Summary: >

Gene Starwind was a young aspiring guy stuck on a frontier planet in the middle of nowhere. While he was well enough known on his small planet, he had always dreamed of getting out into the stars and making a name for himself. His dreams come true in a rather strange way once he meets an Outlaw named Hilda. Soon Gene and his young sidekick James Hawking end up on an adventure of a lifetime. Hilda gets them into space but soon falls prey to space pirates. Gene and Jim are left to fend for themselves in the most advanced ship in the galaxy, the GXP - which Gene names: the Outlaw Star. But there is a mystery surrounding it all. Hilda never told Gene the entire story about th GXP, or how the bio android Melfena (the ships navigator) fits into the picture. But Gene is determined to make a name for himself in the vastness of space. And it would probably be pretty easy if he didn't have to pay for it. Odd jobs tend to land Gene and his crew into strange and risky situations. Along the way he gathers a few more oddball crew members including the beautiful assassin "Twilight" Suzuka, and a Ctarl-Ctarl (cat girl) officer Aisha ClanClan. Also along the way Gene ends up gaining many enemies as well.

Gene didn't have anything in mind when he set out into space, but more and more everything is pointing in the same direction. Melfina and the GXP are the key to it. Aisha is searching for it. The space pirates guild is trying to kill him for it. And the deadly McDougle brothers are trying to beat him to it. The "it" is the galactic Leyline ... but considering all the commotion about it, Gene doesn't even know what it actually IS.

Thoughts: >

So how is this anime unique or original? Well that's the funny thing about Outlaw Star - the more you learn about it, the more you realize that it's not original in any shape or form. Hmmm... So why watch it? Well I suppose that's up to a matter of taste. If you want something new, then Outlaw Star is NOT for you. BUT, there is something to be said for an anime which takes the things you've seen before and fine tunes them. In that regard, Outlaw Star really stands out - it manages to get pretty much everything right. The series formula is itself pretty "formula" as far as anime goes. A bit of action the first episode, some mystery which hangs in the background, humorous episodes which get you through most episodes, then the more serious plot build up at the end. As far as the plot goes, it's actually pretty decent overall. Episode by episode the stories are typically VERY good. Despite the look of "formula" characters, they're actually ALL very likable, with interesting designs. The humor is also quite good. Well I could go over Outlaw Star point by point, but essentially it's good at pretty much every point. And in all honesty it's rare to find an anime this well balanced.

So in a nutshell, what Outlaw Star lacks in originality, it more than compensates for in refinement overall. If you're looking for a good anime, then certainly look into Outlaw Star. Just remember that if you watch Outlaw Star on cartoon network, you're never going to see the "Hot Springs Planet" episode... eh-heh-heh heh heh... heh