Customer Reviews

Outlaw Star (Collection 1)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

So you're Joe schlub anime fan (like me), you see Outlaw Star on Toonami, and you think "hey, this is pretty good." Why should you buy these discs?

Well, in my case, I missed 1 1/2 episodes while taping, and I had a general suspicion that some of the plot holes were due to editing for US TV. I really liked the characters, so I bit the bullet and ponied up for the 3-volume set.

Was this a wise move? After finishing them, I vote yes.

I won't reveal story info, but I'll say the series as a whole is definitely interesting. There is an Indiana Jones-esque treasure hunting feel mixed with a slick, sci-fi universe and engaging character interaction.

I would guess there is about thirty seconds of extra footage in 10 or 15 episodes of the 26 episode arc. Mostly it seems to have been cut out because it displayed sexual relationships or seedy sex-related locales. I suppose it makes sense to cut this for the 12-under set, but none of it was very ribald at all. Language was also edited. Also cut from the CN airing of the show was an episode "Hot Springs Planet Tenrei," due to about three or four minutes of frontal female nudity and about 15 minutes of action revolving around frontal female nudity :). Having watched both "versions" of the show, I would definitely say the uncut show is the better, with a tad more cohesiveness and a fair amount more of characterization and color. However, you don't miss a whole ton of story by watching the edited shows.

Sights and sounds are pumped up and very good. Pipe it through a Surround sound receiver (the discs are in stereo, but a good receiver will create virtual channels for near-5.1 sound) and crank up the volume. Outlaw Star is a show with good sound effects and good music. Watch it loud! A note on voice acting: I really liked the english dub. I found it hard to get into the japanese audio track, as some of the voices didn't seem to fit as well as the english. Picture quality is nearly flawless, only a few pixellation spots.

The extras are pretty sparse, but it's not some great travesty. At about 2 hours per disc, 2 discs per set there's enough value to forgive minor flaws like this.

There are one or two nagging questions I have, mostly regarding character backstory (how did Gene and Jim meet? What the heck was up with Harry M.? He seemed to lack credible motivation...). Also, the conclusion left a number of dangling threads which hopefully will be picked up in a new installment (after all, it did say "To Be Continued" and "See You Next Time" at the end...)

In sum, though, if you saw the CN show and want a nice set, this is definitely the way to go. If you want to give it a try, Buy Vol. 1, which, containing the first 9 episodes is definitely enough to tell whether you like it or not (The "I'm hooked" point is around episode 4 for me, "When the Hot Ice Melts."). If you don't like it, you can resell it for probably $20 or so. I doubt you will, though. Outlaw Star is genuinely funny, occasionally thrilling and always interesting.

Outlaw Star is a pretty good show, and as released on DVD, is an exceptional value: this release is a two-disc set in a slimline case (no bigger than an ordinary, single-disc case) which contains just over one-third of the episodes froom the show.

Outlaw Star is, unfortunately, somewhat cliche, but its execution rises above this, for the most part. It is a fairly standard space opera, combining high-tech spaceships with magic, although the interaction and the distinction isn't always clear. The main character is Gene Starwind, a skilled bounty hunter with a fear of space, and his kid partner, Jim Hawking. The character designs are fairly nice, but they go off-model occasionally (that is, they look different than they should, probably because the show's budget wasn't high enough). The story moves quickly, with a lot of action, most of which is well-done. The spaceship battles are interesting, and the later ones on the disc, involving the spaceship Outlaw Star, are really weird (not bad, just unexpectedly odd and perhaps the most original part of the show).

The show does have its faults. Particularly, Jim Hawking is cast from the mold of the bossy, loud, too-smart-for-his-own-good kid, and is easily the most annoying character on the show. Other than that, most of the characters are likeable, if not fresh and memorable. This also fairly describes the show: if you like space opera shows, Outlaw Star is a good time (I liked it much more than I expected to), but it's not groundbreaking or innovative. As a final note, if you're concerned with such things, one of the characters spends a good deal of time undressed (more would spoil the story), but any nudity is featureless, as if all the parts had been erased.

From what I saw on this DVD, I can tell you that if you are a fan of Cowboy Bebop, you have to see this. It is silly, but it still manages to stay within the story by doing so. Gene is a little less hipper than Spike from Cowboy Bebop (he's a real ladies man). The fight scenes (both in space and on land) are absolutely amazing. The soundtrack is too good. I almost forgot that it was TV show. The content is ok, although a scene where Gene is with Melfina where Gene's manhood cannot be seen might confuse some viewers. Other than that, this show was the best. The extras on disc two include creditless opening and image gallery (actually, it should just be called a full-color conceptual art). Ofcourse, I can't explain the true entertainment of Outlaw Star in words alone. You just have to see it. Or, if you dont like spending money on a DVD, you can just watch it on Cartoon Network's Toonami on January 15. But it will be edited on TV, so get this DVD. There is a lot of stuff they're going to censor. This anime is on a level of Star Wars, Blade Runner, Tenchi and just about any movie you can think of thats in space. However, there is a little glitch in it. When the Dolby advertisment comes up, dont hit the title button. Just fast forward through it. The colors didnt bleed. The characters are all great, although some might think Melfina is being used as a female slave by Gene. I dont wanna give away any of the story cause I did it would be criminal of me to rob you of the full glory Outlaw Star has. So buy the DVD and see just why the hell I cant say enough good things about this show.

Off the bat I didn't expect much from Outlaw Star. There was barely any press on this series, there were 9 episodes per volume (normally a big red flag) and trailer looked lame. But being the anime fan and impulse buyer that I am (a rotten combination), I picked this up and was pleasantly surprised.

Admittedly, this series breaks no new ground in terms of animation, storytelling or presentation, but by the end of this volume, I was completely hooked. I think it's the combination of likable characters, fantastic mechanical design, overall art direction and sporadic off-color humor that slowly wear down your cynacism and resistance. This is truly Cowboy Bebop's illegitimate love child.

...both of them. Score is 41-2 and counting...

Sometimes Anime takes itself waay too seriously. *cough* *cough* Gundam *cough* Other times it's way too goofy. Outlaw Star provides a pretty darn good balance between the two and it works well. There's humor a plenty in this series, but behind it all are some of the great plot twists that make similar series like Cowboy Bebop great as well. A few examples:

* Beautiful Assassin (which is on this disc) - Gene Starwind unwillingly becomes a friend's bodyguard against hired assassin Twilight Suzuka. When he defeats her in battle, she promises him that she will carry out her contract to kill his friend. Gene says that she can't kill his friend until she kills him first. And so begins a beautiful friendship...

* Cats and Girls and Spaceships (on the 3rd disc in the series) - Young Jim Hawking finally falls in love. I'm not gonna spoil this one...suffice to say it's as poignant and simply beautiful as anything the Bebop crew ever put out. When I saw this episode, I was convinced that this was the best anime saga I'd ever seen.

Here's to hoping they'll do a second series...

I first watched OLS on Cartoon Network (BAD editing job, CN), but i wanted to watch the Uneditied version of it (which is 10 times better than CN's job) I also wanted to see "Hot Springs Planet Tenrei", which they don't show on CN (something about dirty picutes). Anyway, i love this series!

Gene Starwind is your average guy. He owns Starwind & Hawking Enterpries with his friend Jim Hawking. They both have adventures with an assassin, a babe android, a Ctal Ctal who will rip your arms off of thier sockets if you call her an animal, and the coumpter of the Outlaw Star! There's some nudity in the show, but this isn't a porno anime. A must-see!

After i saw the Outlaw Star series on cartoon network, i simply loved it. the characters and the relationships they have with each other were great. So i of course went to get the dvd because i wanted to get the full package and see the series as intended. When it arrived i saw that the cover art was nice and slick. there were two discs and i popped them in to start viewing episodes. the menus quickly got on my nerves as did the music. At the beginning of each episode there is a little monologue/sermon followed by the opening sequence. this opening quickly becomes old after a few episodes. The animation is great but the song becomes annoying and detracts from the experience. The episodes on these two discs are mainly to introduce characters and plot elements. Overall the dvd is great but only get it if you are going to get the others.

On New Year's Eve I was watching Cartoon Network and saw the first previews of Outlaw Star. The animation and the overall look of the show hooked me from the start. Then I watched it and I was blown away. Gene Starwind's character essentially made me think of the series as "Star Wars: The Han Solo Adventures." Seriously, though, the story and characters are compelling, from the confused Melfina, the goofy Aisha, the calm Sazuka, and the conniving Gene and Jim. What's greatest about the DVD is the ability to watch the series subtitled. Even greater is the DVD comes in 2-disk sets, which makes it cost a bit more, but you get more from the get-go, and more episodes come out at once. My only complaint is a constant translation problem with the subtitles. Jim commonly refers to Gene as "aneki" in the Japanese. The word means "big brother," but the subtitles always say "Gene." I guess they were afraid people would think that Jim and Gene were brothers if they literally translated it, but wouldn't the fact that they have different last names make up for it? Oh, well, we can't all be perfect. This video is definately a great buy!

This space anime series has it all. Action, adventure, romance, and humor blend for a more than decent plotline coupled with good animation with a minimal dependance on google eyes and lima bean mouths, plus characters you'll fall in love with, from shoot first and run like hell after Gene and his smart-mouthed sidekick Jim to the crafty mercenary MacDougall brothers, cunning Ron and his psychotic, missile-loving little brother Harry. While the edited and toned down version of the series shown on Cartoon Network's Toonami was good and suitable to show the kids, the only way to really enjoy the humor and innuendo is to get the full, uncut, adult-oriented version. The language is a little steep for under 12ers and there's some nudity as well as a great deal of sexual humor, but it's all part of the story and certainly no more graphic than your average movie rental. Episodes 1-9 cover our introduction to the main characters and their coming together on board the high tech spaceship, the Outlaw Star, the key, along with a beautiful bio-android named Melfina, to finding the legendary Galactic Leyline. Pursuing them are the evil Kei Pirates and the deadly and enigmatic MacDougall brothers. Offering both the original Japanese and dubbed English tracks, as well as subtitles in both languages, you can pick your flavor for viewing this great anime adventure. The DVD also contains an image gallery and the opening and closing themes without credits. It seems to play a bit glitchy on iMac (to get to the options screen, I'd have to play a portion of an episode and then return to the main screen) but does fine in other players. A hassle I'm more than willing to put up with to get my daily fix of Outlaw Star. Let's go!

Five years after I bought the first volume of Outlaw Star, I still have a habit of popping it into my DVD player and watch it over and over. The series Outlaw Star is a sci-fi adventure that doesn't take place on Earth, unlike other anime series. When I first watched this series, I fell in love with it, even when I had no idea what anime was. So this would be a great series to start with if you are interested in knowing what anime is.

The story is superb! The main character, Gene, is a Bounty Hunter on a civil planet. Along with his young companion, Jim, they track down bounties and work in a repair shop. But when a strange woman asks for some protection, Gene and Jim embark on a space adventure with the whole galaxy looking for them!

The DVD contains nine full length episodes. You can choose from either Japanese or English audio and English subtitles. The extras have an image gallery of the characters, ships and props. Also the traditional text less opening and ending are included. Along with some previews and trailers of other anime series you can try.


Sound-wise, it's a little weak. With HI-FI Stereo, you won't get real heavy or balanced volume. So if you're one of those guys who love to blast amazing sound out of their new speakers and are looking for a series with amazing sound, this isn't the one for you.


The graphics are well done and are very superb for something from the year 2000. Though the color quality goes down when you go to your computer. So if you want better quality either pop it in your DVD player or change the properties on your computer.

Overall the series is pretty solid, besides the audio and graphics. But if you're interested in any sci-fi series, buy Outlaw Star. If you enjoy it, get the other two DVD's. I give Outlaw Star (Collection 1) 5 stars out of 5!

My name is Amone. Adios!