Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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105 of 108 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I probably waited too long to watch this rare gem!, November 5, 2004
Outlaw Star started playing on Toonami back about five or six years ago. I was just getting started then as an anime collector, and dismissed it as a DBZ, Yu-Gi-Oh, or even a Pokemon type thing. Unfortunately, I judged it without watching it to any degree. It played often, so I could hear those annoying voices in my head. I'd always seem to catch a few minutes, while I surfed the channel. The Jim Hawking to Gene Starwind dialog, it seemed a lot like a Robin to Batman type of talk, and grated on my nerves. The only thing that hit home then, "as possibly original", was some talk I overheard about caster shells. Bullets that varied greatly in degree of power, even though they were all fired from the same size handgun.
Over the years since then, I've collected as much of the best quality anime titles, subbed or dubbed that I could afford. Now I've nearly gotten to the point where I must wait for new series to be packaged, so I revisit some of the past ones, just to see if I missed any. I came across a good rating on "Outlaw Star", so I tried a few more sites, and found that sentiment to be consistent. What did I miss? Unfortunately, Outlaw Star has long been off Toonami or Adult Swim, and I'd have to buy the series to check it out further. Fortunately, its dirt-cheap compared to many 26 episode series for sale.
Ok, so what's the verdict? Well as you can tell from my rating, I messed up badly by originally passing over this series! The collection of characters drive a story where, like the "Heroes Journey" in literature, give them life-changing purpose. Gene grows from a slovenly bum to a substantial man. Along the way, he overcomes his space travel phobia, and the haunting events of the past that caused it. Each of the other characters finds, and overcome personal challenges, that stretch them to their very limits. One thing that aids this, and affects the viewer is that we have no nice, nice type of PC anime. Characters are injured, some die, ships are destroyed, and space is a portrayed as a very dangerous place in which to travel! Not just because of Kai Pirates, but asteroids, black holes, and other dangers.
Another good plot device to help make it real for me was the cost of space travel. Maintaining, repairing, and outfitting a ship is not something you can do with pocket change. Many have compared this to Cowboy Bebop. This is probably because they both involve a group of diverse characters that have a similar mix of communication. While it shared some elements of reality in its vision of a future. The goals, plot and motivations were completely different. Still OS stands out on its own merits.
If you're gonna try to rent this first, try the episode: Cats and Girls and Spaceships (#20). It has an excellent blend of humor, irony, and human feelings, all of which transcend a mere anime plot. Another good one is Hot Springs Planet Tenrei (#22), a funny, fan service episode that still had some important plot elements, and it should not have been left off the Toonami showings. It's actually the only episode I remember which explains caster shells.
I don't really remember enough about the Toonami showings to confirm this, but I don't know if they left in the narrative prolog for each episode. Voiced by the guy that does Jet in the Bebop series (I think), his voice over gives an important intro to each episode. Its especially effective for character introduction, often explaining the motivations of the new characters that would otherwise take several episodes to figure out. The high quality box set includes six DVD's, two each to a DVD case. Packaging tends to be better than most of the full series boxes I've run across, especially at these low prices!
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really 4.8/5, but definitely more to 5 than 4..., July 25, 2005
Toonami, Adult Swim... Got so many great memories of Anime from both, actually, I bought 'em. Lol. And this Anime, Outlaw Star, has become my 2nd favorite Anime. Yeah... About 3 or more years back, I caught this on Toonami, and their Midnight Run. I really liked it, so, after more than a year, I finally got around to buying it, and man, it was even better uncut, and from then on out, I loved it! And jeez... On Toonami, they so HEAVILY edited this Series, it wasn't even funny... Even to the point of cutting one whole episode out of the Series. That episode held quite a bit of meaning for the Outlaw Star Series, and was definitely one of the best, and funniest episodes throughout the Series. And all I have to say to all those Anime lovers, Otakus, and such... Just buy it as fast as you can. This Anime is only 2nd to Bebop. My age rating for it is: 15+ (Graphic Violence, Profanity, Nudity, and Sexual Situations). Beyond superb.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just Amazing, October 16, 2002
I was wathcing this anime once and after the first five minutes I was hooked. Before I even knew the name of the series I was hooked. This is such a great series, once you get this, it will be your favorite anime, too.
I'm not sure what some of those other people were thinking - bad music!? Whoever said that, I pity you. Outlaw star's soundtrack is excellent, every song played ties perfectly into that scene. The dialogue is great - though not perfect. There are a few lines I would have changed, and even laughed at because they were so out of place, but that was very rare. Every episode is very funny; Gene Starwind's carefree, comedic, and often impetuous attitude add a lot to the show. His comments are always hilarious, especially when he argues with his partner Jim Hawking, the ship's mechanic and resident computer wizard. Then there's Aisha ClanClan, a Ctarl Ctarl - race of cat-like people that are very strong and often stubborn that can shapeshift into powerful tiger beings. Aisha does not like the crew of the Outlaw Star and is only with them because she wants to impress the empire and get the rank that Gene made her lose back. She often makes fun of Gene and Suzuka (Suzu to her). Though later she develops an older-sister like relationship with Jim Hawking. Then there's Suzuka, a quiet assassin-for-hire that gets stuck with Gene, and used him and his conflict with the Kei Pirates to settle an old score with her archenemy, who I won't mention.
Outlaw star is packed with action and comedy, from fighting the evil Kei Pirates, foiling powerful Tao Priests, battling the deadly Anten Seven to the death, or simply evading Aisha's vengeful wrath, there's plenty happening in the episodes to keep you wanting to see the next one, and then at the end...feeling sad that it's actually over.
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