I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet, it's Outlaw Star.
Gene Starwind and Jim Hawking run a jack of all trades business doing anything from bodyguarding to deliveries, Gene himself refuses to go into space after an incident that claimed his father's life, leaving a scar that would never heal.
A renowned outlaw named Hot Ice Hilda hires Gene as a bodyguard but after Hilda is killed, Gene finds himself in possession of her cargo, the spaceship, the Outlaw Star and it's bio android computer Melfina; the ship is said to be capable of reaching the Galactic Leyline, a place said to contain riches, power and knowledge.
Forced to face his fear knowing he now has a target on his back and needing money to operate the huge running costs of his ship and gun, Gene sets off into space with Jim and Melfina, then later joined by Twilight Suzuka and Aisha Clanclan to venture to the Leyline.
A worthy space adventure that really gives that late 90s feel and yet unfairly compared to Cowboy Bebop who came out at the same time, the two run on different energies.
The key difference is that Gene is not a Bounty Hunter and Outlaw Star as an anime is a continuous narrative, this suits Outlaw Star better as Gene and the rest grow with the series reaching to a satisfying climax, also you can't help but love the set pieces that includes Gene's Caster Gun, the most awesome gun in anime.
And of course that killer opening theme, a lot of fun can be had watching Outlaw Star.
Only minor nitpick is the occasional mood whiplash.
Dubbing is strong and worth a watch.
Final Verdict: Outlaw Star never feels bogged down by plot and lore, it's a fun space western that anyone can get into and a good anime to start for new fans.
Expect most of this weeks reviews to be earlier for posting, next up is Canary.
Based on a visual novel, Canary centers around a school rock band hoping to perform at a major beach festival but a combination of a band member walking away and the beach festival promoter not having enough acts creates problems for the band, clearly not phased by the difficult mountain to climb, Mika Katagiri tries to persuade the promoter to reconsider and band member Jun to return in a high speed bicycle chase and hijinks from the local science girl, by any means necessary, Mika's band will perform.
For one episode, Canary manages to squeeze in it's entire premise but lacks the edge of other music club anime, it's not terrible but I expected alot more colour from an anime like this to channel more of the character's energy.
No dub but wouldn't feel too out of place if it did.
Final Verdict: It's okay, the hijinks at least add some value but lacks the edge and a decent colour palette to really succeed.
Next up is Cosplay Complex.
Our anime is about the exploits of East Oizumi Cosplay Club as they compete in various cosplay contests, sometimes with other schools. Our lead is Chako, an enthusiastic pink haired cosplayer who has a magical fairy in bunny girl gear named Delmo to Transform into the best costumes.
Among the notable cosplays include Sailor Moon, Nadesico, Blackjack, Wedding Peach and Akazukin Chacha.
It never really had time to establish a plot at only three episodes with the series hinting at a deeper rivalry with Shin-Takarazuka Academy Cosplay Club in the future that never happened.
Cosplay Complex shines in it's dedication to the cosplay art form, it's fanservice that is just the right amount that doesn't go too far and then there's Goro the only male club member who can make Reika turn to jello by reading out smutty romance stories which is argubly the best joke in the anime. Props to the dub team also for delivering a good performance.
Final Verdict: Cosplay Complex is a fun little OVA that can be watched in one go, it's a combination of great comedy, good fanservice and great homages to great anime.
Next up is the Ancient Magus Bride.
Chise having grown up in horrible circumstances sells herself to slavery taking the Japanese girl to Great Britain to be sold, at the auction she is purchased by Elias an intimidating tall figure baring an animal skull over his head, hiding his true face.
Elias has great interest in Chise as she has the power of a Sleigh Beggy, a special Magus who can draw power from her surroundings and herself but limits her life, as a couple they each hope to rediscover their lives through each other in a wondrous recreation of a Great British fairy tale setting.
This is a wonderfully created world, I've always enjoyed anime set in Britain as old British and Celtic myths make for a good anime and Magus Bride doesn't disappoint, it's a spectacular master piece of anime production that really deserves more credit, set to a soundtrack that easily ranks in my top ten. I can gush over the setting all day but how is the story and characters?
Story is pretty solid if a little difficult to follow, they can't always decide the rules on Chise's powers and the villains can really test your patience.
The majority of the cast does a great job, especially when it comes to the dub, it's one of the more respectful offerings particularly Chise herself.
Final Verdict: I can't recommend this enough, it's a grand British Fairy Tale, compelling, beautiful and will last in your memory for a long time.
To kick things off on anime review month we have Zeta Gundam.
After the events of the One Year War, along with the tragic events that transpired during Stardust Memory, the Earth Federation create an organisation known as the Titans to sniff out remaining loyalists to the Zeon regime, the more power the Titans obtained, the more the populous believed that they were corrupt leading to previous rivals Char and Amuro to enter a tense alliance to take out the monsters that the Earth has unleashed on the colonies along with the unease of another faction hoping to benefit from the power struggle.
And our protagonist is a whiny little bitch who can't take it when people make fun of his name.
I'm trying to avoid talking about Kamille Bidan, because he's the most annoying redundant character in all of Gundam. Zeta Gundam as a war epic is beautifully written and takes an angle where the Earth Federation have created the bad guys instead of Zeon, and also the Titans are an organisation built to hunt down Zeon sympathisers as a front to invade colonies, sound familiar!
Politics aside, Kamille could completely be removed from the story and we still would've got a good anime, heck he gets dragged into the conflict in the first place when a Titan makes fun of his name, if he had half a brain cell to ignore it then he would've avoided the disasters that would unfold.
Dub I've not seen but based on other media would work well.
Not the best way to start but I have a long playlist.
Final Verdict: A glorious war epic let down by a poor protagonist, would easily rank one of the best anime if Kamille didn't exist.
