Started rewatching Outlaw Star and I've realised how starved I've been for this kind of show. I'm not saying it's a masterwork or anything, but its specific mix - a band of misfits with their own ship exploring the galaxy at a slow pace with heavy western and/or noir vibes - is something I fell in love with when I first started watching anime and there's just nothing like it anymore.
Getting to see intricate mechanical details of the ships in motion, the different vistas and vast canvas of space, dog fights and grim histories - it's such a specific style I don't see nowadays. Casting the net even wider to anime more varied in tone - Martian Successor Nadesico, The Irresponsible Captain Taylor, Crest of the Stars (Its OP still makes me feel things, man), Space Dandy, Vandread, Coyote Ragtime Show - and the space sci-fi adventure/opera just seems greatly underutilised.
Why, though? Given the enduring appeal of shows like Cowboy Bebop, it feels like this is a well that studios would want to tap into. Is it a technical issue - it's simply harder to produce given the level of expertise required to animate the mechanical details? Have audience sensibilities strayed too far to enjoy this sort of meandering episodic approach? Does space suck now?
I'm really interested in why this particular type of anime doesn't have the traction it once did. I'd love to hear what people think - either fans of these shows or users more familiar with modern anime who went back to watch these and found they didn't click with them (or did).
TL;DR Old person yells in space where no one can hear them.