Trigun Stargaze

TL;DR, this show is not for fans of the source material.

this is probably one of the worst animes i’ve ever watched.
trigun stargaze sits on an extremely pointy fence between doing its own thing and randomly shoehorning 1:1 recreations of panels from trigun maximum, leading to it doing neither of those very well, or well at all. it's weirdly insistent on the random manga recreations, almost to the extent of doing it merely for brownie points from fans of the manga, with no narrative significance whatsoever.
a lot of criticism towards stargaze is dismissed with “it’s not a 1:1 maximum remake, stop acting like it”, which i ... find to be kinda bad faith because it shuts down any meaningful discussion regarding the differences between the reboot and the manga; if people are comparing the two, it’s things like characterisation and major plot points which are integral to making trigun, well, trigun. also, if it's trying to distance itself from the manga, why does it randomly reference panels or dialogue from the manga for seemingly no reason?
despite being a reboot, stargaze is still an adaptation (of sorts) of the manga. there’s a level of respect that should be employed, not for recreating it to any extent, but for reinforcing its themes and elevating the source material. that is to say, it’s fine for stargaze to do it’s own thing and change up some plot points, but at what point is it not trigun anymore? at what point do the changes made tell a story that isn't trigun?

stargaze feels like it lacks the nuance of the philosophies of each character, which isn’t something you can defend by saying “it’s a reboot, get over it”, they’re integral aspects of the characters that pushes the narrative and ethics of trigun in its most organic manner. though, i like the idea of vash being a more naive version of himself, and growing as the narrative progresses, it’s a really novel idea on paper. but the execution is awful. they just kinda gimped him. all he does now is parrot "i will stop nai and save everyone". he doesn't even learn anything. he's just more naive for the sake of it.
throughout stargaze, there's this heavy insistence on vash being objectively right. but, his moral compass is supposed to be one of selfishness and many flaws despite how heroic he may seem. the exploration of this in the manga and even the 1998 anime make vash a far more engaging character. instead, stargaze changes the narrative to reinforce vash's truth, heightening the problem.

ditching the maximum comparisons, even in stargaze’s own right, the execution, writing and pacing are awful. the characters fail to be appealing or engaging in any regard. i don't feel the camaraderie between vash and wolfwood. they've barely talked at all, despite being the two main driving forces of the story. this makes their interactions feel shallow. the other characters are written to be far too redundant to care for, too. even fan favourites like milly and meryl just don't matter at all. it's ironic that there's such a disparity between the main characters and how/when they interact given the slogan for this show is "alone, no longer". stampede's amazing characterisation of knives is completely defenestrated for a more straightforward villain. his hypocrisy when it comes to using plants is worse and feels unjustifiable, even for him. legato's complexity is gone in favour of being flanderized to just doing knives' bidding. it's lazy and, quite frankly, sad, how streamlined all the characters are.

i’m really disappointed with trigun stargaze, given how promising stampede was. i never wanted it to be a 1:1 remake of maximum; that would be a disservice to the worldbuilding and setup of stampede. however, the direction they took with stargaze simply tells a story that isn't trigun. i will maintain that the things wrong with stargaze aren't because it's different, it's what they decided to do different, how, and why (or the lack of a why). the further stargaze goes on, the further it misunderstands the core themes, ideas and events that make up trigun’s story, and essentially deprives itself from really being a trigun narrative.

If you ignore the blatent retcons of what was setup last season, it's a great anime. If you aren't familiar with Trigun as a series, this is likely a fantastic anime for you. I will say that season 1 is much better. However, if you specifically expect it to improve narratively or with its characters, please disregard such an idea. The pacing, among other elements, are the same in this season as the first one. This season is also less visually appealing than the first half.

If I'm being honest, it's a spit in the face to anyone who has read the manga, so don't ... read that yet if you're going to watch this season. Some criticisms from older fans may come from a place of "it's nothing like the 1998 original or the manga", but for me, that's not quite the case. I hated it, of course. However, it is a unique concept. Watching Vash grow into a confident gunslinger is an excellent idea for a new adaptation. Nobody wants to see the same song and dance over and over with a fresh coat of paint, but Trigun Stargaze, for me, failed to deliver on any of the precedents it set in the first season. The worst detail about it to me is the lack of originality. Every episode seems to take whatever it wants from the source material and spins it in a lighthearted way that is so distinctly void of soul. In some moments, it can be enjoyable, but enjoyment gets sucked out of me when I know well that they ruined these characters.

OF COURSE! Despite how I might feel about it, just have fun with it. The music in this season is still excellent. I do like the action in some sequences and this anime is incredible at delivering such expressive faces with 3D animation. I spent most of my time pausing and admiring this anime rather than paying attention to the narrative. There's less atmosphere than there was in season 1, which is why I say it isn't as visually appealing. They also have been doing peculiar camerawork with some shots-- Don't let me deter you though. If you actually do like the first season, odds are, you may find enjoyment in this continuation.

Trigun Stargaze is good if the viewer doesn't really care about the original Trigun or Trimax characters whatsoever and just want more Trigun content in general. It's not bad, it's not good, its just more Trigun material to work with. It's what is to be expected from a new adaptation.

wolfwood is unfortunately, still eye blindingly white. and his outfit is still ugly.
That being said, the animation is as good as it was in Trigun Stampede, which is a plus at least. Theres not much to say except - don't go into it hoping for it to be like the Manga was.

No Vash and no substance. Trigun Stargaze is a disastrous story so horrible that it can't even be spoiled: nothing happens! How, after completely fumbling a promising season 1, did it actually get WORSE? This show does only one thing right, just one thing, but first...

"Furthermore, in a conference held the other day, it was decided that Vash The Stampede will be designated as humankind's first, official human disaster." --- Meryl Strife, Trigun 1998.

In the original Trigun, that quote was sad. It was a misunderstanding about the protagonist, a hero, being wrongly labeled as a villain; it wasn't supposed to be TRUE! Well, Trigun Stargaze ... took that literally by making an actual disaster and transforming an iconic main character into a bonafide, weak piece of trash! Now, in 2026, Vash The Stampede is a coward being called "The Stampede" because he always runs away, and that's exactly how the show starts: our hero is depressed about accidentally blowing up his maniacally evil brother and a city last season. He is so depressed, in fact, that he's pressing one note on the piano over and over while everyone suffers, an amnesiac in a stupor hiding from reality! Oh boy, do you smell a heroic redemption?
It never happens. There's no hero in this show. Luke stayed on Tattooine. Amelia Earheart went for a walk. Jesus Christ whittled. The end.

EVERY episode, "Vash" is whiny, useless, and in need of rescue. Every chance Trigun Stargaze gets to present a theme, a message, or a philosophy, it forgets. Every moment a character should do something memorable, inspiring, or foreshadowed, they idle. Vash is now useless, and so is every other character. Thus, with our heroes reduced to complete impotence, the villains default to bland psychopathy, evil for the sake of evil, and because this show is more horror than anything else, the only thing onscreen is more murder, genocide, and Trigun Stampede's favorite: child sacrifice. Pure, edgy slop!

"But Brockemsockem, the villains in Trigun 1998 were also one-note nihilists, hypocrite!"
They were one-note nihilists for a REASON, though; that show had a point! In 1998, villains were conscripted to oppose Vash's optimism and used as fodder to sew doubt in his mind about his principles. Second-fiddle villain Legato, for instance, progressed the 1998 Trigun by wanting Vash to compromise his most basic ideal: life was sacred and he would not kill. In 2026, Legato is merely a psychic nutcase with a bowl cut who enjoys torturing Vash just like all the others. That's not a villain, STARGAZE ISN'T A STORY! Rather, it's a sadist's power fantasy, and that's the difference, that's its ultimate problem.

"But wait, Milly Thompson is back, isn't she!? Didn't you enjoy her peppy portrayal?"
No, nobody could like this portrayal! Shamelessly copying our silly, ditsy, but capable Milly with her huge gun and haughty heart from Trigun 1998 and pasting her next to Trigun Stampede's meandering Meryl is the shallowest fanservice. In the ENTIRE SHOW they might appear for a cumulative 15 MINUTES at the most, together contributing the requisite dose of zilch; instead of being the anchors to Vash's hope and the proof of humanity's heart, the girls hardly even show up! Milly and Meryl are relegated to exposition dumpers---I mean, journalists---who convey the audience from Genocide Scene A to Genocide Scene B.
Genocide Scene A, you see, is where Vash does nothing in the face of horrible violence, while Genocide Scene B is where Vash is kidnapped or rescued from horrible violence. A and B repeat every 20 minutes until the show mercifully ends without development. Trigun 1998 was about heroes bearing their crosses and making peace. Trigun Stargaze is about being crushed by their crosses and being sad about it FOREVER:

It takes SIX episodes, six being HALF OF SEASON 2, for things to get EXACTLY WHERE THEY WERE IN SEASON 1! It takes over half the season for the villain, Knives, to get his dumb, gooey robes back on from being exploded, and for Vash to get his coat and Gen Z haircut back, which begs the question: why not just start this season at episode 6? Literally nothing except Milly and Jessica joining the cast as cameos changes from episode 12 to episode 18. Knives is still exterminating humans, "Vash" is still moping, Wolfwood is still coddling Vash, and the writers still think this is a horror franchise. A second season SHOULD mean a fresh, new direction. It SHOULDN'T mean that we can SKIP HALF YOUR SHOW!

"But Brockemsockem," My madness interjects ever more frequently. "Isn't this an action series? Who cares about the characters, pacing, and themes? If Trigun Stargaze wants action, horror, or sci-fi, we must judge it on its own terms and merits, not yours, and not those of the past."

Very well, if it's an action show, then why do fight scenes take place in complete darkness? Unless the artists are afraid that their misplaced budget might be discovered, why would anyone choreograph, animate, and design multiple battles with zero lighting? Halpert the Gauntlet, Midvalley the Hornfreak, and Grey the Nine Lives are just a few examples of the fights viewers will never see because they're fought in the dark! Otherwise, the audience might notice that season 2 is vastly uglier than season 1. In fact, it's the ugliest thing to bear the Trigun name!

It's supposed to be a western, how you do mess this up!? Wolfwood doesn't look like a priest, he looks like a stoner at Uni. Meryl doesn't look like a journalist, she looks like a marionette. Some people wear suits, some people are cyborgs, some people are cowboys, it's all a mish mash of untextured, 3D assets! Why do Vash and Wolfwood have advanced weaponry while Milly and Meryl have extremely antiquated photography if they know the same people? Why do SOME characters embrace a Wild West aesthetic when they're clearly aware that they're from outer space and will be rescued by Earth shortly? Why is Jessica not only race-swapped, but also dressing like a generic toddler despite being a member of SEEDS, an organization of exclusively doctors in lab coats?

This writing is tone-avoidant. It thinks Wolfwood bumping his head and getting hit by vehicles is funny right after a whole population was just crushed and exsanguinated! There is one scene in particular in episode 2, no joke, where Jessica, the toddler, takes off alone in a spacecraft to retrieve Vash FROM THE GIGANTIC DESERT PLANET because they need help fighting Knives' thugs. By CHANCE, her ship CRASH LANDS RIGHT NEXT TO HIS HOUSE and, of course, she is completely unscathed. More coincidental than that, Vash is being nursed to health by one of Knives' very own thugs, anyway!

"But Brockemsockem, in season 1 they teased someone else (Lina) taking care of Vash?"

Season 1 lied. There is no Lina. The writers thought it wiser to add even more tragedy to an already maudlin tale by having a thug look after Vash. Off-screen at some point, Vash just so happened to accidentally hurt a woman whom his caretaker loved, a lady who conveniently looked exactly like Vash; the thug is nursing him to health to get revenge later! Make sense of that. In an even dumber scene, a hero drinks the super blood of a villain to heal himself. This isn't Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, is it? Does anyone even remember the premise of Trigun anymore, a pacifist ace gunman on a desert planet?

So, one credit where it's due, just one: Trigun Stargaze at least shows villains reforming after meeting Vash. That's something that Trigun 1998 rarely did. However, then they all become noncombatants like "Vash," effectively removing them from the cast, regardless!
Look, in my review of Trigun Stampede, I stated that the show was part of a greater problem: writers simply aren't fun anymore. They miss the point of franchises and remove all drama from storytelling, like starting Romeo and Juliet in the tomb with the dagger already in their hands. Trigun Stargaze, oh for goodness sake, season 2 does all of that and worse! Not only does season 2 begin in the tomb with Romeo, Juliet, and the dagger, it brings the poison along, too, making the lovers take turns at each other for 12 more episodes, dragging out the misery like that's the whole point. Well, it's not supposed to be:

In Trigun 1998, Vash intercepts Knives' attack with his own, canceling them both out.
Knives laments: "I didn't create these weapons to be wasted like that."
Vash retorts: "Using them this way is the only thing that gives them any meaning at all."

That's the point, the moral of the story, and if we as consumers, artists, and whoever else don't start demanding themes in our stories, we will one day end up watching things that have nothing to say, no one to root for, and nobody who cares. Trigun Stargaze is an outer space nightmare about the evilest characters you can imagine preying on the dumbest, most unlikely and unlikable cast that untalented people ever dreamt up. Run far, far away from Trigun Stampede, and never, ever let Trigun Stargaze stare into you. Thanks!
...The goo robes are stupid.

TL;DR, as someone who loves Stampede (season 1) with all my heart, Stargaze fell flat. If all you’re looking for are flashy action sequences and good animation, you’ll probably enjoy this season. If you want consistent writing with character development, you’ll have to look somewhere else.

Stargaze feels so devoid of heart and emotion compared to Stampede. It’s almost as if they’re entirely different shows. It feels like the Stargaze writers cherry picked the things they liked from Stampede and retconned the rest. It’s disappointing to have so much buildup and plot threads discarded. This season spends all of its time rehashing things that were already ... done in the first season to the point that it’s frustrating because there’s no growth or character arcs.

I don’t blame the creative team. Trying to cram 14 volumes of manga into 12 episodes is an impossible task. I blame the executives who only greenlit two seasons total with 12 episodes each. I do however wish we would’ve had the same directors and writers between both because at least there would’ve been consistency. Stargaze as it is can’t decide whether to just do 1:1 recreations of the manga or break off to do its own thing. Say what you will about Stampede, but at least it had its own identity and vision. Stargaze feels like it’s trying to please manga readers and bring in new viewers while making both upset as a result. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were production issues in the background. I wish they would’ve stuck to their guns and done a completely original story instead of trying to copy and paste so much from the manga.

The characters are watered down versions of themselves. So much personality was sucked out of them. Vash does next to nothing all season. Wolfwood is the punching bag. Meryl just constantly says “I wonder how Vash is”. Milly is a ditzy airhead who exists for comic relief. All of the characters each feel like they only have four dialogue options, and the only time they’re allowed to deviate from those options is when they’re saying something that was ripped line for line from the manga. It just becomes repetitive and boring when you can pretty much predict what a character’s going to say.

A lot of the plot doesn’t make sense if you haven’t read the manga. Thank goodness I was reading it as the episodes released or I would’ve been totally lost. Stampede at least felt friendly to newcomers of Trigun (like me), but Stargaze spends so much time throwing manga references in that make no sense in the context of the show. This season spends so much time telling and not showing. It’s hard to feel the impact of what’s going on when we don’t actually get to see it happening. Why should I care about something that was explained in one or two throwaway lines that are immediately forgotten about a few minutes or less than an episode later?

The animation is still good, although the atmosphere is lacking. It’s definitely not as polished as it was in Stampede. If the animation was bad, I’d be rating Stargaze even lower. So that’s one positive I can say for this season.

I still love Stampede. Stargaze hasn’t changed that. If anything, it makes me appreciate Stampede even more for the heart it has. I’ll forever be grateful that this reboot introduced me to Trigun. I just wish Stargaze had turned out better.

This has honestly been a really boring watch for me. The only reason I’ve stuck with it this long is because Trigun is such a classic, and I’d never seen the original but it’s been pretty disappointing.

At this point, it feels like the show should be called “Wolfwood Saves Vash for the 100th Time.” Vash barely does anything, he’s either unconscious or getting captured. And when he is awake, he still doesn’t take much action. Everything just gets dragged out because he refuses to kill anyone, and most conflicts end up being resolved through long conversations about their past trauma.

Vash actually reminds me a lot ... of Atsushi from Bungou Stray Dogs: both have traumatic pasts and constant flashbacks. The difference is that Atsushi eventually grows and comes to terms with his past, while Vash just keeps blaming himself for everything and doesn’t seem to make any real progress.

I know trigun stampede/stargaze is supposed to be different from the original story, but holy shit, while season 1 (stampede) was honestly good, i have no idea what happend to this season, its really bad, it made me dread every new episode, the quality of the animation itself has become worse, while stampede was dinamic with beautiful backgrounds and lighting, stargaze is missing that aspect, which is literally what made it stand out, they are butchering the characters to levels ive never seen before, everyone is a husk of what they really are, taken in weird directions, and a lot of them get whitewashed even ... while being white, the pacing is horrible, and then they randomly adapt some of the orignal panels even if they dont make sense in this new story, its horrible.
As a big trigun fan its disheartneing to see something i love being turned into whatever this is.
Dont recomend it at all.

Trigun: Stargaze is by no means a bad show, but when compared with its previous season, Stampede, it just doesn't hit the same high points.

The animation is still as impressive as it was in Stampede: being an almost entirely 3D-animated show, it really pushes its models to be as expressive, movements to be as fluid and environments to be as impactful as they all can be. The character designs work very well for the 3D medium and are neither overdesigned, nor too simplified. It's overall very pleasant to watch, although the cinematography is not as well though-out as it was in Stampede. Scenes sometimes linger ... too long and sometimes jump from one setting to the next without proper continuity (especially in fight scenes), but these are exceptions, not the rule, for Stargaze.
The musical score is fantastic and serves its job more than well.

The writing is very hit or miss this time around, and personally the aspect that disappointed me the most after seeing what Stampede had to offer. Some characters are very complex, even with little screen time, and leave a long-lasting impact, while other seemingly important characters are quickly turned into comic relief. The overall plot isn't horrendous or nonsensical, but pieces don't fit together as neatly as they should, characters don't act according to their established motivations and lots of threads don't tie up in satisfying ways.

And then, the ending... In order to keep this review spoiler-free, I'll keep this brief and vague.
None of the characters go through a full character arc. All character arcs are either already completed in Stampede or suddenly stop at a point where they feel incomplete. Characters change, but none of them grow in a meaningful way. The only changes are visual: characters have new outfits to show that they are no longer the same people as before, but aside from that, they still act the exact same. Newly introduced characters suffer from this the most.
If you liked or even loved Stampede, you should still watch Stargaze, but don't expect another masterpiece out of this season. It won't be a complete disappointment, but it also doesn't have the same "wow"-factor as it did before. Still enjoyable, but unsatisfactory as an ending.
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My overall ranking:
Characters: 4/10
Plot: 3/10
Music: 9/10
Visuals: 9/10
Overall: 6/10

I don't hate this reboot, but every single episode feels like such a WASTE of human resources, a waste of pure talent and potential. This reboot feels fine on watch, and I would have probably liked it if I had never experienced the original, but it is suuuch a downgrade in narrative and atmosphere.

They completely killed what made the original special and turned it into a MCUesque action slop. I feel soo bad for the animators. They are THE BEST in the world when it comes to 3DCGI Animation, but stuck with a Trigun reboot that no one will care about after it's over, instead ... of doing Houseki No Kuni S2