Being a fan of the more "magical girl" type of anime (Sailor Moon, Magic Knight Rayearth, Card Captor Sakura), I was a little hesitant to sit down and watch Trigun, given its rough-and-tumble looking guy on the front, and all the images of guns and violence. After viewing the first episode, I was clamoring for more.
Vash the Stampede is a wanted man. Nicknamed the "Humanoid Typhoon," he brings destruction to any town he passes through. Because of this, a $$60 billion bounty has been put on his head. The Bernardelli Insurance Agency has also dispatched two of its agents, Meryl Strife and Milly Thompson, to find Vash and report on why he causes every town that he passes through to be utterly destroyed.
What they find is that the Humanoid Typhoon isn't quite what he seems. If one wants to be blunt, Vash is more or less a dork. He has a very strong aversion to taking another human life, instilled in him as a boy by his guardian Rem. Though he is an exceptional gunslinger, Vash would rather roam from town to town spreading the message of "Love and Peace!". Unfortunately, many bounty hunters are motivated by the immense bounty on Vash's head, and it is the battles between Vash and these bounty hunters that destroy every town Vash comes to.
Along the way, we meet a motley band of characters, most notable among them being the gunslinging preacher Nicholas D. Wolfwood, who has an unholy surprise in the cross he carries on his back, and Legato, the one man that Vash seems to actually fear. Ultimately, it is a man named Knives Millions that Vash seeks. Who is Knives, what is his connection to Vash, and why does Vash want to find him so badly?
Trigun offers a new twist on the American western, without doing something as drastic as set the whole series in space, as anime often does. Another twist is the characterization of its hero as not always perfect. Like Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon, Vash the Stampede is a bit of a klutz, and, as mentioned before, quite the dork. When he has to, though, like Sailor Moon, he gets the job done effectively. He also has his "bishonen" moments that help to bring in the female viewers. Another departure from the usual is that the female characters are less fragile flowers than steel magnolias. Early on, Meryl and Milly show that they take no guff from sexist saloon patrons who look to terrorize them, thanks to Milly's superhuman strength. (If you think Vash and Wolfwood carry big guns, you haven't seen Milly's monster of a weapon.)
Trigun starts out as a comedy and remains so throughout the run of the series, though midway, as many anime tend to do, it takes a darker turn, as we get a look at Vash's past and find out what made him into the man known as the Humanoid Typhoon. The episodes are very well-paced, making you want more, not so much because you feel that there is something lacking, but because you get drawn into the story and its main players. Trigun appeals to both male and female viewers, whether you're into action, adventure, comedy, and/or drama. Little wonder why it has become very popular in recent years.
