This is not a review. Well, it is kind of. When I write this style of post it's usually to praise something in the context of my own experiences. I picked up the boxset of this because something triggered nostalgia for it, and because I needed some low expectation comfort telly to offset hell year 2020. On that level, Outlaw Star succeeds, but it's not a genre classic like some of the other animes I've spoken of.
Outlaw Star is roughly what you would get if you wanted to do Star Wars, but with more Han Solo and pirates. Its aiming for similar space opera territory, with aliens, magic, and unique expository narration at the start of each episode. It's action-packed, often comedic, and TBH a bit more invested in the ladies than Star Wars. A character defining moment for Gene Starwind, the lead, is when he frequents a brothel in episode 1. The series sees him and his motley crew claim a spaceship from some rather nasty pirates, and go on adventures. The opening sequence is excellent, with the credit sequences favouring some interesting static fantasy art. And, it's a second tier show. Let's put it like this: Outlaw Star is a 6 outta 10 with a good mix of ideas. Sometimes it's a good 7, others it's a 5, but it's usually zipping along at a good pace. The problem is usually not that it's actually bad, the problem that it's ultimately shallow, unfocused, and kinda disposable. There's so many good ideas here, but some conflict, or just get lost in the shuffle. And on the rewatch it's easy how the fading of memory and youthful inexperience made it look better than it was. I mean, by far the most memorable part of this anime is the whole punchy starship thing, and you are waiting until episode 8 before the series properly demonstrated the idea. Why aren't you doing this absolutely all the time? Oh right, its because you want to do another episode about how they can't afford the ship's running costs. A wasted opportunity, I feel. Also, I admit that I was rather fond of Aisha Clan Clan, haughty alien catgirl, as episode 5 was the first I ever saw. I'm still vaguely disappointed she wasn't in the show more.
What-could-have-beens aside, Outlaw Star's main issue is probably pacing and uneven characterisation. Things move at a brisk pace at first, but things slow down and become episodic fluff towards the middle. The main plot gets put in a holding pattern, as the series busies itself with detours and subplots, before gearing things up for the finale. Again, this is not necessarily bad, but this is the of situation where I feel the time could have been better used. Gene is rounded, but characters like Twilight Suzuka and Jim Hawking never get fleshed out really. If it wasn't for the narrator we'd know sod all about 'em too, and I believe in show, not tell. Female lead Melfina doesn't do that much better, as she's explicitly a blank slate at first, but at least she has plot to do. And, thinking of it on rewatch, the series kills someone whom is arguably its best character in episode 4. It's happy to ogle the ladies though, and while it's use of fanservice is less obnoxious than say Gurren Lagann, it's not gonna be winning any awards for progressive characterisation. Especially in relation to that one episode with Fred Lowe and his notably muscular fiancé.
Overall, Outlaw Star may have been better served with a 13 episode OVA format. This thought came to me just as I counted the number of episodes reasonably called filler, found it was a third, and decided to cease my rewatch.
I feel I am possibly being too harsh. Is it still worth watching? Well, yeah, if only the once. Outlaw Star starts really strong and fast-paced, as the world is built and the titular ship is found. Once that's done, we get to meet the two final regulars, before things go episodic. Like I said, there's nothing necessarily wrong with episodic shows, and some one-off stories are great, but your mileage may vary. Strong opening arc, then it waffles a bit. But, like I said, comfort telly.
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