constantin.rowe - 2015-09-24 17:19:06

Critic's Log - Earthdate: December 28, 2012. Review #28: Trigun

Life is a journey, I think most people would agree on that. There are endless possibilities on whatever path a person chooses to walk in. Some paths may be filled with light, love, and happiness while some other paths may be filled with darkness, hatred, and despair. I chose to walk to a path where I live an extraordinary life. There will always be challenges in life and we eventually have to overcome these challenges and we have to confront our destiny whether we can control it or not. Some people try to find the meaning of life but I do believe that life has multiple meanings.

With that said, I shall set the philosophical stuff aside and do a review like I always do. Let's stampede on this gun-toting classic and gunslinging ride that which is Trigun!

 Vash the Stampede is a outlaw gunslinger on the run with a $$60 billion bounty on his head which has made it hard for him to go anywhere without being chased and shot at. Every town he ever visits ends up being destroyed because of his pursuers, but miraculously no one ever gets killed. Meryl and Milly are agents for the Bernardelli Insurance Society that have been sent to find Vash the Stampede and keep him under surveillance so no more damage is caused. Meryl, who leads the pair, refuses to believe that the man they have met can possibly be The Humanoid Typhoon that they are looking for. This spiky haired, gangly, young man is extremely friendly, a pacifist, hates blood and suicide, absolutely loves donuts, he is also silly and a crybaby (far from a notorious outlaw). But there is more to Vash and his past than meets the eye.

 Trigun is a Studio Madhouse production and Madhouse is known for their great quality in animation. Trigun however does have some nice cool looking animation from time to time, but most of the time it's a bit hit and miss. Some of the earlier episodes didn't look impressive on some parts. Luckily, the first episode didn't have much problems with animation quality. Also, This anime came out in the same year that Cowboy Bebop did and that anime had great quality in animation for its time and Sunrise isn't a studio known for top-notch quality animation like Studio Madhouse tends to get an acclaimed reception for. Maybe Trigun didn't have the budget like Cowboy Bebop did, who knows. Honestly, I have no problem with the animation. I know it's hit and miss in some areas, but it's not too disappointing when it comes to the action scenes which I do think that Trigun has some awesome gun fights. All in all... The animation isn't terrible by any means, it's mostly good but not as top-notch as you would expect from Madhouse, it's just sometimes off in some areas.

 What makes the show great are the characters, they are the heart of the show and they are pretty unforgettable. Vash the Stampede is hands down one of the most memorable heroes in anime because of his somewhat bizarre appearance as well has his mysterious personality. He doesn't carry the story alone. There's Nicholas D. Wolfwood, a priest that is fascinating to watch with his reflection on Vash's nature and an intense opposition of Vash's way of life. Meryl Strife and Milly Thompson are also fun to watch, even though Meryl is short-tempered, she is compassionate toward others. She's a nice character. Then there's her co-worker Milly Thompson who happens to be very muscular which she physically towers over Meryl. She's a character that looks up to Meryl and she appears to be rather simple yet she shows genuine optimism as well as a kind heart. I like her too. The minor characters as well as some characters that only appear in one episode as well do handle the greater part of this little deceptive series. I'll explain more of that later. Who else is left? Oh! How can I forget about the sadist with the malicious use of his psychic powers?. That's right, I'm referring to Legato Bluesummers. He is by far one of the most memorable villians in an anime and even though he's not the main villian, he was still fascinating to watch from his first appearance to the last. Then there's Knives Millions which has got to be the strangest name for a fictional character. In fact, some of the names in this series are a bit weird. I'll give some credit to Yasuhiro Nightow, it is a pretty unique and original method for naming characters. Anyway, Knives Millions has a immense hatred toward humanity and he doesn't really appear all too much until the end. Knives was a bit interesting at times. The characters really make the show memorable. Also, keep an eye out for a black cat in any episode of the show because this black cat appears in a brief scene in every episode of the show, maybe just for sight gags.

The music is done by Tsuneo Imahori and he happened to be the guitarist for The Seatbelts (the band that was formed by Yoko Kanno for the soundtrack of Cowboy Bebop). The soundtrack for Trigun is a bit under-appreciated except for the awesome kickass opening, and the catchy closing theme. The music does bring life to the world of Trigun (A desert planet named Gunsmoke if I'm not mistaken) and the soundtrack is nice to hear from time to time. Even Legato's theme is a little eerie. The music is pretty good on its own.

 When it comes to the voice performances. The Subbed version is pretty good for the most part, but I do find Trigun rewarding while watching it Dubbed. There are times where I do prefer the English voice over the other. Some characters were performed well on both sides as well. Masaya Onosaka is great as Vash but there are times where he overacts a little bit, not too bad. Johnny Yong Bosch on the other hand was terrific as Vash The Stampede and this was his debut anime role and he sure had more than amateur's luck at the time. Sho Hayami is pretty good for the most part as Nicholas D. Wolfwood, but Jeff Nimoy really gives Wolfwood a voice of likability. Hiromi Tsuru was okay as Meryl while Dorothy Elias-Fahn sounds just right as Meryl. Satsuki Yukino is great as Milly as well as Lia Sargent. Aya Hisakawa is also great as Rem, same goes for Bridget Hoffman. Tohru Furusawa and Bo Williams are both alright as Knives. Toshihiko Seki and Richard Cansino are both terrific as Legato. There are some worthy seiyus to mention that were pretty good in Trigun. Unsho Ishizuka was great as Brilliant Dynamites Neon. Akio Ohtsuka voiced one of the Gung-ho Guns, Rai-Dei the Blade. Atsuko Tanaka voices Claire, and Norio Wakamoto voiced Gofsef. As far as worthy Voice actors to mention, Joshua Seth was terrific as the younger Knives. Mona Marshall voices Kaite, Kirk Thornton voices Rai-Dei The Blade, and Steve Blum voices Professor Nebraska, Mr. Blum was a bit over the top on this one compared to his other roles. I guess in a way you can't go wrong with either version and even though the dub isn't really an all-star dub, it still is a very likable dub and I really like the dub to Trigun.

 I mentioned earlier that Trigun is a little deceptive, well I wasn't kidding when I said this because this show starts off as a wild west comedy with some over the top action scenes and it gave Trigun the popcorn entertainment treatment, or so we think. As the show gets right to the middle, we delve into Vash's past which is pretty sad and surprisingly thought-provoking as well. As the series nears its end, it jumps from being a comedy and spirals downward to a drama. Episodes 23 and 24 are undeniably the most cruel episodes in the show. One particular episode ends on a sad note while the next one has a nerve-shattering moment that I guarantee will send chills down your spine if you're emotionally invested in the characters. However, is the transition from comedy to drama a bad thing for Trigun? Honestly, in Trigun's case... No! When Trigun comes in full circle, it is saved by the depth of humanity of the cast of characters. Remember Neon Genesis Evangelion? 2/3 of the show was more on action while that last third was all philosophical and psycologically complex and not many viewers complained about the change of direction. Trigun does the same thing except with comedy then drama.  Vash's philosophy of non-violence is charming to begin with and easy to cheer on about, but once it's put into a cruel context, Vash has to wonder if it's killing more people than it saves and struggles far more against himself than Legato which makes for a surprisingly emotional moment as well as a deep one as well. When it all comes down to story, Trigun is mainly episodic and there is no line of blatant exposition at all, which makes a somewhat interesting experience from the storytelling. However, there are some questions that aren't answered in the anime and I've been told that there are questions answered in the manga. To be honest, interpretation is nice to think about because it makes a good conversation regarding a certain topic in a show. There's really not much room for interpretation if you decide to read the manga alongside the anime, but as the show on its own, whatever questions that have not been answered is all up to your imagination. What really works for the story of Trigun is the believability of the characters, its originality in characters, settings and even character designs even if some character designs do look a bit bizarre. I also like the symbolism in Trigun. Vash's red coat is a pretty significant symbol to the story. I thought it was there for show Rem  said something about red geraniums (a type of flower if you don't know) in the flashback episode. A highly notable use of symbolism in Trigun is references to Christianity. Religious or not, the usage of this symbolism really doesn't throw it at your face and shove it down your throat, it gives Trigun a nice touch. The reasoning behind the Christian imagery in the show is because Yasuhiro Nightow (the creator of Trigun) is a Christian (Roman Catholic from what I've looked up). That's what works. What doesn't work in the show is the show's pacing near the end as well as the ending. The pacing of the show was pretty average for 20 some episodes until it starts getting pretty dark, that's when the show starts wrapping up in a rushed pace. I do think there were a couple of moments where the music does not fit in certain scenes but that's a minor nitpick. However, the last episode could have had better direction because I did like how they were showing Vash's past in full circle, but the first half of the final episode mostly shows that and then most of the second half shows the big showdown between Vash and Knives and the fight itself was pretty cool and well... After that, the show ends two minutes later. I felt the show's ending was a bit rushed. It's not really a terrible ending to say the least. I just thought the final episode could have had better direction. But the directing by Satoshi Nishimura is still mostly good. This shouldn't really stop me or anyone else from enjoying Trigun because there are some things to like about Trigun. It is an anime classic that still gets mentioned today.

 Trigun was available from Geneon until they went under. It is available from Funimation after they rescued it a few years back. The manga by Yasuhiro Nightow is available from Dark Horse. The Trigun movie "Badlands Rumble" is available from Funimation. A video game called "Trigun: The Planet Gunsmoke" was in the works by Red Entertainment and SEGA has not made any recent comments about it and is believed to be cancelled.

With all that said, Trigun is a gun-toting anime classic that does have hit-and miss animation but it has effective secretive storytelling since the story is moving at times, the music compliments the show and its settings, and the characters are believable in their own ways. I do think the cool appeal is very high in this show. It isn't perfect, but it still remains an anime classic to this day.

 

I give Trigun a 9 out of 10. It is EXCELLENT!

 

Feel free to leave a comment, and repeat after me...

 

THIS WORLD IS MADE OF... LOVE AND PEACE!

nickolas.hammes - 2015-08-11 16:23:47

[Says it in the numbers. I say 2.5/10 is average/bit harsher, so my scores are probably a little bit low for you. So when there is a 5/10 its the real shit]

rau.daisy - 2015-05-05 00:39:19

Loved it. Classic. Funny and action packed anime. I would recommend it to anyone looking for really good classical anime.

bessie.prohaska - 2015-04-12 17:31:31

(This Review Was Originally Written For JapanCinema.net)

As the product of a much younger generation of anime fans, I never quite understood the glassy-eyed reverence that overcomes so many 90’s kids when they talk about Cartoon Network’s Toonami block. Now, most new otaku get their start on the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is referred to in hushed tones as “the internet.” However, even as the anime scene evolves further away from the days of cel animation and VHS tapes, there is a list of several shows from this time period that remain relevant to the medium, many of which were brought into the limelight thanks to Toonami’s influence. Cowboy Bebop, Dragon Ball Z, and Ghost in the Shell can all trace their widespread popularity back to their importation to the United States by Cartoon Network, but most of these series had already garnered a strong following in Japan. A show that was left starving by the side of the road until being served a breakfast in America was Trigun, the brainchild of Yasuhiro Nightow, and one of the most critically-acclaimed series in the anime community.

The series follows Vash the Stampede, a former trap that became infamous for leaving a trail of utter devastation in his wake, but never killing any bystanders. After Vash ostensibly destroyed the city of July 23 years before the start of the anime, law enforcement placed a $60,000,000,000 bounty on his head. In reality, much of the destruction Vash is blamed for is a result of bounty hunters after the ridiculous price offered for his capture. He is followed by Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson, representatives of the Bernardelli Insurance Agency, so that they can evaluate insurance claims relating to the destruction inevitably caused by Vash. In a way, the plot can best be described as a “never-ending shounen” that has been condensed into 26 episodes. It relies on a fairly episodic format that could have theoretically gone on forever, but sacrifices this potential in order to reveal the “big picture” at a much more rapid rate than say, Yu Yu Hakusho. Vash suffers from amnesia that has caused him to forget most of what occurred during the destruction of July, along with the majority of his past before that incident. Many of Trigun’s antagonists are inexorably linked to his past, and the defeat of each one reveals another nugget of information about our protagonist.

Even so, Meryl and Milly are probably the most relatable characters in the story. Both Vash and his counterpart Nicholas D. Wolfwood, who appears later in the show, continuously remain at a distance from the audience. This disconnect is probably the weakest point of Trigun’s story. It leads to a situation in which viewers end up following along with the show’s plot, but always feel significantly detached from what happens. This isn’t to say that Vash is unlikable or a bad dramatis personae, it’s just that the series tries to have its cake and eat it too by giving us a character we know very little about, and then attempting to develop the aforementioned character by playing upon our understanding of the person in question. However, even with all of this bile, I urge you to not think that Trigun’s plot and characters aren’t worth your time, as they most certainly are. The major opponents Vash faces are all unique and entertaining, and after a rocky start, the show concludes with an absolutely sublime ending that makes the most of the relationships the leads had built up to that point.

Trigun is one of those shows that people can easily recall only the first episode of because they get a hankering to re-watch it every once in awhile, but it doesn’t take them long before they think “Christ, I don’t remember the animation being this bad!” The series hasn’t aged badly as much as it was notoriously low-quality even when it was first released. For a studio as illustrious as Madhouse, the amount of jumpy movement and cheap animation cop-outs is inexcusable. This isn’t helped by the fact that Cowboy Bebop, a show that pushed the boundaries of what could be achieved with cel animation, premiered the same year. Being mostly set in desert environments also doesn’t help, and many of the backgrounds fade into a dull blend of varying shades of brown, all of which feature the washed-out tone indicative of low-quality coloring and shading materials from the time period.

Other aspects of production, however, are mostly great. Besides the aforementioned Bebop and maybe Lupin III, very little else in the genre of pre-2000s anime has quite the soundtrack that Trigun boasts. Its kick-ass, air-guitar-riffing opening theme is supplemented by a great set of slower tunes such as the near-psychedelic “Scattered Rain.” On the issue of subtitles versus the dubbed version, hearing the banter between the characters in English is just so much more rewarding than watching the bottom two inches of the screen on this occasion. Johnny Yong Bosch makes his first major appearance in this show, embodying the role of Vash the Stampede almost perfectly, while Lia Sargent, Dorothy Fahn, and Jeff Nimoy rounding out the main cast as Milly, Meryl, and Wolfwood respectively.

Trigun’s impact on Japanese animation can be felt even today. Besides being part the first wave of shows to reach a widespread audience in America, its narrative, thematic, and artistic elements have found themselves in everything from Desert Punk to Durarara!!. Overall, Trigun is one for the history books, not because it’s a relic of a bygone age, but because it deserves to be remembered as a revolutionary title that has enthralled generations of anime lovers, and will hopefully continue to do so for years to come.

wolff.verner - 2014-12-24 22:27:11

HyperWind's anime review #6

As an anime watcher, some day you're sure to come by one of these titles labeled as "Classics". These titles are usually surrounded by massive amounts of praise and critical acclaim, everyone seems to like them for one reason or another and they wholeheartedly believe that these titles are the things nearest to perfection. Of course, there's no such thing as a perfect series and everything should be taken with a grain of salt. So, today I'll dissect on of these so-called "classics" and see what's really hiding inside.

-- The Story --

The story follows our main protagonist Vash the Stampede and two Bernardelli Insurance Society employees, Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson, who follow him around trying to minimize the damage caused by various situations Vash gets himself in. These situations range from simple gunfights to massive catastrophical events that threaten the existence of this world.

Now, this story might seem as shallow and unworthy being in a title called a "classic", but underneath hides a complex sci-fi fable discussing the human condition, the price of life, ethics, morality and inner psychology.

You might even catch a glimpse of this during the first episode if carefully observing how Vash acts. At first he gives off an impression of a serious and cold blooded killer, but after failing at escaping he does a complete 180 and becomes this quirky and comedic character. This two faced façade can be seen in every character and is one of the main themes of this anime. There's two sides to everything, nothing is equally true or equally false, this world is all in shades of grey, not just black and white.

-- The Animation --

Trigun originally aired in 1998 and it shows. While the animation isn't bad, it can't be compared to today's levels.

It's kinda rough around the edges, some motions are chunky and unnatural, the characters look derpy from certain angles and the colors are heavily faded.

But as I said, it was made in the nineties, and this is not bad animation for the period.

-- The Sound --

In my opinion, Trigun has amazing music. It's mainly rock and metal, with some country and techno just sprinkled in and this suits the show really well, giving it this old, but strangely otherworldly western feeling. The sound effects, when taking in it's age, are also pretty great.

-- The Dub --

Like Mushishi, I watched Trigun dubbed and the dub was, well, OK. The actors fit the characters pretty well and they delivered an above average performance, also this was the first appearance of Johnny Yong Bosch in the anime industry and until this day I think that this was his best performance.

The only thing that I didn't like in this dub was some of the side characters' voices and the low sound quality at times.

Despite these flaws I'd still recommend watching this dubbed.

-- The Characters --

This is where I had the most problems with the show, while everyone was crafted pretty well, some characters fell off during the second half, especially Vash. 

Vash is probably the character that I had the most problems with. His attitude just doesn't reflect his actions, he might have not killed anyone directly (until the end at least, but that's spoiler material), but those things still led to the deaths of many, MANY people, he just failed to realize that and/or blatantly rejected this fact. This blissful ignorance was probably the worst aspect of Vash and the biggest hole in his logic, he was just too much of a "goody two shoes" character in general, some of the scenes would've been a lot better if he used some force and didn't try that bullshity "FRIENDSHIP" way, but, thank god, he got a LOT better after his "mental breakdown" and in the end redeemed all this shonen bullshit from before.

-- Final Thoughts --

Even with these strange characters and aged animation Trigun still manages to exceed many shows, even from this day, and it truly deserves the title "classic". I'd recommend this to anyone.

-- Other Details --

Trigun was directed by Satoshi Nishimura.

The soundtrack was composed by Tsuneo Imahori.

It was animated by studio MADHOUSE.

Licensed by Madman entertainment (Australia), Funimation (USA) and MVM films (UK).

Originally aired from April 1st to September 30th, 1998.

moises.gottlieb - 2014-11-18 18:13:18

The 60 Billion Double Dollar Man. The Humanoid Typhoon. Vash the Stampede. No matter what you called him, you can't ignore the fact that he is one of the goofiest characters you've ever been introduced to. Trigun is a relatively short anime about Vash's journey to change this world with "love and peace". I find this show very different from most. I didn't like it for it's action packed battles, dramatic scenes or even the story. I liked it for (in MY opinion) it's character development. Call them "Loaded Characters" if you will.

araceli.hamill - 2014-10-14 04:12:22

[Old review is old.]

Trigun is considered by many to be an essential anime; One that you need to watch if you want to call yourself an anime fan. And in many respects, it’s very easy to see why. This was one of the first anime to receive a quality English dub after Cowboy Bebop revolutionized the concept, and it has a classic story and memorable characters to boot.

The show opens on our main character Vash The Stampede, an infamous gunman known for reducing an entire city to ruin and rubble in just one night of misfortune, earning him the nickname of the Humanoid Typhoon. He also happens to be a wanted man, with 60 billion double dollars on his head. A couple of ladies from an insurance society, named Meryl and Milly, are assigned to make sure Vash doesn’t get into trouble, but they soon find out that the dangerous gunman might not be all that violent to begin with, infact…he’s kind of really weird.  Turns out he’s just sort of a grown up kid at heart who can’t stand violence, bad events just fall into his lap. They all travel across a vast desert landscape meeting new colorful people, discovering odd pieces of advanced technology, and slowly uncovering the mystery of Vash and his past.

The developments in Vash’s background and the pacing in how it unfolds is incredible. What seems like a heavily comedic "classic" anime becomes an intense journey of ideals and struggle by the end. While I’m sure many people have heard the themes they talk about before, like the sanctity of life, murder, freewill, the greater good, Trigun presents them almost to perfection that it’s kind of hard not to admire it. I think just the contrast between how fun and humorous the beginning was to the finale is enough to sell the show. By the end of it, there’s just as many scenes at the start that made you laugh as there were scenes at the end that made you tear up. Shows that can do that are always something special, especially if they can switch between fun and serious so smoothly.

The show also has a lot of symbolism, mainly in the form of religious imagery, and it works with it really well. They went overboard with it, they made the imagery fit with what was going on in the story in very clever ways instead of using it for the sake of symbolism alone, which often times ruins a story. In here, there was just the right amount.

As far as Vash himself, I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to dislike this guy. He is enjoying life so much at every opportunity he gets, and the lengths to which he will defend his beliefs is very respectable. He can by funny, he can be serious, he can be over the top, he can be calm, he can be confident, he can be insecure, which all just goes to show how broken the guy is on the inside. And the way he can switch between all of his farces is fantastic. Think of someone who has to act a lot in life. Someone who is traumatized, but is still able to control how he acts in front of everyone with perfect ease. And it works near the end because it gets more and more difficult for him to do so, showing the weight in what he’s going through. Also, whoever designed him, kudos cause I can’t get enough of how awesome he looks. He’s a big bowl of emotions and he’s one of my favorites.

The insurance girls are also fantastic. They both had their moments of awesomeness throughout the show, and it’s admirable how devoted to their job they are. They go through so much shit putting up with this energetic nutball, but they’re able to stand their ground and work through every problem they come across. By the end of the show, it’s also heartwarming to see how much they’ve changed because of their journey and the people they’ve met. These maybe some of the best female characters in anime, which is saying a lot, because Japan…you have some stuff to fix regarding females. The side characters, mostly one shots in an episode or two, are also very good. The traveling priest later on in the show gets great focus, the villains are all creative and memorable, especially Knives. Overall, a solid cast of likable, memorable, and well developed people.

Something else I noticed in the show is the great world building. Many anime in the 90's were affected by the standards of animation, and the budget allowed only for few shots of great detail and the rest turned out very bland. In Trigun there’s much more of a balance. There’s the right amount of detail in every shot and setting that needs it. The weapons are very creative and different, that cross gun that the priest carries is one of the most iconic guns in anime. The world gets more intriguing with every passing episode, and by the time the backstory comes into play, the setting becomes explored so much that it becomes just as interesting as the story and characters. That’s also rare for shows to do, so major props for a creative set.

The animation is where a few of my problems lie in the anime. For the most part, it’s good animation for 1998, and it gets extremely expressive and fluid in a lot of parts. But for maybe a fourth of the time, the animation seemed to cut corners, or it just wasn’t as precise or detailed as usual. The drawings seemed sloppy, at times the cel coloring seemed very off, overall the big ol’ word ‘inconsistent’ comes to mind. It was only for a fraction of the time, but it did become a problem eventually. Another small nitpick is that for a few episodes in the latter half, the plot seemed to drag on a bit or get slower. After a strong beginning and a bunch of great twists, sometimes it seemed like they were just filling time. Until we reach the final few episodes, which give a great finale to a great show.

The music might not have had a big impression the first time aside from a few standout tracks, but overtime I realized that I was able to listen to almost everything on the OST as a great standalone piece. Tons of songs are memorable, there’s a ton of different styles that all seem to fit together, there’s a wide range of moods, I could listen to it for hours. Add in one of the best openings of all time and my ears have gone to heaven.

Also a quick few things about the dub: It’s great. All the actors for the leads do fantastic, and there’s a couple of background voices who stand out as incredible. Plus, there’s a bit of bantering in a few parts, making the comedy that much funnier. They all have English names, it’s got those Christian themes, it’s a Western for pete’s sake. Watch it dubbed, you won't regret it.

I loved Trigun when I first saw it and it’s only grown on me ever since, and after rewatching it, my love for the show only deepened. There’s a ton of a aspects I admire more and more every time I see them. Even though I had problems with the animation sometimes and it felt sluggish at points, it was nowhere near enough to kill the show. By the end of it, I was smiling like an idiot, looking forward to another viewing in the future. There’s way too many good things that you will not want to miss if you skip over this show, so I advise you to discover them when you get the chance.

I give this anime a score of 8.4/10 (4 stars) and a Highly Recommended rating.

kutch.gloria - 2014-06-27 20:08:02

Just go to my blog. Hummingbird sucks. 

http://hsmedianerdreviews.blogspot.com/2014/03/anime-review-trigun.html

dee.hodkiewicz - 2013-10-02 15:24:09

American Westerns of the mid-20th Century romanticize the ideas of loyalty and virtue. Trigun is the equivalent of an old western film with amazing gun fights. It’s a fun action-packed story about a man called Vash the Stampede, roaming the desert planet “Gun Smoke” in his quest to create a world filled with LOVE & PEACE.

Intro

In the anime community, there are certain anime that are considered classics. Untouchable masterpieces that are the best things to happen to anime EVAR! Out of these anime, you can say three stand out as far as the 90’s are concerned, consisting of Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Trigun. These anime were very influential in helping create anime we take for granted today. These anime are also responsible for helping the boom of popularity anime experienced in the west. So, does Trigun still hold to the standard of anime today? Let’s find out!

Setting/Story

The desert planet “Gun Smoke” sets the mood of the Wild West perfectly, because well, there isn’t much out there but sand and well more sand. The story revolves around the legendary gunman Vash, who is believed to be ruthless, enough so he has a bounty on his head for a whopping $$60 billion; whatever a double dollar is. Rumors about Vash quickly spread around what seems like the entire planet, with everyone fearing this one man. People believe that Vash is a man trapped in bloodlust, but in reality he couldn’t be a more opposite of a character. Vash is a heroic character who can often be a complete idiot. Wait scratch that, he acts like a complete idiot about 80% of the time.

The first half of the anime is episodic and follows the life of Vash in a light-toned story filled with comedy and action. Vash continually gets caught up in tricky situations and it is a pleasure to see how he works around these problems. Vash goofs around and is always able to save the day. Events vary from Vash getting chased by an entire town to Vash becoming a woman’s personal lapdog to Vash trying to sneak a peek at a girl bathing. These were funny, but were formulaic and lacked a coherent story.

The latter half of the story shifts into a much darker tone, with the comedy almost disappearing entirely. Vash’s morals and ideals are put into question every single episode. Death and tragedy are prevalent themes throughout this half of the series. Seeing these morals and ideals clash with others make up for interesting debates, and make way for better characters and story progression. This makes up for some of the best moments of the anime.The darker tone and overarching story will grip you to your seat, and have you cheering for the Vash and the other characters through their tough times. Along with elements of Sci-Fi, which was a pleasant surprise, the events of the second half are unpredictable and engaging.

Characters

The story revolves around Vash the Stampede, aka the Humanoid Typhoon, aka Ericks, aka the $$60 Billion man, aka Valentinez Alkalinella Xifax Sicidabohertz Gombigobilla Blue Stradivari Talentrent Pierre Andri Charton-Haymoss Ivanovici Baldeus George Doitzel Kaiser III. But I’ll stick to Vash.

Vash’s character is similar to that of Kenshin Himura. He is a pacifist who never kills. Vash can turn into the badass that is noted down in legend or a complete goofball. His antics drive the comedy in this show. This is even seen in his fighting, where he makes ridiculous poses to dodge incoming bullets. Serious Vash is badass on a scale from 1 to badass and this is only amplified with his signature red coat and yellow-tinted sunglasses. Vash is always the center of trouble, especially in the latter half of the series, where his past slowly catches up to him. Vash’s ideals and morals are put into question every episode. He questions if whether being a pacifist is actually reasonable. Everyone around Vash urges him not to hesitate when taking the lives of those who harm others. If you want to know how these arguments go, they basically go around the lines of this: *[Greater Good - Hot Fuzz clip]* With his growth as a character along with the mix goofiness and badass, Vash is one of the most likable characters I have seen in anime thus far.Vash the Stampede is one of the most multi-dimensional characters created in anime and is extremely relatable and human. He is someone you can easily sympathize with and one entertaining dude to watch when he is on screen.

There to compliment Vash is the most badass churchman you will ever see and he goes by the name of Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Wait a second; Wolfood has the will of D. Anyways unlike other churchmen, Wolfwood picks and chooses the Commandments he likes to follow. Like “thou shall not kill”? Never heard of it! Apparently the only Commandment Wolfwood follows is “thou shall be a badass”, which he does perfectly. And unlike other churchmen, he doesn’t wear a ridiculous hat, while being the most pompous man in the world, nor does he touch little boys inappropriately. Yes, I had to go there. Wolfwood is a badass because he wears a black suit on a desert planet, yet manages not to get tanned. He also sports one of the most badass guns in history. It is a giant silver cross that is a machine gun on one end, a missile launcher on the other, and can open up where it stores several handguns.

The duo of Vash and Wolfwood is one of the greatest partnerships in anime history. Both of them have that mix of goofiness and badass, yet are complete opposites in their ideologies. Vash tries to protect every life, while Wolfwood doesn’t hesitate to take a life if it is for the greater good. *cough* I said for the greater… *[Greater Good - Hot Fuzz clip]*. Thank you. This complex relationship between the two makes it an interesting duo to say the least. They complement and contradict one another in a way I have never seen two other characters have before them or since.

Other main characters that should be noted are Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson who are the women that work for insurance company. They follow Vash so he doesn’t cause more damage to nearby cities. They are present to add comedy into the show and I think there is nothing that needs to be added to without further spoilers. Oh, they do ride these weird Salamander-Horse hybrids.

Oh, and I can’t forget the random cat that appears literally in every episode for no reason! Like why is it there!

Animation

The animation in Trigun suffers from the lack of proper funding and lack of technology.The animation suffers from time to time with the characters remaining stationary while the background is the only thing that moves. Also, there are times where the characters just don’t flow in the animation. This is probably due to the characters looking so unorthodox and crazy. However when it came to the action and the gunfights, the animation was on point. Comparing the animation to something like Attack on Titan would be unfair, because if you are unaware nowadays animators use a little known device called a computer. Yes, back in the day the animators sat down and drew every frame in Trigun, so I am more lenient with the animation. However, the animation does fall short compared to the perfection of animation in Cowboy Bebop, which came out later that same year.

Music

The music in Trigun is often highlighted with the great use of guitar. An example of this would be from the opening. It creates the perfect set up for the rampant action that follows. However, the same can’t be said about its forgettable ending theme. The soundtrack also consists of arbitrary noises like banging and scrapping. This was a little “hit and miss” at times, but worked in portraying the dreary world of Trigun.

Opinion/Enjoyment

Did I like Trigun? No, I loved it! Yes, even though the story was interesting it was also messy at times, with a lot of mysteries still left after the anime was over. It wasn’t ambiguous like the End of Evangelion (which made me feel like my mind was sexually assaulted), but I just wished there were a couple more episodes to explain everything. Yes the animation was off at times and the soundtrack could’ve been better. So how did this anime become one of my favourite anime of all time? My favourite part and the standout of this anime are the characters.

The characters are the heart and soul of this anime. Vash, Wolfood, and the insurance girls are deep and interesting characters. Their interactions on screen make for amazingly entertaining comedy and action. Even the side characters that appear every episode make the anime incredibly enjoyable to watch. The villains are badass and look the part too. From watching the chemistry and partnership of Vash and Wolfwood, to the comedy when Vash tries to eat some doughnuts, to the epic fight scenes with the badass villains, the show thrives off the multi-layered characters. Believe it or not, seeing the clashes between the characters’ ideologies was just as entertaining as the gun fights. When characters like Legato and Vash interact, there were some moments where I just had to hold my breath; especially one scene near the final episodes of the anime, which had me at the end of my seat in suspense. These characters are so well-written, that seeing their interactions with each other is one of the highlights of this anime.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Trigun is one of those anime you must see in your anime viewing career. It’s filled with philosophy on how important a human life, even if it is harmful to others. An example of paradoxical imagery that is often repeated in this show is with the butterfly and the spider. Do you let the spider kill the butterfly or do you kill the spider to let the butterfly live? Is there a way to save both? This anime tackles that question directly with the use of its characters. An interesting story, amazing gunfights, and a cast of memorable loveable characters are what make Trigun an exceptionally cool anime. So do I think Trigun holds up to the standard of anime today? Of course! For its interesting story, which lacked a bit in the beginning of the series, I give it and 8/10. For the amazing and well-written characters, I give a 10/10. For its animation that just falls short, a 7/10. For its great use of guitar and hit and miss soundtrack, a 7/10. And a score of 9/10, for how much I enjoyed the show. Now putting that into a formula, which you can find in the description if you are interested, and with a “Rule of Cool” bonus, has me awarding Trigun a score of 8.5/10.

Story: 20/25

Characters: 25/25

Animation:10.5/15

Sound: 10.5/15

Enjoyment: 13.5/15

Bonus – Round up to the nearest 2.5

Overall: 85/100

jany.braun - 2013-05-18 10:39:35

"I'm just killing the spiders to save the butterflies."1998 saw three popular shows going down the unusual route of combining futuristic sci-fi and cowboy-filled westerns as the backdrop to their story. "Cowboy Bebop" stands out as the biggest name amongst the trio, while "Outlaw Star" has all but faded into distant memory. Sandwiched between them is "Trigun", which made a big splash, but never quite achieved the evergreen status of "Cowboy Bebop".I'd heard about "Trigun" being similar to "Cowboy Bebop", but personally I don't think the similarities stretch much beyond the marriage of sci-fi and westerns settings. If anything, it's "Rurouni Kenshin" that "Trigun" share a strong connection with, and I'm surprised that this connection doesn't get spotlighted nearly as often as the Trigun-Bebop one. Like Kenshin, Vash, the protagonist of "Trigun" , wanders from place to place, hiding his power levels under a goofy exterior; like Kenshin, Vash is also a stubborn pacifist, refusing to kill even those who try to kill him. Despite all of this, the ginormously misunderstood Vash has a $$60,000,000,000 bounty over his head, along with unwanted nicknames such as "Vash the Stampede" and "The Humanoid Typhoon". Luckily for him, his reputation might be fearsome, but no one actually knows what "The Humanoid Typhoon" looks like, and this allows him to move around more or less freely.Until trouble inevitably catches up with him, that is.The earlier portions of "Trigun" are episodic, and mostly starts off with two insurance companies employees Meryl and Millie going to a town looking for this "Vash the Stampede" fellow, intending to keep an eye on him and hopefully prevent him from doing massive damage to buildings and costing their company money. Of course, they would end up running into Vash without realising his identity, Vash would accidentally find himself in the middle of a big ruckus, and the town would go up in smoke.There are reasons aplenty why I shouldn't have liked "Trigun". For starters, I don't dig the art style - there are some impessive character design concepts, but mostly it just looked ugly to me. Also, a lot of episodes are formulaic, particularly the early ones. Then there's the comedy - I first watched "Trigun" in my budding days of being an anime fan, and back then the silliness of anime humour often got on my nerves. But in spite of all these barriers, I took an instant liking to "Trigun". Its writing is solid, and the show mixes comedy and serious business so effectively that I didn't mind its silliness; and in fact, the sharp contrast between goofball Vash and serious Vash really adds to the show. Still, there are times when the comedy goes overboard, like when Vash does his "love and peace" routine, which I find unbearable."Trigun" undergoes a drastic change in the second half. The series shifts into a darker tone, and the episodic format changes into an overarching story about Vash's struggles against Knives, a figure re-emerging from his shadowy past. The bad guys up until this point had been weaklings, but now far stronger ones had started to appear, and the battles began to take on qualities not too dis-similar from those in the super power fighting genre. Though the elements are well executed, some viewers will prefer the lighter action/goofier mix earlier in the series. Personally though, I enjoyed the more continuous story and the more interesting battles.The second half of "Trigun" encompasses both the best and the worst of the series. On one hand, there's a lot more plot to be found, as well as some of the coolest characters in anime like Wolfwood and Legato. On the other hand, a lot of stuff were never fully explained; questions marks looming over things like the nature of plants (not those plants!) and the motivations and backgrounds of the Gun-Ho Guns are never resolved.Perhaps the aspect I liked the most was finding out more about Vash's past. His relationship with Rem was especially memorable, allowing insights into the major influence on his character, which is in turn reinforced as we see more of his actions and choices later on. At the same time though, this also relates closely to the aspect of the show I have the most problems with: the philosophy with which Vash - and to a lesser extent, Rem - approaches life, and in particular its contrast with that of the antagonist, Knives'. Knives isn't your average power hungry villain who wants to take over the world, or goes around killing everyone just because he's crazy. In fact, he's so rational that he makes Vash look incredibly juvenile. While Vash wants to save everyone, Knives reasons that to save the butterfly, you have to kill the spider. It's all well and good having a villain who speaks sense, but when the villain speaks so much more sense than the hero, when the hero has no comeback to the villain's words, then there is something fundamentally wrong with what the series is trying to say. What's also mightily frustrating is the inconclusive ending. True to his self-conflicting philosophies to the end, Vash takes a course of action that doesn't really solve anything in the long term. After all that, nothing really changed. It surely ranks up there as one the worst endings in anime."Trigun" could have been a mediocre anime, for its formulaic format and stale story elements. "Trigun" could have been a great anime, for hurdling its potential stumbling blocks with awesome characters and superb execution of the aforementioned stale story elements. In the end though, it's held back by flaws in its story and philosophical ideals, and has to settle for being very good.