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Synopsis
- Outlaw Star
Gene Starwind and Jim Hawking are in trouble. They've been bequeathed
one of the galaxy's most advanced starships from a now-dead acquaintance.
Problem is, everybody else they run into seems to want a piece of their
action.
This is a universe where three forces are at work. There's the
Federation, the supposed upholders of law and order, an organization to
which most of the empires and planetary governments belong. There are the
various clans of Pirates, who run most of the illegal business operations
throughout the galaxy. And then there are those who profess to take sides
with neither of these, who grab what they can, whenever they can, and are
proud to live on the edge of Galactic society. This last group, of which
Gene and Jim are self-proclaimed members, are the Outlaws.
And so, Gene, Jim, and the rest of their ship's ragtag skeleton crew -
the most unique band of misfits to sail the skies since Red Dwarf - have
set out from their home planets in search of the mysterious Galactic
Leyline, which will lead them to the greatest treasure in the universe ...
Review
This series has a little of everything. Among the crew of the Outlaw
Star are a handsome but occasionally dorky hero; his teenage-genius
sidekick; a cute but painfully shy android girl; a tradition-loving female
ronin; the ship's cantankerous computer, with the personality of a
depressive who's resigned to his fate; and a predictably spazzy catgirl.
This should give you some idea of how well it sticks to all the clichés of
90s-era sci-fi anime.
And yet it transcends those clichés at the same time. There are those
who say this series does everything and does nothing very well, but
personally I'm inclined to disagree. Maybe it doesn't go anywhere that
other series haven't already been, but boy, does it have a damn good time
getting there. It's wildly funny at times, more than worthy in the action
department, and there are quite a few mysteries along the way that make the
whole series worth watching.
The animation quality of the show is consistently high, but then again
it seems the standards have increased in Japan. Much like the art of Trigun
or Cowboy Bebop, the show's visual style is breathtaking and entertaining
in its own way. The quality of the sound is also admirable; the DVDs have
no noticeable glitches whatsoever, in sound OR video. And I haven't watched
it with the dubbed dialogue much, but from what I've heard so far the dub's
not as embarrassing as one might think.
I've not been able to get my hands on a copy of the second DVD set; at
this writing, two packages are available, and the whole series is, I think,
already available on VHS--but that makes for a very bulky package. But
they've managed to cram two discs and seven to nine episodes into every DVD
set, which I'm not aware of anyone having done before ... it may cost a
little more, but I think it's worth it.
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