Review of Trigun: Vol. 8

Introduction

My first experience with Trigun was almost 18 months ago when I received Volume 3 for review. Since then I have grown fond of the idiosyncratic characters and compelling worldview presented by this fusion of futurism and the Old West. Now with volume 8, the story of Vash the Stampede comes to a conclusion with four gripping episodes.

Vash the Stampede is perhaps the most infamous outlaw there is, with a $$60 billion bounty on his head. Deadly with a gun, he`s ruthless, fearless and the mere mention of his name can clear towns ahead of his arrival. He`s also a bit of a dork and a committed pacifist. Trigun is set on a distant future world that bakes under the glare of two suns. The human civilisation there has slipped back in technology, and society has taken on the aspect of the Wild West of old. Despite Vash`s reputation, there are plenty of bounty hunters willing to try for that reward. Two hard up insurance agents, Milly Thompson and Meryl Stryfe pursue Vash and try to limit the destruction that he leaves in his wake, and find it hard to believe that the goofy, comical character in the red coat is indeed the toughest gunfighter around. But Vash is a mysterious character beneath that attitude, his past is an enigma and he has abilities and knowledge that are lost to the rest of humanity.

In the last volume, Vash decided to face up to his past once and for all, and prepare for a confrontation with his brother Knives. Meryl, Milly and Nicholas D. Wolfwood insisted on joining him though. In these final four episodes, Knives pre-empts Vash and forces his hand. With Vash the ultimate pacifist, facing Knives the ultimate nihilist, and both possessing superhuman power, the result of this confrontation will forever alter humanity`s last abode.

23. Paradise
Nicholas D. Wolfwood has lived his life protecting the innocent, and his own upbringing hardened and tempered him, shaping the gun-toting preacher he is today. He didn`t do this alone though, and now his mentor shows up, asking for a favour. It`s just his mentor is Chapel the Evergreen, he`s one of the Gung-ho Guns, and the favour he asks is for Wolfwood to betray Vash.

24. Sin
Legato Bluesummers has sworn to Knives that he will make Vash the Stampede suffer, that he will inflict eternal torment upon him. No one, not even Vash is prepared for just what that means.

25. Live Through
With the tender care of his friends, Vash recovers, but while his body heals, his soul is wounded by the events that have just taken place.

26. Under The Sky So Blue
It`s finally time for Vash to confront his brother Knives.

Video

The picture comes in a nice clear 4:3 regular transfer. The image is sharp and makes use of strong colours. This is an older anime, and the precision of CGI has yet to replace the freer feel of hand drawn animation. I love the design of the anime, Trigun takes place in a fallen civilisation, with vestiges of hi-tech still around, but mostly old and falling apart. There`s plenty of old fashioned technology, and the occasional synthesis of the two giving the story a nice steampunk feel. The animation is strong and fluid, and is generally of high quality, certainly back to normal following the dip of the previous volume. Watch out for the creator`s trademark, a black cat that manages to crop up in every episode.

Audio

You get the basic selection of DD 2.0 Japanese and English, with translated English subtitles to accompany. The dialogue is clear throughout and the music suits the story well. As usual I chose to listen to the Japanese dub, preferring to hear the characters as they were originally voiced. I did spot-check the English track, and while the main character voices were strong and distinctive, the same can`t be said of the guest characters. There were no technical problems in what I heard though.

Features

A few extras complement the final Trigun disc, but not enough to really get excited about. Animated menus are accompanied by gunshot transitions. You get the Trigun trailer as well as trailers for two stunning looking series to spend your money on, Samurai 7 and Samurai Champloo. Finally there are 19 line images in a Vash and Knives gallery as well as 13 of the Laserdisc sleeves.

Conclusion

And with this disc Trigun comes to a close. Trigun started strongly, but lost its way in the middle of the run. This final volume sees it finish even more strongly than it started, with a conclusion that satisfies in every respect, emotionally, in terms of narrative and character growth. It`s also a conclusion that I`m itching to wax lyrical about, but to do so would invite spoilers, and that is something I am loathe to do at this point. Suffice it to say that all character arcs are given a conclusion, and all remaining pertinent questions about Vash`s past are filled in.

It has been interesting watching Trigun develop over the last eight volumes, it started off as an entertaining episodic piece, with stand alone episodes telling typical Western tales in a futuristic milieu, but concludes as a strong character piece that brings an overreaching story to the fore, that makes you care about the characters and invest in their emotions. I had a lump in my throat during these final episodes, which is a feeling that I would have thought unlikely given the way the series began. It`s also apparent in retrospect that the series never really wandered aimlessly to a conclusion, but even those early stand-alone episodes were contributing to the overall arc.

The aspect of Trigun that appealed to me most is the debate on pacifism versus violence, as typified by the difference between Vash and his brother. As we learned in the previous volume, although their upbringing was identical, both interpreted their lessons in different ways, with Knives quick to choose between competing life forms, and ultimately choosing himself over humanity. Vash took those same lessons and found himself unable to choose, valuing all life equally. On the surface it appears to be an all-embracing pacifism versus anarchy, yet this isn`t so much a refusal to fight, rather a conscious decision to fight without causing lasting harm. It is perhaps the most difficult and most noble path to walk, and certainly something to aspire to.

That the final volume of Trigun is such an awesome conclusion makes it easy to re-evaluate the series. It`s a simple decision to recommend this volume to those who have been following the series as avidly as I, but for those who are considering an anime series to invest in, then this final volume makes even the occasional mediocre middle-season episode worthwhile. It`s just that now that its over, I`m going to miss these characters, and the harsh world that they call home. Maybe one day it`ll be revisited, I for one would love to see a Trigun movie.