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Trigun

Genre: Fantasy/Action/Dramedy (Comedy and Drama are about equal here...)

Date Submitted: July 10, 2004

Review By: Ratgirl

Plot Summary: On a desert planet with two suns and five moons, there is life; life of humans and animals alike. But this harsh planet also brings death from its vast, barren plains and this has made the human race there very afraid. Overrun with gunpower and violence, life is not unlike an old western movie and the most wanted man alive is the one and only Vash the Stampede, the $$60,000,000,000 man. But the funny thing about all this is that although Vash is so notorious, hardly anyone knows what he looks like! And two determined insurance women have just been assigned the task of watching over him...that is if they can find him...with that, the Anime 'Trigun' begins. This 26-episode rollercoaster of a series will just keep the viewer guessing what will possibly come next.

Main Characters: Vash the Stampede is no doubt the main character of this series. Nicknamed the Humanoid Typhoon, this silly-looking-spikey-haired blonde man is wanted with a reward of $$60 billion! But upon first meeting him one would really have to wonder why that is so. Vash is a tall and powerful, yet gentle man who seems to want much love and peace....this guy is a real enigmawith many secrets, which makes for a great main character!

Milly Thompson and Meryl Strife come up next. These two insurance girls travel all over the place just to follow and keep an eye on Vash. Why would they do that you ask? Well it is their job of course! This silly odd couple (a small short haired, not to mention short tempered, woman and large and strangely not in charge blonde) make for perfect comic relief when Vash isn't so silly. Sometimes they tend to get in the way of things, but these women are a vital part to the story!

Next up comes Nicholas D. Wolfwood; a kind priest who roams the neighboring cities and towns fundraising for an orphanage he owns. This character is an interesting one to say the least, saying that he serves under gods hand while constantly drinking and smoking...but I must say, that is one amazing cross that he carries with him, and it is full of mercy...

The Gung-Ho Guns: Acting as the main villains of the series, these twelve gunmen (and women) each have their own deadly tricks up their sleeves. They are all very different but are all after one thing, Vash the Stampede. Legato, one of the twelve, obviously stands as the leader of this fatal gang, but even he serves under someone higher. His name is Knives, not much is known about this man, but for some reason he has a past history with Vash...the story only gets deeper from there...

What to Expect: Lots of gunslinging and doughnut eating, towns named after months of the year, and many human beings of gigantic proportions. Not to mention a black cat that pops up out of nowhere so often that finding him in the series could make quite the drinking game for you Anime viewers over 21...

Final Grading:-Quality of Artwork is done very well and the style fits this vintage 1998 Anime well. The detail work in this fully cell animated piece is amazing. Cells also give it a rougher, darker look that many newer Anime out there tend to stray away from, but it definitely works in this one! Although a couple scenes in the series do become limited at times, the animation flows about equally in the span of the series.

-Music in Trigun compliments the environments very well. Everything from blazing guitars to soft symphonic melodies make this show very pleasing to the ears and accent every scene to its fullest. And while on the note of sound (no pun intended), the voice acting is great in both Japanese and English! I have watched it both ways and each language wraps around the show nicely.

-The Story when it begins seems at first very simple and even downright silly, but as the episodes progress you get to realize how deep the hole really goes...this series lays out its story very intricately and what is better is though giving the audience little hints and pokes, nothing is absolutely obvious or certain until the very end.

-Character Development was done wonderfully. What surprised me the most was not only how complex many of the main characters in the series were, but how detailed each minor character was throughout each episode. This gives the viewer a deeper understanding of the world as well as the main story, very nicely done!

-Overall this series will hopefully make you want to laugh, cry, and sometimes even grow angry with the many characters that cross the big picture. I feel that Anime lovers of any age can enjoy this series, but believe that it probably wouldn't be fully understood by young viewers. I have fully enjoyed this series and I wish that all of you out there will do the same! I give this series a 9/10.