This review is brought to you by someone who hasn’t touched the original material (neither the manga nor the '98 series). I treated this anime as its own product, and here’s how it went!
Animation: 10/10
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, it does use CGI. Yes, it’s amazing.
Everything, from the colors to the smoothness, dynamics, and art, is captivating from start to finish. The animation is definitely the strongest point of this title. The best part is that the show maintains its quality throughout, constantly surprising the viewer with action sequences that top the previous ones!
Plot: 7/10
So, imagine Dune... but with big guns... and an energy crisis.
After a catastrophic event on Earth that made the planet uninhabitable, humanity was forced to seek a new home. Enter No Man's Land, a harsh, desert-like planet populated by (strangely) humanoid Plants. These beings possess the ability to convert sunlight and other natural resources into energy, which humans learned to harness. One day, two brothers were born from a Plant—not quite Plants, not quite human. Many years later, the two brothers meet again, one aiming to save those close to him, while the other seeks to liberate Plants from their enslavement.
The show takes this concept very literally. There are no hidden meanings or glorified morals. Alongside the characters’ backstories, you’ll experience action on top of action, with a bit of (mild) gore—it’s a shounen, after all.
It’s a very good watch, but not without plot holes. A few ideas presented in the show don’t hold up in the long run, and I refuse to believe that using Plants is the only way to produce energy. However, nothing in the plot is an immediate turn-off.
Characters: 7/10
Oh boy, here we go.
Main characters:
At its core, Trigun Stampede follows four main characters: journalists Roberto and Meryl, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, and the man himself, Vash the Stampede. Alongside them is a cast of antagonists, with Vash's brother Knives at the top.
It’s important to note that from the start, each character sticks to their intrinsic motives and holds to them until the very end. This, however, makes the characters less complex than they could be. Roberto and Meryl, for instance, mostly just follow Vash in their pursuit of a sensational story, and they fall flat compared to characters like Nicholas. While Nicholas isn’t incredibly complex either, he’s given a backstory and room to grow. Knives, though simple, is a solid villain, but his potential feels wasted.
Side characters:
Unfortunately, the side characters are the weakest part of the show. Many of them experience sudden changes in their beliefs, and their execution as characters feels inconsistent.
SHOULD YOU WATCH IT?
Trigun Stampede is one of those anime that you’ll either love or hate. It’s the kind of show you can watch when you’re looking for something easy and enjoyable. Give it two episodes (since episode one doesn’t do the show justice) and see if it hooks you!
