Well there’s no need to fear, because DVDAR #15 REDUX is here. It is only fair that I go back and re-write my “Trigun” review. I mean I owe it to the kids at home, the kids who are paying money to read this. That’s saying something given that this isn’t even a pay site.

“Trigun” is based on the original manga of the same name by Yasuhiro Nightow. Nightow is known as an artist with an eye for detail and knack for good gag humor. Need proof? Look at the main character of Trigun, Vash The Stampede. Vash is the goofiest action hero you are bound to come across. He’s always fleeing from people trying to kill him, avoiding fights whenever possible and just all around strange. The weird thing is Vash is cool as all hell dressed in his red leather trenchcoat and wire rimmed shades. Oh yeah and Vash carries a gun, a big gun… a really BIG gun. Strange thing is, the man doesn’t kill a single person for the entire run of the show.

The show?

Oh yeah, “Trigun” began airing April 2nd 1998 for a 26 episode run. Production of the series hit a snag though as Nightow had a falling out with his publisher. Production of the manga ceased after the printing of tankouban volume 3. Nightow took the property to a new publisher where it was retitled “Trigun MAXIMUM”, the animated series was already in production though and somethings had to be changed (the end of the anime for example being one of them).

“Trigun” is set on the planet Gunsmoke, a desert like planet where water is scarce. The people make the most of their meager lives but they all fear the same thing, a man known as “The Humanoid Typhoon”, Vash The Stampede. Vash is wanted by the authoirites for several crimes including disturbing the peace and destruction of public property. It has gotten so bad that Vash has a price on his head of $$60,000,000,000 (That is double dollars, the monetary figure of Gunsmoke). With all this destruction people are cashing in on their home-owners insurance policies through the Bernadelli Insurance Agency. Being concerned that the Agency is being fleeced 2 investigators are sent out, Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson. Meryl is a wee lass with burning temper while sidekick Milly is simple, even somewhat dimwitted but stands about 6’2. It is thir job to find Vash The Stampede and observe the calamity that ensues when he shows up. This is easier said than done as they actually find Vash (only they don’t know it’s him) and get into all sorts of dangerous scenarios.

That’s the set-up for the show and the first 11 episodes make it seem like the world’s biggest slapstick routine. It is anything but that. Episode 8 (“So, Between Wilderness And Sky”) features a lot of the goofy humor but gives you an idea of how things are about to change as Milly and Meryl discover that the spiky-haired man in the red coat who keeps getting them into trouble is Vash. Episode #12 (“Diablo”) introduces us to the man that is the villain till episode 24, Legato Bluesummers and his band of Gung-Ho Guns. Vash’s tragic origin is revealed in Episode 17 (“Rem Saverem”) as he recovers from the tragedy in Episode 16 (“Fifth Moon”). Along the way we discover the immensity of Milly’s family, we meet the preacher and gunman Nicholas D. Wolfwood. The history of planet Gunsmoke is revealed in all this as well and just for a guy with a big gun Vash refuses to use it till episode 5. Oh yeah, we also discover why the show is called “Trigun”.

The second half of the series builds to this incredible climax as more and more people are sent after Vash building to a showdown with both Legato and his master Knives. This is where “Trigun” let me down. Episode 26 (“Beneath This Sky So Blue”) is anti-climactic but with good reason. Studio Madhouse, the company animating the series, had reached a point in the story that Yuasuhiro Nightow had yet to explore in the actual comic. Thus the resolution between Vash, Legato and Knives is wrapped up in the anime very quickly. It didn’t help that the ratings for “Trigun” were abysmal due to its late night (1 am) time slot.

I like “Trigun”, the characters are engaging and the animation is solid. The story develops to something big but falls flat in the last episode but don’t let that stop you from watching it, as it is a very good show (one of the better ones of 1998 actually). It has an important message that all life is sacred and precious and that we as humans should strive for what Vash cherishes the most… “LOVE AND PEACE!”