Now I am certainly a fan of the original anime. It is a perfect example of really great 90s show. It looks great, it felt cool and had an interesting story to engage you. For me though it was missing a few things to make it really special. Personally, and yes I like the original, I think this is interpretation is better, by quite a bit as well.
The story here is more concise and while still has a similar overall theme, it is executed far better and has a lot more to like about it. I've seen comments about Meryl being written differently. I feel the Meryl we get here perfect fits the different kind of Vash we get. The world is a lot darker and to have a harder version of Meryl, which is closer to the original, wouldn't have worked as well. The addition of a male partner called Roberto De Niro (of course it is) to accompany Meryl is a nice touch and further, the change in profession to a reporter allows for the change in demeanour to feel more natural and realistic. The story also takes us to more exciting moments which culminates in a superb finale. The script is also fantastic and seems to flow much better. This is a 9/10 on the story front which for me, was the worst part of this show.
Next up is the music. What a fine display of accompanying music. The sound design is also spot on. This normally doesn't happen, in fact, I don't think it has ever happened, I listened to the opening music for every episode. It seems just like an average track until the chorus of it hits you with some smooth half time vibes and a lovely dynamic change in the pre chorus that makes the subsequent chorus seems a great as it does. Its a real treat. The rest of the in shoe music is such a wide variety of perfectly fitting tunes containing; strings, synths, dirty bass, woodwind etc all executed wonderfully. If one doesn't find the story better in Trigun Stampede, there is no doubt that anyone can deny that the music is far superior to the original. And before you say, 'well it was the 90s, modern anime will likely have better music' Beserk exists, that proceeded Trigun and that has some of the best music to touch animation. Music here is a 10/10.
The animation. My god is the animation exceptional. A lot of people don't like it. I have no idea why. Its is an absolute marvel to look it. I will go as far to say this show is a pivotal moment for what is to come with anime in the future. This is anime moving forward. A lot of anime has been stuck looking exactly the same for the last decade with a few exception of course (AoT, Demon Slayer and the mighty Fog Hill). Here we finally have something pushing the boundaries from a technology perspective. Every animated frame is absolutely gorgeous. The action sequences are breathtaking and it never loses focus. It makes sure that every frame of animation is delivered with purpose and in my opinion is a masterpiece of modern animation. A perfect example of how modern technology can make a show shine so bright. It really is a marvel. I suspect that the ones who dislike the style, as the same types that I mentioned in my opening paragraph. There is nothing to dislike about the animation here. I absolutely loved it. 10/10.
All in all, this is probably the highest 9/10 I will ever give. Everything has to be perfect for me to give a 10. Trigun Stampede was not perfect, but goodness me it was rather close. Well done Trigun Stampede.
