So since it is Friday the way I understand things we should try and watch the first 2 episodes of the series and then come back and bring some thoughts or reactions or whatnot which might bring up a discussion correct? However since episodes 3 and 4 won't be up for discussion until next Friday anyway you could really try and watch these episodes anytime over the next week if you want to participate. I'm not too sure I'll be able to watch these episodes today, but I'll definitely try and should be able to for sure during the week ahead. I'll probably post my reactions one episode at a time
Okay then I just re-watched the first episode so let's see how this goes
EPISODE 1: OUTLAW WORLD
SUMMARY: After what appears to be a brief scene of several characters in a ship battling in space we have the opening title sequence. Following that we see a group of people in space attacking a ship that appears to be piloted by a woman with an eyepatch named "Ice" Hilda. The ship is damaged but she appears to escape. We are introduced to the planet Sentinel III and in a bar meet our main characters: Gene Starwind age 20 and Jim Hawking age 11. Gene is immediately involved in a fight with a man revealed to be a cyborg apparently seeking revenge for his brother whom it is implied Gene dealt with a month earlier. After defeating/killing the guy Gene goes off for a night of "passion" and arrives back at their place in the early morning. We see he is partners with Jim in a repair business of sorts. He is quickly employed by a blonde haired woman as a bodyguard. Later that night Gene meets her and is attacked by the same people chasing Hilda who reveals herself as the blonde woman in disguise. Escaping the pursuit for the moment Hilda tries to betray Gene and Jim but Gene manages to gain control of the situation after being presumably shot. We end on the visual of a naked woman curled up in a fetal position inside a suitcase of sorts unlocked by a code Hilda is forced to give to Jim by Gene.
CHARACTERS INTRODUCED: Gene, Jim, Hilda, Kei Pirates, Clyde, Iris, Melfina(un-named)
THOUGHTS: It has been a long time since I have watched this series and I couldn't help but think of a friend of mine who first got me into this series many years ago during my viewing of episode 1. I had forgotten that we open with a sort of random event and work backwards from there. This show's opening theme, "Through the Night," is amazing. Whenever I think of anime openings I really enjoy this is usually one of the first that pops into my mind. The Hilda character is voiced by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn who I always associate as the Major from Ghost in the Shell. She is probably the most easily recognizable voice for me at least as far as this first episode is concerned.
I find the introductory scene at the bar does a good job of establishing the roles of Gene as the fighter and Jim as the support. Gene comes off as kinda laid back and arrogant at the same time, but he backs it up as we see with the fight. Jim seems to anticipate poor behavior from him and at times almost seems like a disapproving mother I remember the bedroom scene of Gene and the woman whose name I assume we never get being a bit raunchier than it actually was on the rewatch. It is notable though that Gene claims to have never been in space before at this point. We'll see that isn't actually the case later on.
It is fairly obvious that Rachel, the blonde haired woman, is really Hilda by voice alone to me now but I think I might've really been fooled on my first watch. The pursuers aren't actually referred to as Kei Pirates in the episode are they? Maybe they are in the beginning but I actually tend to better remember them as Tao Magic users. They all seem to have the yin/yang symbol somewhere on their bodies which of course refers to Taoism which I admittedly know very little about. The tall man who is killed in this episode sounded strangely like Steve Blum on this rewatch but I doubt it was really him. Still we are introduced to the idea of a caster gun which Gene uses to kill him. I only just now realized the gun's name is likely short for spellcaster. We also learn that there are different types of shells or bullets for this weapon as Gene uses the last available #3 he has here I believe. We also first hear the famous "Pagua Sanfa" chant here by the Tao Magic users. I never really knew for sure what they were saying but it always sounded like Pagua Sanfa to me. I seem to remember Tom chanting the same thing at the start of a later incarnation of Toonami, likely a nod to Outlaw Star once being on Toonami.
Speaking of nods the Jim Hawking character is likely named after the character from Treasure Island. I don't know that for sure of course and never got the reference when I was younger, but it seems to fit together really well. I think there is some talk of treasure here and it turns out to be...a naked girl!? Now that's a cliffhanger! Yes, I remember being rather surprised by this episode's ending and it left me wanting to immediately watch the next episode so I'd say it worked on me. I remember also being surprised that Hilda would just blatantly shoot Gene. I guess a character like her comes off as kinda ruthless initially huh? Well that's probably all that comes to mind at the moment anyway
Alright! I'm back and feeling good!
Watched eps 1 and 2 this morning. Might try and stay like this. Kinda reminds me of Saturday morning cartoons. Ya know, bowl a cereal, parked in front of the TV (computer 
) Good times.
Anyway, I had almost forgotten how much punch the first 2 eps really pack. Lot's of good action right off the bat. You really get a good feel for Gene and Jim's relationship from the get-go. Gene certainly lives one crazy life. Living day to day and job to job. The life of an outlaw can be both glamorous and degrading. The pirates really make things interesting. Just when you expect a straight up sci-fi adventure, you get a bit of magic tossed in. Hilda really does make the first eps worthwhile. She just has that way about her that you can't help but be impressed by. And then there's Melfina. The first time I saw Melfina in that case I was like "WHAT?!!!!" It was a real shock back then. Now, it was still cool, but now I can start to notice other things about her and the detail that went into her character.
The second ep sets up a sort of general feel for the series. Outlaws are always on the lookout for money and Gene is no different at this point in time. But to think that a free town like Blue Heaven has such restrictive rules is kind of interesting. Melfina looked so happy in her new clothes. It really is a look all her own that no other female in any anime has ever come close to. That really is what seperates Melfina and puts her a cut above the rest (Truth be told, Melfina might have been my first anime crush). One of the best lines to come out of ep 2 was "Outlaws are like stars, there are bright ones and there are those that are dim". The end of the ep was cool because it sets up a whole "how is Gene going to handle this?" thing.
Side notes: The flashback sequence in ep 2 really brought me back to my Toonami days. "A boy has the right to dream..." Man that one brought me back. Not to mention the music, reminding me of those old Toonami promos. So cool.
Can't wait for the next eps. I think sticking to Saturday might actually be best for me, but I'll play it as it goes.
EPISODE 2: WORLD OF DESIRES
SUMMARY: While Melfina, the naked girl in the case, is being revived Gene and Jim hear a little bit about the history between Hilda and the Kei Pirates, who manage to track the group down. Gene stalls the pirates while Hilda and Jim get her ship. Melfina revives and they flee Sentinel III and arrive in Blue Heaven, an asteroid city, in search of repairs and supplies. While Jim and Melfina go shopping Hilda and Gene seek help about a job involving the retrieval of a special ship known as a "grappler." Hilda dispatches some obnoxious outlaws but later that night they come seeking revenge...
CHARACTERS INTRODUCED: Swanzo, Mikey, MacDougall Brothers(mentioned only)
THOUGHTS: This is the first episode that gives us a narrator who has a little section before the opening theme and the start of the episode. He is voiced, in the dub of course, by Jet from Cowboy Bebop's voice actor, Beau Billingslea. I enjoy the performances he gives in many episodes and find most of these segments rather thought-provoking. They also serve to kind of hint at developments in the episode proper of course. This first gives us a glimpse into Gene's childhood, which we'll see in a flashback in the episode. I particularly love the line, "We must remember, all men were once boys."
I find it funny that when the Kei Pirats arrive Gene asks for a #3 shell for his caster despite being warned before using one in the last episode that it was the only one left. We also see, rather comically, that caster shells can fail. I find it interesting that Melfina cries after being revived, but later on acts rather submissive and carefree. The interaction between Gene and Jim involving the "space cherry" is rather humorous and helps show the relationship between the two. Gene admits he was in space before, contradicting his claim from the first episode. In his dream/flashback it is implied he had a traumatic experience in space as a child. It is hinted at later that he and his dad were attacked by grappler ships with his father sacrificing himself to save Gene. Interestingly young Gene appears to have the same dub voice as a character we'll be introduced to in a later episode.
Blue Heaven sees the arrival of Swanzo, an alien known as a Corbanite, and his partner Mikey. They seem to be mechanics who know Hilda very well. In fact Swanzo's role here seems to be the exposition. He explains about Blue Heaven, mentions the MacDougall brothers for the first time, and briefly explains the power struggle in this universe between the Outlaws, Pirates, and Space Forces...more on that later. The bar scene seems to mostly setup Hilda's skills. I find Jim's reaction to the bed situation rather humorous, particularly his reaction to Melfina sleeping in the same bed(all men were once boys) The episode ends on a decent cliffhanger, but one which doesn't pack quite the same punch as a sleeping naked woman
Really looking forward to next week's episodes
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