Review of Trigun

Trigun was originally a manga by Yasuhiro Nightow that began publication in 1995, and ended, if you count Trigun Maximum as the same series, in 2007. The animated adaptation was made in 1998 by Madhouse Studios, nearly a decade before the manga ended. Despite that, the anime was a success, and I'm gonna let you in on a little secret; Trigun is one of the few animes I've seen wherein I prefer the anime version over the manga original. However, is it really the end all, be all comedy/action everyone makes it out to be? Let's find out. Story: In the future on the planet Gunsmoke, aman is wanted for the destruction of property. So notorious is he that he has the highest bounty on record on his head. People say he is not even human, but rather, a natural disaster in human format. We meet this man, this "Vash the Stampede", and learn that he is . . . a complete and utter dork. And a pacifist. And yet, he is a crack shot with his revolver. How can that be? Vash is a wanderer who helps people on his travels without killing anyone at the same time, (which is extremely difficult to do in this series.) He is aided by two women from an insurance agency, Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson. At times, a man named Nicholas D. Wolfwood, a priest armed to the teeth, also travels with him. These other characters are eccentric in their own ways.

The first half of the anime series is largely comedic, and while sequential, does not have an over-arcing storyline tied to it. The second half of the series is more serious, and does have an over-arcing storyline. I like both halves of the series. When it's funny, it's usually funny, and when it's serious, it's usually serious. Many of the action scenes are great. However, not all episodes are great; some are much more enjoyable than other, but overall, Trigun does not disappoint here. 8/10.

Artwork:

Despite common criticisms, this series actually looks pretty good for a retro 90s anime series. The action scenes are well animated. The backdrops give a good impression of how dusty the world of Gunsmoke is. The character designs are not some of the best I've seen, but it, as well as everything else, is LEAGUES beyond the manga's artwork, which looks piss-poor in my honest opinion, especially compared to the anime. I like the coloring too, especially for a pre-digital anime. Trigun might not look as sharp as some newer anime, but the animation during the action scenes more than makes up for it. 8/10.

Sound:

The music is great. It's very, uh, well, it's very American sounding. But it's really good. It feels like an old western movie in this regard, but done with country and rock instruments instead of an orchestra. Both the intro and endings songs are fantastic. No complaints here.

I saw the series in English, and . . . I'm surprised. A lot of dub watchers champion Trigun as one of the best English dubs ever. I honestly can't say it's that good. Granted, many of the major characters, such as Vash, Milly, Wolfwood, Rem, and recurring villain Legato do sound good. However, I cannot stand Meryl's voice and delivery. Also, many of the minor characters sound irritating as Hell. I think the only reason this dub is so beloved is, well, I guess it was either this in English, or . . . Pokemon. Compared to THAT, yeah, it would sound good in English. I will say this, though; I compared Vash's voice in Japanese. He sounds better in English. And you wonder why people (myself included) worship Johnny Yong Bosch. 9/10.

Characterization:

Vash is a hardcore pacifist in spite of his asskicking abilities in combat. At times, he behaves like a character from a Hanna and Barbera cartoon, yet other times, he's dead serious. I like him. Wolfwood is someone who shoots first and asks questions never, and is not afraid to kill, despite Vash's constant protests. I like him, too. But the only character I really liked was Legato. He was the most menacing villain in the series, as well as the most evil, in my opinion. Oddly enough, he wasn't the final bad guy. The other characters, I couldn't really get into. I didn't care for Meryl and Milly, most of the minor characters didn't leave an impression on me, and most of the villains felt like stereotypical one-note villains instead of being really memorable. Even the final villain, Knives, pales compared to Legato. However, this isn't to say the characterization was bad overall. I liked seeing Vash and Wolfwood team up to take on all the different opponents they faced, and if you've seen the entire series, you should understand why I consider Legato to be one of the best villains in anime history. 7/10.

Enjoyment:

When Vash and/or Wolfwood were doing something awesome, I really liked this. And even when they weren't, I still overall liked this series. The narration sequences at the end of every episode were very insightful and philosophical. There were a few scenes that made me laugh, and a few scenes that were hard-hitting. The ending was not a brilliant ending by any means, but there is one thing about it I like; Vash stays true to his ideals until the very end. 8/10.

But I still don't understand the hype for this series. It's good, but not that good. The English dub is overall above average, but it's not god-like. There's three cool characters, but that's it. What is with the hype? The one person I know in real life who's seen Trigun was like, "ZOMG! ZOMG! ZOMG! I LOVE TRIGUN! ZOMG! ZOMG! ZOMG! WHY CAN'T MORE ANIME BE LIKE THIS!? ZOMG! ZOMG! ZOMG!" (Not his exact words, but a pretty close approximation.) I think my problem is I saw this about three years ago, instead of when it first came out. If I first saw Trigun back when all the anime you could watch in America were that, Pokemon, Dragonball Z, and Yu-Gi-Oh, yeah, I probably would be a lot more fanboy-ish right now. However, if you've never seen Trigun, go ahead and watch it. You might like it more than me, and you'd be watching something that's better than the large majority of schlockfests coming out right now. And lastly, this is one of the few "Classic" anime I've seen that didn't immediately piss me off, and actually is something of a classic in my mind.

LOVE AND PEACE!