Outlaw Star - Perfect Collection Boxed Set

Rating:
Summary: I probably waited too long to watch this rare gem!
Review: 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!


Rating:
Summary: What can be said about Outlaw Star?
Review: I first saw Outlaw Star several years ago when it was aired late-night on Cartoon Network's "Toonami." Outlaw Star singlehandedly got me addicted to anime.

The six-disk Perfect Collection contains all 26 episodes of the series, perfectly preserved in DVD quality. That's ALL 26 -- including the hot springs episode, which was of course dubbed 'too hot for tv.'

Outlaw Star is an action show on the outside, but a thoughtful one on the inside. It touches on concepts of purpose and existance in the character of bio-android Melfina, who is constantly searching for information about the meaning of her existance, and the purpose for her being. Also among the cast is our main character, Gene Starwind. He's a space-phobic type, having had an extremely jarring experience as a child which kept him firmly planted on the ground ever since. Jim Hawking is far too smart for his age -- 10 years old and far more mature than Gene. He's definately the brains of the operation, and if it weren't for him, Gene would be long dead.

The plot is vague at first, when Gene encounters space outlaw "Hot Ice" Hilda. Gene is thrown into a battle for the mysterious and powerful spacecraft: the XGP15A-II. He discovers the "navigational system" of this ship in Melfina, the bio-android. Later to join the cast are cold and calculated assasin "Twilight" Suzuka, and crazy (former) Ctarl-Ctarl General Aisha Clanclan. (Yes, it's another cat-girl.)

Living by no set of rules but their own, on a tight budget (=P) and constantly hunted by the space pirates, this cast of characters is sent into a thrilling and engaging quest of the galactic Leyline and the very meanings of existance.

OLS may sound like a typical space show, but rest assured, it isn't.

Rating:
Summary: A Pleasant, Nay Superb Surprise
Review: I'm a fan of Cowboy Bebop and heard that Outlaw Star (which came out in the year 2000 before I was an anime fan) was much like it but better. So when I go to the local anime shop and they do not have Cowboy Bebop: The Perfect Sessions I notice this box set. Agaist all my better judgement I blow $50 dollars on this mysterious DVD and watch it. And to be frank it is not as good as Cowboy Bebop.

It's better.

It has Cowboy Bebop grade action bit with much better dialague, character development, and an actual plot. You will grow to love the characters such as Aisha, Gene, Melfina, Suzuka, Jim, Fred, and Gelium. It has humurous moments such as the Strongest Women in the Universe episode where he has to dress up like a women for a job. And serious episodes such as when Harry MacDougal (one of the 3 main badguys) falls in love with Melfina. One thing you must know though is an Outlaw is not a criminal in this series. It is someone with a ship who is not a Pirate or a Security Force member. Kinda like a mercenary... but not really a mercenary... Its hard to explain. Anyway, the overall story is a mysterious women named Hilda hires Gene to protect her and Gene unwittingly agrees not knowing he is protecting her from the Kai Pirates (not a good thing to get on there bad side) and eventually Hilda dies leaving Gene with a highly advance ship called the Outlaw Star, not to mention Melfina a women grown in a test tube to link directly to the Outlaw Star and offer navigation to a mysterious treasure called the Galactic Leyline. All in all a superb box set and a must buy.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding, One of the Best!!!!
Review: When I first saw Outlaw Star on Cartoon Network I was extremely impressed, but I realized that many things were left unanswered. I can't complain about the series, but there is one problem with the anime. It only runs for 26 episodes!!! Very short!!! I have heard of talks of Outlaw Star 2 and an anime movie but I am pretty sure there isn't going to be either since the creator is busy with other works. It is very disappointing since the series has a very abrupt ending with almost no clue of the future for the characters which is what most anime series try to do. Oh well...

I do have a problem with the vendor who sold me my copy of OLS. It seems to be a dvd burn copy!!! It also doesn't look anything like the picture on amazon.com which makes me suspect a fraudulent business even more!!! Also some of the episodes had glitches in which they became almost unwatchable. But I am off topic...

If you decide to buy this anime I don't think you will be dissapointed. Just don't pay over $50 for it because you might regret it. If you enjoy this series you might also enjoy Cowboy Bebop, Gundam Wing or maybe even Big O which all aired on Cartoon Network. That's all from me :)