Outlaw Star is a 1998 science fantasy western space opera Japanese animated series directed by Mitsuru Hongo, based on the manga by Takehiko Ito, the  plot follows protagonist Gene Starwind and his motley crew of an inherited ship dubbed the Outlaw Star, as they search for a legendary, outer space treasure trove called the “Galactic Leyline”.

Positives:

• Great characters
• Great music
• Good voice performances
• Great action
• Decent animation style
• The writing is good
• The story is awesome
• Great humor
• Touching moments
• Great setup

Negatives:

• Lackluster antagonist
• Episodics can distractive

Plot:  The premise follows a young man, Gene Starwind, and his friend, Jim Hawking, who, through twist of fate, come into possession of the prototype ship, the Outlaw Star.  After gaining a crew, the group set out to find the “Galactic Leyline”, a treasure beyond treasure, while dealing with space pirates and bounty hunters.  The anime spans 26 episodes and the story itself is pretty damn entertaining sometimes breaking from the main story to actually focus on the characters, their past, and their relationships.  Some episodes do feel like filler but make for some pretty insight into the various cultures, characters, places, and events.  The final episode is just completely epic and leaves off on a pretty satisfactory note (all of the bad guys get their asses kicked and the good guys move on to enjoy more adventures). (3 out of 5)

Characters:  Each of the major characters are written and portrayed really well.  Gene is pretty goofy, laid back, selfish, and a bit of a lecher but he has a very serious side and a lot of hurt, pain, and fear within him, especially when it comes space.  Jim is a great balance for Gene as he’s often the voice of reason to Gene’s impulsiveness or laziness.  The character of Melfina, a mysterious bio-android linked with the ship as its navigator, brings an innocence to the group.  There is also the relationship developing between her and Gene, where you see his soft side. Gilliam is the ship’s computer and yes, he has an awesome personality.  It’s great seeing that he does show relationships with Gene, Melfina, and Jim.

The group are aided by the assassin Twilight Sazuka and a former Ctarl-Ctarl officer Aisha Clan-Clan.  Although both aren’t initially committed to the crew, the both actually provide a lot to the group.  Sazuka is more reserved compared to Aisha’s more outspoken personality and Aisha brings a lot of great humor.  Wished there could’ve been a bit more exposition on Sazuka as she was lacking. I would’ve loved to have seen more from Hilda, as her role was the catalyst for all of the events of the series. Didn’t really mind the villains, some were pretty one dimensional…most were one dimensional but they were cool.  Would’ve liked to have seen more about them and their organization.  The MacDougall brothers, Ron and Harry, were perhaps the most prominent antagonists and I liked the clashes between them and the OS crew.  Harry has this weird obsession of Melfina and hatred of Gene. (4 out of 5)

Animation Style: The presentation of the technology is done pretty well, especially with the action and the grappler ships.  Admittedly, the art style is older but it isn’t distracting and it doesn’t compromise the quality of the series.  Did not mind many of the character and ship designs, I thought they were fun and diverse.  Sure, the series doesn’t have the most up-to-date CGI or animation but it was great in the 90s and it’s still great today. (3 out of 5)

Score:  The sound design is just epic.   The opening song ‘Through the Night‘ was just great, although the ending theme ‘Hiru no Tsuki‘ does feel out of place.  The grappler ship duel music ‘Crash‘ is the bomb and definitely make the action intense.  The English voice performances were done well and well cast in my opinion. The voice performances includes Robert Wicks (Gene Starwind), Brianne Siddall (Jim Hawking), Emily Brown (Melfina), Lenore Zann (Aisha Clan Clan), Wendee Lee (Twilight Suzuka), Peter Spellos (Gilliam II), Ezra Weisz (Fred Luo), and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Hot Ice Hilda). (4 out of 5)

Writing:  The writing is actually pretty awesome.  The structure of the setting, the various factions, and direction of the story makes for a compelling anime.  One of the most unique elements to the writing is how magic and technology is presented.  Down to its roots, the show is a science fiction western.  I’m a sucker for exposition and the series does it rather well without hindering on progression of story.  Whether you’re watching the gunfights are the epic space battles the action is actually pretty fast paced and intense.  At times it can be pretty damn funny, sometimes completely serious, and even touching.  Wished that the writing did stick more to the main story. Despite this, the writing is actually pretty damn good.  (4 out of 5)

The Verdict:  In the end, Outlaw Star is just an awesome anime.  For fans of a more story based anime the series does suffer from lackluster antagonists and episodic filler.  However, the series has great characters, great voice performances, awesome music, great action, good writing, good animation, and a great story. Outlaw Star gets 4 out of 5.