I recently sat down and watched all twenty-six episodes of Outlaw Star… and now my ass is really sore.
Synopsis:
Short Version:
Cool guy with a cool gun, and a cool sidekick, meet a cool chick, with a cool ship, the cool chick has another cool chick with her, and together they find an even more cool ship, and proceed to have cool adventures while trying to make some cool cash.
Long Version:
Enter Gene Starwind, bounty hunter, handyman, slacker… Modeled on your typical slacker living below his potential, not making anything out of himself, character archetype, we are introduced to a man who never thinks ahead, at the detriment to all those around him. Not to say that Gene is all bad, he is the hero after all, and is expected to save the day in the end, or at least give a good punch line.
Gene has a partner named Jim Hawking (no relation to Steven), a kid with a knack for planning and computers. Jim would describe him self as the brains of the outfit, however, like any kid he lacks real life experience. Together with Gene, they run a bounty hunter like shop on a planet called Sentinel III.
Finally, there is Melfina. I can't really say much about her for spoiler reasons other then to say she could save you a lot on airline fares as I think she'd fit snugly into the overhead luggage compartment.
These three characters make up the central cast in Outlaw Star. There are other major characters, but the story essentially revolves around the main three. Early on, they face off against space pirates, who become the main antagonists of the story. Besides pirates, our heroes face constant struggles with assassins, bounty hunters, dimwitted cat like aliens, and perpetual debt.
Like most animated shows that deal with space travel, they don't really bother to portray realistic physics in space, or like in Outlaw Star, only do a couple times when it is convenient, and make up new laws of the universe when needed. But hey, if you aren't a physic's student, you shouldn't be too turned off.
One episode of the series stands out for me, to avoid spoilers I'll only refer to it as the Jim's date episode. If you see it, you'll know why…
Outlaw Star can be best described as an entertaining space farce. It has odd aliens, absurd physics, and a fantasy element all rolled into a decent and comedic show. If you watch it, you may even find a plot worth your time.