Outlaw Star

Sunrise

Outlaw Star (Seihō Bukyō Autorō Sutā) is a Space Opera/ Space Western anime about a crew of outlaws and misfits in search of a treasure trove called the Galactic Leyline. It opens with outlaw Gene Starwind and his 11-year old partner James 'Jim' Hawking running a sort of jack-of-all-trades business. They take on a body guard job for an outlaw pirate name Hilda and get involved in a skirmish with the Kei Pirates. Suddenly Gene and Jim find themselves owners of a ship, which they name Outlaw Star and guardians of a cyborg-girl called Melfina.

Hilda then spills the beans about the real situation - the ship was build to seek the Galactic Leyline, a legendary place that holds countless treasure, knowledge and power. In this quest they also get the weirdest companions, like Suzuka a beautiful assassin in a Kimono, and Aisha Clanclan an alien cat-like girl.

Outlaw Star is a perfect balance of dramatic as well as comedic elements, with the likeable characters and their mannerisms the best part of the series. The intro song is easy to get stuck in your head and the rest of the soundtrack is well executed. Luckily, the English dubbed version is wonderfully done, with the voice actors bringing life to each character.  Outlaw Star is a classic from the 90s and if you are in the mood for a fun anime, it’s a good choice.

Also watch: If you liked Outlaw Star may we recommend Angel Links (a series set in the same universe as Outlaw Star), or Trigun.

Cowboy Bebop

Sunrise

A definite classic, Cowboy Bebop follows the adventures of a group of bounty hunters trying their best to survive day-to-day. The crew consists of five very different people: Spike Siegel, a retired and exiled hitman; Jet Black, an ex-officer of the Inter Solar System Police, retired thanks to the loss of his arm; Faye Valentine, a con artist suffering from amnesia due to the fact that she was in cryogenic hibernation for a long time; Edward, a preteen genius hacker girl; and Ein, a hyper intelligent, genetically-engineered dog.

Cowboy Bebop is quite addictive because over the course of the series, the crew members each deal with unresolved issues from their pasts. It’s easy to get captivated by each character's storyline, further proof that character building in this anime is extremely impressive, from Spike’s past as a hitman and how he ended up with Jet Black to the dog, Ein and his escape from a research facility. 

Visually, the style of animation has out of this world realism and each movement is carried fluently from scene to scene by use of computer graphics that blends well with the background. On a side note, Edward's animation is out of this world, and that adds to her character's believability and gives a sense of authenticity to the series.

The soundtrack is one of the best we’ve ever heard, maybe because of Yoko Kanno, who also sang in Ghost in the Shell- Stand Alone Complex and Wolf's Rain. She's assisted on this soundtrack by some great songs from The Seatbelts and Mai Yamane.

Warning: This series might make you wish that it will never end and you might just watch it again the next day. No wonder it is one of the most respected and popular anime series from the 1990s.

Also watch: If you liked Cowboy Bebop you might also enjoy Cowboy Bebop: The Movie or the series Space Dandy.

Sunrise

The anime house responsible for both Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop can certainly boast an impressive resume as they worked on other popular anime titles like Gundam, The Vision of Escaflowne, Witch Hunter Robin and Dirty Pair. Sunrise was founded by former members of Mushi Production in 1972 and have been a great force in the anime scene for over 40 years.

About our contributor: Allen Simpson is a blogger and a published poet who has a deep passion for anime. He is also co-owner of AnimeFanatika, a reliable source of information on Anime providing fans with the latest news, reviews and goings on in the industry. Visit their website and become a Fanatik today. Sugoi!