First off, take this in. It’s the best shot in the episode and worth lingering on before heading into the space meat and potatoes that are my thoughts…
…Unfortunately those food products are a bit lean I’m sad to say.
This is where it’s all begins to fade. I thought I’d appreciate this episode more after years since the last time watching it, but alas. This is pretty much a prep work episode for the next one where the Space Race goes full throttle (pun intended), so we mostly have Gene and Jim setting things up as they go. We see Fred again, and he says yes to their request to sponsor them. We see Aisha again, in a humourous scene where she flips out and tries to make a move against Gene (charmingly after Gene tried to make a move on her). And… that’s it really. Suzuka bows out from joining the Space Race, and Melfina tries to do some research on her past but to no avail. I like the last part, since it means she’s still trying to be active in wanting to find out who she is. Gilliam’s also a bro about it, and it’s nice to see what I’ve missed in the AI. It’s also good to see how all our players (Starwind, McDougal, and Clan-Clan) find their way into the race, since I do not really remember that part of the episode.
In all seriousness though, is the Space Race well remembered among Outlaw Star fans? I’m perturbed how I’m feeling the exact same feeling of disinterest I had when I first watched the episode. They’re really taking their sweet time here, and while good things come to those who wait… you have to be excited about it, and I’m not.
We’ll see next week how I feel about it. Either way, I’m gonna power through this and finish what I ought to have way back in the day.
Future Notes Next Generation:
- Bupkis. Although I think in the original Toonami run they cut out Gene hitting on Aisha and I’m sure Suzuka in a casino was frowned upon as well.
- Oh yeah we also see Professor Khan for the first time here. So slowly but surely the main players seen in the opening are all coming together.