Trigun

A lot of animes set people off. Slow beginnings, long series, and lack of substance make a lot of anime shows completely unwatchable to the newcomer.

Those animes should take a lesson from Trigun. If there was ever an anime that told a story best in 26 episodes, it's definitely this one. Vash The Stampede, a supposed outlaw with a $$60 million reward, must set out to find where his life started and how to go on now. On his journey he is tagged along by reporters Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson, and is later accompanied by the gun-toting priest Nicholas D. Wolfwood.

Every episode has its own wonderful story and solves a little more of the mystery of Vash's life, always wanting you hungering for more but feeding you enough to love that episode just as much as any other. I, for one, was very able to connect to the characters as each has their own colorful and lovable personality. It brought a lot of life to an anime series that you aren't treated to often.

There's no way you can't enjoy Trigun - it's an anime series for all and definitely one that will last throughout anime history as one of the best. It may not be glittered with massive CG and high-budget animation, but that's not what is important. If you haven't seen this yet, go see it now.

Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson of the Bernadelli Insurance Company have a problem. They are to contain the problem of Vash "The Stampede", also known as "The Humanoid Typhoon". Every city that he stops in finds itself utterly destroyed. The problem is, once they find Vash, they also find that he's never killed a person and appears to be a bumbling idealistic fool which a penchant for dodging bullets and eating donuts. At least that's what he appears to be.

In a strange twist on anime protagonists, Vash is not a dark brooder or a naive boy with skill. Although he has elements of a dark past and such, he's an idealist committed to "love and peace" and he never shoots to kill, but rather uses his gun and his impossible marksmanship as a tool. While the series begins with a strong comic tone, serious elements are placed in the undercurrent and as the series progresses, the tone becomes increasingly serious with the comedy becoming more like breaks between the intense story. Towards the end of the series, it becomes increasingly potent, resonating both with emotions and intellect.

I really like the way the series really grapples with questions of idealism, pragmatism, questions of morality regarding the ends and means and other philosophical concepts, each having some embodiment in the various characters of the show. All the same, the characters are not allegories, but just strongly aligned to certain kinds of thinking. I do wish that some of the other characters were fleshed out more, but I also realize that it's hard to devote so much time to characters in a 24-episode arc.

Trigun is a surprisingly superb piece of storytelling thrown in a fantastic animated world and while the earlier comic episodes might be a little loose, they set the ground for the more serious second half and no episode seems utterly unnecessary. An excellent series and highly recommended to those who love science fiction, strong serial storytelling or those who love animation. 9/10

Being a fan of the more "magical girl" type of anime (Sailor Moon, Magic Knight Rayearth, Card Captor Sakura), I was a little hesitant to sit down and watch Trigun, given its rough-and-tumble looking guy on the front, and all the images of guns and violence. After viewing the first episode, I was clamoring for more.

Vash the Stampede is a wanted man. Nicknamed the "Humanoid Typhoon," he brings destruction to any town he passes through. Because of this, a $$60 billion bounty has been put on his head. The Bernardelli Insurance Agency has also dispatched two of its agents, Meryl Strife and Milly Thompson, to find Vash and report on why he causes every town that he passes through to be utterly destroyed.

What they find is that the Humanoid Typhoon isn't quite what he seems. If one wants to be blunt, Vash is more or less a dork. He has a very strong aversion to taking another human life, instilled in him as a boy by his guardian Rem. Though he is an exceptional gunslinger, Vash would rather roam from town to town spreading the message of "Love and Peace!". Unfortunately, many bounty hunters are motivated by the immense bounty on Vash's head, and it is the battles between Vash and these bounty hunters that destroy every town Vash comes to.

Along the way, we meet a motley band of characters, most notable among them being the gunslinging preacher Nicholas D. Wolfwood, who has an unholy surprise in the cross he carries on his back, and Legato, the one man that Vash seems to actually fear. Ultimately, it is a man named Knives Millions that Vash seeks. Who is Knives, what is his connection to Vash, and why does Vash want to find him so badly?

Trigun offers a new twist on the American western, without doing something as drastic as set the whole series in space, as anime often does. Another twist is the characterization of its hero as not always perfect. Like Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon, Vash the Stampede is a bit of a klutz, and, as mentioned before, quite the dork. When he has to, though, like Sailor Moon, he gets the job done effectively. He also has his "bishonen" moments that help to bring in the female viewers. Another departure from the usual is that the female characters are less fragile flowers than steel magnolias. Early on, Meryl and Milly show that they take no guff from sexist saloon patrons who look to terrorize them, thanks to Milly's superhuman strength. (If you think Vash and Wolfwood carry big guns, you haven't seen Milly's monster of a weapon.)

Trigun starts out as a comedy and remains so throughout the run of the series, though midway, as many anime tend to do, it takes a darker turn, as we get a look at Vash's past and find out what made him into the man known as the Humanoid Typhoon. The episodes are very well-paced, making you want more, not so much because you feel that there is something lacking, but because you get drawn into the story and its main players. Trigun appeals to both male and female viewers, whether you're into action, adventure, comedy, and/or drama. Little wonder why it has become very popular in recent years.

I'm not really big into these here Japanese cartoons, but this is one of the two that I really like.

Trigun really throws off people that watch it. When it starts out, it's pretty funny as Vash takes on a series of fairly harmless and minor thugs and villains. If that's all you're looking for in the series, I wouldn't recommend watching the second half of the series.

The second half really gets dark in its viewpoints. It really shows that there's a human side as Vash fights with both his enemies and himself. So if you're looking for some comedy and darker views on life, I'd really recommend Trigun.

The Trigun anime series is a magnificent addition to anime of today. It starts off with about twelve or so episodes with the average hero-saves-the-day motive, but there is always a big mystery left behind for our hero, Vash: Who in the world IS he!?

About halfway through the series, Vash is caught up in the midst of his brother, Knives, who wants nothing better than to see Vash suffer. Vash has one weakness, and a pretty serious one at that: He cannot kill ANYBODY or else he'll risk total, mental damnation. So, what's one thing that Knives does? He sends out about a dozen totally unique fighters dubbed the "Gung Ho Guns", whose job is to drive Vash to kill them.

This series does a great job at bringing in well-made characters and has its share of comical humor along the way. All that I can add is that when the final episode came to an end, one word kept circling through my head: Wow. Plus, it's fun choosing which of the "Gung Ho Guns" is your favorite. Personal choice of mine: Caine the Longshot.