Outlaw Star

11 reviews - 38.5 total score (Explanation of the rating system)
avg. score: (3.5)

Creator - Takehito Ito
Director - Mitsuru Hongo
Music - Kou Ohtani

11. Tevesh

The first episode is how Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex is, with amazing backdrops and interesting "species".  But that is only the first episode, as the quality in characters and animation dwindle to disgusting rates.  The first eight episodes or so are not a disappointment, but afterwards, it becomes trite and useless.

The whole 'magical Mafia' does not fully reach limits it could have reached.  The destinies of the characters are not realized, but at while it loses points for unoriginality and poor quality, the characters are likeable.  I preferred the boy over to Gene Starwind, as he wasn't the stereotypical dumb male lead with some skill with either melee or guns.

Far too many episodes were stand alone causing the beginning and ending to be rushed.  Now, I admit that it is an excellent tactic to create a rushed beginning, to pack it full with energy but once that energy dissipates, the audience had better have a hook other their attention is lost.  A rushed ending, however, is pure disaster.  Nothing seems appropriate, or explained, and the characters lose any depth they have.  As endings are what people remember, and when Outlaw Star's strength of personality is submerged with the urgency to complete the series, it drops from mediocre to horrible.

The difference between the English Dub compared to the Japanese Dub (with English subtitles, of course) is not truly astounding compared to the poor quality of dubs.  The Japanese episodes also tend to use the words 'kill' instead of 'destroy' albeit Gundam Wing syndrome, and perhaps show more blood.  The Japanese episodes also have the cheesecake episode, which could either be a bane or a bonus.

10. Chris

I started watching Outlaw Star after a friend of mine told me it was very similar to Cowboy Bebop. Let me just say, Cowboy Bebop this is not. It is a decent enough anime on it's own, but it's not even in the same ballpark as CB.

Animation: The animation is fairly good for most the show, but the whole 'spaceship has arms and fights with ax in space' thing really drove me nuts. Other than that though, the rest of the show has good animation.

Sound: I watched this dubbed, and the dub voices were decent enough, but I havn't heard the subs. Sounds on this series was good, but nothing great. Music, also, was good, but nothing special.

Story: Pretty weak, IMHO. The characters were fairly interesting if clichéd, but the story itself isn't very interesting at all. However, the series does have some fun episodes, but don't expect too much out of the main storyline.

Overall: This is a good enough series, but it just doesn't achieve any expectations I had for it. If you're going to watch it, just remember that it is certainly no Cowboy Bebop.

9. Gyro

Still not tired of the space western formula? Well, look no further than Outlaw Star. I believe that this is the type of anime that can appeal to almost everyone. There's action, comedy, and even a little romance here and there. For this reason, Outlaw Star is one of the better series for someone new to anime to start with.

Gene Starwind and Jim Hawking are outlaws; they will take any job for the right price. In an unexpected turn of events, they come into possession of a powerful ship called the Outlaw Star. With the beautiful assassin Suzuka and the wild cat-girl Aisha, they set out on an adventure to find the Galactic Leyline. However, to keep the story interesting, there are other outlaws and dangerous space pirates that after the exact same thing...

Story-wise, Outlaw Star is fairly good. Maybe a little predictable at times, but it's still enjoyable. Although, the story does seem to drag on near the middle of the series with the filler episodes. But don't worry; the series picks right back up at the end. As for the characters, they all have excellent designs and loads of personality.

The animation is on par with other shows of its time, with fluid movement and decent art. The musical score is very good. The background music fits the style of the series perfectly, especially the harmonica pieces.

If you're a fan of space western amine, or are just getting into the anime craze, this is something you don't want to miss. Besides, what's cooler than a show about outlaws? Oh that's right, a show about space outlaws.

8. Iodine

An energetic and entertaining thrill ride of a series that takes its diverse crew and their overpowered ship on a galactic treasure hunt with plenty of random pitstops. If all you really expect from Outlaw Star is a fun, sometimes silly action show, then you've got the right show. Look too deep, and problems start to emerge. The characters are all great personalities, but never get the chance to develop. Important backstories are only hinted at, and the plot feels awfully thin. Yet this keeps the structure of the show very flexible, allowing time for detours into space races and bounty hunting, since heroes Gene and Jim are always short on money. Some segments are better than others, and the finale certainly could've used some more deliberation and setup, but this looseness of plot is generally a plus, leaving more room for nice character moments.

The visuals are bright and bold, with good animation to match. A lot of work was put into setting up the show's universe, and more could have easily been done with it. Still, the humor and the action take center stage here, and the writing reflects that. While a little weak as far as the pacing of the entire series goes, the individual episodes are a blast.

7. 3rdEyeVision

Gene Starwind and his buddy Jim are space cowboys, and the type of folks you call when you need a tough job done. Gene has the misfortune of getting involved with a pirate who clues him in on one of the Galaxies biggest secrets, the Galactic Leyline. Once they come up on a fancy new ship built specifically to locate the leyline, it still takes them 26 episodes to find it. That's not to say that it is not worth the ride, but at times it can seem like one of those summer vaction trips with mom and dad where you wonder "Are we there yet?" the whole way. Overall, I thought the show was pretty cool, despite it's lagging in the middle. If this what Sunrise had to go through to make Cowboy Bebop, I say it was worth it. Yes, Cowboy Bebop is the better of the two, but this is still a good show for someone who has seen all of Cowboy Bebop and wants more of the same.

6. Jin

Another bounty hunter series which follows the exact same problems as most bounty hunter series does. The overall story is interesting but due to the mass amount of filler episodes it doesn't help too much. The animation is decent but nothing spectacular. The action is decent but, again, nothing great. Overall it's a decent anime and worth a watch.

5. Konoha

This show may not have had the best pacing, but the plot was very interesting, the characters were great, and a lot of the style just made it plain *fun* to watch. The show throws you into the thick of things with the first four episodes, then slows down a bit and lets us catch up with the world and what is happening in it, and then moves on with the mystery of the ship and Melfina. I should also note that the cast for the main 5 characters is really top-notch.

4. Polaris

When I first started watching Outlaw Star, it reminded me of Cowboy Bebop. You have two Outlaws, so to speak, that are trying to make a living and traveling all throughout space. However, while Outlaw Star is definitely not what Cowboy Bebop was, I found it to be very enjoyable. Some episodes made the story drag and felt out of place, but there was still some character development and good laughs during these episodes that made it worthwhile. With all that said, I would recommend Outlaw Star to those looking for a nice blend of action and comedy with a nice cast of characters.

3. Tempy

Outlaw Star varies from being pretty good (but not exceptional) to being very mediocre. This pretty much applies to almost everything, from the story, to the characters, and the animation and designs. Although this makes for a rather frustrating experience at times, as a whole Outlaw Star is enjoyable and recommendable. One could compare it to Cowboy Bebop, and while there are some similarities, Cowboy Bebop does everything just so much better.

2. weasl

Outlaw Star is one of my vices. The story of a young outlaw, the ship he steals, and the crew he assembles, is fairly standard and very episodic at times. It does however nicely blend comedy and sci-fi action with just a touch of human drama, and even in its episodic nature is fun to watch in long stretches, something rare for an episodic show. What really makes it enjoyable for me though are the characters. The antics of the crew are a blast to watch. Mark this one as a guilty pleasure.

1. AgtFox

After hearing everyone praising Outlaw Star, I was very disappointed by the time it ended on Cartoon Network. Maybe it is all because I am not one of the "Ooo…a catgirl is in this one, I love it" crowd. The main storyline shows were above average, but the filler episodes just turned me off. Outlaw Star seemed to go in spurts. There would be one good episode and then 2 boring episodes. To me this is not good storytelling and that is what I am looking for in my anime. The space fights were excellent and the interaction on the Outlaw Star between the computer and it's crew were really good. But other than that, Outlaw Star was pretty much average. I will not be buying the DVDs for this one just to see the much-heralded episode 23 either, it's just not worth the money.