Reviews

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Outlaw Star Episode 06 – Wood

The article title may not sound much, but Gene DOES get a lot of wood this episode. Unfortunately this isn’t because he wants it; the people dishing it out are giving it to him without consent. Never give your wood without asking first.

Anyway, we’re introduced to the final member of the team showcased in the opening: Twilight Suzuka. Like Hilda, she’s a hard-ass professional who’s good at what she does. Unlike Hilda, she holds herself in a bit more dignified manner, and has a really particular code and conduct on how she does what she does best: kill. She’s also a pretty good combat foil to Gene, who’d rather be clever and evasive regarding fights with women wielding wooden swords. His duel with Suzuka, which takes the second half of the episode is overall engaging, and ends in the most Gene way possible: embarrassment and him running circles around Suzuka’s worldview when it comes to getting her to stop killing an associate of his. read more

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Outlaw Star Episode 05 – Gritty Kitty

Obviously after such a whirlwind series of events, Gene and the gang (this includes you, the viewer) have to take a break. So, we’re back at Blue Heaven, and as the Outlaw Star begins its dynamic change into the iconic ship in the opening, our remaining three heroes take some deserved R&R. Except, as per the episode title “Beast Girl! Ready to Pounce!” this isn’t going to come true.

Unlike her shrill, screamy, debut on Episode 03, the Ctarl-Ctarl’s character is handled better. Despite being a product of a proud, privileged, family with a military history, Aisha’s well… a bit dim and goofy. It helps how Gene and the gang are unfazed and unimpressed by her, and thus opens the gate for some amusing moments. We get some good fight scenes between her and Gene, and a tease of a greater Beast form in the future, so when she finally joins the crew (you don’t want the opening to LIE to you, this isn’t Gundam SEED after all) those character qualities are good to have. read more

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Outlaw Star Episode 04 – Get It By Your Ship Hands [SPOILERS?]

SPOILERS?

In a testament to my lack of involvement in the animu community, I’m probably not even the first to think this. However…

When it comes to tragic, role model, deaths early on in an animu, erryboddy loves to think about a couple of characters from Martian Successor Nadesico and Gurren Lagann. Those two are larger than life characters (or at least acted the part well enough) who got things rolling so our main protagonists can start the series proper. On my rewatch of this episode (my third I believe), I realize Hilda does not get as much love as she should. Granted she only meets our heroes in the first episode, but her kick in their ass to get things moving has the same ripple effect the other two had on their show. So raise a toast to the now ex-Hilda before we talk about the episode proper. read more

Juu-kuchiby Juu-kuchi•
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Outlaw Star Episode 03 – All Aboard the Ctarl-Ctrain

This episode always was a bit of a lull for me. Like the last two there is quite a bit of whirlwind action taking place within the runtime, however it feels like a bit too much time is spent in transit. After putting the kybosh on their nighttime assailants, Hilda and the gang make off for the mysterious ship she spoke to Gene of last week. Obviously this means more space battles…

…However the space battles are not as exciting as they were in the first episode, and if the opening and episode 1 prologue are any indication, the best is yet to come. One can’t do too much with firing lasers on the run on ships that are immune to lasers. So what is there then to make things interesting? Well, introduce a fourth character out of the five showcased in the intro of course: Aisha Clan-Clan. The intro pretty much spoils she’ll join the crew in the future, but I guess it’s nice to see how she and the other three in the intro (Gene, Jim, and Melfina)get their destinies intertwined. read more

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Outlaw Star Episode 02 – Pathos to Gail Simone’s Chagrin

In the fight for gender equality, I believe women have a more pressing group to compete towards than men: The waifu. You may wonder: “Yo, aren’t waifus women? What makes them different and treated better?” Well, it’s a matter of this.

When you stick a woman in a refrigerator, chances are she’s dead. When you stick a waifu in one, it’s for the purpose of waking her up again for some story element a bit of a ways away. The argument has an issue however in that River Tam was NOT a waifu, nor should be considered one. However, that is another story for another day (That will never come). Let’s get back to Outlaw Star. read more

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Outlaw Star Episode 01 – Makings of a Legend?

I’ve a confession. I never really finished Outlaw Star. I watched the first half until the midpoint of what I remember is the Space Race, and then lost interest after that, except for the then-taboo “Hot Springs Planet Tenrei”. However, thanks to FUNimation and an evolved animu home media market which does not sell 25 to 26 episode series in three-volume two-disc sets with an MSRP of $44.99 each, I have decided to take the plunge once more. It’ll not only be great finishing this, but it’ll also be great having a full opinion on the complete product instead of one where I’m “Oh, what I saw was good but I didn’t finish it.” read more

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L/R Licensed by Royalty Episode 12 and 13 – Kingsmeh-n [FINAL]

SPOILERS

These final few episodes go out as you would expect them to if you’ve been paying attention to how I’ve been writing these. I’ll just laundry list some key points, make an additional comment, and get to the real meat of this article: looking back at the entire series and what happens moments after the crux of the finale.

Here we go:

  • Noelle goes through with the coronation ceremony.
  • DTI is outed.
  • It’s a fake assassination attempt by L/R because Mister already knew what to do.
  • DTI is stopped.
  • Lots of old characters from previous episodes make reappearances. A nice touch to bring things full circle.
  • Everything’s okay.

Alright let’s talk about the series now.

Overall: The fact I would give you some key points without much comment should be a clue on what I think of L/R. I praise some points, because the show gives some things a nice touch, but mostly I’m unimpressed. In fact it is not even worth raging about. It has a story it wanted to tell, it has a tone it wanted to sell, and characters that’d rather be laidback, but know how to entertainingly raise Hell. The foundations are right, so what went wrong? read more

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L/R: Licensed by Royalty Episode 11 – Vicious Masquerade

SPOILERS

We’re getting somewhere here. Going to a place where all series have gone before, the continued build up to series finale fraught with intensity and uncertainty.

The show nails it from start to finish with this episode. Without much muss or fuss, we know something is up when Rowe is assigned to guard Noelle and Jack is nowhere to be found. Seeing the dynamic of a solo operation with one of L/R is welcome, especially at this juncture. Rowe does the best he can, yet he is bested by a mysterious Jude McManus, a new DTI hire who for some reason kinda sounds like Jack (30 years down the line thanks to smoking) and also looks like him. There’s a nice scene where Rowe gets routed by his means to protect Noelle, and the show delivers a nice guessing game on the whereabouts of Jack. Sure he seems to be Jude, but two similar-looking individuals enliven things up a bit. read more

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L/R: Licensed by Royalty Episode 10 – Troubles

Now here’s an entry to the Profiling section of your brain: White men in white collared shirts wearing suspenders and speaking in Irish brogue. I suggest placing it a bit higher over “Bearded Brown Men in robes.”

Of course the people most critical of the English-accented Ishtar would sound like Irishmen. Of course.

This episode pleasantly proves me wrong when it comes to expectations. I was bored last week, yet here I am rather intrigued once again. There’re no L/R antics to be had in this episode, since the two parts of it go off on their own to figure out the Angel situation, never mind the shocking revelation about Mister. Jack goes off in that direction, seeking to corroborate Claire and Dez’s claims of the night vis-à-vis any new revelations. Nothing much to be said there, since this episode is not going to be the Hofner Half-Hour. read more

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L/R: Licensed by Royalty Episode 09 – Seventh Inning Streeeeeeeeetch

It seems popular foreign television doesn’t make its way to Ishtar much these days, for Des seems to have only heard OF Get Smart, but has never watched it. Cute cultural gags which are funny in and of itself without one knowing the existence of Get Smart, goes a long way.

So this week is where Noelle gets to hang out with Jack and Rowe again after the events of Episode 7. To the show’s credit, it does not waste any time with having to set up the situation where Noelle escapes her bodyguard’s watch. Right off the opening, Claire has already replaced Noelle, who is supposed to be at Ishtar’s first baseball game. So what wacky adventures do those three have now that the princess-in-waiting’s on the prowl? read more

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