Review of Trigun

“It's so big...Of course, that's because it's full of mercy!” “A man who takes a stand, though it scars him from head to toe, and that man is here” I first watched this anime on tv back when I was a kid that couldn't comprehend much of Trigun's philosophy, but still got the essentials of its message : "It's all about LOVE & PEACE!" I recommend this anime for the newer anime fans, that only watched recent animes, I believe that watching this anime will make you appreciate the anime industry more, and their development across the history. *It will be a rather long review, so beware* Thestory centers around the character of Vash the Stampede, nicknamed "The Humanoid Typhoon", a man with a $60,000,000,000 bounty on his head. The rumors are varied and never the same, some say he has a mohawk, others say he's blonde and wears red clothes, but most stories agree that wherever he goes, disaster follows, leaving whole cities in ruin, but as if it were an act from God, there are no human casualities.

We are introduced to the characters of Meryl Stryfe and her partener Milly Thompson, who are sent by an insurance company to investigate the cause of the destructions, Vash. They encounter in rather strange circumstances a young man who matches the physical description of Vash the Stampede, but they soon dismiss that idea, since the young man was too air-headed and gulliable to be the notorious infractor.

However, when they are in a pinch, the man goes to their rescue, showing determination and fearlessness in the face of danger. Since their first encounter, the two insurance employees meet the mysterious young man on various occasions, and on many of these, the young man protects or tries to protect the defenseless, without killing anyone, but taking the violence on himself. Because of his pacifistic ways, Meryl tries to convince herself he is not Vash, despite all the proof that indicate otherwise, like his expert gunsmanship and his otherworldly ability to deflect attacks that are not humanly possible to deflect. However, when asked what is his name, he tries to avoid to answer, in the end the girls discover that he is indeed the real Vash the Stampede.

From then on, Vash is under the insurance girls surveillance, travelling along with them. Being able to know the real nature of Vash, a pacifist at heart, the girls gradually forget the rumors that portray him as a heartless villain.
The first part of the anime is episodic, and focuses on the pacifistic nature of Vash, showing how far he can go saving other people without killing the agressors. The latter half centers on the 100 years old conflict between Vash and his twin, Knives. Knives sends a criminal group called "Gung-Ho-Guns" in order to assasinate Vash (or to make him stronger). Knives' right hand is Legato, he serves the purpose of being the master-mind of many schemes to make Vash suffer. In comparison to the first part that is light-hearted and has a lot of comedy scenes, this part has far more darker themes, touching important philosophical aspects such the flaws of humans, their greed and instinctive need of perpetuating their species, even if that means to make colonies on other planets as well as questions on morality, such as the fear and guilt of killing someone.

The anime's primary inspirations are the westerns and science-fiction themes. The science-fiction themes are more subtle, and beautifully depicted, especially the existence of "the plants" (which I will not spoil what they are).
To be able to save others, to shoulder their pain, in spite of his own sacrifice, that is what this anime's about, what is Vash's character and his journey is about.
Story: 9

I will begin saying that the mangaka of Trigun Yasuhiro Nightow's character design is very appealing for a 90's anime, especially the designs of Vash and Wolfwood, which I can observe the mangaka put a lot of care into. The scenery is interesting, especially the existence of the two or more suns. For a late 90's animation it looks rather well-made, even if it couldn't be compared with the recent animation, which wouldn't be fair.
Art: 8

The soundtrack of Trigun is addictiveg, varying from the up-beat, action-packed background music, to the heart-felt western music and to the sorrowful,soothing atmopsheric music, such as Rem's song "Sound Life". You may find one of your favorite soundtracks in this anime. Both the opening ("H.T." by Tsuneo Imahori) and ending (Kaze Wa Mirai Ni Fuku byAKIMA & NEOS ) are engaging and enjoyable.
Sound: 10

The characters are the anime's strongest point in my opinion. Let's start with the character of Vash. First introduced as a goof-ball, it is later revealed he has a heavy burden to carry. Vash is a complex character, full of contradictions, he is afraid if he himself is in danger, but when others are in danger he becomes fearless. He sometimes acts foolish and reckless, but other times he is serious and analytic. In my opinion, he is also one of the coolest anime characters, on one occasion he wears a trash lid on his head for protection, transforming a comedy scene into an epic one. Vash is unlike any other anime character. What he does no other can do. He lives by the motto : "love & peace" , the degree of his self-sacrifce is unmatched. The total opposite of his brother that wants to destroy the human world, Vash chooses to get hurt or worse in order to protect it, because "they are alive and no one has the right to take the life of another".

The character of Meryl didn't appealed to me but she was neccesary. The character of Milly, the giant girly girl, however was intriguing. At first look she appears scatterbrained and clumsy, but at times shows unexpected wisdom and gives advices and moral support when the characters need it the most. As Vash once stated : "The big one [Milly] is exceptionally scary. My only salvation is she doesn't know how sharp she is."

In episode 9, we are introduced to the character of Nicholas D. Wolfwood, an unusual priest, who can use guns expertly and talks in a kansai-ben dialect (in the japanese version). We see him carrying a huge cross around him everywhere, saying that it's so big because it's full of mercy (the quote I used above). His character portrays the best the human flaws, the perpetual conflict between choosing to do good or doing bad in order to save the good. He is often jealous of Vash's determination of not wanting to kill and always looking for a peaceful alternative.

The relationship between Vash and Knives is beautifully depicted in an episode that shows their origins and how they are different from humans. Even though they are twins and grew up together, they choose different paths in life, Vash choosing to follow the human path and to protect them, Knives choosing the path of destruction.
The character of Rem rarely shows but has a big impact on the viewer. She is the one that influenced Vash's pacifistic view on life. Even after so many decades, Rem still lives in Vash's memory, guiding him along the way.
Characters: 10

I highly enjoyed this anime, as a result, I re-watched it, enjoying it even more.
Enjoyment: 10

Overall: 9

I'm aware that there are better reviews on MAL for Trigun, I wrote it only to share my opinion on the anime with you.