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April 30th: Outlaw Star Retrospective - Part One
Topic Started: Apr 30 2008, 03:48 PM (1,527 Views)
Nick
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Founder and Major Domo
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Mackenzie kicks off a two-part retrospective with a review of Outlaw Star.

http://www.toonamifan.com/toonamioutlawretro1.html
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macattack
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Basically, in short, I liked Outlaw Star.

One thing I never mentioned was the musical score. I liked it overall, it is the same composer who did Gundam Wing. However, Outlaw Star's music is more "traditional" and lacks the country-western touch in Trigun's soundtrack and doesn't go for the blues/jazz sound that Cowboy Bebop has. Instead, Outlaw Star's score is more defined by synths and orchestras. I liked that the resulting sound is more epic and dramatic, because Outlaw Star's score isn't influenced as much by how you feel about a genre of music (I despise country, so I ended up hating Trigun's soundtrack).

Just my two cents on that issue.
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Nick
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I'm not sure I would consider Kanno's OST for Trigun to be country...it has acoustic guitar, but isn't it basically brass-less jazz? I can't really hear it in my head, so I may be mistaken. What's funny is that I associated Vigil's 'Starwind' with Outlaw Star more than any of Otani's actual background compositions.
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macattack
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I just remember a bunch of plunking in Trigun's BGM and it got grating really fast. I watched the series three times through on AS but since they dropped it I haven't seen it again.

Well, the tradeoff for going the traditional route for the score is that the music kinda blends after a while and isn't all that memorable. Also, I believe that the Outlaw Star soundtrack hasn't been released in the US, so we can't really experience the music daily without resorting to less-than-moral methods. Whilst "Starwind" was actually put out in US stores for people to hear.
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Nick
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True. Oh, and I forgot to mention - Harry MacDougall actually stands out in my mind as one of the more entertaining performances of the English dub. He delivered his most important lines in a very memorable fashion. "Nothing good can ever come from staying with normal people." "Why can't I make you people understand?!!"
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The History Follower
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"Nothing good can ever come from staying with normal people"

Which is just what happened to Toonami.

I've always considered Outlaw Star one of my favorite shows, yet I've never seen all the episodes and never really watched it in any real order. I've watched a few in the right order, but to many. Yet some how I really like this series.

You never mentioned Firefly. Shame on you.
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macattack
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The History Follower
May 1 2008, 10:34 PM
You never mentioned Firefly. Shame on you.

I thought about making the connection but I felt it would have dragged the review off-topic. Plus, I wanted to judge the series on its own merits, not by comparing it to a show that, at best, only makes a couple of homages to Outlaw Star.
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macattack
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A final thought on Outlaw Star that I decided not to mention:

I really liked how they handled Jim and Hanmyo. Any other show would've gone the happy ending route or the Gundam tragedy route. Outlaw Star, however, took a completely different, unpredictable route and the end result is more resonant and sad and far less cheesy than if they had done a Gundam-esque tragedy, and was far less forced than if they had chosen the happy route.
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tarhaun
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Did somone say "chimichanga"?
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i saw OS back in the midnighht run.i don't remeber most of it,but when i started back watchin toonami in aug. 07(i stopped watching in 06) i rediscovered this show,found that there were 26 episodes,and watched every episode.i started on aug.18 and ended on mar.17(i took really long breaks) but do like the show? hell yeah
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sonofnight
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I liked the article. It took me back to watching Outlaw Star. I get excited when I see the intro, endings, and Toonami promos. It's definitely a great show.
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tarhaun
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Did somone say "chimichanga"?
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macattack
May 2 2008, 05:20 PM
A final thought on Outlaw Star that I decided not to mention:

I really liked how they handled Jim and Hanmyo. Any other show would've gone the happy ending route or the Gundam tragedy route. Outlaw Star, however, took a completely different, unpredictable route and the end result is more resonant and sad and far less cheesy than if they had done a Gundam-esque tragedy, and was far less forced than if they had chosen the happy route.

i'm glad it was only 26 eps now that i think about it.why? because,i have a thorey,that-------hazanko might be gene's father,which is both outlandish,and at the same time,could make sense.
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AskWhy2008
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It's hard for me to read this and see that you docked Outlaw Star a point because of a slightly horrible dub for Malfina. However, this is singularly because it was Outlaw Star that not only made my 5th grade year fly by in a blink of an eye, but introduce me to eastern animation. Not only those two reasons, but on top of that, it was my first ever purchase of a show on box set (VHS for those counting).

Fandom aside, I don't know what it is about Outlaw star that truly grabs my mind and imagination. Perhaps I related to Gene's self-analysis for purpose. Perhaps it was Jim's over the top smarts, but pure innocence was reflected in what I hoped to be as an adult. Perhaps it was the now cliche stories that were brand new for a bug-eyed 12-year old boy. Regardless, the story in all of its glory made an experience that pushed me to becoming a little older, a little wiser man filled with new thoughts about everyone's purpose and job in life; maybe that is it altogether, it made me question. It make me ask why to the hard facts of life.

I can always pop on the Perfect Collection and re-explore every episode and re-find my 12 year old mind and grasp onto the awesomeness that is Outlaw Star.

After all, a boy has the right to dream. . .
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