Outlaw Star

I've been rather terribly remiss in posting to this blog, my apologies. orz

Back in last October or so, one of my poor-anime-buddy roommates (henceforth "R") talking me into watching Outlaw Star, a show she remembered watching when she was a child, which to her had the same kind of nostalgia as something like Sailor Moon has for me. At the time, I was desperately trying to negotiate with her to get her to finish watching Baccano with me in her rare willing-to-watch-anime moods (a poor anime buddy indeed!) so of course I agreed, despite space opera really not being my cup of tea at all. And, well, 90s art and dubbing etc.

So I settle down with roommate, and the first episode goes something like this:

Me: Wow, this is really really old looking.
R: It's so nostalgic! I love space ship battles!
Me: So what is this show about again anyway?
R: Space pirates. They have to go find this mysterious legendary treasure called the Galactic Leyline that everyone's after but I forgot what it is.
Me: So basically this is One Piece in space.
R: ....yes..

Me: Uh, so, you were watching this when you were how old, exactly?
R: I don't remember this at all!
Me: Really now? Really now?
R: I don't know! All I remembered were the spaceship battles!
Me: ... ... ...

Me: Oh hey, fake Chinese!
R: Those are fake Chinese?
Me: It's the clothing and the yinyangs and stuff. They're heavily coded Chinese. So not quite like Firefly.
R: Ok.

Me: So what the hell are those things anyway?
R: I don't remember.
Me: You didn't remember anything but the spaceships did you.

(note: after watching the end of the series I still have no idea what the fuck those things are. Signs of poor worldbuilding, siiiiigh)

Me: So everyone, this woman Hilda and all those fake Chinese, are all after this super important box thing and main character dude and that kid are just dragged into it accidentally and we have no idea what's in the box?
R: Yes.
Me: It's River Tam, isn't it?

Me: IT IS RIVER TAM.
R: Who's River Tam?
Me: Firefly?!?!
R: I've never seen Firefly.
Me: WHAT. WHAT NO. 

Yelling ensued. Seriously, what science fiction aficionado doesn't watch Firefly?? No, just no! >:(   >:(   >:(

Anyway, we kept on watching after that. It was an enjoyable enough show, I guess, not anything really bad but nothing super exceptional? It's very, very dated and full of filler episodes. The characters are generally not terribly interesting (particularly Gene, the main character, who has his particularly despicable moments). Also, some of the stuff is just a tad bit... well...

Hanmyo: "A prodigy of space combat with the use of cats" WTF???

(seriously, that line is as baffling as "It's a big mistake to think you're the only one who can turn into a car. I'm a car now too!" from Adolescence of Utena without but the hilarious Ikuhara mind-fuckery to go with it)

I think the most fun watching this was watching R rewatch this after so long. For example this scene, where the weapons merchant Fred Luo is introduced....

with an uncomfortably...

...long...

...hug

I raise my eyebrows a lot and look over to R. She has this amusing puzzled/astounded expression on her face.

"Oh is that you, James? It look's like you're growing up quickly! I can't wait to see you in another two to three years!"

"In two to three years, I think I'll be someplace far, far away!"

"Well I'd just come after you to the edge of the universe if I have to!"

Other roommate: (from kitchen) What the hell are you guys watching?!?

Me: I don't know! R, how was this on TV??

R: I don't know! I thought he was being really brotherly or something! 

Five minutes later:

"Do you know why we don't turn you away and lock you out even though you're rude to the young master?"
"Cause you'll get yourself hurt if you take me on?"
"No, because the young master happens to love you."

Me: Really now, R.

R: I THOUGHT IT WAS BROTHERLY LOVE

Me: (facepalm)

I looked this show up later, and apparently what happened was that Cartoon Network edited out a lot of the nudity (like Melfina in the suitcase back in episode 1), sexual scenes, and Fred's flamboyance when they aired it on Toonami, so perhaps it isn't just 9 year old R being a complete hopeless case. Also they completely cut out the gratuitous hot springs episode, which is about what one would expect, sigh.

....yeah.

So yes. I don't think I'm going to be watching space opera type things again anytime soon (it's simply not a genre that really appeals to me). However, R is somehow convinced that she doesn't need to watch Firefly because it's basically the same as Outlaw Star and I need to somehow disabuse her of this. Because no. Just... .... no.