Good Anime: Outlaw Star

Sit back and relax, folks. It's time for a trip down memory lane, with one of those top-tier anime classics: Outlaw Star. This is one of the great granddaddies of anime, revolutionary for its time and a precursor to a lot of anime that wouldn't exist without it. Oh, you like Cowboy Bebop? Thank Outlaw Star.

Two down-on-their-luck pilots, Gene Starwind - a pilot and marksman and Jim Hawking - logistics and haker extraordinaire, steal an advanced biomechanoid who becomes part of their crew on what is basically the best ship in the galaxy. Destination: the galactic layline, to sieze treasures unknown and unravel the deep mystery behind the universe.

On their way they'll encounter a samuari with unparalleled skill and a catgirl (Ctarl-Ctarl) who can transform into a monstrously powerful beastwoman. Not your typical family, but their effectiveness is beyond question.

On their tails? A monstrous corporate conspiracy run by a group of feng shui power wielding assassins. They'll stop at nothing to retrieve the biomechanoid and the ship as well as burying our heroes.

Lest I've given you the wrong impression, Outlaw Star is not simply some Cowboy Bebop rip-off. Oh, no. Remember that feng shui power I was talking about, earlier? Well, it's front and center is all of the stylistic elements and powers in the show. Gene himself carries a pistol that fires feng shui bullets with different attributes. Cool, huh?

But even cooler are the villains in the show. Genuinely disconcerting, incredibly unique, and always making us fear for our heroes, the rogues gallery of Outlaw Star is one of the best I've seen.

So whether you're new to the anime universe, or an old vet like myself, it might be time to give this one a look.

See You At The Leyline