I recently finished the series Outlaw Star on Blu-Ray, and while I'm undecided if I will do a full series review, I did want to zero in on Episode 20 of Outlaw Star for starters.
As my Bloghandle indicates, I am a Generation X aged Otaku; Cowboy Bebop was a foundational anime for me, especially when it aired on cable television for the first time. My Millennial co-workers on the other hand were very drawn to Outlaw Star, which is a product of the same era. But while Bebop is arguably aimed at adult audiences, with more mature storytelling and plots, Outlaw Star is clearly aimed at adolescent boys. I tried to start Outlaw Star over a year and change ago but just couldn't get into it and bailed around episode 5 or so. I returned to it after finishing live action Cowboy Bebop on Netflix. I did ultimately enjoy the series the deeper I got into it, but it remained top of mind for me that this is a show for teenagers and not adults....best not to think to hard about it!
However, I do want to single out Episode 20 for excellent storytelling and for reaching Cowboy Bebop levels of sadness, despair & regret.
This is the saddest shit in the whole damn show....
Jim is sad because he thinks Hanmyo stood him up. He doesn't even realize he killed her. At least mercifully Hanmyo never knew Jim was a part of Gene Starwind's crew. Gaah....this episode broke me. It was so sweet and so fucking sad at the same time. Cowboy Bebop delivers this kind of sad irony and despair in spades. Outlaw Star manages this at least.
