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EP. REVIEW: Outlaw Star


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micah007



Joined: 25 Jan 2017
Posts: 205
PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2020 2:00 pm Reply with quote
"My Twitter mutuals have made me very aware of their abiding love for somebody named Aisha Clan-Clan"

They've got good taste Smile
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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4627
PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2020 2:09 pm Reply with quote
micah007 wrote:
"My Twitter mutuals have made me very aware of their abiding love for somebody named Aisha Clan-Clan"

They've got good taste Smile


Yeah, it seems like they had good intentions. Aisha was my first experience with a cat girl, and she certainly leaves an impression.
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MarshalBanana



Joined: 31 Aug 2014
Posts: 5505
PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2020 2:38 pm Reply with quote
The world of outlaw Star is really amazing, a fusion of sci-fi, eastern culture(Japanese and I think Chinese), 90s Anime tropes and American fronter. Sadly I never thought the show was quite as good as these earlier episodes.
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 4792
PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2020 2:38 pm Reply with quote
Outlaw Star never reaches for the masterful emotional complexities and depths of Bebop, or the fundamental moral questions of Trigun, but the one thing it does do extremely well is be unapologetically fun. It feels for all the world like an anime version of a pulpy Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers serial: space pirates, catgirls, lasers, arcane magic, the whole grab-bag. The characters are colorful and entertaining, and it's chock-full of beautiful hand-drawn spaceships that are almost extinct these days. I had a blast with it.

(One thing all three shows definitely had in common was an OP that absolutely slaps.)
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AkumaChef



Joined: 10 Jan 2019
Posts: 821
PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2020 4:10 pm Reply with quote
Top Gun wrote:
Outlaw Star never reaches for the masterful emotional complexities and depths of Bebop, or the fundamental moral questions of Trigun, but the one thing it does do extremely well is be unapologetically fun. It feels for all the world like an anime version of a pulpy Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers serial: space pirates, catgirls, lasers, arcane magic, the whole grab-bag. The characters are colorful and entertaining, and it's chock-full of beautiful hand-drawn spaceships that are almost extinct these days. I had a blast with it.

(One thing all three shows definitely had in common was an OP that absolutely slaps.)


I disagree that Bebop had much to offer in terms of "emotional depth", but otherwise I think you nailed it. Trigun does a better job exploring morals, but goddamn if Outlaw Star isn't a truly fantastic adventure. It is easily my favorite out of the three. It's not some deep masterpiece but it is incredibly fun. And it's also easy to see where Firefly (live action) got a lot of its inspiration from.

The review mentions inconsistencies in animation, and alas, that's my one real gripe with Outlaw Star, aside from the fact that there was no direct sequel. There's one of the later episodes in particular whose art is flat-out awful.

I'm happy to see it streaming so now a whole new group of fans can see it!
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3819
PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2020 5:02 pm Reply with quote
Top Gun wrote:
Outlaw Star never reaches for the masterful emotional complexities and depths of Bebop, or the fundamental moral questions of Trigun, but the one thing it does do extremely well is be unapologetically fun. It feels for all the world like an anime version of a pulpy Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers serial: space pirates, catgirls, lasers, arcane magic, the whole grab-bag. The characters are colorful and entertaining, and it's chock-full of beautiful hand-drawn spaceships that are almost extinct these days. I had a blast with it.

(One thing all three shows definitely had in common was an OP that absolutely slaps.)


Agreed all around. I'd probably put it between Bebop at the top and Trigun if I had to rank the 3.

The endings are great too visually and aurally, though it's definitely a different tone to the awesome opening Laughing

Looking forward to keeping up with the reviews. I rewatched it semi-recently since the BDs came out, but I might be tempted to watch along (though then I'd probably just end up bingeing it Laughing)


Last edited by Covnam on Fri May 29, 2020 11:25 pm; edited 1 time in total
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vanfanel



Joined: 26 Dec 2008
Posts: 1259
PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2020 5:42 pm Reply with quote
Watched this show for the first time earlier this year.

I love space adventure in general. I love the character designs in this show. I love the setting. I love the opening, and I love the endings--I don't think I skipped any of those even once.

I don't love Outlaw Star, though. It has all the ingredients in place to become something incredible, but the writing is too weak, the tone is all over the place, the main antagonist is underwhelming, and the animators can't seem to stay on model until the finale.

It's not an awful show; it's just a missed opportunity.
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BluExocet



Joined: 04 Mar 2010
Posts: 64
Location: The High Mountain
PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2020 7:23 pm Reply with quote
Outlaw Star has a permanent place in my heart like an abnormal growth. From watching it on Toonami back in the day, and having both the Bandai and Funi sets.

It's an ugly, sloppy, stylish, cool, and extremely fun show. It's a space western that's got a bit of everything. Also with bonus points for being one of the few shows with a hot spring episode that's plot relevant!

Looking forward to reading your reviews over the course of the show.
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dm
Subscriber



Joined: 24 Sep 2010
Posts: 1463
PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2020 10:08 pm Reply with quote
The opening showing Melfina entering the navigation cylinder, illuminated by blue light from below, always reminded me of Nadia. Okay, a simple coincidence no doubt.

....except that many episodes later, in a market place on some planet, there is a brief scene where we see Melfina's attention captured by a blue stone on a necklace --- the Blue Water.
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quickmind



Joined: 30 May 2011
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2020 11:47 pm Reply with quote
I've actually been watching this show again this year. I'm about to watch the last 3 episodes. I think I originally watched this when it was on Toonami in like, 2000, or something, and I didn't remember very much of it, so it has been interesting to rewatch it 20 years later. Does it hold up to what I remember? Not so much. Is it fun? Yes. Does it have heart? Lots of it. Is the animation good? Its been hit or miss for me. I did start watching it on some of the old dvds that I own, but I switched over to streaming it because the quality was better. Most of all, it comes down to pacing. I feel like the story could have built into something really brilliant, but the comedy episodes really sidetrack the main story. If it had decided to go the full comedy route, it would have been really good too, but somehow trying to do both, it hasn't hit the mark for me. Its still fun to watch, and hits the right nostalgia notes, but the overall series as of right now, isn't one of my favorites.
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penguintruth



Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 8501
Location: Penguinopolis
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2020 12:20 am Reply with quote
Outlaw Star is a fun space adventure show with some really memorable story beats (the Galactic Leyline, the space race, evil cactus, the Anten Seven, the MacDougall brothers, the hot springs planet, Gene's cool gun, etc). It definitely lacks the emotional complexities and character electricity you get with Cowboy Bebop, but the comparison is only so fair. For what it is, OS fulfills its purpose about as well.

I also like the idea of having a space-faring protagonist that's actually afraid of space travel at first, desiring to conquer that fear to move onto the heights he wants to reach.
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Themaster20000



Joined: 05 Aug 2014
Posts: 871
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2020 10:31 am Reply with quote
Outlaw Star is just a fun show. I doesn't strive to be anything more than that,which is both good and bad. I think most would agree that the earlier episodes are the best ones,still lots of memorable bits.
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Multi-Facets



Joined: 15 Oct 2019
Posts: 256
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2020 9:28 pm Reply with quote
I'll chime in with those saying that "Outlaw Star" is just plain fun. It has a certain charm with its story elements and ship designs, and even the treasure-hunting plot is interesting, especially with how the Galactic Leyline turns out to function. If it ever gets a second run on the air, I'll happily watch for the nostalgia.
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Shay Guy



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 2306
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2020 11:18 pm Reply with quote
And as far as OPs go... well, of the 1998 Space Westerns, yeah, Bebop's got that one sewn up too. But Outlaw Star makes a damn good effort in that arena.

SEMENAIDE
KESANAIDE
MAKENAIDE
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zatheus



Joined: 05 Aug 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Ohio
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2020 9:03 pm Reply with quote
I was always fond of Outlaw Star, keep wanting to rewatch it for the last year. Always remember it being a fun show, and it had some awesome ship designs. My friend thought I was crazy for finding Outlaw Star more enjoyable then Bebop, and that was back when I had more available time and less stuff to fill it with.
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