Trigun Stampede is 2023 Japanese anime television series and is the second anime adaptation of Trigun. The show follows gunman Vash the Stampede as he struggles to maintain his pacifist ways whilst avoiding the immense bounty on his head. The original Trigun is one of my favourite anime of all time, so I was excited by the remake. The result is an adaptation that although not perfect is still great and a treat for any Trigun fan.
The direction in the show is great. Like the original all the characters in the show are great and really bounce of well together. Vash and Wolfwood still have a great conflicting and contrasting friendship dynamics with conflicting ideals at the heart of their relationship. Meryle and her partner Robert also have a good dynamic with one another, being a classic buddy cop due where Robert is an older more jaded journalist whilst Meryl is the new recut on the job. However, it is these four characters together in which the show truly shines creating the picture of a dysfunctional family. The mood of the show is ultimately in two halves. On one hand the show is an action-packed sci-fi comedy with very likable characters. On the other the shows are a dark tale commenting on pacificism, violence, good and evil, and the actions of the past. Its these two contrasting dynamics that make Trigun such a great story. The style of the show is an interesting one. The show doesn’t have as much of a western feel as the original which I was a little disappointed about as it is an aesthetic from the original, I really love. However, I really like the fact that they for the most part created their own world. The Sci-Fi elements of the series a brought into full effect in the show and are a key part of the world. Whilst that does spoil the twist elements that the original story had it also created a unique world for this story to take place.
The acting in the show is good. Johnny Yong Bosch reprises his role from the original Trigun to play Vash again and it great. His goofy persona is expressed through his energetic delivery as well as nailing the more serious and darker aspects of his character. Austin Tindle does a great job as Knives. He plays a character that is both evil and menacing as well as somewhat sympathetic both in how he wants to destroy humanity but for what they have oden for there species. It is his interactions with Vash and how they play off one another which is great. Sarah Roach does a good job as Meryl. She plays a new young inexperienced version of the character just starting out of her journalism job but it’s her interactions with Vash and what she finds out and subsequently her changes in character that really work within the show. David Matranga does a good job as Wolfwood.
Wolfwood is a character both comic and dark and jaded acting as a good friend and opposite to Vash. A character scared by his past he is ok with killing and classes heads with Vash in funny and serious ways acting as a good counter for Vash with his own new dark traumatic past. Ben Bryant does a good job as Roberto De Niro. He plays a gruff world-weary detective that buts heads with Meryl’s optimism and as the story goes on, they make for a good buddy cop duo as they rub off on each other in different ways. However, his character does not end up being as memorable as Milly from the original. Emily Fajardo does a good job as Rem. She plays a kind and caring mother figure to Vash and Knives and acts as Vash’s philosophical moral compass throughout the story as it is ultimately her teachings witch Vash takes to heart as his moral side and what Knives goes against.
The writing in the show is good. The story is still just as interesting as the original. A lot of the fat that the original had has been streamlined to make a more focused story around Vash knives and there past the result is a story that feels tight and has a clear structure. The philosophy of the of the original is still very much here. The questions of passivism and violence and what is ultimately right are still here is full force with multiple characters taking multiple philosophical stances. However, that is not only what Trigun is about, Trigun is about growing from the mistakes of the past accepting them and moving on Vash tries to make up for the sins of his past using Rem’s philosophy as a guide but to live he must move forward from his guilt, live a create a new path the same with every character in Trigun. The show also balances its dark elements and its comedy perfectly the shows have a unique tone of being genuine funny as well as dark and elevating at the same time and it manages this well. Neither element contracts the other making for a unique experience that is both fun and deadly serious at the same time.
My one complaint with the writing is that I genially prefer the structure of the original. The original Trigun had a genuine sense of mystery with an excellent build up as the first half of the story acting as a villain of the week series with Vash stopping the bad guys by not killing them with hints to his darker persona sprinkled here and there, with the second half being about Vash’s tragic backstory and the show doing a 180 and becoming a much darker series. With this new series a lot of the backstory is given to us form the get go. On one hand this does strip away a lot of the fat the original had; however, this also guts the mystery element form the original show surrounding Vash and with this the structure becomes less interesting as a result.
The cinematography in the show is great. The camera feels kinetic throughout the action scenes and really helps to highlight what’s happening. The show also feels vast and epic with great shots of the desert landscape to really emphases the grandiose nature of the story. There is a clean look to the new Trigun in contrast to its gritty 90s original and whilst I personally prefer the gritty look the animation is very impressive very well done. There is a great use of colour in this show. The series really pops with life as the reds are red the blues are blue all the colour used in this show really stands out and gives its unique visual look.
Finally, there is the animation which is good. Now I will say first and foremost I do prefer the look of the original. The old hand drawn gritty style really helps to sell the western world of the show and really worked well. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a fan of the new art style, but I cannot say its badly animated. All the character flow in their movements. There is great connect action scenes that show great animation. The show also captors the vastness of the world and really helps to sell the sci-fi eustatic. There is also a good use of colours within the show that really helps the animation to pop and feel vibrant.
Overall Trigun Stampede is a great. Although not perfect the show delivers everyone you want for both newcomers and old Trigun fans.