Trigun (Toraigan) (1998)

Post number five for Trigun – this time it’s a span of episodes that I’ve called something simple, just ‘Doubts’ as I reckon it suits fairly well.

To contrast with the excitement at seeing everyone together again (not right away), there’s an undercurrent of unease here, of impending doom. Part of that feeling for me is fed by the ongoing tension between Vash and Wolfwood’s respective approaches to life.

Opening up with ‘Eriks’ I’m always struck by the sadness that’s pushing forward now – Vash is doing his best to protect everyone by hiding away, but of course he can’t help but form bonds with the people he meets, bonds which we all know are going to be broken. (The use of ‘Not An Angel’ in the OST here always gets me too).

And more, while Wolfwood sort of brings the gang back together there’s a cost – once again, to those Vash loves.

Especially in the ‘Flying Ship/Out of Time’ episodes, as more Gung-Ho Guns attack and interrupt those important memories connected to Vash’s past. To me, it feels like a few bits might even be overplayed but on the other hand, it’s all building to something. The narrative really, really wrings Vash out here, forcing him to absorb more grief on behalf of the promise he’s trying to keep for Rem.

Of course, even the fearsome Vash the Stampede has a limit. And while we don’t see him reach it in these episodes, he gets plenty of trauma to nudge him further toward Wolfwood’s way of life. It’s trauma the narrative needs to show the audience, I reckon, in order to have them accept something that’s due to happen later.

And Nicholas himself is still pushing Vash too. Maybe he can’t accept that someone could ‘permit’ the suffering of many by a refusal to commit violence, while clearly also wanting to prevent it. I guess it’s another facet of the tension between Vash and his world view and so many others upon Gunsmoke. (Actually, maybe that’s a bit simplistic of me).

I guess you could argue that it’s an extension of the ‘outsider’ trope, a classic one that Vash fits really well, not just via his character design with the red coat and blonde hair, but of course his pacifism. Which kinda sets him up as an underdog too, which is another way to manipulate an audience… but I’m always happy to go along with it.

And Vash has the contradiction of being a gunslinger but one who doesn’t want to draw blood – at times he’s covered in the imagery, poses, props and conventions of violence as equivalent to ‘cool’, but the goofy side, the gentle side both add that internal tension to his character.

So, getting back to the arc itself again, toward the end of this stretch of episodes is where Wolfwood confronts his own reluctance to commit a certain act (that I won’t spoil just in case). And I’ve always found it striking that he tells Vash “don’t tell me your dream in a place like this” here, another quote that always leaps out at me.

Some more quick observations:

• Milly being late to work 20 times, I think it was
• The rare costume change in ‘Hang Fire’ (#19) for Vash
• I always thought the puppet master/dolls are creepy designs that double as good ‘fodder’ for Vash and Wolfwood – allowing the heroes to do some damage, and give the audience that outlet, without murdering
• Chapel is a pretty memorable character, maybe a bit under-utilized perhaps
• Finally we get to learn the sad truth about Plants

---

Well, it seems that the next and final* post is suddenly right around the corner – the ‘Final Shootout‘ with episodes 24 – 26!

(yep, I had to use a Western trope for the title of this arc).

*Well, there might be a gallery style post too 😀

Trigun (Toraigan) (1998)

Fourth in this short series of posts about Trigun – time for the Gung-Ho Guns Arc.

Here the series takes a bit of a turn again – a gradual darkening begins and then quickens, kicking off in dramatic fashion with ‘Diablo’. The appearance of Monev is fantastically menacing with those blues and reds, and his attack on the city definitely pushes Vash to the edge because once again, he’s not able to save everyone.

Earlier, Legato Bluesummers had already begun to torment Vash – kicking off a recurring theme from this point forward. Upon second viewing too, you definitely notice something re: his character design, but again, I’m trying to mostly avoid spoilers 😀

But what probably stands out most for me is that first glimpse of rage from Vash when imprisoned, and we sort of switch out of his POV for a moment, to experience that moment with the insurance girls and in theory, feel the same shock they do.

This block of episodes are also important because a vital character, Knives, is given a proper introduction with some flashbacks (in episode 17 ‘Rem Saverem’ especially). There, the way both Vash and Knives approach life is quickly established, as those formative experiences on SEEDS end up ricocheting through the rest of Trigun.

The theme or central conflict of pacifism coming up against more ‘survival of the fittest’ style beliefs are echoed all across Gunsmoke; in the characters and the ‘wild west’ setting itself too, and it’s obviously exemplified in one relationship by Vash and Knives.

Rem’s importance comes into focus in this arc too, as she urges Vash to “take care of Knives” – and based on how important she is to Vash, we know he’ll do everything he can to live up to her request – which leads to what I see as an inevitable ending… but more on that later!

At this point, the series still squeezes in a episodic storylines, a bit of a recap ep and more run-ins with the Gung-Ho Guns. Obviously ‘Fifth Moon’ is a huge moment but I think of Dominique’s episode as just as impactful due to maybe another big shift in tone (with that corpse pile) but also, it’s another point where Vash once again makes it clear to the viewer that he’s far more than he seems, far more than a “Broomhead” 😀

Vash also does his best to scare the girls away in this arc, kinda snapping at them, and of course he’s doing it in that hope of protecting them – and to some extent this works, as we don’t see the Meryl or Milly for a while.

Okay, some more fav moments gleaned from these episodes:

• The mix between action and montage at the fountain, mixed in with the unsettling change in sound design, where the reverb drops over everything (In Diablo)
• The string-bending little guitar phrasing here too
• I always get a real ‘Judge Dredd’ vibe from Monev’s design, which I liked
• And it should be this arc that features what feels like the very first use of green in the scenery, with the ‘Little Arcadia’ episode
• Here is also a return for the Nebraska family
• ‘Vash Pack Horse’
• Somehow, the cat survives that gunshot 😀
• Feels like Meryl might be beginning to realise her feelings in #16, or at least more than before
• Wolfwood’s motives are called into question in this arc, adding another layer of mystery on your first watch

---

And that’s about it for this time, next up I’m allocating the episodes 18 – 23 as the ‘Doubts’ arc, where ‘sins’ of the past and present start to come together.

Onward!

Trigun (Toraigan) (1998)

Time for the third Trigun post – the Wolfwood Arc. (These middle posts are probably going to be shorter than the first and last in the series, I reckon.)

Here, two things seem to be the main focus: introducing Wolfwood and having him slide neatly into the gang, while having Nicholas and the audience continue to wonder about who or what Vash truly is.

At least in the case of Wolfwood, he either knows exactly what Vash truly is or strongly suspects… due to ‘reasons’, reasons which I certainly won’t mention at this point due to spoilers. And while the team is still wandering across the desolate world of Gunsmoke, having Wolfwood join narrows the focus a bit.

This is my second favourite arc in the series too, in part due to something I mentioned in an OWLS post a while back (spoilers in that link), which is the huge impact Wolfwood has on old Needle Noggin’.

Over the course of Trigun Vash often struggles with Wolfwood’s approach to justice but we also see how they respect each other, despite differing methods. For the most part, they have common goals, which tends to ensure they work together well, and so there’s a fun buddy-cop thing that they have going and which kicks off in this arc with episode nine, ‘Murder Machine’.

To widen my scope for a tic, during the course of the series, Nicholas spends a fair amount of time sort of urging Vash toward violence. And of course, Vash always resists this and it takes a few big events to finally drive him to break his own moral code. Equally, I think Wolfwood tries to absolve Vash of some of the guilt he obviously feels at not being able to save everyone he meets, which is something invaluable.

But yeah, that aspect to their relationship hasn’t really kicked off at this early stage – it’s still fun with rivalry and cautious friendship 😀

All right, some more dot points – again, just various stuff I noticed across the episodes:

• Linked to my point above, there’s a Wolfwood quote that always stands out, when he says that Vash is “hurtling like crazy and grinning to hide it”
• The ‘portable confessional’ is a nice moment of levity
• ‘Quick Draw’ is one of my fav single episodes to chuck on sometimes when I just want to watch one ep
• I think there are a few more hints about ‘Plants’ around here, which I recall really latching onto when I first watched Trigun

---

Done! Which means that the next arc will be The Gung-Ho Guns Arc and I’m including episodes 12 – 18 in that span, from memory.

Until tomorrow!

Trigun (Toraigan) (1998)

Welcome back to more Trigun! Second post already, covering the introduction to the Sand Steamer:

So, in terms of the shift I mentioned last time, one is that from this point forward the girls are more or less on board with Vash, having pretty much accepted who he is. (Here also, Madhouse gets the chance to work on a connected storyline that spans more than one episode.)

I think it’s also a point where the tone shifts a little, considering villain Brilliant Dynamites Neon and our first flashback to “July”. These episodes certainly leave no more room for doubt that Vash is more than he seems. Despite revealing a bit of real pain for the first time here, he continues to defy expectations too.

Elsewhere, Milly’s ‘concussion gun’ provides more comic relief, along with Milly herself, especially when drunk or having “two stomachs”. Milly is one of my favourite characters in Trigun actually, and so it’s always sad to see her suffer – though we’re spared that for a fair while longer yet.

At this point, the tone is still overall somewhat ‘light’ as befitting the feel of adventure story, but tension is high with so many lives at stake on the runaway Sand-Steamer. And while I love the Steamer, there’s one example where it shows the age of the animation perhaps, contrasted with a similar night shot:

The action sequences in Trigun always feel great to me and I have seen criticisms around ‘off-model’ faces at times, which I assume exclude the moments it’s done purposefully, but I wouldn’t say Madhouse did a bad job – at all. Even if this is a show I watch primarily for the characters, storyline and world-building, everything still looks convincing for an action/comedy series.

Probably my favourite bit in the arc however, is not a shoot out or a laugh, it’s a pair of quieter moments. [Spoiler follows]

At one point both before and after Vash has outwitted plant engineer Elizabeth, the audience is given a glimpse of something unusual about Vash and his true nature, as he both grieves for and comforts the Plant, who is essentially a family member/sister imprisoned and drained for electricity.

Despite this injustice, Vash knows that many will die if the plant is ‘broken’ and so, in his utilitarian way, he restores her and the status quo. At this point, the audience doesn’t fully realise what’s going on but hopefully they’re still responding to his tenderness and obvious empathy.

Okay, now that I’ve explored a few things from the episodes I think it’s time to jump to a few quick dot points – this arc had some fun little bits and pieces I noticed:

• Nightow’s neko (Kuroneko-sama) appears on a poster here instead of in the flesh
• There’s an impressive instance of ‘super-deformed’
• Vash has what I think is his first clash over pacifism with Kaite
• BDN is voiced by one of my favs, Unshou Ishizuka

---

Next up is an arc I had a few names for but couldn’t really decide on – I settled on just the Wolfwood Arc but nearly went with ‘clues’ or Beneath the Surface Arc for episodes 9 -11, but it seemed easier to mention Nicholas instead.

Still, it’s a fun stretch of episodes since Wolfwood brings a lot to the table 😀

Trigun (Toraigan) (1998)

Here we go – the first of six posts where I ramble on and on (and on) about one of my favs: Trigun 😀

The first five episodes introduce Vash with a few lone gunman tropes but also carefully set up audience expectations around comedy and violence, as you learn pretty quickly that Vash will work extremely hard to preserve life.

It’s a fairly episodic stretch of the series while the world of Gunsmoke is established via long shots of desolate cities and dry hills and deserts, of saloons and townsfolk facing off against bandits, all the while offering little hints that the world is not wholly like Earth.

Here, Vash wanders around helping whoever he encounters, usually trailed by two other main characters the ‘insurance girls’ Meryl and Milly, rather than travelling with them.

That’s because this early in Trigun, the girls don’t accept that he is really Vash – the very man they’re seeking – and so this is part of why I thought these episodes would be a good arc.

No-one really knows who Vash is and since his description varies, save for a few easily replicable details, criminals often use this to their advantage. And so a lot of the jokes around mistaken identity occur in this arc, in fact the whole first episode has a great stacking effect of such moments.

I really liked the way that the opening to the series drops in some exposition via the talk of strangers, building Vash up as the ‘humanoid typhoon’ and then comically contrasting the rumours with his gentle exterior.

I remember noting that the tone YA tone is established pretty early too – for instance, while there’s the unwanted sexual advances in the bar or the more overt sexual threat with Descartes the mutant, the slapstick and also the time episodes often take to show us things like henchmen surviving violence almost gives the show a PG-feel.

Of course, that’s not accurate really, but nor is director Satoshi Nishimura taking cues from more bloodbath-style Westerns; there’s a bit of an adventure feel instead.

And surely, Vash’s pacifism helps – I’ve always wondered to what extent any boundaries set by Shōnen Captain may have potentially impacted the show’s violence at a certain level, vs say Nightow’s beliefs?. (Wolfwood springs to mind here, but now that I’ve said that, I do want to mention that I don’t like to go too deep into possible biographical criticism due to its pitfalls).

Something else I noticed was how much these early episodes feature either Western or Samurai tropes. Obviously you have things like bandits and crooked sheriffs and wanted posters and fancy revolvers etc, but one of my fav moments here is the trashcan-lid moment in the shoot out between Vash and ‘Vash’.

Just as often, these conventions are subverted by Vash’s pacifism – especially when he solves situations that seem to demand killing, without actually shedding blood. These moments also provide great foreshadowing for the central moral and thematic conflict.

In this arc I also enjoyed the early hints that Vash is more than he seems – and so is the world itself wrapped in some mystery too.

There are touches of the anachronistic with the headphones early on… at least, on first viewing you might wonder about that, but aside from the Western + Steampunk feel, the setting is obviously more than it seems. This is driven home with the first appearance of the plant too – but, like most good storytelling, not every secret is revealed right away!

At this point the bigger storyline is yet to be revealed but enough hints are set out that I remember being hooked on the world (and Vash himself) upon that first viewing. I had so many unanswered questions that I didn’t need a ‘main’ plotline yet 🙂

Okay, so to wrap up at last, I thought quickly I’d note a few things as dot-points here at the end – otherwise I’ll go on for far, far too long:

• First Cat-Face from Vash
• First glamour-face from Vash too
• First appearance of Nightow’s mysterious black cat
• This fun line from Meryl: “He saved us but he’s embarrassing to watch”
• The goofiness of the humour is established nicely via things like off-model faces or the crab walk or Vash having to ‘caterpillar’ his way across the floor
• In terms of character design you will get a bit of ugly person = bad person
• I’m pretty sure that it’s in the second episode that I noticed the first appearance of my fav piece from the OST: Stories to Tell

---

And done!

So, what’s next for these Trigun posts? The second one covers a much shorter group of episodes, just three for the The Sand Steamer Arc, but it’s one which introduces the first shift in tone perhaps.