Trigun Anime Review

Trigun
Toraigan
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
650 minutes - 26 episodes
$39.98 (2013)
$49.98 (2010)
$29.98 (2006-2007) Remix Vol. 1-6/ea.
$89.98 (2006) Limited Edition Parts 1-2/ea.
$19.98 (2004) Geneon Vol. 1-8/ea.
$199.98 (2001)
$19.98 (2000-2001) Vol. 1-8/ea.
ISBN 704400097850
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Satoshi Nishimura
Studio - Madhouse

Synopsis: Two insurance agents, Meryl Strife and Milly Thompson, have been dispatched from the Bernardelli Insurance Society to find the wanted man named "Vash the Stampede".  He is also known as the 'Humanoid Typhoon' and has a ridiculously high bounty on his head (sixty billion double dollars) earned after destroying an entire town.  The two women are charged with investigating and trying to prevent further losses to the company from the sheer amount of destruction left in Vash's wake.  What they soon discover is Vash's reputation casts a long shadow, but bears no resemblance to actual fact.  He's really a pacifist, lecher, and all-around buffoon who just happens to get into incredible trouble with dangerous people.

This guy's the deadliest outlaw on the planet?

The setting is a strange desert planet with two suns and towns clustered around giant power sources which look like light bulbs.  Humanity barely ekes out a living in this desolation, but outlaws and trigger-men still exploit the weak.  As Meryl and Milly soon discover, Vash is not the cold-blooded killer they were led to believe.  Quite the opposite in fact, he's a complete idiot and they refuse to accept him as the real deal.  How can the deadliest man alive preach non-violence?  One thing is for sure, he's incredibly skilled and manages to survive deadly gunfights without killing anyone while miraculously stopping the bad guys.

Vash shows his skills as he takes down a killer robot without even looking

Vash's past is a mystery and he's blamed for the destruction of the town called July which sparked off his deadly reputation.  He bears incredible guilt for the incident, but can't remember exactly what happened. During any crisis of conscience Vash dreams of the beautiful Rem Saverem who was his friend and mentor when he was a child.  She taught him to cherish life and he tries to live up to her teachings every day.  It's rough going in this violent world and Vash has paid the price to keep his ideals.  One man in particular wants to see Vash destroyed - Millions Knives.  What was his role in July's annihilation and his strange link to Vash's past?

Vash dreams of the gentle Rem whenever he gets into a crisis

Meryl and Milly wind up traveling with Vash to keep him from getting into too much trouble and causing more damage.  It doesn't work as Vash seems to be a trouble-magnet no matter where he goes.  If it's not deadly assassins from the Gung-Ho Guns sent by Millions Knives then it's people trying to cash in on the ridiculously high bounty for Vash's head!  Along the way Vash makes many friends and learns more about his past. He meets a travelling preacher named Nicholas D. Wolfwood who carries an enormous cross as a sign of his penance.  Wolfwood is also more than he appears and highly skilled with weapons.  He and Vash hit it off instantly, but their fundamental views of violence and killing are at odds which makes for interesting conversations.  Will Vash finally confront Millions Knives and what is Wolfwood's terrible secret?  What is the Trigun and what really happened in July?  It's a fight to the finish on planet Gunsmoke!

The psychotic Millions Knives will stop at nothing to destroy humanity

Pros: Music was good - especially opening theme song with riffing guitars, decent dub and Vash's voice actor sounded appropriate, great dialogue and sarcastic jokes in the script, some cool sci-fi themes like the SEEDS project, fun and lighthearted comedy moments had me laughing several times, Vash and Wolfwood are awesome together, a few good plot twists, cool character designs for the main characters, ending finally gets serious

Milly and Meryl follow Vash around to keep him
out of trouble.  It doesn't work.

Cons: Animation looks dated by today's standards, Vash is an incredibly goofy character and his non-violence code can be annoying, some of the bad guys are pretty silly looking (Monev the Gale, the family of giants with the huge foreheads), #13 is the dreaded recap episode, inconsistent story bounces from light-hearted slapstick comedy to extreme action

Vash and Wolfwood get along just fine!

Mike Tells It Straight: Trigun is based on the manga by Yasuhiro Nightow and was adapted as an anime before the series was completed.  It was released in the late-'90s/early-'00s when anime was hitting its peak in North America.  This series was definitely one of the more popular releases owing to the plentiful action and unique character design of its main character, Vash.  He looks like a badass, but acts like a muppet!  I watched this series many years ago and remembered not liking it very much due to Vash being such a goofball.  At the time I was really into action-based anime (usually with giant robots) and couldn't get into the groove of this series with its many comedy moments.  Why couldn't he just blow away some dudes with his awesome skills?  Despite Vash's silly nature and rule against killing I liked the ending as it got really dark.  Vash is put through the gauntlet of the Gung-Ho Guns and the ultimate test by Millions Knives.

"Road trip!"

The character designs are great with Vash and Wolfwood in particular.  It seems like everyone had a gimmick to their style, even Meryl and Milly!  Wolfwood's cross was truly impressive.  The Gung-Ho Guns were impressive right up to the top.  I really enjoyed the science-fiction elements of the story and the slow reveal of the underlying plot of Vash's past.  Millions Knives was a truly evil villain and perfect foil for Vash. Heroes are only as great as their villains and they don't come any nastier than Knives.

"That cross is awfully heavy."  "That's because it's filled with mercy."

My theory on Trigun's major popularity in the domestic market is its striking similarity to superhero comics in mainstream pop culture.  Vash has a no-killing policy just like Superman or Batman.  He has superhuman fighting skills and wears a brightly-colored red uniform.  His past is a mystery and he fights a rogues gallery of misfit bad guys with freakish deformities.  If Vash is Batman, then Millions Knives is the Joker.  Americans are already wired for superhero comics and Trigun puts a new spin the hero story.  Maybe I'm reading into this theory too much, but it makes perfect sense to me.

Vash and Knives have identical and vastly powerful guns

I decided to rewatch Trigun for this review and came away with a much different impression than the first viewing all those many years ago.  The story hadn't changed, but my perspective and preferences had changed considerably.  I had previously disliked Vash and his antics, but now I found them to be more entertaining.  His trials and interactions with different characters held more meaning.  Wolfwood was even more awesome!  I wasn't as interested in the flashy fight scenes and the villains were a little less appealing.  The story was pretty good and it was a hellish journey of self-inflicted pain to uphold cherished ideals.  Interesting stuff as it turns out.  I recommend Trigun if you like a heaping dose of comedy, plenty of action, and don't mind a broodingly dark ending.  A movie was released in 2010 called Trigun: Badlands Rumble which is a side story to the anime series.  I'm looking forward to seeing the cast of characters again after all these years.  Look for the review in the near future!

"Love and peace, love and peace!"

 TO BUY and Recommendations:

D.Gray-man Season Two Anime Review

D.Gray-man Season Two
Di Gureiman
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
600 mins. - 25 episodes
$29.98 (2012) S.A.V.E.
$69.98 (2011)
$59.98 (2009-2010) Parts 1-2/ea.
ISBN 704400069291
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Osamu Nabeshima
Studio - TMS Entertainment

Synopsis: The Millennium Earl is a devilish being who plans to annihilate humanity with his army of Akuma, tortured souls forced to do his bidding.  He tricks grieving loved ones into summoning back the souls of the recently departed and then turns them into murderous non-living monsters.  The reborn Akuma's first task is to kill the person who summoned them and assume their likeness.  The Earl's offer is too tempting to resist and his Akuma ranks have swelled.  He is aided by a super-human group called the Clan of Noah who have existed throughout human history.

The Millennium Earl and Tyki Mikk of the Clan of Noah

There exists a group of humans fighting to stop the Earl calling themselves the Black Order.  Powerful fighters called Exorcists hunt and kill Akuma.  They are led by Generals who are the strongest in the Order and search out fragments of a holy object called Innocence.  Each Exorcist is bonded to a shard of Innocence which gives them their powers.  The Earl and Noah Clan both want to destroy all of the Innocence along with mankind.

Allen Walker possesses a unique ability to see Akuma in their true form

Allen Walker is an Exorcist with the Black Order who possesses an anti-Akuma weapon in his left arm with several capabilities - it becomes a massive claw, turns into a rapid-fire gun, and other forms which haven't yet been revealed.  The arm is dark red with a piece of Innocence melded to the back of the hand.  He's also been cursed with a red marking on his face and special eye allowing him to see the true form of Akuma even when they're hiding in human guises.  He was trained by General Cross and sent to help the Black Order while the General is off on an important mission.

The true form of an Akuma is a soul chained to this world

Allen has made many friends among the Order including:

• Lenalee Lee - possesses the Dark Boots, an equipment-type anti-Akuma weapon allowing her to hover in the air, create whirlwinds, kick things really hard(!), and run fast(?), she has an over-protective brother named Komui who runs the Black Order headquarters in Europe, she is very caring
• Lavi - has a magical hammer Tettsui which grows to immense and small sizes although its weight remains constant to Lavi, studying to be a Bookman to learn the secrets of the world, he is very cheerful
• Arystar Krory - thought to be a vampire, but his Innocence sucks the life essence out of Akuma to destroy them, lived with a woman named Eliade who was secretly an Akuma, hopelessly naive about the outside world
• Yu Kanda - uses the anti-Akuma sword Mugen which creates monsters to destroy Akuma as well as being hella sharp, he is cold and unfriendly, can recover from serious injuries very quickly 
• Miranda Lotto - was found by Allen Walker in a town which was reliving the same day over and over again, she was chronically depressed and her Innocence has power over time which made it start repeating, she is terrible with directions and gets lost all the time

Lenalee in action against an Akuma

The Black Order has lost a General to the Noah Clan and sends Exorcists to find/protect the remaining Generals.  Allen and Lenalee are paired off to look for General Cross and other Exorcists are similarly teamed up.  Krory and Lavi encounter a town where an Akuma lives peacefully despite its evil nature.  Will the peace last?  Allen reveals the true extent of the General's cheating and womanizing ways.  The Earl is aided by corrupt human conspirators who sell human souls to him for power.  Can Allen and Lenalee stop them?  A village is menaced by a witch, but is she really an Akuma?  The Exorcists have many strange adventures while they search for the Generals.

Count Krory sinks his teeth into an Akuma

The Noah Clan gets more involved in the action as the Earl steps up his plans.  The entire Black Order is besieged by Akuma as the Noah target specific Exorcists.  Who will fall prey to the immensely powerful Noah?  The headquarters of the Black Order is filled with scores of coffins for the dead!  Allen and Lenalee confront a Noah and her Akuma aid to save the life of a new Exorcist.  Can they prevail and what is the fate of General Cross?

The enigmatic General Cross enjoying some wine and then
going out on a womanizing spree

Pros: Good character designs and Allen Walker is an interesting protagonist, less comedy in this second season and more action, catchy opening and ending theme songs (opening theme is "Brightdown" by Nami Tamaki and two ending themes - "To the Continuation of the Dream" by Surface and "Antoinette Blue" by Nana Kitade), we get to see some of the other Noah Clan use their powers

Allen Walker takes down an Akuma with is claw arm

Cons: Krory's silly personality was over-the-top, storyline with Lulubell and her Akuma assistant Mimi dragged on for far too long, the second half of the series (episodes 52-103) hasn't been licensed for domestic U.S. distribution yet so no resolution to the story, Millennium Earl still looks goofy although he's supposed to have a human-like alternate appearance (which didn't show up in these episodes)

Yu Kanda activates his blade, Mugen

Mike Tells It Straight: The second season of D.Gray-man is really the second half of the first season from Japan (which was 51 episodes).  This set of episodes had a lot more action than the first 26 (i.e. the 'first season' in the domestic market) and contained a bit less comedy.  We learn more about the Exorcists and the Clan of Noah as they both have a few confrontations.  Allen Walker is a great protagonist, but he takes a back seat as other characters get the spotlight.  I liked the mysteries they encountered - the village with the witch and the girl with the crystal ball were two good ones.

We meet another General named Froi Tiedoll

This series progresses really slowly which is typical of shonen anime (think Bleach or One Piece).  The season ends on a similar note to the first one with a pause in the never ending battle against the Millennium Earl's minions, but the domestic audience (i.e. English dub watchers) are not able to see the rest of the series due to Funimation not licensing it.  I'll speculate the license costs too much for them to make a decent profit margin on the rest of the series.  It's been a few years and I wouldn't be surprised if the domestic market never sees a dub version, but instead a subtitled version is released (maybe by a different company).

Krory and Lavi visit a town where an Akuma is actually gentle and
likes humans.  Is it a trick?

The action heats up in this set of episodes and we see just how deadly the Noah Clan can be.  It's funny, but I felt like this season was just a bunch of filler and particularly long-winded (as typical shonen anime are) without any real plot progression.  There are a lot of characters in this show (including the bad guys) and we spend a lot of time getting to know them which bogs down the plot.  I think we could have skipped this entire season and it wouldn't have mattered to the overall series.

Tyki Mikk changes into his bloodthirsty Noah form

I'm fairly annoyed the rest of the series is not available after the 51st episode as I've heard it gets more intense.  The original manga series by Katsura Hoshino is still going strong.  I really want to see the Millennium Earl get his after being such a lame-looking villain.  These shonen series are so long I kinda wish they could have left out all of the filler and condensed the series into 51 episodes instead of 103.  I couldn't find any episodes available on Crunchyroll.com as of this post and I'm not really sure where to find the second half of the series.  HK bootlegs or maybe another streaming site?  We'll see.  In the meantime I'm hoping to check out the manga series to see if it's really any better.

We meet another Exorcist named Suman Dark

TO BUY and Recommendations: