
Trigun!!
Story...On a barren,
dusty planet baked by the rays of two suns,
colonists
eke out a miserable existence in small settlements reminiscent of the
Wild West. It has been hundreds of years since the Ship brought them to
this world; people know the old stories but no one remembers the lost
technology that allows them to raise crops on this inhospitable land. In
this lawless time stands a lone gunman. His name is Vash the Stampede.
He is the Humanoid Typhoon, the man responsible for wiping out the
entire city of July. The price on his head: $$60 billion (double
dollars). Truly a man to be dreaded. Where he goes, destruction follows.
Well, if the
premise sounds dark, the actual anime is far from it. TRIGUN, based on a
currently-running manga of the same name, is comical, bright, and full
of "feel good" messages. This reviewer's first impression of Vash was of
Ito (GUNMM) crossed with Saeba Ryo (CITY HUNTER). Vash is a tall, thin,
blonde guy, and his penchant for acting like a clueless idiot belies his
amazing marksmanship and intelligence. Did I mention he has a thing for
women?
Because of the
way Vash seems to attract trouble, an insurance company has set two
agents to follow him around and make sure he causes as little damage as
possible. The people for this job turn out to be two women whose
characters more than succeed in matching Vash's. Meryl "Derringer"
Streep (played by Tsuru Hiromi!) and Millie "Stungun" Thompson stick to
Vash like flies on garbage, much to the chagrin of the man himself. The
former never fails to berate Vash at every opportunity while being
polite to a fault, and the latter gives a whole new meaning to the word
"airhead." They may seem like your typical quirky female sidekicks, but
they really are fun to watch, and surprisingly refreshing.
In fact, if I
had to give one reason why I think TRIGUN is one of the best anime TV
series this season, it would be the characters. Some of the more cynical
folks might dismiss Vash as just another CITY HUNTER wannabe. While I
admit that that side of Vash is somewhat less than original, when you
add in "mysterious past," "tragic love," "partial memory loss," and
"evil rival," and mix in a healthy dose of goodness and humanity, you do
get a pretty memorable hero.
The series is on
the episodic side, with several two-parters and a couple minor
characters that stay on for a few episodes. The tightly sequenced
stories, time-wise, give TRIGUN a strong sense of continuity that other
shows of this format tend to lack. Despite his reputation for the
contrary, Vash always winds up helping out some person in distress,
albeit sometimes involuntarily. While it is fun, it also means the show
is a little light on plot. The hope is that the series will soon begin
to reveal more about Vash's past and his connection with the lost
technology of the Ship.
Another strong
point of TRIGUN would be its animation and art. The character designs
are crisp, consistent, and interesting. The first few episodes look
excellent, the colors and cel painting being particularly outstanding.
Of course, with Madhouse at the helm one would not expect anything less.
The animation quality has dropped a little recently, but it is still
good enough that when scenes are incorporated into the opening for that
episode, it works.
This is not the
first anime to use an opening comprised of footage from within the
episode itself. But it is perhaps the most successful in blending that
footage with original opening animation. It is a testament to the
quality of the art as well as the keen sense of the production staff.
This series could easily have flopped in the hands of a less experienced
studio, but luckily it shines in all areas.
TRIGUN has style
and attitude, from the heavy metal BGM used in the opening right down to
the grunge-style ending theme song done to clips of Vash sleeping, or
doing laundry. It is not an intellectual trip, but it is fun and cool,
and highly recommended. Just don't ask me what that weird cat has to do
with the whole thing.
Review...Again one of the most awesome anime's of all time.
It's got everything from Action to
Comedy. With the gun slinging
cowboy set theme. I mean I totally loved it right from the very first
episode. Well, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. |
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