Trigun Stampede

As a devoted fan of the original Trigun anime since 2001, I have eagerly awaited the arrival of the remake. I've watched the original series three times in full, completely enamored by its story and character development. The new version of Trigun, however, left me with a sense of disappointment, despite its stunning visuals and artistic excellence. The changes made to the original story and the characters' development failed to captivate me as the first series did, leaving a hollow feeling behind its beautiful facade.

Visually, the Trigun remake is nothing short of fantastic. The art style is both faithful to the original and enhanced with modern animation techniques. The color palette is vibrant, the character designs are detailed, and the action sequences are fluid and dynamic. This aspect of the remake truly deserves praise and recognition.

However, the beauty of the Trigun remake lies only skin deep. The most significant issue with the new series is the script and the changes made to the original story. The pacing in this version is remarkably different from the first series. In the original, the gradual discovery and growth arc for each character was a significant part of the show's allure. The pacing allowed the audience to become invested in the characters' stories and to develop genuine connections with them. This slow burn of character growth and story progression was replaced by a rushed narrative that reveals everything at once in the remake.

The original series had the characters gradually form bonds with each other, eventually becoming loyal companions. In contrast, the remake forces these connections from the outset, stripping away the authentic and organic development of relationships that the original series portrayed so well. The coincidences that happen to advance the story in the new version are also highly implausible, which detracts from the overall viewing experience.

I didn't expect or want the Trigun remake to be a carbon copy of the original. In fact, I would have been thrilled with a fresh take on the story and characters. However, it's disheartening to see that the writers of this new version were unable to weave a compelling narrative that would justify the remake. It feels like a missed opportunity to create a new and engaging Trigun experience for both old and new fans alike.

One of the most frustrating aspects of the Trigun remake is the fact that the characters have become more forgettable than in the original. With the rushed storytelling and lack of proper character development, the emotional investment in the characters is severely diminished. The original series was so successful because it made viewers care deeply about the characters and their journeys. The remake, unfortunately, fails to evoke the same emotional response.

In conclusion, the Trigun remake is a visually stunning piece of animation with a disappointing core. It suffers from a poorly executed script, rushed pacing, and underdeveloped characters that fail to capture the essence of the original series. I truly wanted to love this remake, but I cannot help but feel let down by the lack of substance and emotional depth. As a fan of the original Trigun, it's disheartening to see such a beloved story fall short of its potential. While I commend the artists for their exceptional work, I wish the same level of care and attention had been given to the story and characters.

The 25th anniversary of the beloved original just passed as did the finale of this new prequel / remake (pre-make?), taking its spin on the old established universe of the 1998 original series with the facelift of modern 3D animation technology. We follow the early days of Vash the Stampede, a wanted outlaw known for roaming town to town in a futuristic western wasteland, complete with apocalyptic vehicles, robo-cyber tech, and large guns. I personally don't love the newer 3D CG animation style the series uses, but I must say this series used it well enough. I didn't love the character redesigns (or replacements), however the original was definitely extreme and cheesy in its 1990s way and this new one has all the cheesy tropes and lean towards ridiculousness I commonly see in these modern anime. They do cut one of my favourite characters from this season, which hurt me deeply, but the voice acting is generally fine and the character dynamics are believable enough. Unfortunately the lore and world building is where we get to the unbelievability, the series makes a much larger emphasis on Vash, the world, and their intertwining backstories than does the original series. I quite liked the slower paced, subdued beginning of the original, with the world lore being a backdrop through most of its run, however this new series dives right into it, revealing much of what took the original 20+ episodes is divulged by episode 2. They certainly do a better job at this story telling than did the original, given the original got very silly very quickly, but at only 12 episodes much is left unanswered and even more teased for a new season 2 to come. I'm unsure if I'd give it a go when it comes around, but I can see why others liked it. I'd still recommend the original over this remake, and warn that this new series will spoil many parts of the original, but its not bad, just a little too all over the place for me.

Trigun Stampede follows a genial guy with freakishly quick reflexes as he travels through a wasteland dealing with various weird antagonists. It's an engagingly told story with good but unexceptional CGI animation and weak character development.

That would be my basic review of the series if I had not seen the original Trigun. But if you've seen the first adaptation of the manga, then you can't help but spend your time considering the ways in which it was more effective than this version.

In the original Trigun anime, Vash is basically an inept, bumbling idiot in sci-fi Western setting. He's a silly, comical character. But then, when danger arises, he is suddenly supernaturally skilled. One of the first things that drew me into the series was, how does this make sense? Who is this guy? What's his story?

Trigun Stampede tosses the mystery. We start with who Vash is, so there's little mystery involved. Vash is also no longer a buffoon. In his introduction, he does make a comical mistake, but that's the only time it happens. Basically he's just a pleasant pacifist with incredible gun skills. And while this still takes place in a desert wasteland, the Western tropes have been mainly stripped out.

So, Trigun Stampede's Vash is less funny, less mysterious, and more tortured. But that is not inherently bad, even if it's not as fun. But by the time one reaches the end of the season, the problem becomes clear - the changes have created a Vash who is hard to care about. He's so innocuous that in spite of his tragic backstory and ongoing struggles, I found myself in the final battle not really caring much about how it would turn out.

The original animation's characters were broad but compelling. As the mystery of Vash was slowly revealed, one got a sense of how much pain there was behind the goofball mask. This made the show, at times, heartbreaking.

None of this makes Trigun Stampede a bad series. I would absolutely recommend it. But not as much as I would recommend watching the original, which is one of my all-time favorite anime series.

So don't get me wrong here. Im not a hater off the bat, I don't mind the new art style much, the animation is smooth....but even in the character re-design my main critique of the whole reboot comes in. . . This series in it's attempts to tell the story in a new light fails to realize what made the original so good; firstly the key plot points are slowly revealed over the course of many interactions between characters in the original. For example: In the or first we do not find out Vash has a bionic arm and get the first clue that Vash is more than an oddball pretending to not be a skilled gunman until quite a few episodes in.....in this they took out the whole air of intrigue and mystery and imply all of the intriguing developmental plot points right in the beginning of the show. His Bionic arm in plain sight, no attempt to hide his mysterious odd connections really. It's just weak storytelling. The animation is sadly pretty impressive but the pacing and progression that it is all tied to in my opinion just feels underwhelming, half baked, and overall a much less impressive compositional mix than first. Would have been better off as a stand alone cyber punk style story and not tying Trigun to it imo. All of the characters just feel like shallower versions of their original concepts. It was nice to see a little more about Knives and Vash's mom but the incredibly direct way it is all spoon fed to you just never felt super surprising or exciting. I guess it might be pretty decent if you never watched the original and were forced to compare them though.

The original Trigun is one of my favorite anime, so these crafty businessmen have figured out I'll watch anything new with the word Trigun in it, to see if it captures the same magic.

As is usually the case with reboots, this reboot rarely succeeds in recapturing that magic. Sometimes there are moments where it does, but for the most part, it's not nearly as well done as the original, in my opinion.

It has everything you'd expect in a reboot and takes no chances. The CGI isn't great compared to the premium animation of the original. The characters are kind of annoying. Moreso than in the original (Vash the Stampede was always a bit annoying). The dialogue seems stilted at times.

It's not all bad, though. There are a few bright moments. They did a good job on making the villains menacing. The story could use some clarity on the objectives and stakes, but the action elements are good.

This reboot just seems a little bit off on everything even though it did some things right. I still enjoy it enough to watch, though, so I give it a 6.