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Outlaw Star Vol. 1
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 16, 2017
Five Stars for nostalgia, I did manage to find a copy of this in English, but goodreads doesn't seem to have it listed. Manga was never actually published in English, look for a fan translation. If you like, space, magic, technology, and boobs this is for you.
September 13, 2024
Despite being a cult-classic anime, Outlaw Star's manga counterpart never seemed to get an official english localization. That meant it was pretty difficult to track down a copy of this where I could actually, ya know, understand what the fuck was going on. This isn't so much a complaint so much as it is a bit confusing, but I guess that's just the nature of these things.
Full disclosure, Outlaw Star became one of my favorite animes when I watched it with my then-gf, now pain in my ass ball in chain, some five or six odd years ago, so I can't really claim unbiased readership here. The anime very quickly became one of my favorites of all time, being the sort of pulpy sci-fi fun that prioritizes fun shit over being hyper realistic, and I routinely rewatch my favorite episodes every couple of months for background noise.
The manga was an interesting read. The anime was not a 1:1 adaptation, but from what I can tell (as I haven't read every single issue of the manga yet) the general execution and throughline seems to be there. Familiar characters showing up in roughly the same spots to do roughly the same things makes this an entertaining and somewhat fresh alternative to re-watching the anime a dozen times.
The world of Outlaw Star isn't particularly deep, but it isn't a story that really needs extreme complexity. My favorite brand of sci-fi is the one that uses the far future as a way to facilitate fun adventures, as opposed to being a masturbatory aide for le hecking soyence redditors. It's the kind of setting where the protagonists go from relatively grounded space travel and logistics to duking it out with magic Chinese space ninjas. This may come across as incongruous for some, but for me, it's the exact kind of fast and loose rule of cool storytelling that I think current media is lacking.
I understand some people have mixed feelings on the characters of Outlaw Star, but I don't really see why. I don't think people understand that Gene Starwind (yes, that's his actual name) is meant to be kind of a dumbass. It's easy to look at him, with his perfectly aesthetic scarring and really goofy space pauldron coat, and get the immediate impression that he's a protagonist who is trying a bit too hard, but the manga and anime both make sure to show that, for all his potential as a badass Outlaw, Gene is kind of an idiot. He makes mistakes, he fumbles the bag, he loses fights, and he's pretty consistently made the butt of jokes. A dash of confidence and combat prowess keeps him from feeling like shallow wish-fulfillment but also helps him stand out in a sea of other Japanese protagonists who are completely retarded and weak but still somehow get everything they want and more.
Also, he fucks. That's pretty cool. Do you know any manga protagonists who fuck? No. You don't. If you name one you're WRONG.
The side characters don't fare quite as well. Jim works as a sidekick that is marginally less obnoxious than your average kid compatriot, mostly because he somehow manages to be the more mature of the duo despite being half Gene's age. Aisha is the cat girl space alien brown tomboy gf and arguably the most iconic design of the whole cast, but she is pretty firmly in the background as a fanservice character. Melfina is the fairly bog standard waif Japanese love interest bait as the perfect woman because she keeps her mouth shut and looks pretty, a trope that used to annoy me but now gets more and more appealing with each passing year. Suzuka is a cool samurai assassin lady who is also there. And you know what? Sometimes just being there and being a cool samurai lady is all you really need to be.
To be honest, I feel like the manga interpretation of these characters is just a touch flatter than the anime's. Not sure if that's just my monkey brain preferring the animation over the flat art or if my instincts are correct and the characters just don't seem to have quite as many hidden depths.
Now, at the end of the day, I'd say the anime is a better place to start. The setting of Outlaw Star and the pulpy storytelling is a great deal of fun, but I don't think the manga is something you should go out of your way to read unless you're a huge fan like me, especially since the anime itself isn't that hard to get ahold of.
Would still recommend it though if you're burnt out on Nasapunk grey and boring brown-people-infested sci-fi of the modern era.
Full disclosure, Outlaw Star became one of my favorite animes when I watched it with my then-gf, now pain in my ass ball in chain, some five or six odd years ago, so I can't really claim unbiased readership here. The anime very quickly became one of my favorites of all time, being the sort of pulpy sci-fi fun that prioritizes fun shit over being hyper realistic, and I routinely rewatch my favorite episodes every couple of months for background noise.
The manga was an interesting read. The anime was not a 1:1 adaptation, but from what I can tell (as I haven't read every single issue of the manga yet) the general execution and throughline seems to be there. Familiar characters showing up in roughly the same spots to do roughly the same things makes this an entertaining and somewhat fresh alternative to re-watching the anime a dozen times.
The world of Outlaw Star isn't particularly deep, but it isn't a story that really needs extreme complexity. My favorite brand of sci-fi is the one that uses the far future as a way to facilitate fun adventures, as opposed to being a masturbatory aide for le hecking soyence redditors. It's the kind of setting where the protagonists go from relatively grounded space travel and logistics to duking it out with magic Chinese space ninjas. This may come across as incongruous for some, but for me, it's the exact kind of fast and loose rule of cool storytelling that I think current media is lacking.
I understand some people have mixed feelings on the characters of Outlaw Star, but I don't really see why. I don't think people understand that Gene Starwind (yes, that's his actual name) is meant to be kind of a dumbass. It's easy to look at him, with his perfectly aesthetic scarring and really goofy space pauldron coat, and get the immediate impression that he's a protagonist who is trying a bit too hard, but the manga and anime both make sure to show that, for all his potential as a badass Outlaw, Gene is kind of an idiot. He makes mistakes, he fumbles the bag, he loses fights, and he's pretty consistently made the butt of jokes. A dash of confidence and combat prowess keeps him from feeling like shallow wish-fulfillment but also helps him stand out in a sea of other Japanese protagonists who are completely retarded and weak but still somehow get everything they want and more.
Also, he fucks. That's pretty cool. Do you know any manga protagonists who fuck? No. You don't. If you name one you're WRONG.
The side characters don't fare quite as well. Jim works as a sidekick that is marginally less obnoxious than your average kid compatriot, mostly because he somehow manages to be the more mature of the duo despite being half Gene's age. Aisha is the cat girl space alien brown tomboy gf and arguably the most iconic design of the whole cast, but she is pretty firmly in the background as a fanservice character. Melfina is the fairly bog standard waif Japanese love interest bait as the perfect woman because she keeps her mouth shut and looks pretty, a trope that used to annoy me but now gets more and more appealing with each passing year. Suzuka is a cool samurai assassin lady who is also there. And you know what? Sometimes just being there and being a cool samurai lady is all you really need to be.
To be honest, I feel like the manga interpretation of these characters is just a touch flatter than the anime's. Not sure if that's just my monkey brain preferring the animation over the flat art or if my instincts are correct and the characters just don't seem to have quite as many hidden depths.
Now, at the end of the day, I'd say the anime is a better place to start. The setting of Outlaw Star and the pulpy storytelling is a great deal of fun, but I don't think the manga is something you should go out of your way to read unless you're a huge fan like me, especially since the anime itself isn't that hard to get ahold of.
Would still recommend it though if you're burnt out on Nasapunk grey and boring brown-people-infested sci-fi of the modern era.
February 8, 2026
It’s been a long, long time since I saw this anime. So forgive me if my comparisons between the anime and this manga are incorrect. Maybe I will try to watch it again soon.
I remember enjoying it when I was younger, and so I sought out this manga when I learned it existed. There is no official English translation though. I read it here: https://mangadex.org/title/0cb9c6a7-9.... It’s a pretty well done translation, just a few confusing page reversals.
The manga seems more adult than the anime. There a few panels that are at the line of being explicit. Also it seems to lack some of the warmth and humor of the anime. Maybe some of that will come back in the next volume or third. The other big concern is the story arc. Either the manga is going to have a quick story wrap up or end mid plot because there are only three volumes. This first volume barely gets us anywhere. We’ve got some background for Gene, Jim, and the pirate gangs. There is also the introduction of Hilda, and Melfina is seen but no interaction yet. The very last panels in this volume show us Gene’s caster gun with no explanation in story yet. There is a lot of ground to cover in the two remaining volumes.
I remember enjoying it when I was younger, and so I sought out this manga when I learned it existed. There is no official English translation though. I read it here: https://mangadex.org/title/0cb9c6a7-9.... It’s a pretty well done translation, just a few confusing page reversals.
The manga seems more adult than the anime. There a few panels that are at the line of being explicit. Also it seems to lack some of the warmth and humor of the anime. Maybe some of that will come back in the next volume or third. The other big concern is the story arc. Either the manga is going to have a quick story wrap up or end mid plot because there are only three volumes. This first volume barely gets us anywhere. We’ve got some background for Gene, Jim, and the pirate gangs. There is also the introduction of Hilda, and Melfina is seen but no interaction yet. The very last panels in this volume show us Gene’s caster gun with no explanation in story yet. There is a lot of ground to cover in the two remaining volumes.
May 16, 2023
This manga just reads like a bad fanfiction. There are some good ideas, I suppose, but you can see them done better elsewhere, there are other similar space westerns and this one just doesn't stand out. I was severely disappointed and maybe the anime is better, but after this I am left with no desire to check it out.
March 18, 2026
The anime is one of my all-time favourites. The manga, based on this first volume at least, doesn't measure up: the art isn't so great, the story doesn't flow as well, and the characters are all subtly but noticeably less likeable, especially Hilda.
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June 10, 2020English translation?
March 6, 2023
Nice art and character designs.
February 21, 2017
The leading man made me roll my eyes a little (WE GET IT ALREADY, you're badass, blah blah blah), as did the Ice Lady, but I'm intrigued by the emerging doll storyline. So, let's see how this outerspace journey goes. I predict showy shenanigans and a lot more boobs.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews