The original Trigun anime and manga managed to pass me by in my youth, despite the perfect timing and appeal of the property. I caught a stray episode or two when it aired on Toonami back in the day, but for whatever reason, Trigun never stuck in the craw of my subconscious mind in the way that series like Yū Yū Hakusho, Outlaw Star and The Samurai Show That Shall Not Be Named did. It's a shame, too, because science-fiction Westerns are kickass in their very concept alone, and Trigun has oodles of style and personality.
What I am obsessed with, however, is the work of Studio Orange, the mad cavalcade of digital art geniuses who have done more than perhaps any other modern anime studio to revolutionize how computer-generated animation can be used to make televised animation better. While we've reached a time when plenty of CGI anime come out that are drop-dead gorgeous and a lot of fun to watch — this is where I plug Girls Band Cry now that it's finally streaming here in the States — it was not that long ago that you could count the number of genuinely excellent 3D TV anime on one hand. When Studio Orange kicked the doors down with their 2017 production of Land of the Lustrous, everything changed. The studio isn't solely responsible for changes to industry practices and artistic sensibilities that were decades in the making. Still, the crew at Orange are visionaries and trailblazers, bar none.
I'm not just obsessed with Studio Orange for their industry bona fides. All of the shows they've produced since 2017 are also freaking incredible works of art, and Trigun Stampede is no exception. It may be Studio Orange's crowning achievement. On a technical level, this is simply the most gorgeous and ambitious work that the studio has yet produced, leveraging every trick that the crew perfected in adapting Land of the Lustrous and BEASTARS to bring Vash the Stampede and Noman's Land to brilliant, brutal life. The show is no slouch in the story department as it remixes and refreshes the old characters and story beats of Yasuhiro Nightow's original manga to create a product that feels like a brand-new vision.
I don't have firsthand nostalgia for the original Trigun to be able to chronicle all of the show's changes, additions, and subversions to the source material but the general shift in tone from moody western to propulsive science-fiction odyssey is apparent even to me. Studio Orange's bouncy, fluid animation serves this transition perfectly, giving every one of Vash's misadventures and climactic battles a sense of weight and energy that is just a joy to behold. You could watch this show on mute, and I still don't know how you could walk away without a giant grin on your face.
The characters and story benefit from Stampede's stylistic evolution, too. The expressive character acting and snappy pacing of each chapter ensure that we end up adoring the likes of Vash, Meryl, Roberto, and Nicholas D. Wolfwood — he of the giant crucifix gun and casual loafers — even as the plot barrels towards the climax of the show's short twelve-episode run. The show's villains are equally memorable and effective. While I don't want to reveal much about the league of assassins that hound Vash and Co. throughout Stampede, they each come with a set of suitably bizarre and memorable powers to match their over-the-top designs. The episode where Millions Knives enters the fray is such a frightening and memorable spectacle of violence that I reckon even die-hard fans of the original will forgive the fact that they're not called the “Gung Ho Guns” anymore.
If I have any complaint about how Trigun Stampede unfolds, it has less to do with a fault in the story and more to do with its structure as a series. Despite the frankly insane levels of escalation that take place in the show's final episodes, it becomes increasingly apparent near the end of the run that Trigun Stampede is not the complete Trigun story. Meryl and Roberto take a backseat once Vash's life becomes chock full of dark revelations and world-shattering battles. Most of the show's conflicts and character arcs remain tantalizingly unresolved by the time Episode 12 ends. Thankfully, Orange has already announced that Trigun Stargaze is on its way to properly conclude Vash and Millions' Knives saga; it will presumably arrive whenever they wrap up the big final season of BEASTARS on Netflix.
Have I not convinced you that Trigun Stampede should be mandatory viewing for anyone who loves science-fiction action and adventure? Maybe I can seal the deal with the collectors among you by informing everyone that Crunchyroll's deluxe box set of Stampede is quite the package. It comes in a stylish box that contains the full DVD/Blu-Ray set, featuring a bunch of behind-the-scenes videos, promotional materials, and the excellent English dub that brought back franchise mainstay Johnny Yong Bosch. In addition to the on-disc goodies, we've also got coasters, art cards, patches, and a fun fold-out replica of the Bernardelli Times that doubles as a collector's book of interviews and the like. If you're like me and love all the little feelies in anime boxsets, then you'll be quite happy with this Limited Edition. Either way, if you missed out on watching this show, do yourself a favor and rectify that mistake immediately. Trigun Stampede may well be the jewel in the crown of an anime studio seemingly addicted to producing incredible anime that pushes the entire medium forward.
