Outlaw Star

Like many others I saw this originally on Toonami, and over the years I get a nostalgic kick for old toonami shows and rewatch them. Never have I ever been so embarrassed for Cartoon Network than after my recent rewatch of this series....

Character Development
Simple, there is none... the characters blatantly pronounce their feelings and remove any subtlety in a situation. Why was I made? Who made me? And what did they make me for? *sob* Or lines like I'm angry! *argh*
Their interactions with each other feel pathetic at best, and forced or out of place at worst.

Storyline
In the first few episodes you learn of the galactic leyline... then you get a TON of filler and fluff episodes that seem to be there just to show off all the concept art for the universe they created... then everything is quickly wrapped up in the last 3 episodes. It never goes into much depth on anything, only skims the surface.

The ONE redeeming factor....
The art for the environments, worlds, stations, and planets is absolutely stunning. I was able to ignore the characters, the fluff story lines, and the hasty finish because it all looked so damn good! I was even able to ignore the spaceship boxing because of the ship designs!

Basically, this isnt something you'll rewatch alot... and it's not something you'll want to watch for a great story or characters, but if you're out of other things to watch, feeling extremely nostalgic, or in the mood to see some amazing scenery with the volume on low then this is a great find!

If you were a kid growing up in the 90s chances are you caught cartoons after school on Toonami like I did. For those of you who aren't American locals or in the older crowd, Toonami was a segment airing Anime in the once great Cartoon Network line-up. To those of you who saw it back then and didn't make the effort of buying the Chinese import DVD's or the domestic volumes, take a seat right next to the curious and read my review.

Spoilers reduced to the bare minimum!

Welcome to Blue Heaven
Outlaw Star follows the epic misadventures of Gene Starwind, a "Shoot first ask questions later" outlaw and his space-traveling motley crue. Gene and his team set out to find the fabled Galactic Leyline, a legendary treasure found in parts unknown outer space. Along his journey, Gene finds himself dealing with the three powers in space, The Space Forces (Military/Private Security), Outlaws, and the Space Pirates. As if that weren't enough, he also has to stomach personal issues, debt, and a troubled past.

The music of the series has it's charms. Though the sound wasn't groundbreaking per se, it did have a memorable soundtrack suitable for a science fiction epic. Songs and sound bites were never out of place and worked well with scenes that were meant to induce some emotion from the viewer. The dub has it's weak points a couple of times during the series, not a big deal at all but if you're a bit anal about that sort of thing I suggest you watch the subbed version. The animation in the show is classic which is good if you're not a fan of current animes aided by computer generated images.

If you are looking for a cool action comedy that is not overly complicated or just plain weird, then Outlaw Star is the one for you. It is a must see for any Anime and/or Science fiction fanatic.

The series' most recent DVD release is the Anime Legends complete box set. This set includes...

- All 26 original uncut episodes on 3 DVDs (Including the "provocative" episode 23- "Hot Springs Planet Tenrei" originally cut from the Toonami run)
- Dolby Digital Stereo Sound Japanese/English
- Aspect Ratio 4:3 (Sorry HD heads)
- Image galleries & Textless openings and endings.

http://www.amazon.com/Outlaw-Star-Artist-Not-Provided/dp/B000CEV3O6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300853652&sr=8-1

Outlaw Star is one of my favorite animes of all time, right along with Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyo, and others. I remember watching Outlaw Star back when Toonami was on Cartoon Network. Since then, I became hooked to it and loved it. Gene is definitely the type of heroine that you would love to go out with as well as his sidekick Jim, who is very smart for a 10 year old. My favorites are Suzuka and Asa Chan Chan cause they're so kickass. I also like Malfina too, who is like the peacemaker of the group and really helpful to the gang. She's also trying to find ties to her past and figure out who she is and stuff, but other than that, she gets along with everyone, especially Gene, who she helps rescue one time.

This anime is totally worth watching, especially if you love action, romance, some adventure, fantasy, comedy, and technology. I totally recommend watching it and totally buy the dvds cause they're worth buying.

One of my favorite anime of all time, I've loved this anime since I was a little kid. Outlaw Star takes place in the distant future, where space travel and encounters with other intelligient life forms is of the norm. The series protagonist, Gene Starwind, and his eleven year old genius partner Jim Hawking run an odd job business known as Starwind and Hawking Enterprises, dealing with jobs ranging from tractor repairs to hunting criminals. After taking on a escort job from a mysterious woman, Gene goes on a series of adventures, finding a naked girl in a suitcase with no memory of her past, fighting space pirates, and acquiring a ship known as the XGP-15AII, "the fastest ship in the galaxy". The XGP, which Gene later names the Outlaw Star, is also a grappler ship, a rare type of space ship with arms used in space combat. Unfortunately, the XGP, as well as the girl, whose name is Melfina, were apparently stolen from the space pirates before Gene found either of them, and the pirates desperately want them back. Now Gene, Jim, and Melfina are on a quest to discover Melfina's past, as well find a place known as the Galactic Leyline, where a gigantic treasure is suppossed to be found.

This anime is a classic. It has fantastic music, and shows '90s animation at it's best. Each character has a unique contribution to the plot, and there are always episodes and scenes to make one laugh. I highly recommend this 26 episode series to all who enjoy anime.