Trigun

The Trigun anime series is a magnificent addition to anime of today. It starts off with about twelve or so episodes with the average hero-saves-the-day motive, but there is always a big mystery left behind for our hero, Vash: Who in the world IS he!?

About halfway through the series, Vash is caught up in the midst of his brother, Knives, who wants nothing better than to see Vash suffer. Vash has one weakness, and a pretty serious one at that: He cannot kill ANYBODY or else he'll risk total, mental damnation. So, what's one thing that Knives does? He sends out about a dozen totally unique fighters dubbed the "Gung Ho Guns", whose job is to drive Vash to kill them.

This series does a great job at bringing in well-made characters and has its share of comical humor along the way. All that I can add is that when the final episode came to an end, one word kept circling through my head: Wow. Plus, it's fun choosing which of the "Gung Ho Guns" is your favorite. Personal choice of mine: Caine the Longshot.

This has to be one of the most amazing Anime series ever made. It combines some of the funniest and absurd physical and intellectual comedy with a powerful drama and sense of what I would consider to be Horror in the emotional sense.

Vash has to be one of the most contradictory characters in any anime. A Gunfighter who hates killing. Nearly Immortal, yet vulnerable. Power to destroy all life on a planet, but upset at the death of a bug... It really is amazing.

If I had to choose any series which has impacted my own sense of ethics, this would be it.

The concepts of Life and Death, Good and evil are brought to the line in the grey... Not the blurry grey area, but the pencil thin line within the miles of grey.

The goodness of Milly, the callousness of Nick, the pride of Meryl, the hate of knives, and the love of Vash... Though through it all, even the smallest character is "Fleshed out" with a multi-faceted personality. It really is amazing.

Though I would not recommend this for young children, I believe that rational adults people can only come out better people after seeing it.

This show caught my eye on Cartoon Network's Adult Swin late night block. I like the Old Western scenery mixed with hi-tech things. The characters are a bit simple-minded but still touched my soul. I felt connected to message of peace and life this show contains. Don't let the violence or anime stereotypes fool you, this show is everyone's choice to lead their own life and develop morals. Vash and Knives are the Ying and Yang of evil and good. There's much to be learned from their feelings and attitudes. I'd take a close look at the minds of these characters and also enjoy the humor this series tries to lighten the mood (sometimes saddening) with.

The series first reels you in as a hilarious, action-packed romp full of wit and comical chaos, with a pretty clever premise behind it. But as the episodes progress, a more complex mystery begins to unfold and you'll find yourself dying to find out what's next when you're not laughing your head off or marveling at the action scenes. Crisp animation and chara designs, clever humour, a solid storyline and likeable characters that grow on you make Trigun a highly recommended series. Watching Trigun is not just very entertaining, it also leaves a lasting impression. Long live "Love and Peace"!

Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson of the Bernadelli Insurance Company have a problem. They are to contain the problem of Vash "The Stampede", also known as "The Humanoid Typhoon". Every city that he stops in finds itself utterly destroyed. The problem is, once they find Vash, they also find that he's never killed a person and appears to be a bumbling idealistic fool which a penchant for dodging bullets and eating donuts. At least that's what he appears to be.

In a strange twist on anime protagonists, Vash is not a dark brooder or a naive boy with skill. Although he has elements of a dark past and such, he's an idealist committed to "love and peace" and he never shoots to kill, but rather uses his gun and his impossible marksmanship as a tool. While the series begins with a strong comic tone, serious elements are placed in the undercurrent and as the series progresses, the tone becomes increasingly serious with the comedy becoming more like breaks between the intense story. Towards the end of the series, it becomes increasingly potent, resonating both with emotions and intellect.

I really like the way the series really grapples with questions of idealism, pragmatism, questions of morality regarding the ends and means and other philosophical concepts, each having some embodiment in the various characters of the show. All the same, the characters are not allegories, but just strongly aligned to certain kinds of thinking. I do wish that some of the other characters were fleshed out more, but I also realize that it's hard to devote so much time to characters in a 24-episode arc.

Trigun is a surprisingly superb piece of storytelling thrown in a fantastic animated world and while the earlier comic episodes might be a little loose, they set the ground for the more serious second half and no episode seems utterly unnecessary. An excellent series and highly recommended to those who love science fiction, strong serial storytelling or those who love animation. 9/10