I've met otaku who are pretty picky about the choice of anime that land on their must-watch list, and surprise, surprise, there are people who refuse to watch mecha, people who refuse to watch slice-of-life, and there are people who refuse to watch anything which doesn't look like anime as they know it. So you'll see people shunning RWBY, Ping Pong the Animation, even Flowers of Evil, but let's put those titles aside for a minute; and focus our attention on anime that aired before 2000. Back in the day, art styles were different, animation was tightly budgeted and unpolished, so it's a jarring contrast when juxtaposed against the shine and sparkle of anime that come out today, and it's hard not to cringe when one's first impression of an anime is its aged feel and look. But hey, there are people today who still dare to say things like, "Meh, Death Note versus Code Geass? Has anyone actually seen Legend of the Galactic Heroes?" And that should tell us a little something; that there are shows which are so good for what they are, that to gloss over them in favour of better visuals would be nothing less than pure travesty.
You know where I'm going with this. Trigun is a classic. I didn't expect it to be, but it's always nice when you're proven wrong. At this point, I'm going to gently tell you that the way to get the best out of this show, is to know that it's a story about cowboys having showdowns in the wastelands, and just watch it. Watch it, and even when you feel like giving up, push yourself past episode 7, and if you're the least bit intrigued by this point, then push yourself past episode 9, and if you get to episode 17 then you're probably set to finish the rest of the story on a good note.
Still not convinced? Okay then, maybe a sprinkle of spoilers may be necessary. So Trigun tells the story of a reputably destructive and outlawed gunman called Vash the Stampede, who roams the barren wastelands with a .45 calibre revolver in his pocket and a $$60 billion bounty on his head. Entire villages are paranoid at the very mention of his name, and for good reason too, as the legendary outlaw leaves a trail of blazing destruction in his wake. Implicated in all this chaos is the Bernadelli Insurance Society, which sends two of its staff, Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson, to track down Vash and to ensure that he ceases causing the damage that is crippling their company. However, they're not the only ones hot on his trail, for the widespread poverty and corruption that inflicts villages across the desert, mean that there are others on the hunt for the bounty on Vash's head. And with that, here's the second chance for you to close this window and watch the first episode with all immediacy. You can come back later and read the rest of this 'review'.
Trigun's opening episode is one of the most well-written openings I have come across, and while the writing for the rest of the series isn't as consistently good as this, it at least sets the stage for a recurring trope that occurs throughout the plot - the element of subversion. In Trigun, there's this unspoken rule that what you see is never, ever what you get, and it keeps the entire story doused in a very healthy coating of mystery and suspense. You might think that you're dealing with an episodic adventure series which constantly reuses the who-can-pull-out-his-gun-faster plot device, but no, be warned, it's not like that. You might think you understand the settings and background of this whole story, but no, you really don't. This is your third chance to close the window and go watch Trigun's first episode. There will be no more chances after this.
Honestly, there's only one thing about the entirety of Trigun which has to hook you - the character of Vash the Stampede. If you decide that you like him, the rest of the series should be a breeze; if you can't see where the whole show is going with him as a main character, then give up, Trigun is not for you, because even the crowd's alternative fan favourite, Wolfwood, only shows up a little later. But on a personal note, I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't fall in love with Vash at first sight. To begin with, his character design - which encompasses everything from his blond Mohawk, to his mole, to the red trenchcoat - is iconic. Even Edward Elric looks tame compared to him. Appearance aside, everything about him drives the show, and this is what I love so much about Trigun. Vash starts out as a hopeless schizophrenic to the audience; he's incredibly serious one moment, and completely possessed by the ghost of a five-year old the next. In the first few episodes, he goofs his way through dodging bullets, and we (or myself, at least) are conned into thinking that this supernatural ability is a running gag of sorts. But like I warned you, don't be fooled; you think you know better, but you don't.
More importantly, Vash, like another classic anime icon Kenshin Himura, goes by the philosophy that one must never take the life of another, no matter how one can justify it. What's so phenomenal about Trigun, is that Vash doesn't spout his creed in a vacuum, if anything, countless lives are lost precisely because he chooses to stick to his guns (pun not intended), and he winds up losing a lot of friends along the way. What it shows us is the price of morals; like Kenzo Tenma from Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Vash is repeatedly tormented and haunted by the sacrifices his philosophy forces him to make. He's no Kenshin in the sense that he doesn't renounce a treacherous past; rather, he starts out haplessly idealistic, spurned by nothing more than a deep influence from the mother figure in his distant childhood, a young woman named Rem. Through all the antics and slapstick comedy, he's stubbornly committed to seeing the very best in humanity, despite all the pain people have put him through - I mean, there's a reason why Brad is a dead-ringer for Steve, okay? I've seen people dish dirt on his character for being 'boring' and annoyingly moral, and to that I say 'haters back off!', since if you're looking for mindless killing then go watch Hellsing Ultimate or Attack on Titan - Trigun is not about satisfying fantasy pleasures about action and violence, and in truth it's quite the opposite.
Trigun is a story about the age old moral quandary about whether the ends can justify the means, and while Vash sits on one end of the spectrum, settled right at the end of the other is none other than the motorcycle-riding, crucifix-slinging priest, Nicholas D Wolfwood. A priest, right? Well ha, ha, ha, I can't imagine how people suck up to him instead, when he's even bigger of a hypocrite than Suzaku Kururugi from Code Geass. For someone who goes around with a dollhouse church for performing confessionals, Wolfwood is absolutely liberal about taking the lives of others, and scorns Vash's pacifism as idealistic and reckless. Sure, his weapon the Punisher is a daring hunk of metal that has never really since been replicated in anime lore, but coolness aside, Wolfwood is a very conflicted man, and the fact that he and Vash seem (for the most part) to click like brothers-from-another-mother is almost a miracle. Do I like Wolfwood? I like his characterisation, sure, but I've always inclined myself towards Vash's type of ideals. I know lots of people adore him, though, so who knows!
Meryl and Milly, the insurance girls, serve as the story's supporting characters, and while I really like them, I have an issue with the fact that they seem to merely exist for comic relief, a dash of waifu-ism, and pretty much nothing else. They bear no significance to the overarching conspiracies, and are at best characters who initially guide and reinforce the first impressions of Trigun which the audience is supposed to hold, particularly with respect to the nature of the wanted criminal Vash the Stampede. After this, it's mostly their relationships with Vash and Wolfwood which continue to keep them interesting, for the meat of the story is something that only Vash is truly connected to...and Wolfwood to a much lesser extent.
A final character mention will be made of the series' main villain. After thinking about it over and over again, I've come to the conclusion that Knives is probably replacing Monster's Johan Liebert as my new favourite villain. This is entirely personal, so I'm not really looking to justify it. But granted, there's nothing comparatively charismatic nor alluring about Knives, so why, you ask? Well, considering the amount of actual screentime he actually gets, he's a highly anticipated character when he actually makes an appearance - and that speaks volumes of his subtle presence in the show. Beyond this, I'm deeply intrigued by his backstory, and the way he came to be who he is, despite growing up as a practical clone of his saintly twin brother. It's convincing, it's believable, it's very emotional - it's encapsulated in the metaphorical image of the spider and the butterfly, and that is all that needs to be said. Want to find out more? Go watch Trigun.
So yeah, if you haven't already guessed, the characters drive the plot, simply because their contrasting philosophies make the show what it is. And that's so important, mainly due to the fact that there is no way Trigun would have counted as a classic by virtue of its action scenes. Let's be honest here, it is often glaringly obvious that Trigun was done on an airtight budget. In order to bring out the desolateness and emptiness of the wastelands, the colours used for the backgrounds are drab and boring. The character designs are pretty good, though even the most outrageous villains pale in comparison to Vash. But oh my word, the animation is occasionally mediocre at best - because while there are pretty intense gunfights and spectacular GIF-worthy scenes of Vash pulling the cutest baka faces, there are other moments where characters speak despite their mouths not moving.
You know where I'm going with this. Trigun is a classic. I didn't expect it to be, but it's always nice when you're proven wrong. At this point, I'm going to gently tell you that the way to get the best out of this show, is to know that it's a story about cowboys having showdowns in the wastelands, and just watch it. Watch it, and even when you feel like giving up, push yourself past episode 7, and if you're the least bit intrigued by this point, then push yourself past episode 9, and if you get to episode 17 then you're probably set to finish the rest of the story on a good note.
Still not convinced? Okay then, maybe a sprinkle of spoilers may be necessary. So Trigun tells the story of a reputably destructive and outlawed gunman called Vash the Stampede, who roams the barren wastelands with a .45 calibre revolver in his pocket and a $$60 billion bounty on his head. Entire villages are paranoid at the very mention of his name, and for good reason too, as the legendary outlaw leaves a trail of blazing destruction in his wake. Implicated in all this chaos is the Bernadelli Insurance Society, which sends two of its staff, Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson, to track down Vash and to ensure that he ceases causing the damage that is crippling their company. However, they're not the only ones hot on his trail, for the widespread poverty and corruption that inflicts villages across the desert, mean that there are others on the hunt for the bounty on Vash's head. And with that, here's the second chance for you to close this window and watch the first episode with all immediacy. You can come back later and read the rest of this 'review'.
Trigun's opening episode is one of the most well-written openings I have come across, and while the writing for the rest of the series isn't as consistently good as this, it at least sets the stage for a recurring trope that occurs throughout the plot - the element of subversion. In Trigun, there's this unspoken rule that what you see is never, ever what you get, and it keeps the entire story doused in a very healthy coating of mystery and suspense. You might think that you're dealing with an episodic adventure series which constantly reuses the who-can-pull-out-his-gun-faster plot device, but no, be warned, it's not like that. You might think you understand the settings and background of this whole story, but no, you really don't. This is your third chance to close the window and go watch Trigun's first episode. There will be no more chances after this.
Honestly, there's only one thing about the entirety of Trigun which has to hook you - the character of Vash the Stampede. If you decide that you like him, the rest of the series should be a breeze; if you can't see where the whole show is going with him as a main character, then give up, Trigun is not for you, because even the crowd's alternative fan favourite, Wolfwood, only shows up a little later. But on a personal note, I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't fall in love with Vash at first sight. To begin with, his character design - which encompasses everything from his blond Mohawk, to his mole, to the red trenchcoat - is iconic. Even Edward Elric looks tame compared to him. Appearance aside, everything about him drives the show, and this is what I love so much about Trigun. Vash starts out as a hopeless schizophrenic to the audience; he's incredibly serious one moment, and completely possessed by the ghost of a five-year old the next. In the first few episodes, he goofs his way through dodging bullets, and we (or myself, at least) are conned into thinking that this supernatural ability is a running gag of sorts. But like I warned you, don't be fooled; you think you know better, but you don't.
More importantly, Vash, like another classic anime icon Kenshin Himura, goes by the philosophy that one must never take the life of another, no matter how one can justify it. What's so phenomenal about Trigun, is that Vash doesn't spout his creed in a vacuum, if anything, countless lives are lost precisely because he chooses to stick to his guns (pun not intended), and he winds up losing a lot of friends along the way. What it shows us is the price of morals; like Kenzo Tenma from Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Vash is repeatedly tormented and haunted by the sacrifices his philosophy forces him to make. He's no Kenshin in the sense that he doesn't renounce a treacherous past; rather, he starts out haplessly idealistic, spurned by nothing more than a deep influence from the mother figure in his distant childhood, a young woman named Rem. Through all the antics and slapstick comedy, he's stubbornly committed to seeing the very best in humanity, despite all the pain people have put him through - I mean, there's a reason why Brad is a dead-ringer for Steve, okay? I've seen people dish dirt on his character for being 'boring' and annoyingly moral, and to that I say 'haters back off!', since if you're looking for mindless killing then go watch Hellsing Ultimate or Attack on Titan - Trigun is not about satisfying fantasy pleasures about action and violence, and in truth it's quite the opposite.
Trigun is a story about the age old moral quandary about whether the ends can justify the means, and while Vash sits on one end of the spectrum, settled right at the end of the other is none other than the motorcycle-riding, crucifix-slinging priest, Nicholas D Wolfwood. A priest, right? Well ha, ha, ha, I can't imagine how people suck up to him instead, when he's even bigger of a hypocrite than Suzaku Kururugi from Code Geass. For someone who goes around with a dollhouse church for performing confessionals, Wolfwood is absolutely liberal about taking the lives of others, and scorns Vash's pacifism as idealistic and reckless. Sure, his weapon the Punisher is a daring hunk of metal that has never really since been replicated in anime lore, but coolness aside, Wolfwood is a very conflicted man, and the fact that he and Vash seem (for the most part) to click like brothers-from-another-mother is almost a miracle. Do I like Wolfwood? I like his characterisation, sure, but I've always inclined myself towards Vash's type of ideals. I know lots of people adore him, though, so who knows!
Meryl and Milly, the insurance girls, serve as the story's supporting characters, and while I really like them, I have an issue with the fact that they seem to merely exist for comic relief, a dash of waifu-ism, and pretty much nothing else. They bear no significance to the overarching conspiracies, and are at best characters who initially guide and reinforce the first impressions of Trigun which the audience is supposed to hold, particularly with respect to the nature of the wanted criminal Vash the Stampede. After this, it's mostly their relationships with Vash and Wolfwood which continue to keep them interesting, for the meat of the story is something that only Vash is truly connected to...and Wolfwood to a much lesser extent.
A final character mention will be made of the series' main villain. After thinking about it over and over again, I've come to the conclusion that Knives is probably replacing Monster's Johan Liebert as my new favourite villain. This is entirely personal, so I'm not really looking to justify it. But granted, there's nothing comparatively charismatic nor alluring about Knives, so why, you ask? Well, considering the amount of actual screentime he actually gets, he's a highly anticipated character when he actually makes an appearance - and that speaks volumes of his subtle presence in the show. Beyond this, I'm deeply intrigued by his backstory, and the way he came to be who he is, despite growing up as a practical clone of his saintly twin brother. It's convincing, it's believable, it's very emotional - it's encapsulated in the metaphorical image of the spider and the butterfly, and that is all that needs to be said. Want to find out more? Go watch Trigun.
So yeah, if you haven't already guessed, the characters drive the plot, simply because their contrasting philosophies make the show what it is. And that's so important, mainly due to the fact that there is no way Trigun would have counted as a classic by virtue of its action scenes. Let's be honest here, it is often glaringly obvious that Trigun was done on an airtight budget. In order to bring out the desolateness and emptiness of the wastelands, the colours used for the backgrounds are drab and boring. The character designs are pretty good, though even the most outrageous villains pale in comparison to Vash. But oh my word, the animation is occasionally mediocre at best - because while there are pretty intense gunfights and spectacular GIF-worthy scenes of Vash pulling the cutest baka faces, there are other moments where characters speak despite their mouths not moving.