening theme Through the Night is personally one of my favorite anime openings all time. It very catchy, upbeat and very exciting to listen.
The first ending theme Hiru no Tsuki is a great ending theme that is very memorable however the second ending theme Tsuki no le wasn’t that memorable and it was out of place for a show like this in my opinion.
Now for dub or sub.
The sub is alright from what I heard but I honestly prefer the dub. Sure the show can be a bit cheesy at times especially in the earlier episodes but like the Slayers it’s very self-aware of its cheesy moments for the most part.
Some of my favorite performance in the dub were Wendee Lee’s as Suzuka who also voiced Christaina from (Gundam 0080 War In The Pocket) Haruhi The Melconlony of Haruhi Suzumiya and Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop). Branne Siddall as Jim Hawking who also voiced Tomoki from Digimon Frontier from Kunikada The Melconlony of Haruhi Suzumiya and Tsukasa (.hack//Sign).
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn who voiced Hilda and she also voiced Major in Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex, Cornia li Britannia from Code Geass and Nuriko from Fushigi Yuugi.
9/10
Final Thoughts.
Outlaw Star is simply a great and enjoyable series that no one should mess.
It has a great story, very likable and enjoyable characters, great visuals, a great soundtrack and a great dub.
The only minor problems that I have with Outlaw Star are the final 2 episodes were kinda rushed and some of the characters could have more character development.
Besides that Outlaw Star is series that I really adored from start to finish and it has aged well.
It's easily one of my favorite shows from the 90s.
Outlaw Star may not be Cowboy Bebop level of amazing but it holds up well compare some of the other animes from the 90s
Final Score
9/10
LivingAlchemist
Like most anime fans, you probably believe that Japan invented pulp fantasy. After all, the only places that science fiction exist today are in movies, video games, and the memories of people who read Flash Gordon, Lucky Starr, and watched something called Star Wars. Outlaw Star is based on all of those adventures that people used to read about, back when people tried to masquarade adventure fiction as scientific. A young man, without any direction in life, finds a way to escape to the stars to find adventure. Gene Starwind is the kind of pulp hero that you want to read about, theAmerican cowboy outlaw, confused about life, with a heart of gold.
The other principle characters are Jim Hawkings and Melfina. Jim is the seragate brother of Gene, who tries to act mature to make up for his scattered and unconcentrated approach to life. Their relationship develops throughout the series and is actually pretty interesting.
Melfina is the magical girl of the series, an android that's tied to the powerful ship, the Outlaw star. She's also an interesting character, whose trials are one part exestential, three parts emotional.
So what is Outlaw Star? At its best, Outlaw Star is a great drama tempered with action. At its worst, it's derivative and incoherent crap. If there was a style rating, it's get a 10. From the very beginnig, there's loud and rhythmy music, distinct and relatively extensive artwork, and cool characters.
Like all great pulp fantasy, it hits you like a shotgun, with as much action, as many themes, and as much sci-fi weirdness that it can. One minute, the series is exploring Gene's loving relationship with his brother, the next they're fighting magic robot pirates in a car chase. (Lucklly, Gene has a magic artifact gun).
So what are the bad parts? Why wouldn't you want to watch a show where a renegade cowboy outlaw fights magic techno pirates, and reptilian police along side samurai warrior women and invincible cat girls? Because there are a lot of elements that are completely pointless. There are whole elements that don't make any sense, themes and relationships that never develop completely. There are whole episodes that are completely pointless (although only two come to mind).
Because it's not terribly ambitious, it's a little bit difficult to rate (which is required here). If you can enjoy the parts that you like, and enjoy a pretty creative, and artistic throwback to pulp fantasy without getting bogged down with the bad parts, it's a pretty excellent anime series. Actually, if you enjoy mindless action, naked cyborg chicks, and killer robots, you can fly like a straight arrow to Bit Torrent. But if you're looking for something either deep or something as generic and stupid as most other anime, you might want to set your sights elsewhere.
rydia91
I watched this on Toonami when I was a kid and I used to think this was the best show ever. As I re-watched the first 3 episodes, I was faced with action, adventure, and the introduction of dynamic characters. I should have stopped watching right there. My favorite character was Hilda. After those episodes, I watched believing that the plot was going to come together into something deep and exciting. It didn't. After some lolly-gagging around in space and meeting some cool characters, the protagonists take up boring jobs for far too many episodes. The climax of the show was lackluster. Also, I HATEDhow they had their theme song integrated into the show! Once? Maybe. More than two is too much unless it really fits, but, in this case, it just felt super awkward. When one of the characters starts softly singing it (the scene wasn't touching in the least), I couldn't help but to shake my head. If it stuck with being a comedy, I would have loved it, but, it seemed to try too hard at the end to, all of a sudden, become serious and dramatic. I'm not trying to take away anyone else's happiness about this show;just giving the potential watchers a different POV.
GrenadeJ
This review contains no spoilers. First things first, you may be wondering why has someone written a new review on a show that aired over 2 decades ago. Put simply, I dont particularly expect many readers however for some reason after completing this anime I cant stop thinking about things to say about it, leading to where we are now. Why exactly this is I will try my best to convey to you in the following review. I did not like this anime. I gave it a 6/10 so I dont hate it, but I cannot by any means say I enjoyed the overall experience either. Infact, it took me a little under a year to even finish all 24 episodes and I have been known to binge 100 episodes of shounen or sports anime within a matter of weeks. I will admit neither 90s anime or Sci-fi shows are particular interests of mine, but I do not hate them either so my opinion of it at the very least isnt innately biased against it.
Despite not liking Outlaw star, I find myself thinking more about this anime than I do for the vast majority of other anime ive finished, even ones ive rated significantly higher on my list. The exact reasoning for this is very difficult to put into words but in general it all comes down to the atmosphere of the show. The anime manages to convey the feeling of how big the universe is and how many adventures await, creating a wide variety of characters and making you look back somewhat melancholically once you've finished it. The ending especially leaves a poignant feeling that is hard to describe. It ends with the quote (this is not a spoiler),
"The adventure never ends...
We'll set off on a journey
Sometime somewhere
To the stars again.
And the new adventurers will begin."
Which without putting it in explicate words, conveys exactly my feelings towards what the atmosphere of a sci-fi space adventure should be.
However, that is where my praise for the show ends.
I mentioned how it conveys certain feelings, however this is only at some points of the anime. The general middle chunk of the show basically feels like filler with the only purpose to loosely develop the world and characters. Additionally, the ending leaves me with especially mixed feelings. I could see the intention to make a profound ending that would blow the viewer's minds and make the whole adventure worth watching, somewhat similar to how space Dandy ended, however for me this simply failed and worse yet it was an all-for-nothing gambit which meant I was ultimately left disappointment when it didnt hit as it should. This is partly what led to me being left thinking about this otherwise uninspiring ending after it finished - the idea of missed potential.
I simply have a sense of disappointment about Outlaw star. It had a lot of potential to be something really great but ultimately just failed to reach those peaks and ended up being rather mundane and uninteresting. It sparks more interest in me than other shows I consider better because of this great potential it has, and it even had moments throughout the anime where I was engaged with what was going on, however it just failed to keep it up for the vast majority of the episodes and didnt pull off a very ambitious climax that it had been building up for the entire course of the story.
However, considering how old it is and that it very likely paved the way for so many other great anime that could follow in its footsteps and achieve the potential Outlaw star possessed... well theres a certain level of acceptance that comes with that way of thinking.
Moving onto more concrete aspects. The artstyle of the show is what you would expect from a 90s anime at the beginning. However, about halfway into the anime I can only assume the budget ran out because the art started degrading rapidly in quality to the extent where it was clearly noticeable even to me, someone who doesnt pay much attention to the subtleties of animation quality.
The characters as well were average at best. The anime seemed to want to suggest they were all growing closer as a team, however I didnt feel like any significant development was really being made and they more resembled a group of people who were all just acquaintances, even by the end of the show.
Finally, the plot was mostly episodic with an overarching story that was only actually developed within the first and final few episodes, with the rest being uninteresting episodic adventures about the cast travelling to different worlds. This is what caused me to spend almost a year finishing this anime, as during these episodic parts I felt no desire to continue watching.
On paper Outlaw star was very unremarkable. Ultimately, I cant recommend that anyone who at least really into the genre and concept should watch this anime and I dont think that the fairly high score this show has on MAL is accurate compared to others with similar ratings. Having said that, if you want a 90s space adventure anime then this is by no means completely unwatchable. I couldnt rate this show any less than a 6 as it had moments where I genuinely enjoyed watching, but overall I was left thinking the anime was just ok and so it would feel wrong to rate it any higher either.
SunoharaMaster90
The good days of old anime, ahh yes, I remember in my younger times watching many great shows such as this. But not too long ago i bought myself the complete dvd set, and the memories came back. All old-school and mecha fans should give this anime a look as soon as they possibly can, trust me as this is one you will not regret missing out on. -Story- It begins with two out of the three cast members Gene and Jim who run their own shop, but their lives are changed when they encounter Hilda, a pirate that helps to start their journey into space asthey meet many different characters. The story is interesting and stays true to the plot, without any side events or filler taking over.
-Art-
While there were a few scenes here and there that were not drawn at their best, the artwork overall is good enough to look at.
-Sound-
One of the best soundtracks for an anime that I have ever heard, whether it'd be a peaceful or action packed moment, the soundtrack worked well to that scene. The opening music is very memoriable and to some level, catchy. I preferred the english dub however.
-Character-
All or most of the characters are likable and have a vast variety in their personality, and rather then overdoing it or not having enough, the character ammount is perfect as well as the characters varying in age rather then your typical 12 year old kids in most shows now-a-days. My favorite would have to of been Aisha, for being the goof of the group and bringing in comedic elements, however there are some such Gwen Khan that may start to bother you.
-Enjoyment-
I was pleased with every one of the episodes as they all kept me intersted enough to move onto the next episode. The unaired twenty third episode was also new and interesting in its own way, it felt like that of a filler episode but is much more preferable then a filler of naruto or bleach. The action was nice but felt as though it had been shortened. But it felt as though some events of the twenty sixth episode left me questioned.
-Overall-
Back then and even now i still enjoy this anime, while this isn't exactly one of those I recommend to someone who is not much of a mecha fan, I am sure almost everyone else will take a liking to Outlaw Star, this series is a must have to own on dvd.
Sonicdahedgie
Outlaw Star - A man named Gene Starwind happens across the fastest ship in the galaxy and claims it as his own. Hilarity and action ensues. Story The story, like all aspects of Outlaw Star, is almost great, but somehow comes up drastically short. Everything is there, and you know what's happening, but it's all executed improperly. Part of this is because of the characters (I'll explain later), but it's really because of the directors. You constantly find that dramatic scenes are cut down to size, losing the tense air that's supposed to surround them. Romantic sub-text is established early on, but after that you're supposedto assume it's there for yourself. In general, the story moves too fast and doesn't flesh out enough to get a hold onto you and compel you to watch.
TL;DR: There's a plot, but it's not something you'll care about.
(By the way, it's like One Piece in space. Except it came about a decade earlier. Just wanted to point that out. : P)
Art
The art is...Sporadic, I guess you would say. At first, it's your standard anime. The character designs have a bit of detail to them, and the animation is fast-paced action spliced in with those long, drawn still shots that save precious, precious money. But after the first few episodes, they introduce Suzuka, one of the main characters. Her design is incredibly bland and empty; she's a blob of white space in the middle of the screen.
One of the episodes near the middle, around 14 or so, has a massive action sequence in it. It was the most horrid animation I've ever seen in anything, it quite literally made me sick. Yet a few episodes later, another action sequence comes up where the animation was on a godly level. Basically, the animation is a complete wildcard.
TL;DR: Good animation only makes you realize how crappy the bad animation is
Sound
I watched mainly with the English voice actors through the series, and allow me to tell you: Don't. They may be good, or at least average in the beginning, but they ruin a multitude of episodes. I actually HAD to switch over to Japanese to get through some episodes, but I had to go back to English since I had no idea which character was talking.
The opening them is hilariously retro. It's a good song, but it reminds me of the Duck Tales' opening (best show ever, by the way)
The actual sound effects, I didn't pay too much attention to, except for one. THE GUNSHOT. The gunshot sound effect I speak of isn't necessarily a gun being fired, but in the first half of the series, they mark scene changes with the sound of a gunshot as a picture flashes (white space with a bullet hole). It only takes once to realize how horrible the sound is; it barely even sounds like a real gun. Good thing they will continue to use this. A LOT. Thankfully, they realized how annoying it is at some point in time, and discontinued the practice after a bit.
TL;DR: Go for the subs, "lol 90s" opening, scene changes suck at first.
Character
Ah, characters. The most important aspect of any story. They can ruin a good plot, or save a wretched one. Neither one applies in this situation, since the character and the plot aren't that good.
Ok, ok. Neither aspect is bad, but I found the characters' shallowness irksome and tiring at times. Their personalities are similar to the plot. You know who they are, and you know why they're SUPPOSEDLY doing what their doing, but it just doesn't seem real.
In case that sounded incomprehensible, allow me to try rephrasing.
You have the character Melfina. It's established in episode 2 or 3 that she wants to find out why she was created. So you know that's her motivation. But as the series continues on, she doesn't act like she's being driven by anything. Sure, she SAID she wants to know why, but it's like she said it only to give the plot a reason to progress.
TL;DR Characters are bland and plot oriented, rather than being their own person.
Enjoyment
All right, for all the bashing I've done toward Outlaw Star, it IS enjoyable. First of all comes it's ridiculousness. When Gene obtains his ship, and enters into his first fight, you might think it a bit strange that the ship has it's own arms that it fights with. But arms on a space ship could be considered realistic, after all, they would be useful...
Then you realize the ships arms are wielding a handgun and a freaking battle axe. I couldn't help but laugh at the Lagann-esque hilarity of it.
The action sequences are hit or miss, but Gene definitely has his badass moments, the ones where you start smiling because he just made you gay for him.
Character interactions, despite them having little personality, can still crack you up or make you grin using what personality they do have.
TL;DR: It's awesome and hilarious some of the time
Overall
The story is a mess and uninteresting, sometimes the art can sicken you because it's terrible, and the characters don't seem like people, but there are enough good bits (which are unmentioned by me) to pull this anime through and make it enjoyable. Somewhat.
But maybe I just missed the point of this anime; maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way. You might like it, but if you're going to try it, make sure you don't have something more highly regarded to watch first.
TL;DR: Go watch Black Lagoon instead. Or anything else. THEN watch Outlaw Star.
kaigen
outlaw star, is an excellent watching experience, I'm know for deeply analyzing story's, I try to pull out as much out of scope information as i can, from what I'm watching "meta-story" if you will. outlaw star has always been an anomaly as far as my rubric is concerned, analyzing it just doesn't get me any where. It is just a fun watching experience, not to say it is with out is certain complexity's. characters: An out right 10 by my standers they are unique while remaining very easy to relate to, the young boy Jim is useful with out being annoying and Gene isappropriately male rather than being another one of those overly innocent or completely emotionally oblivious leads. unfortunately the rest of the cast isn't given a lot of time to develop with the exception being Aisha who is almost bipolar, but still a fun and genuinely entertaining character.
Sound:
music, English voice's, sound FX. ^_~b absolutely astounding i haven't herd better voice casting scene, the only competitor being FMA. the music is some of the first anmie music I listened to outside of the show.
Art:
it slumps of in an episode or two but it makes up for it by pulling of wonderful fight seance animation at the most dramatically appropriate places. and I'm personally a big fan of the character designs.
story:
this is one of the times where I can say, unique doesn't always mean better. I had never and haven't since seen a story or universe like the one of outlaw star. many of the things it dose are very unique most of them I really liked but upon talking to some of my friends about the show I quickly realized that some of the things such as grappler arms were not as well received among them, it seems most prefer classic mecha. As for the tail being told its self it's it keeps things moving well but I discovered that the story itself wasn't the reason I watched the show everything else really over shadows it, in my opinion.
literaturenerd
Overview: This late 90's anime is often seen as the forgotten member of the Space Western Trilogy that also included Trigun and Cowboy Bebop. Although it never gained the fame and fandom of the other 2 series, Outlaw Star was fun, had great characters, had an interesting story, and didn't take itself too seriously. If you have some time to kill, I would recommend cracking open a couple beers or whatever your drink of choice is and watching Outlaw Star. Story: 8/10 Outlaw Star chronicles the many adventures of a ship of "Outlaws", which are mercenaries belonging to neither the official guild of space piratesor the galactic federation. Some episodes are stand alones and have little to do with the rest of the series. Other episodes actually advance the plot. Keep in mind, there IS an overarching plot to this series. The story structure is similar to that of Cowboy Bebop and the American space western Firefly. The main driver of the plot or Macguffin as Hitchcock would say, is a legendary treasure called the Galactic Leyline. The Leyline was built by an ancient alien civilization and acts as a sort of giant library that contains virtually all important knowledge in the universe. Together with his crew of misfits, Gene battles pirates and searches for this ultimate treasure of knowledge. One thing that makes this series a bit different from Cowboy Bebop and Trigun is the emphasis on mankind's interaction with other alien species and civilizations. This was a nice little addition that I found interesting.
Characters: 8/10
The main character is a man named Gene Starwind, who works as a mercenary along with his boy sidekick Jim Hawking. Jim's name seems to be a portmanteau of Jim Hawkins, the young protagonist of Treasure Island and astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. Gene is a rash, arrogant, blockhead kind of character that we all love anyways. Jim is the scientific genius that acts as Gene's guiding force and voice of reason despite being far younger. Other characters include the laconic, deadly assassin Suzuka that kills people with a wooden sword, but will only kill at sunset. As well as the loud and lovably obnoxious Aisha ClanClan from an aggressive race of alien cat people. The last character of the Outlaw Star crew is Melfina, an android built for finding the greatest treasure in the galaxy. Melfina is surprisingly caring and kindhearted for an android and her struggles to find an independent identity and free will create many of the series more touching and memorable moments.
Soundtrack 7/10
Although Outlaw Star's OST doesn't match up to its contemporaries Cowboy Bebop and Trigun, it still had a fine little soundtrack of its own. The opening theme is called "Through the Night" and will pump you up to go on an adventure with Gene and the crew.
Art: 7/10
The art of Outlaw Star doesn't look as nice as a modern anime like Psycho Pass, but looks very decent for a 90s anime. I would say the art has aged much more gracefully than many others from its day like Yu Yu Hakusho. The characters all look unique, the space battles are awesome, and the backgrounds in the future cities look well done. I couldn't really ask for much more.
Enjoyment: 8/10
Outlaw Star is a fun series with action, romance, adventure, and even a little science fiction/ philosophy. It offers a little bit of "brain food" in some scenes, but avoids taking itself too seriously. No one could ever accuse Outlaw Star of being pretentious and overly artsy for no reason. Outlaw Star knows exactly what it wants to be and is just happy being itself.
Overall: 8/10
As mentioned above, Outlaw Star gets completely eclipsed in fame and popularity by Cowboy Bebop and Trigun, which both had similar elements and came out at the same time. Does that mean that Outlaw Star is bad and not worth watching? No! Outlaw Star is its own unique experience that may not try to be as artistic as Bebop or as morally deep as Trigun, but succeeds in its own goal of being a fun, fast, space adventure.
KorvenKuningas
Featuring a wealth of imagination and creativity, ‘Outlaw Star’ is a triumph of 90s anime that provides a thoroughly entertaining action-adventure story that’s not only visually awesome, but surprisingly thought provoking. Following the exploits of self-confessed outlaws and bounty hunters, Gene Starwind and Jim Hawking, their lives are changed forever when they decide to accept an offer from ‘Hot Ice’ Hilda, an infamous criminal who’s fleeing from an interstellar gang of pirates. Together the trio hijack an experimental spaceship along with its resident android, Melfina. Determined to find the Galactic Leyline, which is rumoured to hold a legendary treasure and the key to Melfina’s existence, theiradventure into the depths of space begins.
The greatest strength of ‘Outlaw Star’ would have to be the creativity of the world in which the story takes place in. While space travel is one of the most common themes of modern literature, film and even anime, ‘Outlaw Star’ still showcases an intergalactic world filled with an inventive and colourful cast of spaceships, planets and aliens.
A lot of these original designs can be attributed to the artwork, and it’s especially pleasant to see that classic 90s style of hand drawn and hand painted cells that really goes to show the skill of the artists involved in creating anime of that bygone era. In these 21st century days of touch-up technology, the level of skill involved in creating an anime almost entirely by hand is a somewhat lost art. While some minor scenes appear a little bit sketchy, the technical skill of drawing and painting the spaceships, weapons and other forms of machinery is top class.
Spaceships are wacky and zany, with eccentric designs that defy any sort of aerospace science. While this seems strange at first it just goes to highlight the creativity and freedom of the designers, who aren’t afraid to defy our logic and create these crazy looking ships. After all, the series takes place far into the future, so they don’t have to be weighed down by what we know as science now. The designers have taken this to heart and gone in with an ambitious attitude. If you’re worried that you’re going to be watching a bunch of similar looking, gun metal grey shuttles fly around in space, think again.
There’s a diverse range of planets that Gene, Jim and their motley crew visit throughout their adventure, each of which feels unique. You’re not just going to the same place with a different paint job over and over again. You’ve got the outlaw paradise of Blue Heaven, the sprawling metropolis of Heifong and even the sensual hot springs of Tenrei just to name a few. With all of these individual planets playing a role throughout the series, the world of ‘Outlaw Star’ feels cosmic, not compacted. It actually takes time to travel between worlds even with futuristic technology and this is shown to some extent, which for some might be boring but I found it very interesting, as it’s important to establish a sense of enormity when creating a sprawling fantasy or sci-fi.
On a small side note, perhaps other sci-fi stories actually took inspiration from ‘Outlaw Star’? The world of Omega from ‘Mass Effect’ shares an uncanny similarity to Blue Heaven, both being havens for outlaws embedded into an asteroid. Not only that, the feline Cathar of ‘Star Wars’ share similarities to the Ctarl-Ctarl, an alien race that’s featured in ‘Outlaw Star’.
Speaking of which, the aliens also feel unique to the series, and again the designers have gone wild with everything from your typical human right up to a weird mind controlling cactus type thing. Each have their own traits and personalities, however it would’ve been nice to have a little more information about each species. I’ll focus on this a little later on in the review.
This leads into the characters of ‘Outlaw Star’, and with a large range of both minor and major characters, we’re treated to a good dose of diversity. The story mostly centres on Gene Starwind and Jim Hawking, who are a dynamic duo and are great to watch in action.
Twenty year old Gene is rough around the edges, filled with wit and a real charmer. An outlaw and bounty hunter by trade, he’s always bravely getting into close combat and fighting tooth and nail to protect what he cares for. While he may appear to some as a common thug who’ll do anything for money, deep down he’s a kind-hearted and looks out for his friends. There’s a certain level of sympathy that we can lend to him, as his traumatic past has lead him down the path of an outlaw.
Eleven year old Jim is the brains behind Gene’s brawn, and is often infuriated by his business partner’s carefree attitude. The son of a computer hacker, he’s a natural when it comes to maintaining technology and operating computers, keeping a close eye out for bounty listings and dealing with the financial side of the operation. He often strategises before taking on an enemy and shows a great deal of maturity and level-headedness. Jim provides a mature contrast to Gene’s recklessness, and even though they’re often at odds, they never would’ve come so far without being by each other’s side.
Joining the duo is the mysterious android known as Melfina, principled assassin Suzuka, outspoken Ctarl-Ctarl Aisha and the infamous ‘Hot Ice’ Hilda, all of whom are given a fair amount of screen time but strangely not all that much backstory.
And this is where my heaviest criticism of ‘Outlaw Star’ comes in. Everything feels very ‘in the now’ when it comes to the narrative, leaving you with a great deal of questions about a lot of different things. Gene is quite well defined and we learn a lot about him early on in the series, but what about everybody else? What did Hilda do to become such an infamous outlaw and how did she manage to steal the XGP along with Melfina in the first place? How did Suzuka become such a skilled swordswoman? Why does the mysterious alien race from the past hold knowledge of the Galactic Leyline? Where did Jim and Gene meet?
I imagine that a lot of these questions are answered in the manga and I understand that the studio probably had to make tough decisions when editing out content considering the twenty-four episode time frame, but you do feel like there’s a chunk of backstory is missing.
This isn’t to say that the characters, planets or aliens aren’t relatable or uninteresting, quite the opposite in fact, but more than anything it feels like a wasted opportunity, especially when it comes to fleshing out the Ctarl-Ctarl and lot of the other alien species. It would’ve been great to visit the Ctarl-Ctarl home world or even just learn more about the race, but really we don’t know very much about them at all. There’s such a diverse range of alien species and they’re not given very much influence on the overall flow of the world or its narrative. If anything the only piece of well-defined and featured backstory, other than that of Gene himself, was when the crew set out to find the wizards of Tenrei, who explain how the caster guns and shells that Gene and Jim are so fond of using came to be. Another could be the story behind Harry MacDougall, but even that is only mentioned in a passing conversation. Even so, a passing conversation is better than nothing at all.
Even with all that said, ‘Outlaw Star’ doesn’t disappoint and provides one hell of a good time. There’s not a single boring moment if you look past the very ‘present focused’ approach, and it’s very easy to get wrapped up with the characters in the deceptively simple story. With its level of creative diversity, technical artwork and strong male leads ‘Outlaw Star’ leaves you extremely satisfied and with a wide grin on your face by the end.
walla
Outlaw Star was the show that got me into anime. Sure, I liked Pokemon, but it wasn't until I caught Outlaw Star on Toonami one day that I thought 'Wow, there could be something TO this anime stuff!' It had everything... a ninja, and alien catgirl, guns that shot magic, a spaceship controlled by a naked woman... my teenage mind exploded. Where had these things been my entire life?! XD I bought the DVD immediately. Both the plot and setting are complex and interesting, with lots of neat ideas, such as the casters, grappler ships, etc. The cast of heroes is diverse and likeable, a bizarrograb bag of least-likely-heroes that mostly avoid falling into cliche archetypical roles. The cast of villains is diverse, at least, but few of them are ever really developed enough for my liking. Visually, the designs are overall fresh and stylish with good attention to detail. My main complaint with Outlaw Star's story is that while it's ambitious, it might have a little TOO much going on. I would have liked to see better development of the villains and other minor characters, as well as some greatest insight into the pasts of main characters such as Suzuka and Jim. Plus, the series teases us with some ideas that are never fully fleshed out, such as in one episode where a number of different alien races are introduced and then just as quickly forgotten about.
While there is an overaching plot, Outlaw Star is still a mostly episodic series. These types of shows are made and broken by their level of ingenuity, and whether or not they manage to keep things fresh. OS succeeds here. Like Cowboy Bebop, every episode features a different scenario, and the show never feels repetitive or short on ideas.
The animation and art are both excellent for their time. The plot's pacing can be a little clunky at times but once the fireworks begin these concerns are quickly forgotten. The music is great, the first season has my favorite closing theme ever and the rest of the series' music is very fitting and enjoyable.
Overall, I give it an 8. Outlaw Star is an action packed space adventure series with a very high fun factor and more than enough fresh material to help it stand out from the pack.
Sigilmancy
Maybe it's a bit of the nostalgia hitting, but man do I love this anime. I grew up on it airing on Toonami way back in the day, and honestly I have never been a fan of sci-fi but this just did it so, so well. The story is stellar (pun intended) with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing and the fabled Galactic Leyline at the end of it to make you wonder just what is there. Going back to watch it as an adult instead of my pre-teen self I do feel that some of the world building is lacking, such asthe introduction of certain alien species without proper context, but I think for its time that was more or less the norm and it doesn't overall subtract from the greatness of the show as much as it just adds a little quirk here and there and leaves room for a much greater world to exist than what we're shown.
The characters are amazing and relatable. Everyone has their own distinct personalities, and it's a bit like a really good D&D party in the sense that they all compliment each other's skills in a battle situation but can also hold their own throughout the combat that takes place in the show.
I would even argue that the animation holds up to today's standards in most ways aside from the odd bit here and there, and most would probably think this was made a lot later than it was all things considered.
Overall, the show is just plain classic. It has a good story, amazing characters you can really get invested in, and animation that has withstood the test of time. Highly worth the watch!
84DaysWithout
Of the space exploration anime, Outlaw Star is among the best ever at crafting a massive, engaging universe that does not overbear the viewer with tedious expository information. OLS strikes this balance by maintaining a consistent tone of "fun" - the episodes are thoroughly focused on action, adventure and character interactions -- more so than narration or some long winded monologue that takes us out of the element. Now, saying that OLS curbs the exposition isn't to say that the series is without such. What it does is give the viewer background info about a planet, region, species, culture or faction at the very start ofepisodes prior to the opening song. This information is always pertitent to the theme of an episode, and ensures that the attentive viewer doesn't have any issues following developments. This allows the episodes to be full of action and adventure without sacrificing any of the nuance. The characters, who largely already know of the universe they are exploring, are then able to go full throttle without needing to slow down so that the viewer can catch up to their understanding.
A space adventure may only be so fun as the characters who engage with their universe, and man does OLS feature a great team. No member of the crew is a deadweight. Everyone has a trademark skill that adds something of important value to the ship. Melfina the navigator, Gene the marksman and defacto captain, Jim the strategist, mechanic and voice of reason, Aisha the superhuman berserker, Suzuka the assassin. But even though they have these skills, none of them are worth nearly as much in isolation. Gene cannot fly without his crew. Aisha is too impulsive to function properly on her own. Jim struggles to fend for himself as he's still a young boy. Melfina doesn't even know who she is and has the naivete of a child. Though they make fun of each other a lot, you really get the sense that they need one another to thrive and this makes them feel more like a family than strangers. Also cool that the female characters not only contribute to the action, but they're the best close range fighters on the ship. You ideally want them on the frontlines while Jin and Gene act as support.
Gene is probably the best character in this cast, and its because he strikes a balance between looking like a badass and still being emotionally vulnerable as a human should be. On the outside he's living an ideal life that the spectator would want in his position - surrounded by women, gets to travel the universe for an occupation, doesn't follow the code. But he also has vulnerabilities such as fearing his mortality, getting over the phobia of flying and overcoming the grieif of losing his father as a young boy. OLS is very much centered around his journey to grow from a boy to a man that takes charge of his life and searches for his purpose. And Gene cannot find that purpose without the help of his friends, particularly Melfina.
Melfina gives Gene access to a world he was afraid to explore before. He cannot fly without her. Gene gives Melfina personality and helps develop her as a person. It's like they exist for one another and they form one of the better space romances I know of. Imo the best romances are defined by partners that make each other better people in the end, and Melfina/Gene do this almost as well as anyone in the genre. Great dynamic.
You also need some cool designed weapons for a space adventure to be maximum fun, and the Caster gun certainly fills that description. In theory this is one of the more broken weapons in space anime - it can litteraly summon lightning and occasionally black holes, but the usability is dependent on an finite resource (ammo, available shells). The most powerful shells also come at a cost to the user, draining them of their life force. So it requires Gene to assess the situation and pick the right shell for the situation, and he usually can’t afford to be wrong as it takes time to reload the shell, and he can't spray and pray that one of the shots hits someone. There’s a degree of difficulty with using the weapon that you don’t see with big anime swords and rifles that channel some bullshit inner strength. There are endless possibilities in the type of shells that can be used, and I really wish there were more episodes to show that. But the fights we already have wind up being very creative because of that gun.
There are some episodes that can feel pointless as they're unrelated to the hunt for the galactic leyline. But they usually concern the crew performing bounties and other odd jobs to make ends meet, and they give us some insight into how planets and alien species function on a social level. It's important to see Gene and the crew earn money so that it makes sense how their journey is being supported at all. Ships don't run on hopes and dreams. I disagree with the criticism of OLS being too episodic - space narratives SHOULD be full of distractions when they're so much to explore and do.
It's hard for me to imagine someone not liking OLS, to be frank, unlike other space adventures that can become too tedious for general audiences to engage with. It is fast paced, focused on fun and adventure, has characters that work very well with each other, and there's enough exposition to feel like you're watching a part of future history where space travel becomes the norm. Fantastic series that has aged quite well - recently digitally remastered even - and is worth revisiting over and over again.
KingKatsura
I felt compelled to write this review because the first four episodes of Outlaw Star were too brilliant to ignore. The animation is incredible, even when viewed today and compared against modern animation techniques. It's simply movie quality, and that's just based off of technical merit. The art style and environmental mystique is possibly the most mesmerizing I've seen in a science fiction anime. The introductory plot and characterizations present in the first four episodes are similarly brilliant. I was completely captivated by Gene Starwind's naive bravado and his supporting casts' various conflicting personalities and motivations. The plot choice at the end of episode 4was utterly evocative. It seemed a most spectacular and emotionally riveting endnote to a slamdunk start. I was surely in for an incredible ride. Surely.
-Introduction arc (first 4 episodes): 9.5/10-
Alas, things go downhill very fast in Outlaw Star. The characters continually fail to show any meaningful development in the wake of the series' unwelcome transition to a mostly episodic anime, seemingly devoid of any underlying objective. There are later stray episodes that almost recapture the sublime quality of the the anime's onset, but they fail to catalyze any subsequent consistent stretches of quality.
The storyteller appears to have had nothing substantive left to say after the first arc, and the plot stagnates into nothingness for a very long period thereafter. Gene and friends take on various jobs and none are particularly interesting. The penultimate ending storyline is clustered, over-the-top, illogical, and wholly unsatisfying; a final dissapointing ode to the beguiling narrative of Outlaw Star.
Worse yet, the characters go from intriguing to bewilderingly irrelevant and derivative. The female lead is a very underwhelming take on the "What is human/what is AI?" question. She frankly does not feel realistic as a human girl or an AI, and ends up amounting to nothing more than a recurring damsel for Gene. It's quite discomforting that she never takes exception to Gene's playboy antics when she is clearly in love with him. That dynamic is very conveniently ignored. Aisha is an ejoyable comic relief character, and Jim is moderately interesting in his own right, simply for a single episode later in the series where he undergoes more development than the entire rest of the cast combined. Suzuka was easily the most painful character to watch. She undergoes no development, is never even fleshed out properly in the first place, and is barely used at all, in summary. Last but not least, Gene Starwind - the hero of Outlaw Star. Gene sadly never really changes throughout the duration. He has his flaws and he has his charms, and 26 episodes later... he still these same flaws and charms. Interpret that as you will.
The animation quality decreases significantly as well (the budget allocation was clearly quite front-loaded), but this is less bothersome because the art style never stops being both original and stellar. Its mixture of neo noir, almost Bladerunner-esque urban scifi settings, and vibrant, high contrast colorizations, create a picture perfect scifi landscape that one can only dream of experiencing..
To conclude this review, Outlaw star is insurmountably dissapointing. A breathtaking start leads nowhere. Everyone devolves. The worldbuilding takes a backseat to mundane monotonous questing. Intrigue begets bordeom.
-Outlaw Star, in its entirety: 6/10-
On the merit of its first 4 episodes alone, I ultimately enjoyed watching this anime. Every fan of the medium should experience the introductory arc. Beyond that, I'm not sure I'd recommend anyone sit down and watch it to completion. Do so at your own risk.
