Trigun: Complete Series Box Set (Classic)

It doesn’t matter what city you travel to. Mentioning the name ‘Vash the Stampede’ always strikes fear into even the most cold-hearted criminal. Vash’s reputation as the Humanoid Typhoon, this dastardly deity of destruction, causes civilians to run away screaming, criminals to impersonate him, and the Bernardelli Insurance Society to investigate him. It is quickly revealed that Vash, the protagonist of Trigun, is actually a donut-chomping, easygoing, womanizing pacifist, a masterful gunman with spiky-blond, Super Saiyan – esque hair who always finds himself in comical situations. In one episode, Vash complains to the audience about his lack of screen time. In another, Vash, while listening to music with his headphones, stumbles into a saloon and becomes a victim in a hostage situation. While following Vash in the show Trigun, it becomes obvious that he’s not your average Joe (and not because of his magnificent marksmanship). Vash, the man who invents lengthy aliases for himself, holds a heartbreaking past and a century’s worth of secrets. Vash the Stampede, the galaxy’s most wanted outlaw (with a 60 billion double-dollar bounty on his head), the man donning that unforgettable red jacket, is among the most interesting and complex characters I’ve ever seen and he’s one of the many great aspects of Trigun.This anime has three genres; it’s a western, a comedy (among the best of its kind), and an action anime. Trigun is an explosively entertaining show but the basis behind the anime is much deeper, that killing people doesn’t solve anything and that there are different ways to resolve an issue. This is the lesson that Rem Saverem, Vash’s mentor, instilled in him and it is Rem’s mentality that Vash (and the series) attempts to maintain. There was one death early in the series, when the Badland Gang hijacks a train and kills the conductor, but that murder appeared to be a rarity, something that wouldn’t happen again. Trigun appeared to be an anime of light-hearted, bloodless fun… until Legato Bluesummers, one of Trigun’s biggest villains, showed up and began slaughtering people by the dozen. Trigun’s mood instantly shifted to a drastically darker direction and it was all because of Legato, one of the many, many, influential characters in the show.Every character in Trigun has a distinct personality and presents a unique aspect to the series. Trigun begins with the members of the Bernardelli Insurance Society, Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson. Meryl is a demanding and moody woman who (very slowly) softens her unpleasant demeanor (I’m not saying Meryl’s an unlikable character but I’d be surprised to find a fan of hers). Milly is the taller (and much nicer) of the two investigators, a warm-hearted woman with child-like innocence and an enormous gun as well. Throughout the series, a variety of characters are inserted into the plot, like the benevolent Rem Saverem (whose impact on Trigun I already mentioned) and (my favorite character) Nicholas D. Wolfwood, a laid-back preacher with an oversized cross on his back, black sunglasses on his face, and a cigarette in his mouth. There are, of course, the villains. There’s Legato Bluesummers, a psychic psychopath who poetically professes loyalty to his master, and the Gung-Ho Guns, eleven different criminals who work alongside Legato. Finally, there’s the all-powerful Knives, the mastermind responsible for Legato and the Gung-Ho Guns’ killings and Vash’s twin brother (as well as someone who I will further discuss later).Another excellent aspect of Trigun is the music. I’m obsessed with the main themes of TV shows and Trigun’s opening is among the all-time greatest. The Trigun opening is a guitar fanatic’s dream come true (and I can say the same for practically the entire soundtrack).The anime doesn’t just have guitar; there’s also the occasional piano-playing and even some saxophone pieces, mostly thanks to Midvalley the Horn-Freak (one of the Gung-Ho Guns). What I enjoy most about Trigun’s soundtrack is how the anime employs the music. In one unforgettable scene (Wolfwood’s death), Trigun presents a memorable montage of the preacher’s life as emotional music plays in the background. During the episode “Sin” (my favorite Trigun episode), after Meryl inquires about Knives, Vash begins to tell her and Meryl violently steps back as a gunshot fires in the background. Then, the only sound is this exceptionally emotional guitar piece that complements the tragic scene, as the camera switches between clips of Vash’s past, Vash’s muted talking, and Meryl’s emotionally destroyed face. Whoever constructed this soundtrack is a genius; I’m serious.As much as I love Trigun, I have to admit there are some flaws. With the exception of Legato, the acting from the characters was decent at best and awful at its worst (The voice of Julius from the episode “Escape from Pain” was painful. Just painful). I feel like there are more things the producers could’ve done to improve the series and chose not to (Like the ending for the episode “Fifth Moon”, after Legato mind-controls Vash to destroy the moon, Wolfwood says this is the path Vash has decided to take, and Milly, while hugging a sobbing Meryl, announces that she will never forgive him. What the producers could’ve done was make Meryl, Milly, and Wolfwood hunt down Vash as the outlaw pursues his villainous brother). I think the ending for Trigun was especially unfulfilling (I loved the symbolism of Vash’s jacket and how he finally discarded it, but I hated the anti-climatic, unnecessarily lengthy, Dragon Ball Z-like showdown between Vash and Knives), and I really don’t understand Knives (Why did he choose to continuously torment Vash into joining him? Why didn’t he accomplish his plan after a century? For a main antagonist, Knives sure is confusing. Honestly, I think Legato was a much better villain). Above all else, why is the series titled Trigun?Despite its flaws, Trigun is the epitome of entertainment, a 26-episode rollercoaster of gunfights, comedy, drama, and depth (as well as one of my three all-time favorite shows). If you’re looking for something to watch, check out Trigun (or at least the main theme via YouTube). You won’t regret it.

Trigun has and probably always will be my favorite anime of all time. It's hard to describe why, but I suppose I'm about to try.Trigun is the story of Vash The Stampede. He's an outlaw on the planet Gunsmoke that has a ridiculously huge bounty on his head for tending to wreck any town he ends up in, yet has killed no-one, so he's always being hunted. He's a lovable character with a very interesting back-story that you will never figure out until you've watched it near to completion. People criticize this show for Vash, though. Considering he acts like "Jesus with a revolver" with his pacifist ways. He does have his reasons, though. It's not as if he doesn't struggle in the show with his ideals, either.It's a very comical show, but becomes quite dark as you get farther into it. It has huge amount of action, a few heart-wrenching and heart-warming moments, a tinge of romance, a dash of revenge, and a lot of thought-provoking moments. It makes you question how important your own ideals are to you and makes you consider just what it means to kill someone.The action is very well paced and if you're into guns like I am, you're going to find a really good time in this show. The guns and weapons are just as unique as all of the characters, and that's saying a lot. This show has some of the best action scenes to me, including the very best final fight I've ever witnessed in a show. You'll be on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next and just how much more insane it could possibly get.The characters are extremely unique, especially the villains. Some of the villains are downright terrifying like the infamous Legato Bluesummers. What I adored about this show was it's ability to make you love every character in it or at least appreciate their own unique personalities, weapons, and style. They're all really well done and their voice actors are generally very fitting.The art-style really makes you feel like you're watching the characters exploring a barren world, which Gunsmoke isn't the most habitable place in the story, and ending up in old western-like towns. I think it's very fitting. I love the dusty nature of it, personally. The designs of all of the characters, places, weapons, and scenery is very detailed as well.The comedy mostly comes from Vash being Vash. He tends to act like a bumbling idiot, but it's mostly a front. He's relatable to people who have a hard time opening up to others in a way. Truly opening up. Hides his true emotions and thoughts by being a joker. It can be a little over the top, but it's generally very funny if you're into that style of comedy.The music is very well done. From the western themed songs in the cities to the blaring metal guitar riffs in the intros, they're all really good. Fitting too. Makes you remember that this show is an action show. The songs tend to be reused often, but considering that they are good, I doubt many will have any complaints of that. I didn't. It just made me happy to hear it again whenever they did reuse one.The story, or stories I should say, can be very intriguing. Each episode tends to feel like a completely new story to be told. Vash isn't always the centerpiece, but that's not a bad thing. It helps to put across what the other people in this barren world are like and how they are surviving. I love how they did this, but what I love even more is something that I've never found in any other show; It's "next episode" preview. It tends to end each episode with Vash giving a philosophical talk that goes in conjunction with the upcoming episode. I love those talks. They make you think and tend to speak truth. It's quite unique.I honestly couldn't recommend this show enough for anyone that loves anime and wants to see an amazing classic. It's dark tone at times might be a bit much for really young audiences, but it's otherwise PG-13 or teen. It's nothing too bad, really.If you haven't already; Pick it up and see if you find it as awesome as I always have.

Received as described

Trigun is one of the big 3 "space westerns" (Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, Trigun) and it stands tall alongside those other two classics.