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Outlaw Star

Review:

Outlaw Star follows the adventures of the cash-strapped duo, Gene Starwind and Jim Hawking, and the oddball cast of characters that join them on the eponymous ship. Through a tangle with an outlaw, roughly a space traveler not affiliated with either pirates or the law, they acquire an experimental ship of superior power and meet a women named Melfina who is somehow linked to that ship, repainted and rechristened as the Outlaw Star.
There's no doubt in my mind that the characters of this series set it apart. Anime characters tend to fall into predictable categories, if not stereotypes, but everyone in the show unpredictably breaks these molds. Gene's "playboy" attitude develops consistently, but doesn't go away - unlike some other series, personalities at the beginning of Outlaw Star are a foundation for character's personalities at the end of the story. Besides Gene, there's the curious but shy Melfina, serious but ambitious Jim Hawking, the hyper-aggressive Ctarl-ctarl Aisha Clan-clan (think of a mix of anything goes cat people and Klingons, and you won't be too far off for the Ctarl-ctarl), calm and traditional assassin Suzuka, and stuffy but concerned onboard computer Gilliam.
Ships in this universe have a unique feature; many ships, called "grappler ships" have robotic arms that they can use in combat. Thus, spaceships wrestle and hold guns and knifes.
The past behind the leading characters gradually reveals itself. Gene's father died when he was a child in a fight with a grappler ship, and Gene witnessed this event. Melfina has many enemies after her because of her connection to the Outlaw Star. Even the origins of the rare caster shells that Gene uses is shown, as Gene seeks out magic users capable of making new ones. Outlaw Star is a funny but engaging space opera.

Rating: 3/5 - Good
Format: SERIES
Added to FanCruft: April 26th 2006
[Buy Outlaw Star at Amazon]

Angst: 4	Overlord: 6	Experimental: 3	Mech: 7	Weird: 7	Action: 7