Review of Trigun

The essence of this show is the drive of people to persevere in dire situations. Not only the main characters, but the supporting cast and even the locals in the villages all deal with the harsh realities of the desert world they live in, and manage to find a way to make life worth living. Vash as a hero makes the show stand out: he's utterly incompetent and oblivious in so many ways that it believably balances his peerless combat skills and endless generosity towards other people. Often a buffoon is played for comic effect only and leaves you with little emotional investment, but Vashdoes so much for the people he crosses paths with even when his own reward is often their derision.

Ultimately what makes me rate a show highly comes down to three things: is it a unique and well-written overall story? Are the characters real, relate-able, and growing as people? And does the artistry of the show contribute to the experience of watching it? Trigun both succeeds and fails each of these tests, but does it in a way that the overall effect results in a show I am happy to re-watch whenever I am reminded how much I like it.

The overarching (often hidden) story of the planet is quite interesting and a bit unique in the sci-fi genre. It takes notes from westerns, Dune, Mad Max, Miyazaki, and Don Quixote to form a vibrant, if slightly cliched post-technological world. Some of the one-off episodes are weaker than others, but the full story that is being told is definitely worth experiencing. Most refreshingly, Vash's "mysterious past" isn't a joke and plays heavily into the factors that drive the events of the series. The show goes through two main arcs of rising and falling tension, peaking at the midway point and the end. While there's nothing special about the writing or dialogue of individual episodes, the tension and action are usually played well and keep the show interesting throughout its run time. The show suffers slightly in the beginning from "invincible hero" syndrome, but while Vash and Wolfwood are far too skilled to ever fail completely, they quickly begin to meet situations that are their match and sometimes fail to save the people they defend. In the end, I don't remember the individual moments, but the satisfied feeling I had when the full story resolved itself.

While the main characters of the show eventually become three dimensional, it takes them a long time to get there. Many small characters have more complex arcs in single episodes of the first half of the series. The ultimate payoff is worth the wait however, as everyone eventually confronts their biggest flaws and learns to accept their burdens. Each of the four lead characters actually experience growth during the show, which is very refreshing for a series that starts like any other shonen anime. While many of the villains fall into either the "comically evil" or "no backstory silent killer" categories, the main pair of adversaries actually have quite interesting motivations. They are able to use Vash's few weaknesses, mainly compassion, to drive him into near-impossible dilemmas. The interactions between opposing sides for many conflicts in the show are often able to examine the driving forces behind compromised morals.

The art, on the other hand, perhaps shows its weakness more starkly than the other elements of the show. While the background art and character designs are masterful, you do have to enjoy desert scenery to appreciate it. The moving animations are sometimes brilliant, as the show has many enthralling action sequences, often involving weird and imaginative technology. However, the character art is often erratic, and can flip between normal to ugly rapidly. Some of the chibi and low-detail sequences feel out of place, but the show is an anime after all. The music is all appropriate and well-composed: while it works fine for the show, most of it doesn't linger in memory. My takeaway is that while the animation won't blow anyone away, the visual design and audio of the show holds up among its peers. I've only ever listened to the English Dub, and it is similar to other 90's anime: mostly listenable with instances of overacting by extras. Johnny Yong Bosch as Vash is a perfect pairing, and he would go on to be one of the best talents in voice acting: here his range of emotion shines through, along with his uncanny ability to make Vash seem squeek-ily pathetic at just the right moments. None of the other prominent characters stand out as either bad or exceptional, but Vash's English voice alone makes it worth it to me to continue re-watching the series in the Dub version.

The show brings people and conflicts to life in a world where everyone struggles to have an even mildly comfortable existence. It presents the abuse of power, the burden of responsibility to others, the consequences of violence, the nobility and hypocrisy of pacifism, the unfairness of love, the futility of revenge, and humankind's place in a world where they may not be the most advanced life forms. There's a lot of philosophy brewing under the surface, and it remains in a place where it leaves the viewer to consider it rather than espousing a position with expository dialogue. As a whole, the show just gets it all right. There are flaws: moments of weak animation, comedy that falls flat, some hysterically unrealistic one-off characters. But taken as a complete package, there are very few anime that can hold up to the feeling it leaves behind afterwards: that people may actually be able to overcome their differences someday, no matter how sharp their disagreements are.