Trigun Stampede TRIGUN STAMPEDE

2023 winter | Episodes: 12 | Score: 7.8 (80402)

Updated every Saturdays at 23:00 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Producers:TOHO

Streaming: Ani-One Asia | Bahamut Anime Crazy | Bilibili Global

Synopsis

On the planet Noman's Land, reporters Meryl Stryfe and Roberto De Niro traverse the desert in search of the infamous outlaw Vash the Stampede. But the man they find near the desolate town of Jeneora Rock is a far cry from the lethal terrorist they expect. In reality, Vash is a passive and carefree drifter; he is a proponent of peace, beloved by the residents of the town. His inaccurate reputation actually stems from the widespread atrocities committed by his twin brother Knives Millions. Still, Vash is dubbed "The Humanoid Typhoon'' due to the tendency for violent chaos to follow in his wake. Chaos soon arrives in the form of bounty hunters seeking the high price on Vash's head, and their violent pursuit poses great danger to the town and its precious power plant. Thanks to his gunslinging prowess, Vash is able to resist most of these nefarious forces. Yet he must soon face off against the ultimate evil: the unstoppable destructive power of his malevolent brother. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Voice Actors

Matsuda, Kenji

Ando, Sakura

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu

Kurosawa, Tomoyo

Hosoya, Yoshimasa

Kumagai, Mirei

News

Reviews

StridertheRanger
04/26/2025, 07:53 PM
I was skeptical of this show at first, mostly based on the fact that it's almost solely CG animated, but fortunately, my worries were unfounded. It looks great (most of the time) and more importantly, the story was handled phenomenally. To all fans of the original show: Do not go in expecting the same show. It's very different, but I think in a good way. Many of the same themes and ideas are explored in Stampede, so no worry on that front. To manga fans: As you all already know, the 1998 show was not close to the manga and Stampede is not that much closer. Likethe old show, Stampede does its own thing. However, I think Stampede is more faithful to the lore (e.g. Plants) and characters (e.g. Knives). A lone gunman with a distaste for violence and oppression must navigate a world filled with bloodshed and cruelty and men who are all too eager to resort to killing. He must make decisions that will keep the innocent safe without the need to kill. Beneath appearing cowardly and fun-loving, he hides the deep-set pain of his past. This show is amazing in nearly every way, aside from the rare uneven CG animation, particularly with the characters as far as movement and expressions go, but the 2D backgrounds blended with the CG machines always look amazing. The story is deep and impactful, exploring themes of suffering, survival, sin, and the human condition. It also focuses on a man vs. nature conflict on a huge apocalyptic scale with philosophical depth. It is about the challenge of being a good person in a world that actively seeks to undermine and destroy the good. It is about being moral in a seemingly morally compromised world. One thing the show constantly shows is that humans can be weak and sinful, and when they get desperate, many do not hold to moral values, choosing survival even at the price of the lives around them, but they are never beyond redemption. Instead of contributing to the cycle of pain and suffering wrought by violence brought about by desperation, the lone gunman holds to his values and tries to bring out the best in others no matter who they are, avoiding violence in any way he can. That gets very difficult, however, in a world full of evil men who will likely never stop hurting others until they are dead, which presents some of the most compelling moral dilemmas in the show. P.S. For those who have NOT seen the old show: The older 1998 show would be top-notch if 65% of it was not filler. In other words, the main story takes place in about 9 or 10 episodes (12 if I’m being generous) out of the 26 it is comprised of. Some people like the random adventures that do not connect to anything or progress the main story much, but I found most of them to be a pain to get through. I want to emphasize that some of the “unimportant” episodes are actually relevant to the themes of the story as well as a series of good examples of who each of the characters are—their personal philosophies and personalities. It explores most of the same themes that the remake explores, but often in a less impactful way because every episode is very self-contained, making it possible to watch one episode and not need that much context. I still suggest you watch the 1998 show in addition to Stampede as it is also good, but I think Stampede offers the better experience.
Sohire
10/18/2024, 06:22 AM
TL;DR: It has some issues, but it's a good watch—just treat it as its own product. 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 withaction 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!
Glaive13
09/21/2024, 05:19 PM
I'll be honest, if I pretend Trigun doesnt exist I don't think stands on its own at all. They intended to do a prequel/reboot at the same time and it just feels rushed the whole way through. A lot of the moments the characters had in the original anime to grow on you and each other are missing, so it doesnt make sense to me at least how much Meryl, and especially Wolfwood like Vash. Wolfgang just gets put in terrible situations following Vash around, and when he tries to respond with lethal force Vash just complains about how he should be more of apriest and treat life as sacred. If they just wanted a prequel or reboot it wouldve done much better imo. They could've had some stories about Vash flailing through a couple of situations, saving the day and adding to his bounty and legend until that fateful incident, and maybe a cameo from the fan-favorites and a 'here's what they were doing around this time'. Ultimately they created a terrible writing situation trying to cram everything they could into 12 episodes and leaving behind a lot of the stuff that made the original anime such a classic. Trigun is by no means perfect, but what it did well this reboot lacks, and instead offers little in return other than nostalgia. Get ready to watch an average show with some characters you used to know.
Leadle_Lee
09/13/2024, 02:53 PM
I watched Stampede and then the original afterwards. I’m probably in the minority when I say this, but I much prefer Stampede. It cuts out all the filler - the original to me felt like it had no plot and was just an episodic case of the week with all the meat in the finale. Which is fine if that’s what you’re into. It’s not my cup of tea. I normally hate CG animation but Studio Orange did such a good job with this. Such a good job, I loved the art style so much it even made me watch their other series, Houseki noKuni (also amazing). The backgrounds were gorgeous and did the Wild West feel justice. I didn’t mind the redesigns of the characters. This show was branded as something new and not a remake so a rebrand of the characters feels like a good move to separate it from the original (though changing Wolfwood’s nose feels like a crime). This is sort of set up as a prequel to the events that happen in the original. It's much darker than the original (excellent choice studio orange). As a sci-fi lover, this hit just right. I’ve been on a Dune hyperfixation so I’m happy to see more desert planet sci-fi series. While this rendition of Trigun isn’t finished, this series is a favorite of mine. Studio Orange took an okay series and turned it into something great (don’t kill me for saying that). The animation and plot in the second half are top tier - anybody who dropped before that is sorely missing out. Also side note the soundtrack is out of this world. Millions Knives vocal version gives a better high than any drug ever could.
kozad
08/24/2024, 01:44 AM
This reboot of Trigun blew my expectations out of the water. I was skeptical but also optimistic and willing to give it a chance. What initially struck me as a weirdly out-of-order and botched retelling of the original anime instead turned out to be a proper prequel for a full reboot of the series. Many people were (and still are) quite upset about missing characters, character career changes, the shift in tone, and the 3D animation, but as the show unfurls most is explained. Story: In the OG Trigun, we're not given any real answers about why everything is the way it is until well intothe series. The flashbacks do an excellent job of rounding out the world building, but this reboot flips that on its head by giving us the "why" up front before delving into a familiar story that we haven't actually seen before. If you've seen the OG Trigun, you're franticly searching for specific characters who won't show up on screen because they simply aren't in the story yet. Some characters are also introduced much sooner than they originally were, which fed the misperception about this being a flawed reboot rather that a sequel story *for* that reboot. This show leans closer to the manga than the original did, which is a curveball for many fans because (let's be honest) almost none of us have read it. Once you realize that this show is not just a weird remake, but something else entirely, you'll probably find it more enjoyable. The story we're presented with is hinted at in the original anime, but never fully explored. Now, since I did not read the manga (see?) I don't know for certain what is out of order and what is not, but there is still a mountain of story for the show to dig into in future seasons (assuming this has multiple seasons of course) and some of those missing characters will absolutely show up. The newly invented character specifically for this show (Roberto de Niro) upset some folks simply for existing, but I think the character was well used to build the character of Meryl. Tone: So, when I first watched Trigun, many eons ago, I was initially jarred when Vash suddenly was making snarky cat faces and skittering around like a spider to dodge bullets, but quickly it worked. Midway through the show, those goofy moments were cast aside in favor of a much darker tone, which was a masterful pivot. For *this* Trigun however, we see fewer goofy moments. It was also jarring to *not* have Vash making snarky cat faces coming from the older show, but I feel that it also worked in the context of *this* Trigun, considering the atmosphere being created and the animation style too. From the start, we're presented with a much bleaker reality which has very real consequences for all involved. The older Trigun chose to build up to that feeling, slowly peeling away the silly carefree veneer and revealing the consequences little by little. Both styles work, but the gradual reveal has more emotional impact because viewers are having rose-tinted glasses plucked from their faces by the plot. Animation: Stellar. This is not the Berserk reboot at all, it's CG anime with a large budget and seemingly experienced animators. I loved the aesthetic, and my only complaint in this area are the reused assets, particularly in the sand steamer scene - the gang members were basically the same model used over and over, which was immersion breaking imho. The older show had the same issue and ironically, for the same scene. Imagine that, haha. The older Trigun had good animation too, but fell a little short of its space Cowboy Bebop, probably due to the setting and art style. Overall, I'd highly recommend this series to folks new to anime. I'm even bold enough to ask fans of the original to set aside their feelings to give this show a chance. I believe it deserves it, and I feel that us fans of the older Trigun also deserve to enjoy this reboot as much as we enjoy the original because the world of Gunsmoke has so many stories to tell, stories the original never could have told.
detem77
02/03/2024, 11:05 PM
what made the later half of the original trigun so shocking and really made you feel for vash was how before every episode had such a happy and optimistic ending. you really do become deluded with the same idea that vash has that no one has to die and when that's ripped away it hits both you and vash like a train. the good guys in stampede almost never win. it becomes expected that something bad is gonna happen and when it does, i feel nothing. a huge part of the original that's mostly absent here is the legend that follows vash the stampede which ispretty much absent here. the entire first few episodes of trigun are building up the mythos surrounding vash. how he's the greatest gunman on Gunsmoke who trouble follows wherever he goes. there is none of that here. vash is just a cool twink guy who just so happens to have a bounty on his head because he looks a lot like the real culprit. vash in stampede never has a single *moment* like vash in trigun has that makes him rise above all the other cool guys in anime. he never scares a group of bandits away with a kid's toy gun, he never takes all the bullets of every gun in a saloon, he never chants "love and PEACE!!🤞" what he does do is beat up guys real good. he beats up a group of bandits and he kicks a fist out of the air and i can't say im impressed because i can get this out of literally any anime protagonist. wolfwood is just an asshole here too. kinda lame. and meryl isn't a cool action girl anymore. she's basically just "dumb girl." kinda lame.i understand this a kind of "prequel" so they're not really meant to be themselves right now but these characters just arent very fun to hang around. basically the only above average thing about stampede is the gorgeous animation that maaybbeee makes it worth watching but eh.
Porco1984
12/10/2023, 09:45 PM
I watched the 1998 show 23 years ago and it means so much to me, being one of the shows that sparked my interest in anime. When the trailer dropped for Stampede I actually got mad, they had "butchered my boy" I told myself. There was no chance in hell that I would watch that CGI crap. Fast forward to last week. I started rewatching the 1998 show, for nostalgia and so on.... it's still funny, but maybe a bit outdated like most older shows. I'd forgotten that the first half of Trigun is very episodical and it takes a while for the main story togain traction. This made me wonder about how the new show was structured... and long story short, I watched it. And I freaking love it! Compared to the slapstick comedy of the '98 Trigun, Stampede is very dark... but it fits this version of the universe. It gets straight to the point and a lot of the character development is shown alongside the main story in flashbacks ... I like this structuring. Visually it's the most stunning CG show I've seen, has some of that "into the spiderverse" feel with added outlines, hatching etc. and a lower framerate.. it's gorgeous and very pleasant to watch. Character design put me off a bit though, initially at least, going for a more modern style instead of the "western caricature" of the original.. the new designs grew on me though. I'll recommend Trigun Stampede, but see it more as a completely new show instead of a "remake" of a cult classic. Putting on that mindset made me enjoy the show so much more.
Smilomaniac
12/05/2023, 04:41 AM
Producer Yoshihiro Watanabe claimed that this show was meant to be a retelling, a fresh take on a decades old story, with no intention to step on anyone's toes. So this review is with that in mind, because while people claim that you should not compare it to the original anime, the producer himself already made a claim directly related to it. I find this show near unwatchable, from a technical standpoint. It has different frame rates for different animations and multiple characters animated at the same time in the same shots (big animation no-no). There is a stylistic choice in making the animation look choppy,perhaps to avoid the smooth transitions that is inherent to 3D rendered animation, but practically it looks like something's wrong with my screen or computer, it looks and feels jarring. It feels incompetently made. No one would forgive any classic cartoon for being produced at half the animation frames, we all know that it wouldn't meet a minimum standard of a pleasant viewing experience. The visual changes, aka the "fresh take" consists of less details and a more present day relatable wardrobe, which consists in a man wearing a hooded jacket on a desert planet. While the previous trench coat wasn't exactly a logical choice either, it made sense in the context of it being a sci-fi western and it certainly had an iconic look. Where before Vash had a covered/hidden mechanical prosthetic arm with a built in gun, it is now entirely on display as a cybernetic replacement. His revolver has changed from a .45 to a .22 caliber, a famously weak cartridge. The previous .45 was already a mediocre ammunition doing things that begged your belief, but .22 does not in any way possess the power or mass to pull off the things portrayed in the show. This is not a meaningful change, if anything it serves to denigrate the character. Finally Vash himself has changed his personality from a positive man who always played off serious situations with humor, only becoming insecure or angry when the situation was outside of his control, such as when innocents are involved. In this new version he is unserious and will often devolve into a complete crybaby, only to suddenly become entirely serious for the producers to 'show off' the character's competence, when he could've done so from the start. His attempts at talking to people only goads them on and while this has always been a part of Vash, it turns from naive optimism to unreasonable risk taking. If this is a fresh take, then why does it rely on you knowledge of the previous show or manga? There is no build up, there is no mystery, everything is laid bare from the start and you see all of Vash's phases, moods and personality in one go. Between the obnoxious animation, poor design and genuinely awful and amateurish writing, I've never in my life felt so miserable watching anime. This is not divorced from the previous show, it is an incompetent and entirely unwarranted desecration of it. You will be better off not watching it.
bigboidutch
10/24/2023, 04:58 PM
Never written anything in MAL, but this awful anime made me write a short review.. This is one awful anime.. In general CGI isn't great and in general a terrible art choice, but here it looks like the most generic, boring and lifeless thing ever, they also changed how Vash the Stampede looked for the worst. He is such a boring/blend looking MC now... On top of this they also left out Milly, although she is mentioned once, who had a pretty big role in the original anime and was somewhat of a crowd favorite. There is reason for Vash the Stampede's (the1998's) womanizing/goofy character, his past was pretty bad and its his way of coping with it.. In the 2023 reboot he is portrayed as always gloomy while looking like a zoomer with his terrible 'trendy' hair and way to big glasses.. There are more things to talk about, but i can just leave it at it's a terrible reboot in general.. Stick to the Trigun anime from 1998, that one is actually good compared to this IMO.
doughnutsfan
09/14/2023, 09:06 AM
Disclaimer: never watched the original Trigun nor read the manga so I don’t have a point of reference or comparison like many who watched this probably do. That said, I came into this with lowest expectations because of the fact that it’s a 3D anime, and boy was I proven wrong. From visual standpoint, this is one of the most beautiful, inspired and epic animation work that I’ve ever seen. Period. It really sold me on the potential of 3D anime. And don’t get me started on the universe, the characters, the battle scenes. All top notch! The protagonist is cool, unique and easilyrelatable, and he’s surrounded by a cast of colourful, memorable allies and villains that I won’t soon forget, especially the main antagonist. The downside is that the first two episodes are a drag, but episode 3 pulls the rug from under you and delivers a mind blowing scene that will get you hooked, and after that the breathless pacing never hits the breaks until the last couple of episodes for more exposition. While I wish the finale gave a more satisfying and definitive conclusion to this obviously first part of the larger tale, I’m nevertheless very excited for what comes next.
gepld45
08/14/2023, 08:26 AM
A really good show. Highly recomend for people who like action and space westerns. If you never watched the original Trigun this is a perfect start. the premise of the show was intriguing and had my eyes glued to the screen to find out what would happen next. the story had really high points and never had a major low or boring part. Some good points - A cool intro (both visuals and music) - Likeable/Cool protagonist - very cool antagonist - great supporting cast - interesting plot - good pacing - really good action/figthsSome not so good points - the ideology of the protagonist (personal opinion) - high relience on flashbacks (but they are pretty good) - you might not like the cgi (one of the best i saw)
pii_per
07/12/2023, 12:52 PM
Okay, so I decided to put my foot down and watch this since I couldn’t find anything else to watch recently. As someone who watched Trigun, albeit a long time ago, I wondered exactly where this was going since it definitely wasn’t the western I recalled. And, so, like I learned what Riverdale was based on, it seems to me that it only borrowed the name and setting (maybe not even). Overall (5/10) Sad to say, but this was probably one of the most mediocre anime movie (ahem, TV show) I’ve watched in a while. Although nothing could disappoint me more than Parasyte the Maxim, this wasjust a show that was boringly normal. Story was extremely average and the pacing was surprisingly slow with what just feels like filler although each episode did have some stuff going on. Characters were foils for an already unoriginal and uninspiring main character (still love the original) and lacked any more originality than I would expect from its namesake. Art, uh… well, it’s 3D and it’s normal issues of basically being 3D and lacking any creativity that would differentiate it from an anime vs western animation, much less this anime compared to another action anime that did 3D (hey Chainsaw). It was extremely uninspiring even though I had little expectations, but, if you like your cookie cutter plots in which this had little more to add to the conversation it was trying to discuss, sure, go ahead, watch it. Just… if you like most of it, maybe don’t watch the last episode (not like that changed the opinion of the show for me that much). Story (5/10) I’ve watched way too much anime. I’ve read a lot of stories. And, this plot was extremely uninteresting to me. It reminded me of just a worse version of “Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood” and “A Promised Neverland” if they were to be combined. But even if you were to like the plot despite its rather mediocre creativeness that a lot of mid sci-fi stories (or B-rated movies) spurn, it just felt like an elongated movie that wasn’t edited properly and went on for way too long. Although disappointed it didn’t follow its predecessor and was more comedic, the way certain plot points developed irked me due to either the stupidness of it, or just the lack of explanation for them. In that sense, it felt much more like a movie (Vash originally being wanted still doesn’t get explained properly) due to how much is unexplained and left for us to imagine on our own (with like only one town that is properly described and lived through). Art (6/10) As someone who can tell immediately when 3D is used in 2D anime, I have to dock points off a lot. I never liked the shininess of 3D in which there is a strange lack of shadows, making it obvious they are 3D models in a scene. It felt more like I was watching a video game cutscene than anything. Animation was honestly more akin to older American 3D action animated series. In my opinion, lacked enough creativity to make it Trigun in comparison to “a 3D animated tv show.” However, it was somewhat styled enough that it wasn’t completely off putting every second, but I still cannot see 3D taking over for a long time if they don’t fix the realism of placement of characters. Characters (4/10) As a great character in the original, Vash disappoints in this one. Despite his age, he acts the same as every isekai and harem protagonist. He’s no longer interesting. Stripped from everything, his only characteristic is being overly kind. The charisma and funniness that I recalled in the original was no more. Even side characters were just cookie cutter. They’re just there to be foils and nothing more. Their backstories were near meaningless and besides being unable to empathize with any, it was a shame how major parts of the story never supported Vash’s ideals. As in, there were times characters weren’t desperate enough, or were so ignorant to certain facts that the moral compass was (ironically) black and white. This would only work if they were doing an adventure slice-of-life journey like Kino no Tabi in which these types of characters are there to be foils to tell a greater tale. In this story, it would only make sense to be more in the grey zone of morals and not only have one side that’s sane. Villains, despite the actual doings in the show, did not seem that harmful (one even just being forgotten later—exception being the obvious main villain) and were barely driven by anything except forced story points. Audio (6/10) Can’t say anything bad about it. But, nothing really stuck out either. When it came to VAs, I watched in Japanese first, but due to the nature of the show and the western setting, I switched to English. It was definitely better than standard typical VAs of American animated action TV shows, and surely better than a certain few dark sci-fi dystopian ones. Overall, it was an okay time killer when I was trying to pass time. But, if you’re looking for the next big hit, it certainly was not this one.
smol_minnies
06/01/2023, 12:48 PM
Tristamp was one hell of a ride, that I found to be much more enjoyable than the original and this is why: -Pace: opposite to the 90s version which was very slow paced, the reboot moves from scene to scene very quickly. One fight ends, only for another to start immediately after. It was obvious the producers were rushing to introduce all of the characters and cover all the events that occurred in the original but with only half of its length. I personally preferred the new version's quick progression to the horrifically slow pace of the original. I found it easy to keep up withits speed which is definitely due to my being a damn genius thank you and not because I've already seen the 90s version nu-huh. -Soundtrack: my ears were in heaven the whole time I was watching this show. The sound track does a perfect job of not only setting the mood for each scene but also amplifying the emotions it evokes. -Visuals: So vibrant and captivating, with an excellent attention to details that makes every scene an absolute visual delight. There is so much symbolism and hints that are not spoken out loud but very boldly shown. It leaves the audience with a freedom of interpretation, to analyse and weave a story with its threads. This being one of my absolute favourite parts of any form of art consumption, I had a great time coming up with my own analysis while watching each episode. -Animation: While the use of CGI might have been a turn off for many people, I personally think that it was executed very well. The animation was smooth and distinct and didn't feel awkward at all. -Plot: Tristamp finally did the sci-fi tag justice with a plentiful of plant lore and not just brushing it off as "a remnant of long lost technology". The storytelling and the ending are completely different from the original, and I find myself very happy with the new light they were introduced in. Especially since the ending of the 90s version was quite the disappointment. -Characters: Same as the original (with the introduction of a few new faces) but with totally different backgrounds for the most part. They were given more depth and done more justice in tristamp in my honest opinion. All in all, one of my favorites and I feel regretful that it was so short. I'm looking forward to the sequel and I hope it is just stunning as this one.
j15cailipan
04/04/2023, 06:41 AM
Stampede starts and ends strong, but episodes 2-8 were a struggle to get through. Let me get this out of the way - I don't care about your thoughts on the original Trigun anime. You liked it? Cool. You hated it? Cool. Whatever. That discussion is not relevant here and I feel it's in bad faith to always compare the two when it's obvious both series were trying to achieve different things, ESPECIALLY knowing how season 1 of Stampede ended. The very first episode of Stampede was honestly amazing. Everything from the storytelling, the pacing, character interactions, animation, comedy, etc., it was all near perfect. I, forone, was very excited to see the direction of Stampede. Unfortunately, it starts going downhill, really fast. The villain of the week formula does not work for this show. Again, knowing how S1 ends, I kind of see what they were going for, but none of it felt cohesive. It was just one bad guy or sometimes two or three at a time, all competing for spotlight before one or all of them dies and the story and the main characters move on. I said the villains were all fighting for spotlight, and that negatively impacts the main cast because, aside from Vash and MAYBE a little bit of Wolfwood, the main cast get zero spotlight. It seems the writers went the FMAB route when writing Stampede, in that they assumed you watched the original series and knew the characters from there so that they don't have to spend too much time reintroducing them again. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work here. The Vash/Meryl/Wolfwood/Knives in this show all feel very different from their OG anime counterparts. That in itself isn't a bad thing, but, because the show doesn't give us a chance to know the Stampede versions of these characters, I go through literally every episode still not sure what each character's goals, motivations, likes, dislikes, etc. are. I'm honestly really bummed about this, because I genuinely like all of the main characters, but I also feel like I don't know them at all. It's like seeing that one person in class or at the gym and getting along with them for the two hours you're there but then not knowing a thing about them outside of that. It's even worse for Wolfwood in particular. The show just randomly drops his backstory on us, and, while I do think it's a great backstory, the emotional weight was absent because there was no build up. All he did was join the crew for like two episodes, complain about Vash, then boom sad backstory. You can't give me a sad backstory for someone I really still don't know. Another big issue I have with Stampede is its tone. Episode 1 is so tonally different from the rest of the show that it was jarring. I'm not against dark themes or bloody/gory fights, but the show just randomly gets so dark and gruesome and needlessly violent after its very lighthearted and silly first episode. Again - I'm not against those things in a vacuum, but it just didn't match, making the later comedic scenes feel out of place. If they wanted this show to be dark, it should have been that way from episode 1. I'm glad the last few episodes were able to tie up the mess it left behind in the middle episodes, and I'm still cautiously optimistic about season 2., if not just for the fact that I love Vash so much and am willing to get any type of Vash content that I can. I didn't talk about it a lot but I will say the animation of Stampeded is absolutely gorgeous. It makes me hopeful about the future of CG in anime. I know I talked a lot of smack, but I'd say give the show a try. Don't listen to the discourse of whether or not the OG series is better - be open-minded and at least give the first few episodes a shot (haha get it).
rikiki109
03/30/2023, 10:39 PM
“I'm Vash the Stampede” -Vash the Stampede (epic I know) It's a special place, it's the Noman's land, somewhere that's very far away, a planet that the humans can use to live a future live. But with a shitty name like that, you'd expect for it to not be very livable and that's pretty true. It's just a harsh deserted planet that has no resources needed to live on, at least not without the reactors, generator of anything you would ever want (maybe even a friend, or a IRL cat girl, who knowns). In the Noman's land, everything is desolated and the few people living therehas no heart, low blows and anything is clearly accepted at the cost of the people that wants to share their humanity and love for each others. One of those people might be Vash the Stampede, someone who's got a very big heart, he's always looking for others and has a dream of peace in this scary planet. However, Trigun Stampede, as an anime and as an adventure, is far from fairy tales and butterfly, it's a place unrelentingly dark and filled with drama. Like a lot of other sci-fi dystopian like anime that's kinda blade runner-esque, you don't have a time to catch a breath, it's always hitting you with something that you, the user that's just sitting in their home, that express your empathy for something so cruel yet as a shine of hope that this anime can bring. It's a rollercoaster, and you should go along and buy a ticket for it ! Do note that many people will compare (generally negatively) this anime because it's a reimagination of the original Trigun anime that aired 25 years ago, because it's not the same thing. I haven't watched the original anime, so I cannot make a point about it, but I wanna note that changing a recipe isn't synonym of it being bad, especially if a lot of effort was put into it to make a cohesive story that's appealing with the base idea and world building of an already existent medium. As I kinda feel like my first paragraph already encapsulates the idea of this anime that I have and serves the anime right, I wanna mention the qualitative things that I have left to say. The anime is made by Orange, and as you've seen everywhere, it's in 3D, the trademark of studio Orange whose goal is to make people shut the fuck up about the 3D = bad debate, by slapping them by stunning animation that's a way of expressing a intriguing story. And Trigun Stampede isn't an exception to this rule, it's generally stunning, has great smooth animation of their characters moving around and the 3D makes Orange more suited to use a very large scale and big scenery with interesting particles in order to achieve a well done story telling. I wanna mention how it being in 3D isn't a problem at all, I've realized at many points that I was just seeing a nice story being revealed, and wasn't porting attention of it being 3D, my brain literally just processed it as something normal. And when it isn't just normal, it's fucking stunning, it can compete against with other big animation anime at certain key episodes, as episode 12. But of course it's a pretty bad argument to say to watch a certain anime because the animation of the episode 12 is fucking stunning when it's the last episode lol, but still. Moreover, another great way to tell about a story is with music. The sound category of this anime really made the emotional moments stand out and the drama move emotive, while also making the epic moments feels even more so. It's generally a very great addition to the anime, and portrays what's happening quite well. The interesting choice of music of the Opening might be another revelation in regard to how the music guys at Orange use their dedication of enhancement with music to make us the viewers make it a better experience overall, I like it. To wrap up, Trigun Stampede isn't there to be compared with it's older brother who's getting all the praise about, he also has things to show, with an amazing story that keeps hitting you hard, make you feel invested into the story and the cast. The drama is always present and every single episode is filled with interesting thing happening, all gradually building up to an epic finale that I'll let you discover. All that meticulously hand crafted by the Orange peeps to prove they can make something fucking good. I'll be very excited to see what the season 2 of this will do, if it still goes beyond and achieve to do it even better, this anime could really become a Masterpiece, the potential is clearly there and I'm very happy with it.
Akropos
03/27/2023, 01:20 PM
I'll be frank here: If you don't like the CGI in this show, it's not because it's terrible, you're biased against CGI and will continue to hate it no matter what. CGI is the core of this show with its' fluid movements, dynamic camera angles, and surprisingly solid face animations (that look better than most of the seasonal slop 2D anime, take that as you will) coupled with phenomenal story-telling and a far more serious tone than the OG Trigun from the get-go. We're used to CGI mixing poorly with the 2D background elements, but that's not the case here at all, even the bloodlooks good (yeah, I am looking at your airbrush ahh blood Kaina of the Snow), not to mention that everything is textured properly, has physics (even the hair!) and sits well within the show's style. The story is full of new plot twists and story beats, so even if you're coming from the OG, you'll have a pleasant time watching it. The characters are well-written and funny (not in a "HaHa FuNnY" way) and their dialogues flow naturally for the most part and are complemented by subtle animations. All in all, I cannot recommend this enough. The negative reviews are, for the most part, people whining about the CGI and gatekeeping animation to 2D only, so don't feel discouraged by their reviews, and give it a shot!
literaturenerd
03/26/2023, 04:50 PM
Studio Orange director: “Man, I was watching this piece of trash Boomer anime the other day and all my buddies around me were laughing at it. Then it suddenly struck me. This is an absolute tragedy! This old piece of trash actually has all the elements there to be a masterpiece and it’s simply being handcuffed by all this hackneyed anime bullshit! Imagine if it cut out the stupid comedy, extra characters, pointless romance sub-plot, pointless fanservice, and just really doubled down on the psychological drama and grimdark elements. Those Zoomers who laugh at this shit right now and dismiss it will have their mindsabsolutely blown! They don’t even know! We’re gonna break this series free from its chains that have been holding it back and by God it’s gonna COOK!” Me: “Say no more! I know exactly what anime you guys are talking about. You don’t even need to say it! God, it’s hard to be an Elfen Lied fan in 2023. People just don’t get it, but you’re clearly seeing what I’m seeing! Studio Orange: “Elfen what? Bruh, I was talking about Trigun! Me: “….are y’all serious?!” Welcome to Studio Orange’s well intentioned albeit often baffling attempt to “fix” Trigun by giving it a darker, grittier reboot that completely does its own thing and often flat out gives the finger to the original manga and anime. We all know Trigun is a Boomer anime with a cult following, but what is Trigun exactly? Trigun is a Space Western that at its core is a love letter to old cowboy movies. It takes place in a bizarre, steampunk setting on this desert covered alien planet that a colony of human pioneers have been stranded on. So, you have a mixture of crazy science fiction stuff and aliens with 1860s technology and old west gun duels. This is admittedly a silly premise. The original series and the manga are fully aware of this. The manga started out as a screwball action comedy that was published in a shonen magazine, but it went on hiatus and returned in a seinen magazine with a much darker and more serious tone. This gradual shift is emulated by the 1998 anime adaptation that starts out very funny and wildly entertaining before taking a more somber turn. The 2023 anime by contrast is a much more serious affair throughout. The first episode at least tries to capture some of the zaniness of the early manga and the 1998 anime, but if those were cranked up to 10, Trigun Stampede turns it down to maybe a 4 or 5. Then there are children being killed in just the second episode of Stampede and the comedy never returns. Trigun Stampede very clearly feels like the fun element and comedy was an impediment to the franchise’s quality. I feel like this is a deeply misguided take on the franchise. The comedy and fun elements of Trigun actually compliment the ridiculous setting and whole “Space Western” thing, which would be a mistake to simply make dead serious. The gradual shift from lighthearted to serious also works in the series’ favor by making the serious moments really stand out and giving them an added punch. To be fair to Studio Orange, there are series that have comedy that feels completely tacked on and the inclusion of these scenes does nothing but hurt the series. That’s a common problem in old anime. I joked in the opening paragraph about Elfen Lied in particular suffering from this, but Ashita no Joe part 1 suffers from this! Even some really good anime have this problem. It’s just that Trigun is NOT one of those series! Another massive departure from the source material and original anime is that Trigun Stampede never once feels like a Western. The original anime has over a dozen shots directly ripped from old Western movies. In one of the very first episodes, you have this longshot of a creaky windmill which is taken directly from 1968’s Once Upon a Time in the West. There’s another shot from an early episode taken directly from the 1964 film Fistful of Dollars. The original anime is shot and framed like a Western. The soundtrack feels like a Western. Vash and Knives end up settling their differences in an old-time gun duel that feels straight out of a Western. The 1998 anime is proud to be a Western. Trigun Stampede has Knives hook Vash up to a supercomputer and hack into him using his weird tentacles in order to ascend to the “higher dimension” and make contact with the “Wave Existence”, Capital G God in order to give his fellow artificial life forms souls so that they can have freewill. I’m sorry, but what the FUCK is this?! The team behind Trigun Stampede has clearly played Xenogears before and watched Evangelion but I don’t think anyone on this production team has watched a Sergio Leone film, let alone loves those types of movies. There’s a weird scene in Trigun Stampede where a young Vash draws a parallel between Humanity settling space and the American pioneers of the old west, but this idea of a space western is brought up in Stampede only to be immediately ridiculed and dismissed. This is a thing that reboots do when they’re trying to be more “mature” and “gritty” than the original. It’s that trailer scene in X-Men 2000 when Wolverine snarks “What did you expect? Yellow spandex?” Trigun Stampede is a pure science fiction with weird JRPG pseudo-religious stuff that has zero interest in being a Western. Yet another massive difference can be found in the main protagonist Vash, who in the manga and original anime acts like a complete and utter goofball. He starts out as this Looney Toons character, but then you find out that it’s simply a persona that he shows to the public to hide his pain and loneliness. The real Vash underneath the goofy mask is a suffering, Messianic figure who doesn’t want others to have to share his burden. He essentially treats Humanity like a parent would treat their small child. This makes perfect sense given that he’s a 120+ year old alien with Godlike powers. Vash in Trigun 2023 is a much weaker and more vulnerable character. He’s not super OP in combat and emotionally he’s kind a mopey emo boy for almost the entirety of the series. Trigun 2023 believed they were making him more human and relatable, but I don’t feel like it worked exactly in the way that they wanted. If anything, it just made him much more forgettable. Most of the cast got shafted in Trigun 2023, but Meryl Strife easily got it the worst. Meryl in the original is a short tempered, no-nonsense girl boss who can hold her own in a gun fight, has hilarious chemistry with Vash as the straight man to Vash’s shenanigans and is also a romantic interest for Vash. Meryl in the 2023 reboot is basically April O’Neil from Ninja Turtles. She’s this naïve reporter lady who is simply looking for her big scoop but ends up largely being a spectator with no real agency and doesn’t really contribute much. Milly was entirely replaced by a grizzled old reporter named Robert DeNiro who is only 3 weeks away from retirement and is getting too old for this shit. Why is he named DeNiro? He should clearly be Danny Glover! Fucking Stampede can’t even make the right actor jokes. Although it is mentioned in the last episode that Milly exists in this universe and may appear if a sequel ever happens. Wolfwood is given a lot less time to shine here and just feels like a very watered down, shittier version of the original character. His motivations in Stampede are also a lot dumber. Wolfwood in the original series was raised in an abusive household and murdered his own father, thus becoming an orphan. He was then raised by one of Knives’ super soldiers as a possible successor and uses the skills he acquired as a gun for hire to finance an orphanage. Wolfwood is basically a sleeper agent since he’s in contact with someone who works for the main villain, but he doesn’t directly work for the main baddie or know his plans. He ends up refusing to go along with the main villain’s plans and to the end stays loyal to his orphanage and his friends despite his wrongdoings. Wolfwood in 2023 exists solely as a delivery boy to bring Vash to his brother Knives, which honestly makes the rest of the Gungho Guns and Legato completely pointless in the 2023 anime. Knives in 2023 didn’t intend for any of his super soldiers to kill Vash or force Vash to suffer by having to kill one of them, thus preparing him for their final duel. They are literally there for no reason. Wolfwood works directly for Knives and clearly knows that Knives will use Vash’s energy to do something absolutely apocalyptic and almost certainly wipe out Mankind, but he’s delivering Vash to Knives all for the sake of the orphans…whom Knives will kill the second he makes the delivery. Did they even think about this? Insert Biff Tannen and/or Omni Man clip. Now it’s FINALLY time to say something nice about Trigun 2023. They actually tried to make Knives a more complex character whose love for his brother Vash is just as strong as his hatred for Mankind. Knives’ motivation for hating Humanity is much more fleshed out in 2023 and he’s given a level sympathy that he never got in the original. In the last 20 years of movies and TV media, we’ve come to expect for villains to have more relatable motivations. Everyone wants to write MCU Thanos or Toguro from Yu Yu Hakusho and not the cackling madman who is just an asshole for the Hell of it. Knives in the original anime is an artificial life form who was created to serve Humanity, but from the beginning looked down on Humanity as his inferiors and wants to wipe us out. He’s a very solitary figure with a God complex and not a lot of love in his heart for anyone. OG Knives is basically just Sephiroth from the original FF7. That type of villain works best when you don’t see a lot of them. They’re this shadowy figure with unknowable motivations whom you are never asked to empathize with. All you know is that they’re going to be hard to stop. This is the Lovecraft approach to writing antagonists, and it’s widely considered antiquated. Trigun 2023 had an interesting take on Knives and I appreciate that they made the effort. The animation is..fine if you like Studio Orange’s approach to CG. This series had a budget. They put effort into it. It has some scenes that are very visually impressive. It also has some scenes I think looked like dog shit, but I digress. The music is fine. It’s definitely not iconic like the original anime’s OST, but it serves its purpose adequately. I also appreciate that while Orange’s vision of Trigun was radically, fundamentally different, they did keep it consistent. It wasn’t grimdark one moment only to be goofy the next. They didn’t go full science fiction one episode only to backtrack. They fully committed to their own interpretation of what Trigun should be. When you consider Trigun 2023 to be its own series that’s loosely inspired by Trigun, it begins to look a lot better. Instead of a replacement or a reboot, we can see this series as a sort of “spiritual successor” that takes some concepts from the original while comfortably being its own thing. That’s the takeaway point at the end of the day. I think it’s a horrible adaptation of Trigun that fundamentally misunderstands what made Trigun so beloved in the first place and why it worked. However, it’s also not a bad anime when you examine it in a vacuum and stop thinking about the original. If it didn’t have the Trigun name, I would say this is an above average anime that I could comfortably recommend to friends. It’s fine. It’s perfectly serviceable as a seasonal anime in 2023. That’s why I’m still giving it a 6 out of 10. It doesn’t deserve to be crucified simply because it’s not the original. The original already exists. It’s not going anywhere or being replaced on every streaming site and store shelf. If you’ve never seen either version of Trigun, I would definitely check out the original first, but you can also give this one a watch. If you hate old school animation and you’re only interested in new stuff, you can watch Trigun 2023 and just not worry about the original.
kekekeKaj
03/26/2023, 04:35 PM
The original 1998 anime adaptation of Trigun is one of those rare beasts that grew big in North America after flopping in Japan. In fact, it became so successful in America that it spawned a side story movie more than a decade later. Even more surprisingly, after another decade, we're getting this reboot, with the source material having sat finished on the shelf for over 15 years already. One quick glance at any of the pictures related to Trigun Stampede is enough to tell you that the makers have struck out in a completely new direction in terms of aesthetic. I can't say I was tookeen on the new style, but since the 1998 adaptation was one of the first anime I watched and enjoyed as an adult, I decided to check it out despite my reservations. For old times' sake. The resulting experience was … interesting, to say the least. I'll be honest, my impressions of the 1998 version is etched deeply, and perhaps because of this, I couldn't help but compare this new version against the original at every turn. Unfortunately, Trigun Stampede does not hold up well in these comparisons, at least not for the first half of this season. First, let's get the elephant out of the room and into the open: the CG. I'll preface this by saying that I did not think much of character designs of the original, with their blush lines making them look like children's sketches; nor do I consider myself as someone anti-CG who would shudder at the mere thought of using CG in anime. So it's as much of a surprise to me that I soon found myself yearning for the hand drawn look of the original that I felt lukewarm towards to begin with! The CG has polished away the rough edges of the original design, but it's also over polished away a lot of the visual flair that gave the original personality, as well as the aesthetic that so suited the dusty, grimy wild west feel of its world. Beyond the art style, movements such as how hair sway and how the characters move feels too smooth and so deeply rooted in the uncanny valley that they distracted me from focusing on the story. The CG is especially ill suited to the goofy antics and over-the-top gunslinging action inherent to the franchise. Even Vash's red trenchcoat - so iconic in the 1998 version with its plethora of straps and buttons - becomes just an unremarkable looking red trench coat in Stampede. The only place I can think of where the CG does well is in animating Million Knives' weaponry, as it had the effect of giving them an unsettlingly alien and phobia-inducing creepy quality. It's obvious that Trigun Stampede was deliberately made to distinguish itself from its predecessor, and the visuals was just one of the ways that signalled this intention. One of the producers even said that they wanted to attract new audiences with Trigun Stampede, but to me the show actually does the opposite. The backstory involving Rem was perhaps THE major emotional climax as the 1998 Trigun entered its final straight; here, it's revealed in the opening episode. Moreover, the major players all appear early on with their ulterior motives laid bare as the outline of the plot is sketched out. That takes a lot of the tension out of the story, meaning there's no sense of mystery; no hook in the plot to reel the audience in; the characters haven't even been built up enough to make you care about their backstories yet! The only way I could see it working was if Stampede was intended for people who've seen the original and are just here to see the characters they know and love in a retelling of a story they're already familiar with. And even in this, I think they fall short - I'm pretty fond of the original Trigun, but I spent disappointingly long stretches of the first half of Stampede feeling bored. The characterisations also mostly misses the mark: Wolfwood, who was so effortlessly cool in the original, just comes off as someone trying too hard to be cool here; the newly introduced Roberto de Niro fits so snugly inside the archetypical jaded senpai mould that the only remarkable thing about him is his name - and most disappointingly, he's not even voiced by Robert de Niro in the dub! One of strengths of the 1998 Trigun was how well it juggled the goofy humour with the pathos; in Stampede, the balance feels out of whack as it discarded most of its goofy side and ramped up the angst instead, and the little goofiness that remained feels forced and out of place. It's not even very good angst: there's a lot of shouting but the lacklustre character chemistry and the unremarkable script meant that it felt more annoying than anything else in my emotionally detached state. The strongest emotion I felt while watching the first half of Trigun Stampede was nostalgia, and not in good way for this new instalment. As the series touched upon familiar characters, familiar references and familiar features of this imaginative world, it evoked in me an appreciation of how well conceived the original concept was, and how much better it was done in the 1998 adapation. Almost the only improvement Trigun Stampede makes comes from the writers realising that, as much as "Knives" makes for a badass antagonist name, it's a ridiculous one to give to a child. So here, they made the main antagonist's birth name "Nai" instead. To its credit, Trigun Stampede eventually gets its shit together and finally came into its own for the second half. With the caveat of it being so long since I last saw the original that I've have forgotten a lot of the finer details, I felt that Stampede aimed for and succeeded in fleshing out Vash and Knives' origin story a lot more. Most notably, Knives was simply a coldly logical and blood thirsty killer in the original, and here he becomes a much more sympathetic character, with his contrast against Vash feeling rather like that between Magneto and Profession X. One particularly harrowing scene of plants in their "last run" is one of many that makes Knives' case against humanity quite damning, and they provide especially poignant food for thought in this current era when climate change and living off the planet sustainably are such hot topics. I kinda wished we got to see more of Rem though, especially when the prolific Maaya Sakamoto lent such an experienced, star quality to her voice that she stole almost every scene in which she played a significant part. The final part of Trigun Stampede wasn't without issues, the most glaring one being the technical aspect of the plot descending into incomprehensible, gobbledigook jargon jungle. That said, the ending provides an intriguing twist (one that I might have guessed had I re-familiarised myself with the original adaptation before embarking on this one), but you'd have to have seen the original to appreciate it. Yet again, this was an instance of the series throwing a bone to a familiar crowd that the newbies to the franchise would miss. Before I finish up, I want to give a nod to the music production of Trigun Stampede. While the series abandoned the snarling electric guitar solos and the twanging sound of the blues of the original, what they replaced it with is at least as good. The opening is a modern, stylish chiller of a song with the auto-tune effect serving as a fitting parallel to the CG laden visuals; the ending is a melodic soother, gentle like a summer drizzle. Combined, they represent one of the best OP/ED combinations I can think of in recent anime. The background music is also good, serving up an array of distinctive styles to suit distinctive sceneries. This is one anime for which I want to check out the sound track! So, how do I feel about this new adaptation of Trigun? Try as I might, I can't extricate myself from my impressions of the original to give an independent assessment of Trigun Stampede, different though it may be in both style and substance. My best guess though, is that newcomers to the series will find it underwhelming. But for existing customers, it's not bad, with a strong second half salvaging the mediocrity of the first. The more in depth origin story makes it a worthy supplement to the 1998 adaptation. At the very least, it has sold me on the next season, and I'm feeling just a little a spark of excitement about how they'll continue the story. Personal rating: +0.5 (decent)
TwisterJayy
03/26/2023, 09:35 AM
This anime is phenomenal! You can tell the love and care studio orange put into each episode! I feel it fixed issues I had with the original Trigun. The story is more cohesive and major plot points and the world are explained into more detail. On another note, I always felt that the original series needed more movement in its animation. With a character like Vash I was always hoping for more silly and dramatic movements in action scenes. And studio orange delivered on this! On a final note, it did an excellent job tying everything upin the season finale and left the story in a spot that will satisfy all fans!
KANLen09
03/25/2023, 07:33 AM
The 1998 OG Trigun is a cult following. And 25 years on, the 2023 alternative retelling will also be a cult following, just like its predecessor. To be frank, I've known mangaka Yasuhiro Nightow's famous OG series that has surfaced from time to time, both the manga and the anime adaptation that was prevalent from the mid to late 1990s. But the truth is that I've never gotten the time to read nor watch it, though its an experience for people who've watched and grown up with Trigun, will definitely say that it's something to behold at the time of its release. That's until 25 yearslater, we get the revival of Trigun, albeit under a new name: Stampede. This is obviously a new take on the old classic, so no matter how much you have a massive bias for the OG, please take everything about Stampede and wash away all the misconceptions about compaaring this with that, and see this from a new lens of perspective. To understand how Trigun: Stampede came to be, you have to really get in the minds of the production team. Toho Animation producer Katsuhiro Takei commented that for this new Trigun project, they wanted to "start a new Trigun", commenting that there's already the original manga and other anime adaptations, and each of them are really excellent pieces of work that are already completed. Furthermore, Takei stated that with Trigun: Stampede, they wanted to attract new viewers and not make them think that it is hard to get into the series "because it's an already known and existing series." When Takei approached Trigun's mangaka Yasuhiro Nightow to discuss on the project, Nightow mentioned that the 1998 anime adaptation was "really excellent", and that "anything beyond the original anime is more of a bonus time, so you could pretty much do whatever you want to with it." Nevertheless, Nightow stated that he was pretty much involved with the new project from the very start, and that in order to make something entirely new, he would come in and say something to the staff if they did something that really seems off. However, as time went on with the script development, Nightow did not find major issues with it, commenting that "It was an entirely new Trigun, and I felt that they were able to grasp that." This is pretty much anchored true in Stampede, as everyone knows about the Stampede himself, the Humanoid Typhoon with the 60 billion double dollar bounty on his head, along with reporters Meryl Stryfe and the new "replacement" to the much lovable Milly Thompson, Roberto De Niro. Sure, their interactions are more goofy-looking as compared to the illusive strikingness of the 1998 OG series, where everything was much industrial-looking for an era that focused much on industrialization anime, like director Akitarou Daichi's 1999 original show "Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku a.k.a Now and Then, Here and There". Takei stated that while in the original manga and the previous anime adaptations the story is always centered around Vash, in Trigun Stampede they "really want to focus on the depth of Vash", so they decided to focus on his origin, memories, and the time he spent with Rem and Knives. In a way, I felt that this was what Nightow's depiction of an alternate Trigun would be like if it came to fruition under people like Katsuhiro Takei who understood the magnitude of the original manga, and did something that's an alternate take, but something that could also still stand the test of time amongst the many adaptations of Trigun's unlimited potential, with the closest resemblance being that of the OG manga and Maximum together that makes for a cohesive story. Believe me, Trigun: Stampede is a more rigorous character-driven story, as opposed to the plot-driven ones that came before it, emphasizing a lot on the tormenting relationship of twin brothers Vash the Stampede, Million "Nai" Knives and their caretaker Rem Saverem. It's essentially the same as what you've read in the OG manga and Maximum, only I think that within the span of 12 episodes, Stampede came out to be its very own thing that albeit drives home the conflict of Vash and Nai that intercedes for much of the story that was shown at first glance, yet like RWBY: Ice Queendom, diverges into its own set and story structure that I feel, is dependent on us the audience, whether does it feel any semblance of the original while being different in its own regard. And that is something that's very difficult to do and balance, for we are seeing especially Vash in a whole new light, being the same cool character that he is, and what he fights for as he resists against the humanity-hating device that is his own brother Nai, together with the cross-wielding Nicholas D. Wolfwood the Punisher. The battle against Plants and Independents has never been this intense, and I'm all for it in this new, refreshed storyline. The production for Trigun: Stampede isn't anything to scoff at, either. Regarding the primary use of 3DCG for Stampede, Takei commented that the core of Trigun is "something that is very firm" that does not get affected by introducing additional elements, expressing that the strong core could be adapted into various things, and so the thought was that Trigun should go full-on 3DCG. This brings Takei and his team towards studio Orange, which animation producer Kiyotaka Waki, commented that the project started with concept art, followed by the development of a world for the adaptation, which wasn't just drawings but was also filled with ideas of how we could respect that old nostalgia factor and also add in the new designs. Kouji Tajima, who did the concept art and character concept art, he read the Trigun manga to interpret it in his way to capture much of the nostalgia factor, as well as something that's brand new towards the audience. We all know today about studio Orange's magnificent prowess in 3DCG, barring the ONLY studio to execute 3DCG right, but did you know that Trigun: Stampede was the VERY FIRST show in the studio's lineup that was in development took around five years that started in 2017? Yes, that was the EXACT same year where studio Orange would debut with their first non-co-produced series, Houseki no Kuni a.k.a Land of the Lustrous, to high fanfare of the proper, gold standard use of 3DCG in anime production going forward. It's been 5 years since that Trigun: Stampede was the OG starting point for the 3DCG studio, that now we're seeing this in live form, and it's been a project in the making for perfection right out of the gate. Even better, is the music. For such an acclaimed series, while the OG was done by Tsuneo Imahori of Gungrave and Hajime no Ippo fame, the new series's OST was composed by Tatsuya Kato of Mirai Nikki and Shokugeki so Soma fame among many others. Regarding the music, Takei expressed that while developing the series, he considered the choice to use new music as they were developing the script and concept art, and that Imahori's soundtrack would not suit the world they would be building. That being said, the new music provides an atmosphere that definitely blends well to the new series, that far from discrediting what Tsuneo Imahori had before with the 1998 OG series, Tatsuya Kaho's take is a refresh for a new style. The OP song "Tombi" by Kvi Baba, now that's one hell of a banger of a song that expresses Vash's emotions to an insane degree, putting characterization on the front as opposed to the plot. The ED song by singer Salyu and composer Haruka Nakamura, it felt different of a world as light and sci-fi as it is, more than just another great song, it's telling of the constellations of fate between Vash, Nai, and the rest of the characters, like stars illuminating across the sky for a hope that's not long gone. Overall, I really don't mind if Trigun: Stampede is meant to be different than the 1998 OG series. Think of this as the equivalence of the comparison between Ashita no Joe and Megalo Box, but in a different sense that if the new series doesn't move you, then I don't know what to say. It's been an experience trying to see what Trigun would be like if Yasuhiro Nightow got a chance to modernize his cult-status of a hit, developed with other people to create something that's just as enjoyable as the series he first created. What can I say? It's Trigun in a new skin, that is something I wish to look back at over and over again. And this new work...it's not over yet.

Trigun Stampede TRIGUN STAMPEDE

2023 winter | Episodes: 12 | Score: 7.8 (80402)

Updated every Saturdays at 23:00 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Producers:TOHO

Streaming: Ani-One Asia | Bahamut Anime Crazy | Bilibili Global

Synopsis

Voice Actors

Matsuda, Kenji

Ando, Sakura

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu

Kurosawa, Tomoyo

Hosoya, Yoshimasa

Kumagai, Mirei

News

Reviews

StridertheRanger
04/26/2025, 07:53 PM
I was skeptical of this show at first, mostly based on the fact that it's almost solely CG animated, but fortunately, my worries were unfounded. It looks great (most of the time) and more importantly, the story was handled phenomenally. To all fans of the original show: Do not go in expecting the same show. It's very different, but I think in a good way. Many of the same themes and ideas are explored in Stampede, so no worry on that front. To manga fans: As you all already know, the 1998 show was not close to the manga and Stampede is not that much closer. Likethe old show, Stampede does its own thing. However, I think Stampede is more faithful to the lore (e.g. Plants) and characters (e.g. Knives). A lone gunman with a distaste for violence and oppression must navigate a world filled with bloodshed and cruelty and men who are all too eager to resort to killing. He must make decisions that will keep the innocent safe without the need to kill. Beneath appearing cowardly and fun-loving, he hides the deep-set pain of his past. This show is amazing in nearly every way, aside from the rare uneven CG animation, particularly with the characters as far as movement and expressions go, but the 2D backgrounds blended with the CG machines always look amazing. The story is deep and impactful, exploring themes of suffering, survival, sin, and the human condition. It also focuses on a man vs. nature conflict on a huge apocalyptic scale with philosophical depth. It is about the challenge of being a good person in a world that actively seeks to undermine and destroy the good. It is about being moral in a seemingly morally compromised world. One thing the show constantly shows is that humans can be weak and sinful, and when they get desperate, many do not hold to moral values, choosing survival even at the price of the lives around them, but they are never beyond redemption. Instead of contributing to the cycle of pain and suffering wrought by violence brought about by desperation, the lone gunman holds to his values and tries to bring out the best in others no matter who they are, avoiding violence in any way he can. That gets very difficult, however, in a world full of evil men who will likely never stop hurting others until they are dead, which presents some of the most compelling moral dilemmas in the show. P.S. For those who have NOT seen the old show: The older 1998 show would be top-notch if 65% of it was not filler. In other words, the main story takes place in about 9 or 10 episodes (12 if I’m being generous) out of the 26 it is comprised of. Some people like the random adventures that do not connect to anything or progress the main story much, but I found most of them to be a pain to get through. I want to emphasize that some of the “unimportant” episodes are actually relevant to the themes of the story as well as a series of good examples of who each of the characters are—their personal philosophies and personalities. It explores most of the same themes that the remake explores, but often in a less impactful way because every episode is very self-contained, making it possible to watch one episode and not need that much context. I still suggest you watch the 1998 show in addition to Stampede as it is also good, but I think Stampede offers the better experience.
Sohire
10/18/2024, 06:22 AM
TL;DR: It has some issues, but it's a good watch—just treat it as its own product. 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 withaction 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!
Glaive13
09/21/2024, 05:19 PM
I'll be honest, if I pretend Trigun doesnt exist I don't think stands on its own at all. They intended to do a prequel/reboot at the same time and it just feels rushed the whole way through. A lot of the moments the characters had in the original anime to grow on you and each other are missing, so it doesnt make sense to me at least how much Meryl, and especially Wolfwood like Vash. Wolfgang just gets put in terrible situations following Vash around, and when he tries to respond with lethal force Vash just complains about how he should be more of apriest and treat life as sacred. If they just wanted a prequel or reboot it wouldve done much better imo. They could've had some stories about Vash flailing through a couple of situations, saving the day and adding to his bounty and legend until that fateful incident, and maybe a cameo from the fan-favorites and a 'here's what they were doing around this time'. Ultimately they created a terrible writing situation trying to cram everything they could into 12 episodes and leaving behind a lot of the stuff that made the original anime such a classic. Trigun is by no means perfect, but what it did well this reboot lacks, and instead offers little in return other than nostalgia. Get ready to watch an average show with some characters you used to know.
Leadle_Lee
09/13/2024, 02:53 PM
I watched Stampede and then the original afterwards. I’m probably in the minority when I say this, but I much prefer Stampede. It cuts out all the filler - the original to me felt like it had no plot and was just an episodic case of the week with all the meat in the finale. Which is fine if that’s what you’re into. It’s not my cup of tea. I normally hate CG animation but Studio Orange did such a good job with this. Such a good job, I loved the art style so much it even made me watch their other series, Houseki noKuni (also amazing). The backgrounds were gorgeous and did the Wild West feel justice. I didn’t mind the redesigns of the characters. This show was branded as something new and not a remake so a rebrand of the characters feels like a good move to separate it from the original (though changing Wolfwood’s nose feels like a crime). This is sort of set up as a prequel to the events that happen in the original. It's much darker than the original (excellent choice studio orange). As a sci-fi lover, this hit just right. I’ve been on a Dune hyperfixation so I’m happy to see more desert planet sci-fi series. While this rendition of Trigun isn’t finished, this series is a favorite of mine. Studio Orange took an okay series and turned it into something great (don’t kill me for saying that). The animation and plot in the second half are top tier - anybody who dropped before that is sorely missing out. Also side note the soundtrack is out of this world. Millions Knives vocal version gives a better high than any drug ever could.
kozad
08/24/2024, 01:44 AM
This reboot of Trigun blew my expectations out of the water. I was skeptical but also optimistic and willing to give it a chance. What initially struck me as a weirdly out-of-order and botched retelling of the original anime instead turned out to be a proper prequel for a full reboot of the series. Many people were (and still are) quite upset about missing characters, character career changes, the shift in tone, and the 3D animation, but as the show unfurls most is explained. Story: In the OG Trigun, we're not given any real answers about why everything is the way it is until well intothe series. The flashbacks do an excellent job of rounding out the world building, but this reboot flips that on its head by giving us the "why" up front before delving into a familiar story that we haven't actually seen before. If you've seen the OG Trigun, you're franticly searching for specific characters who won't show up on screen because they simply aren't in the story yet. Some characters are also introduced much sooner than they originally were, which fed the misperception about this being a flawed reboot rather that a sequel story *for* that reboot. This show leans closer to the manga than the original did, which is a curveball for many fans because (let's be honest) almost none of us have read it. Once you realize that this show is not just a weird remake, but something else entirely, you'll probably find it more enjoyable. The story we're presented with is hinted at in the original anime, but never fully explored. Now, since I did not read the manga (see?) I don't know for certain what is out of order and what is not, but there is still a mountain of story for the show to dig into in future seasons (assuming this has multiple seasons of course) and some of those missing characters will absolutely show up. The newly invented character specifically for this show (Roberto de Niro) upset some folks simply for existing, but I think the character was well used to build the character of Meryl. Tone: So, when I first watched Trigun, many eons ago, I was initially jarred when Vash suddenly was making snarky cat faces and skittering around like a spider to dodge bullets, but quickly it worked. Midway through the show, those goofy moments were cast aside in favor of a much darker tone, which was a masterful pivot. For *this* Trigun however, we see fewer goofy moments. It was also jarring to *not* have Vash making snarky cat faces coming from the older show, but I feel that it also worked in the context of *this* Trigun, considering the atmosphere being created and the animation style too. From the start, we're presented with a much bleaker reality which has very real consequences for all involved. The older Trigun chose to build up to that feeling, slowly peeling away the silly carefree veneer and revealing the consequences little by little. Both styles work, but the gradual reveal has more emotional impact because viewers are having rose-tinted glasses plucked from their faces by the plot. Animation: Stellar. This is not the Berserk reboot at all, it's CG anime with a large budget and seemingly experienced animators. I loved the aesthetic, and my only complaint in this area are the reused assets, particularly in the sand steamer scene - the gang members were basically the same model used over and over, which was immersion breaking imho. The older show had the same issue and ironically, for the same scene. Imagine that, haha. The older Trigun had good animation too, but fell a little short of its space Cowboy Bebop, probably due to the setting and art style. Overall, I'd highly recommend this series to folks new to anime. I'm even bold enough to ask fans of the original to set aside their feelings to give this show a chance. I believe it deserves it, and I feel that us fans of the older Trigun also deserve to enjoy this reboot as much as we enjoy the original because the world of Gunsmoke has so many stories to tell, stories the original never could have told.
detem77
02/03/2024, 11:05 PM
what made the later half of the original trigun so shocking and really made you feel for vash was how before every episode had such a happy and optimistic ending. you really do become deluded with the same idea that vash has that no one has to die and when that's ripped away it hits both you and vash like a train. the good guys in stampede almost never win. it becomes expected that something bad is gonna happen and when it does, i feel nothing. a huge part of the original that's mostly absent here is the legend that follows vash the stampede which ispretty much absent here. the entire first few episodes of trigun are building up the mythos surrounding vash. how he's the greatest gunman on Gunsmoke who trouble follows wherever he goes. there is none of that here. vash is just a cool twink guy who just so happens to have a bounty on his head because he looks a lot like the real culprit. vash in stampede never has a single *moment* like vash in trigun has that makes him rise above all the other cool guys in anime. he never scares a group of bandits away with a kid's toy gun, he never takes all the bullets of every gun in a saloon, he never chants "love and PEACE!!🤞" what he does do is beat up guys real good. he beats up a group of bandits and he kicks a fist out of the air and i can't say im impressed because i can get this out of literally any anime protagonist. wolfwood is just an asshole here too. kinda lame. and meryl isn't a cool action girl anymore. she's basically just "dumb girl." kinda lame.i understand this a kind of "prequel" so they're not really meant to be themselves right now but these characters just arent very fun to hang around. basically the only above average thing about stampede is the gorgeous animation that maaybbeee makes it worth watching but eh.
Porco1984
12/10/2023, 09:45 PM
I watched the 1998 show 23 years ago and it means so much to me, being one of the shows that sparked my interest in anime. When the trailer dropped for Stampede I actually got mad, they had "butchered my boy" I told myself. There was no chance in hell that I would watch that CGI crap. Fast forward to last week. I started rewatching the 1998 show, for nostalgia and so on.... it's still funny, but maybe a bit outdated like most older shows. I'd forgotten that the first half of Trigun is very episodical and it takes a while for the main story togain traction. This made me wonder about how the new show was structured... and long story short, I watched it. And I freaking love it! Compared to the slapstick comedy of the '98 Trigun, Stampede is very dark... but it fits this version of the universe. It gets straight to the point and a lot of the character development is shown alongside the main story in flashbacks ... I like this structuring. Visually it's the most stunning CG show I've seen, has some of that "into the spiderverse" feel with added outlines, hatching etc. and a lower framerate.. it's gorgeous and very pleasant to watch. Character design put me off a bit though, initially at least, going for a more modern style instead of the "western caricature" of the original.. the new designs grew on me though. I'll recommend Trigun Stampede, but see it more as a completely new show instead of a "remake" of a cult classic. Putting on that mindset made me enjoy the show so much more.
Smilomaniac
12/05/2023, 04:41 AM
Producer Yoshihiro Watanabe claimed that this show was meant to be a retelling, a fresh take on a decades old story, with no intention to step on anyone's toes. So this review is with that in mind, because while people claim that you should not compare it to the original anime, the producer himself already made a claim directly related to it. I find this show near unwatchable, from a technical standpoint. It has different frame rates for different animations and multiple characters animated at the same time in the same shots (big animation no-no). There is a stylistic choice in making the animation look choppy,perhaps to avoid the smooth transitions that is inherent to 3D rendered animation, but practically it looks like something's wrong with my screen or computer, it looks and feels jarring. It feels incompetently made. No one would forgive any classic cartoon for being produced at half the animation frames, we all know that it wouldn't meet a minimum standard of a pleasant viewing experience. The visual changes, aka the "fresh take" consists of less details and a more present day relatable wardrobe, which consists in a man wearing a hooded jacket on a desert planet. While the previous trench coat wasn't exactly a logical choice either, it made sense in the context of it being a sci-fi western and it certainly had an iconic look. Where before Vash had a covered/hidden mechanical prosthetic arm with a built in gun, it is now entirely on display as a cybernetic replacement. His revolver has changed from a .45 to a .22 caliber, a famously weak cartridge. The previous .45 was already a mediocre ammunition doing things that begged your belief, but .22 does not in any way possess the power or mass to pull off the things portrayed in the show. This is not a meaningful change, if anything it serves to denigrate the character. Finally Vash himself has changed his personality from a positive man who always played off serious situations with humor, only becoming insecure or angry when the situation was outside of his control, such as when innocents are involved. In this new version he is unserious and will often devolve into a complete crybaby, only to suddenly become entirely serious for the producers to 'show off' the character's competence, when he could've done so from the start. His attempts at talking to people only goads them on and while this has always been a part of Vash, it turns from naive optimism to unreasonable risk taking. If this is a fresh take, then why does it rely on you knowledge of the previous show or manga? There is no build up, there is no mystery, everything is laid bare from the start and you see all of Vash's phases, moods and personality in one go. Between the obnoxious animation, poor design and genuinely awful and amateurish writing, I've never in my life felt so miserable watching anime. This is not divorced from the previous show, it is an incompetent and entirely unwarranted desecration of it. You will be better off not watching it.
bigboidutch
10/24/2023, 04:58 PM
Never written anything in MAL, but this awful anime made me write a short review.. This is one awful anime.. In general CGI isn't great and in general a terrible art choice, but here it looks like the most generic, boring and lifeless thing ever, they also changed how Vash the Stampede looked for the worst. He is such a boring/blend looking MC now... On top of this they also left out Milly, although she is mentioned once, who had a pretty big role in the original anime and was somewhat of a crowd favorite. There is reason for Vash the Stampede's (the1998's) womanizing/goofy character, his past was pretty bad and its his way of coping with it.. In the 2023 reboot he is portrayed as always gloomy while looking like a zoomer with his terrible 'trendy' hair and way to big glasses.. There are more things to talk about, but i can just leave it at it's a terrible reboot in general.. Stick to the Trigun anime from 1998, that one is actually good compared to this IMO.
doughnutsfan
09/14/2023, 09:06 AM
Disclaimer: never watched the original Trigun nor read the manga so I don’t have a point of reference or comparison like many who watched this probably do. That said, I came into this with lowest expectations because of the fact that it’s a 3D anime, and boy was I proven wrong. From visual standpoint, this is one of the most beautiful, inspired and epic animation work that I’ve ever seen. Period. It really sold me on the potential of 3D anime. And don’t get me started on the universe, the characters, the battle scenes. All top notch! The protagonist is cool, unique and easilyrelatable, and he’s surrounded by a cast of colourful, memorable allies and villains that I won’t soon forget, especially the main antagonist. The downside is that the first two episodes are a drag, but episode 3 pulls the rug from under you and delivers a mind blowing scene that will get you hooked, and after that the breathless pacing never hits the breaks until the last couple of episodes for more exposition. While I wish the finale gave a more satisfying and definitive conclusion to this obviously first part of the larger tale, I’m nevertheless very excited for what comes next.
gepld45
08/14/2023, 08:26 AM
A really good show. Highly recomend for people who like action and space westerns. If you never watched the original Trigun this is a perfect start. the premise of the show was intriguing and had my eyes glued to the screen to find out what would happen next. the story had really high points and never had a major low or boring part. Some good points - A cool intro (both visuals and music) - Likeable/Cool protagonist - very cool antagonist - great supporting cast - interesting plot - good pacing - really good action/figthsSome not so good points - the ideology of the protagonist (personal opinion) - high relience on flashbacks (but they are pretty good) - you might not like the cgi (one of the best i saw)
pii_per
07/12/2023, 12:52 PM
Okay, so I decided to put my foot down and watch this since I couldn’t find anything else to watch recently. As someone who watched Trigun, albeit a long time ago, I wondered exactly where this was going since it definitely wasn’t the western I recalled. And, so, like I learned what Riverdale was based on, it seems to me that it only borrowed the name and setting (maybe not even). Overall (5/10) Sad to say, but this was probably one of the most mediocre anime movie (ahem, TV show) I’ve watched in a while. Although nothing could disappoint me more than Parasyte the Maxim, this wasjust a show that was boringly normal. Story was extremely average and the pacing was surprisingly slow with what just feels like filler although each episode did have some stuff going on. Characters were foils for an already unoriginal and uninspiring main character (still love the original) and lacked any more originality than I would expect from its namesake. Art, uh… well, it’s 3D and it’s normal issues of basically being 3D and lacking any creativity that would differentiate it from an anime vs western animation, much less this anime compared to another action anime that did 3D (hey Chainsaw). It was extremely uninspiring even though I had little expectations, but, if you like your cookie cutter plots in which this had little more to add to the conversation it was trying to discuss, sure, go ahead, watch it. Just… if you like most of it, maybe don’t watch the last episode (not like that changed the opinion of the show for me that much). Story (5/10) I’ve watched way too much anime. I’ve read a lot of stories. And, this plot was extremely uninteresting to me. It reminded me of just a worse version of “Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood” and “A Promised Neverland” if they were to be combined. But even if you were to like the plot despite its rather mediocre creativeness that a lot of mid sci-fi stories (or B-rated movies) spurn, it just felt like an elongated movie that wasn’t edited properly and went on for way too long. Although disappointed it didn’t follow its predecessor and was more comedic, the way certain plot points developed irked me due to either the stupidness of it, or just the lack of explanation for them. In that sense, it felt much more like a movie (Vash originally being wanted still doesn’t get explained properly) due to how much is unexplained and left for us to imagine on our own (with like only one town that is properly described and lived through). Art (6/10) As someone who can tell immediately when 3D is used in 2D anime, I have to dock points off a lot. I never liked the shininess of 3D in which there is a strange lack of shadows, making it obvious they are 3D models in a scene. It felt more like I was watching a video game cutscene than anything. Animation was honestly more akin to older American 3D action animated series. In my opinion, lacked enough creativity to make it Trigun in comparison to “a 3D animated tv show.” However, it was somewhat styled enough that it wasn’t completely off putting every second, but I still cannot see 3D taking over for a long time if they don’t fix the realism of placement of characters. Characters (4/10) As a great character in the original, Vash disappoints in this one. Despite his age, he acts the same as every isekai and harem protagonist. He’s no longer interesting. Stripped from everything, his only characteristic is being overly kind. The charisma and funniness that I recalled in the original was no more. Even side characters were just cookie cutter. They’re just there to be foils and nothing more. Their backstories were near meaningless and besides being unable to empathize with any, it was a shame how major parts of the story never supported Vash’s ideals. As in, there were times characters weren’t desperate enough, or were so ignorant to certain facts that the moral compass was (ironically) black and white. This would only work if they were doing an adventure slice-of-life journey like Kino no Tabi in which these types of characters are there to be foils to tell a greater tale. In this story, it would only make sense to be more in the grey zone of morals and not only have one side that’s sane. Villains, despite the actual doings in the show, did not seem that harmful (one even just being forgotten later—exception being the obvious main villain) and were barely driven by anything except forced story points. Audio (6/10) Can’t say anything bad about it. But, nothing really stuck out either. When it came to VAs, I watched in Japanese first, but due to the nature of the show and the western setting, I switched to English. It was definitely better than standard typical VAs of American animated action TV shows, and surely better than a certain few dark sci-fi dystopian ones. Overall, it was an okay time killer when I was trying to pass time. But, if you’re looking for the next big hit, it certainly was not this one.
smol_minnies
06/01/2023, 12:48 PM
Tristamp was one hell of a ride, that I found to be much more enjoyable than the original and this is why: -Pace: opposite to the 90s version which was very slow paced, the reboot moves from scene to scene very quickly. One fight ends, only for another to start immediately after. It was obvious the producers were rushing to introduce all of the characters and cover all the events that occurred in the original but with only half of its length. I personally preferred the new version's quick progression to the horrifically slow pace of the original. I found it easy to keep up withits speed which is definitely due to my being a damn genius thank you and not because I've already seen the 90s version nu-huh. -Soundtrack: my ears were in heaven the whole time I was watching this show. The sound track does a perfect job of not only setting the mood for each scene but also amplifying the emotions it evokes. -Visuals: So vibrant and captivating, with an excellent attention to details that makes every scene an absolute visual delight. There is so much symbolism and hints that are not spoken out loud but very boldly shown. It leaves the audience with a freedom of interpretation, to analyse and weave a story with its threads. This being one of my absolute favourite parts of any form of art consumption, I had a great time coming up with my own analysis while watching each episode. -Animation: While the use of CGI might have been a turn off for many people, I personally think that it was executed very well. The animation was smooth and distinct and didn't feel awkward at all. -Plot: Tristamp finally did the sci-fi tag justice with a plentiful of plant lore and not just brushing it off as "a remnant of long lost technology". The storytelling and the ending are completely different from the original, and I find myself very happy with the new light they were introduced in. Especially since the ending of the 90s version was quite the disappointment. -Characters: Same as the original (with the introduction of a few new faces) but with totally different backgrounds for the most part. They were given more depth and done more justice in tristamp in my honest opinion. All in all, one of my favorites and I feel regretful that it was so short. I'm looking forward to the sequel and I hope it is just stunning as this one.
j15cailipan
04/04/2023, 06:41 AM
Stampede starts and ends strong, but episodes 2-8 were a struggle to get through. Let me get this out of the way - I don't care about your thoughts on the original Trigun anime. You liked it? Cool. You hated it? Cool. Whatever. That discussion is not relevant here and I feel it's in bad faith to always compare the two when it's obvious both series were trying to achieve different things, ESPECIALLY knowing how season 1 of Stampede ended. The very first episode of Stampede was honestly amazing. Everything from the storytelling, the pacing, character interactions, animation, comedy, etc., it was all near perfect. I, forone, was very excited to see the direction of Stampede. Unfortunately, it starts going downhill, really fast. The villain of the week formula does not work for this show. Again, knowing how S1 ends, I kind of see what they were going for, but none of it felt cohesive. It was just one bad guy or sometimes two or three at a time, all competing for spotlight before one or all of them dies and the story and the main characters move on. I said the villains were all fighting for spotlight, and that negatively impacts the main cast because, aside from Vash and MAYBE a little bit of Wolfwood, the main cast get zero spotlight. It seems the writers went the FMAB route when writing Stampede, in that they assumed you watched the original series and knew the characters from there so that they don't have to spend too much time reintroducing them again. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work here. The Vash/Meryl/Wolfwood/Knives in this show all feel very different from their OG anime counterparts. That in itself isn't a bad thing, but, because the show doesn't give us a chance to know the Stampede versions of these characters, I go through literally every episode still not sure what each character's goals, motivations, likes, dislikes, etc. are. I'm honestly really bummed about this, because I genuinely like all of the main characters, but I also feel like I don't know them at all. It's like seeing that one person in class or at the gym and getting along with them for the two hours you're there but then not knowing a thing about them outside of that. It's even worse for Wolfwood in particular. The show just randomly drops his backstory on us, and, while I do think it's a great backstory, the emotional weight was absent because there was no build up. All he did was join the crew for like two episodes, complain about Vash, then boom sad backstory. You can't give me a sad backstory for someone I really still don't know. Another big issue I have with Stampede is its tone. Episode 1 is so tonally different from the rest of the show that it was jarring. I'm not against dark themes or bloody/gory fights, but the show just randomly gets so dark and gruesome and needlessly violent after its very lighthearted and silly first episode. Again - I'm not against those things in a vacuum, but it just didn't match, making the later comedic scenes feel out of place. If they wanted this show to be dark, it should have been that way from episode 1. I'm glad the last few episodes were able to tie up the mess it left behind in the middle episodes, and I'm still cautiously optimistic about season 2., if not just for the fact that I love Vash so much and am willing to get any type of Vash content that I can. I didn't talk about it a lot but I will say the animation of Stampeded is absolutely gorgeous. It makes me hopeful about the future of CG in anime. I know I talked a lot of smack, but I'd say give the show a try. Don't listen to the discourse of whether or not the OG series is better - be open-minded and at least give the first few episodes a shot (haha get it).
rikiki109
03/30/2023, 10:39 PM
“I'm Vash the Stampede” -Vash the Stampede (epic I know) It's a special place, it's the Noman's land, somewhere that's very far away, a planet that the humans can use to live a future live. But with a shitty name like that, you'd expect for it to not be very livable and that's pretty true. It's just a harsh deserted planet that has no resources needed to live on, at least not without the reactors, generator of anything you would ever want (maybe even a friend, or a IRL cat girl, who knowns). In the Noman's land, everything is desolated and the few people living therehas no heart, low blows and anything is clearly accepted at the cost of the people that wants to share their humanity and love for each others. One of those people might be Vash the Stampede, someone who's got a very big heart, he's always looking for others and has a dream of peace in this scary planet. However, Trigun Stampede, as an anime and as an adventure, is far from fairy tales and butterfly, it's a place unrelentingly dark and filled with drama. Like a lot of other sci-fi dystopian like anime that's kinda blade runner-esque, you don't have a time to catch a breath, it's always hitting you with something that you, the user that's just sitting in their home, that express your empathy for something so cruel yet as a shine of hope that this anime can bring. It's a rollercoaster, and you should go along and buy a ticket for it ! Do note that many people will compare (generally negatively) this anime because it's a reimagination of the original Trigun anime that aired 25 years ago, because it's not the same thing. I haven't watched the original anime, so I cannot make a point about it, but I wanna note that changing a recipe isn't synonym of it being bad, especially if a lot of effort was put into it to make a cohesive story that's appealing with the base idea and world building of an already existent medium. As I kinda feel like my first paragraph already encapsulates the idea of this anime that I have and serves the anime right, I wanna mention the qualitative things that I have left to say. The anime is made by Orange, and as you've seen everywhere, it's in 3D, the trademark of studio Orange whose goal is to make people shut the fuck up about the 3D = bad debate, by slapping them by stunning animation that's a way of expressing a intriguing story. And Trigun Stampede isn't an exception to this rule, it's generally stunning, has great smooth animation of their characters moving around and the 3D makes Orange more suited to use a very large scale and big scenery with interesting particles in order to achieve a well done story telling. I wanna mention how it being in 3D isn't a problem at all, I've realized at many points that I was just seeing a nice story being revealed, and wasn't porting attention of it being 3D, my brain literally just processed it as something normal. And when it isn't just normal, it's fucking stunning, it can compete against with other big animation anime at certain key episodes, as episode 12. But of course it's a pretty bad argument to say to watch a certain anime because the animation of the episode 12 is fucking stunning when it's the last episode lol, but still. Moreover, another great way to tell about a story is with music. The sound category of this anime really made the emotional moments stand out and the drama move emotive, while also making the epic moments feels even more so. It's generally a very great addition to the anime, and portrays what's happening quite well. The interesting choice of music of the Opening might be another revelation in regard to how the music guys at Orange use their dedication of enhancement with music to make us the viewers make it a better experience overall, I like it. To wrap up, Trigun Stampede isn't there to be compared with it's older brother who's getting all the praise about, he also has things to show, with an amazing story that keeps hitting you hard, make you feel invested into the story and the cast. The drama is always present and every single episode is filled with interesting thing happening, all gradually building up to an epic finale that I'll let you discover. All that meticulously hand crafted by the Orange peeps to prove they can make something fucking good. I'll be very excited to see what the season 2 of this will do, if it still goes beyond and achieve to do it even better, this anime could really become a Masterpiece, the potential is clearly there and I'm very happy with it.
Akropos
03/27/2023, 01:20 PM
I'll be frank here: If you don't like the CGI in this show, it's not because it's terrible, you're biased against CGI and will continue to hate it no matter what. CGI is the core of this show with its' fluid movements, dynamic camera angles, and surprisingly solid face animations (that look better than most of the seasonal slop 2D anime, take that as you will) coupled with phenomenal story-telling and a far more serious tone than the OG Trigun from the get-go. We're used to CGI mixing poorly with the 2D background elements, but that's not the case here at all, even the bloodlooks good (yeah, I am looking at your airbrush ahh blood Kaina of the Snow), not to mention that everything is textured properly, has physics (even the hair!) and sits well within the show's style. The story is full of new plot twists and story beats, so even if you're coming from the OG, you'll have a pleasant time watching it. The characters are well-written and funny (not in a "HaHa FuNnY" way) and their dialogues flow naturally for the most part and are complemented by subtle animations. All in all, I cannot recommend this enough. The negative reviews are, for the most part, people whining about the CGI and gatekeeping animation to 2D only, so don't feel discouraged by their reviews, and give it a shot!
literaturenerd
03/26/2023, 04:50 PM
Studio Orange director: “Man, I was watching this piece of trash Boomer anime the other day and all my buddies around me were laughing at it. Then it suddenly struck me. This is an absolute tragedy! This old piece of trash actually has all the elements there to be a masterpiece and it’s simply being handcuffed by all this hackneyed anime bullshit! Imagine if it cut out the stupid comedy, extra characters, pointless romance sub-plot, pointless fanservice, and just really doubled down on the psychological drama and grimdark elements. Those Zoomers who laugh at this shit right now and dismiss it will have their mindsabsolutely blown! They don’t even know! We’re gonna break this series free from its chains that have been holding it back and by God it’s gonna COOK!” Me: “Say no more! I know exactly what anime you guys are talking about. You don’t even need to say it! God, it’s hard to be an Elfen Lied fan in 2023. People just don’t get it, but you’re clearly seeing what I’m seeing! Studio Orange: “Elfen what? Bruh, I was talking about Trigun! Me: “….are y’all serious?!” Welcome to Studio Orange’s well intentioned albeit often baffling attempt to “fix” Trigun by giving it a darker, grittier reboot that completely does its own thing and often flat out gives the finger to the original manga and anime. We all know Trigun is a Boomer anime with a cult following, but what is Trigun exactly? Trigun is a Space Western that at its core is a love letter to old cowboy movies. It takes place in a bizarre, steampunk setting on this desert covered alien planet that a colony of human pioneers have been stranded on. So, you have a mixture of crazy science fiction stuff and aliens with 1860s technology and old west gun duels. This is admittedly a silly premise. The original series and the manga are fully aware of this. The manga started out as a screwball action comedy that was published in a shonen magazine, but it went on hiatus and returned in a seinen magazine with a much darker and more serious tone. This gradual shift is emulated by the 1998 anime adaptation that starts out very funny and wildly entertaining before taking a more somber turn. The 2023 anime by contrast is a much more serious affair throughout. The first episode at least tries to capture some of the zaniness of the early manga and the 1998 anime, but if those were cranked up to 10, Trigun Stampede turns it down to maybe a 4 or 5. Then there are children being killed in just the second episode of Stampede and the comedy never returns. Trigun Stampede very clearly feels like the fun element and comedy was an impediment to the franchise’s quality. I feel like this is a deeply misguided take on the franchise. The comedy and fun elements of Trigun actually compliment the ridiculous setting and whole “Space Western” thing, which would be a mistake to simply make dead serious. The gradual shift from lighthearted to serious also works in the series’ favor by making the serious moments really stand out and giving them an added punch. To be fair to Studio Orange, there are series that have comedy that feels completely tacked on and the inclusion of these scenes does nothing but hurt the series. That’s a common problem in old anime. I joked in the opening paragraph about Elfen Lied in particular suffering from this, but Ashita no Joe part 1 suffers from this! Even some really good anime have this problem. It’s just that Trigun is NOT one of those series! Another massive departure from the source material and original anime is that Trigun Stampede never once feels like a Western. The original anime has over a dozen shots directly ripped from old Western movies. In one of the very first episodes, you have this longshot of a creaky windmill which is taken directly from 1968’s Once Upon a Time in the West. There’s another shot from an early episode taken directly from the 1964 film Fistful of Dollars. The original anime is shot and framed like a Western. The soundtrack feels like a Western. Vash and Knives end up settling their differences in an old-time gun duel that feels straight out of a Western. The 1998 anime is proud to be a Western. Trigun Stampede has Knives hook Vash up to a supercomputer and hack into him using his weird tentacles in order to ascend to the “higher dimension” and make contact with the “Wave Existence”, Capital G God in order to give his fellow artificial life forms souls so that they can have freewill. I’m sorry, but what the FUCK is this?! The team behind Trigun Stampede has clearly played Xenogears before and watched Evangelion but I don’t think anyone on this production team has watched a Sergio Leone film, let alone loves those types of movies. There’s a weird scene in Trigun Stampede where a young Vash draws a parallel between Humanity settling space and the American pioneers of the old west, but this idea of a space western is brought up in Stampede only to be immediately ridiculed and dismissed. This is a thing that reboots do when they’re trying to be more “mature” and “gritty” than the original. It’s that trailer scene in X-Men 2000 when Wolverine snarks “What did you expect? Yellow spandex?” Trigun Stampede is a pure science fiction with weird JRPG pseudo-religious stuff that has zero interest in being a Western. Yet another massive difference can be found in the main protagonist Vash, who in the manga and original anime acts like a complete and utter goofball. He starts out as this Looney Toons character, but then you find out that it’s simply a persona that he shows to the public to hide his pain and loneliness. The real Vash underneath the goofy mask is a suffering, Messianic figure who doesn’t want others to have to share his burden. He essentially treats Humanity like a parent would treat their small child. This makes perfect sense given that he’s a 120+ year old alien with Godlike powers. Vash in Trigun 2023 is a much weaker and more vulnerable character. He’s not super OP in combat and emotionally he’s kind a mopey emo boy for almost the entirety of the series. Trigun 2023 believed they were making him more human and relatable, but I don’t feel like it worked exactly in the way that they wanted. If anything, it just made him much more forgettable. Most of the cast got shafted in Trigun 2023, but Meryl Strife easily got it the worst. Meryl in the original is a short tempered, no-nonsense girl boss who can hold her own in a gun fight, has hilarious chemistry with Vash as the straight man to Vash’s shenanigans and is also a romantic interest for Vash. Meryl in the 2023 reboot is basically April O’Neil from Ninja Turtles. She’s this naïve reporter lady who is simply looking for her big scoop but ends up largely being a spectator with no real agency and doesn’t really contribute much. Milly was entirely replaced by a grizzled old reporter named Robert DeNiro who is only 3 weeks away from retirement and is getting too old for this shit. Why is he named DeNiro? He should clearly be Danny Glover! Fucking Stampede can’t even make the right actor jokes. Although it is mentioned in the last episode that Milly exists in this universe and may appear if a sequel ever happens. Wolfwood is given a lot less time to shine here and just feels like a very watered down, shittier version of the original character. His motivations in Stampede are also a lot dumber. Wolfwood in the original series was raised in an abusive household and murdered his own father, thus becoming an orphan. He was then raised by one of Knives’ super soldiers as a possible successor and uses the skills he acquired as a gun for hire to finance an orphanage. Wolfwood is basically a sleeper agent since he’s in contact with someone who works for the main villain, but he doesn’t directly work for the main baddie or know his plans. He ends up refusing to go along with the main villain’s plans and to the end stays loyal to his orphanage and his friends despite his wrongdoings. Wolfwood in 2023 exists solely as a delivery boy to bring Vash to his brother Knives, which honestly makes the rest of the Gungho Guns and Legato completely pointless in the 2023 anime. Knives in 2023 didn’t intend for any of his super soldiers to kill Vash or force Vash to suffer by having to kill one of them, thus preparing him for their final duel. They are literally there for no reason. Wolfwood works directly for Knives and clearly knows that Knives will use Vash’s energy to do something absolutely apocalyptic and almost certainly wipe out Mankind, but he’s delivering Vash to Knives all for the sake of the orphans…whom Knives will kill the second he makes the delivery. Did they even think about this? Insert Biff Tannen and/or Omni Man clip. Now it’s FINALLY time to say something nice about Trigun 2023. They actually tried to make Knives a more complex character whose love for his brother Vash is just as strong as his hatred for Mankind. Knives’ motivation for hating Humanity is much more fleshed out in 2023 and he’s given a level sympathy that he never got in the original. In the last 20 years of movies and TV media, we’ve come to expect for villains to have more relatable motivations. Everyone wants to write MCU Thanos or Toguro from Yu Yu Hakusho and not the cackling madman who is just an asshole for the Hell of it. Knives in the original anime is an artificial life form who was created to serve Humanity, but from the beginning looked down on Humanity as his inferiors and wants to wipe us out. He’s a very solitary figure with a God complex and not a lot of love in his heart for anyone. OG Knives is basically just Sephiroth from the original FF7. That type of villain works best when you don’t see a lot of them. They’re this shadowy figure with unknowable motivations whom you are never asked to empathize with. All you know is that they’re going to be hard to stop. This is the Lovecraft approach to writing antagonists, and it’s widely considered antiquated. Trigun 2023 had an interesting take on Knives and I appreciate that they made the effort. The animation is..fine if you like Studio Orange’s approach to CG. This series had a budget. They put effort into it. It has some scenes that are very visually impressive. It also has some scenes I think looked like dog shit, but I digress. The music is fine. It’s definitely not iconic like the original anime’s OST, but it serves its purpose adequately. I also appreciate that while Orange’s vision of Trigun was radically, fundamentally different, they did keep it consistent. It wasn’t grimdark one moment only to be goofy the next. They didn’t go full science fiction one episode only to backtrack. They fully committed to their own interpretation of what Trigun should be. When you consider Trigun 2023 to be its own series that’s loosely inspired by Trigun, it begins to look a lot better. Instead of a replacement or a reboot, we can see this series as a sort of “spiritual successor” that takes some concepts from the original while comfortably being its own thing. That’s the takeaway point at the end of the day. I think it’s a horrible adaptation of Trigun that fundamentally misunderstands what made Trigun so beloved in the first place and why it worked. However, it’s also not a bad anime when you examine it in a vacuum and stop thinking about the original. If it didn’t have the Trigun name, I would say this is an above average anime that I could comfortably recommend to friends. It’s fine. It’s perfectly serviceable as a seasonal anime in 2023. That’s why I’m still giving it a 6 out of 10. It doesn’t deserve to be crucified simply because it’s not the original. The original already exists. It’s not going anywhere or being replaced on every streaming site and store shelf. If you’ve never seen either version of Trigun, I would definitely check out the original first, but you can also give this one a watch. If you hate old school animation and you’re only interested in new stuff, you can watch Trigun 2023 and just not worry about the original.
kekekeKaj
03/26/2023, 04:35 PM
The original 1998 anime adaptation of Trigun is one of those rare beasts that grew big in North America after flopping in Japan. In fact, it became so successful in America that it spawned a side story movie more than a decade later. Even more surprisingly, after another decade, we're getting this reboot, with the source material having sat finished on the shelf for over 15 years already. One quick glance at any of the pictures related to Trigun Stampede is enough to tell you that the makers have struck out in a completely new direction in terms of aesthetic. I can't say I was tookeen on the new style, but since the 1998 adaptation was one of the first anime I watched and enjoyed as an adult, I decided to check it out despite my reservations. For old times' sake. The resulting experience was … interesting, to say the least. I'll be honest, my impressions of the 1998 version is etched deeply, and perhaps because of this, I couldn't help but compare this new version against the original at every turn. Unfortunately, Trigun Stampede does not hold up well in these comparisons, at least not for the first half of this season. First, let's get the elephant out of the room and into the open: the CG. I'll preface this by saying that I did not think much of character designs of the original, with their blush lines making them look like children's sketches; nor do I consider myself as someone anti-CG who would shudder at the mere thought of using CG in anime. So it's as much of a surprise to me that I soon found myself yearning for the hand drawn look of the original that I felt lukewarm towards to begin with! The CG has polished away the rough edges of the original design, but it's also over polished away a lot of the visual flair that gave the original personality, as well as the aesthetic that so suited the dusty, grimy wild west feel of its world. Beyond the art style, movements such as how hair sway and how the characters move feels too smooth and so deeply rooted in the uncanny valley that they distracted me from focusing on the story. The CG is especially ill suited to the goofy antics and over-the-top gunslinging action inherent to the franchise. Even Vash's red trenchcoat - so iconic in the 1998 version with its plethora of straps and buttons - becomes just an unremarkable looking red trench coat in Stampede. The only place I can think of where the CG does well is in animating Million Knives' weaponry, as it had the effect of giving them an unsettlingly alien and phobia-inducing creepy quality. It's obvious that Trigun Stampede was deliberately made to distinguish itself from its predecessor, and the visuals was just one of the ways that signalled this intention. One of the producers even said that they wanted to attract new audiences with Trigun Stampede, but to me the show actually does the opposite. The backstory involving Rem was perhaps THE major emotional climax as the 1998 Trigun entered its final straight; here, it's revealed in the opening episode. Moreover, the major players all appear early on with their ulterior motives laid bare as the outline of the plot is sketched out. That takes a lot of the tension out of the story, meaning there's no sense of mystery; no hook in the plot to reel the audience in; the characters haven't even been built up enough to make you care about their backstories yet! The only way I could see it working was if Stampede was intended for people who've seen the original and are just here to see the characters they know and love in a retelling of a story they're already familiar with. And even in this, I think they fall short - I'm pretty fond of the original Trigun, but I spent disappointingly long stretches of the first half of Stampede feeling bored. The characterisations also mostly misses the mark: Wolfwood, who was so effortlessly cool in the original, just comes off as someone trying too hard to be cool here; the newly introduced Roberto de Niro fits so snugly inside the archetypical jaded senpai mould that the only remarkable thing about him is his name - and most disappointingly, he's not even voiced by Robert de Niro in the dub! One of strengths of the 1998 Trigun was how well it juggled the goofy humour with the pathos; in Stampede, the balance feels out of whack as it discarded most of its goofy side and ramped up the angst instead, and the little goofiness that remained feels forced and out of place. It's not even very good angst: there's a lot of shouting but the lacklustre character chemistry and the unremarkable script meant that it felt more annoying than anything else in my emotionally detached state. The strongest emotion I felt while watching the first half of Trigun Stampede was nostalgia, and not in good way for this new instalment. As the series touched upon familiar characters, familiar references and familiar features of this imaginative world, it evoked in me an appreciation of how well conceived the original concept was, and how much better it was done in the 1998 adapation. Almost the only improvement Trigun Stampede makes comes from the writers realising that, as much as "Knives" makes for a badass antagonist name, it's a ridiculous one to give to a child. So here, they made the main antagonist's birth name "Nai" instead. To its credit, Trigun Stampede eventually gets its shit together and finally came into its own for the second half. With the caveat of it being so long since I last saw the original that I've have forgotten a lot of the finer details, I felt that Stampede aimed for and succeeded in fleshing out Vash and Knives' origin story a lot more. Most notably, Knives was simply a coldly logical and blood thirsty killer in the original, and here he becomes a much more sympathetic character, with his contrast against Vash feeling rather like that between Magneto and Profession X. One particularly harrowing scene of plants in their "last run" is one of many that makes Knives' case against humanity quite damning, and they provide especially poignant food for thought in this current era when climate change and living off the planet sustainably are such hot topics. I kinda wished we got to see more of Rem though, especially when the prolific Maaya Sakamoto lent such an experienced, star quality to her voice that she stole almost every scene in which she played a significant part. The final part of Trigun Stampede wasn't without issues, the most glaring one being the technical aspect of the plot descending into incomprehensible, gobbledigook jargon jungle. That said, the ending provides an intriguing twist (one that I might have guessed had I re-familiarised myself with the original adaptation before embarking on this one), but you'd have to have seen the original to appreciate it. Yet again, this was an instance of the series throwing a bone to a familiar crowd that the newbies to the franchise would miss. Before I finish up, I want to give a nod to the music production of Trigun Stampede. While the series abandoned the snarling electric guitar solos and the twanging sound of the blues of the original, what they replaced it with is at least as good. The opening is a modern, stylish chiller of a song with the auto-tune effect serving as a fitting parallel to the CG laden visuals; the ending is a melodic soother, gentle like a summer drizzle. Combined, they represent one of the best OP/ED combinations I can think of in recent anime. The background music is also good, serving up an array of distinctive styles to suit distinctive sceneries. This is one anime for which I want to check out the sound track! So, how do I feel about this new adaptation of Trigun? Try as I might, I can't extricate myself from my impressions of the original to give an independent assessment of Trigun Stampede, different though it may be in both style and substance. My best guess though, is that newcomers to the series will find it underwhelming. But for existing customers, it's not bad, with a strong second half salvaging the mediocrity of the first. The more in depth origin story makes it a worthy supplement to the 1998 adaptation. At the very least, it has sold me on the next season, and I'm feeling just a little a spark of excitement about how they'll continue the story. Personal rating: +0.5 (decent)
TwisterJayy
03/26/2023, 09:35 AM
This anime is phenomenal! You can tell the love and care studio orange put into each episode! I feel it fixed issues I had with the original Trigun. The story is more cohesive and major plot points and the world are explained into more detail. On another note, I always felt that the original series needed more movement in its animation. With a character like Vash I was always hoping for more silly and dramatic movements in action scenes. And studio orange delivered on this! On a final note, it did an excellent job tying everything upin the season finale and left the story in a spot that will satisfy all fans!
KANLen09
03/25/2023, 07:33 AM
The 1998 OG Trigun is a cult following. And 25 years on, the 2023 alternative retelling will also be a cult following, just like its predecessor. To be frank, I've known mangaka Yasuhiro Nightow's famous OG series that has surfaced from time to time, both the manga and the anime adaptation that was prevalent from the mid to late 1990s. But the truth is that I've never gotten the time to read nor watch it, though its an experience for people who've watched and grown up with Trigun, will definitely say that it's something to behold at the time of its release. That's until 25 yearslater, we get the revival of Trigun, albeit under a new name: Stampede. This is obviously a new take on the old classic, so no matter how much you have a massive bias for the OG, please take everything about Stampede and wash away all the misconceptions about compaaring this with that, and see this from a new lens of perspective. To understand how Trigun: Stampede came to be, you have to really get in the minds of the production team. Toho Animation producer Katsuhiro Takei commented that for this new Trigun project, they wanted to "start a new Trigun", commenting that there's already the original manga and other anime adaptations, and each of them are really excellent pieces of work that are already completed. Furthermore, Takei stated that with Trigun: Stampede, they wanted to attract new viewers and not make them think that it is hard to get into the series "because it's an already known and existing series." When Takei approached Trigun's mangaka Yasuhiro Nightow to discuss on the project, Nightow mentioned that the 1998 anime adaptation was "really excellent", and that "anything beyond the original anime is more of a bonus time, so you could pretty much do whatever you want to with it." Nevertheless, Nightow stated that he was pretty much involved with the new project from the very start, and that in order to make something entirely new, he would come in and say something to the staff if they did something that really seems off. However, as time went on with the script development, Nightow did not find major issues with it, commenting that "It was an entirely new Trigun, and I felt that they were able to grasp that." This is pretty much anchored true in Stampede, as everyone knows about the Stampede himself, the Humanoid Typhoon with the 60 billion double dollar bounty on his head, along with reporters Meryl Stryfe and the new "replacement" to the much lovable Milly Thompson, Roberto De Niro. Sure, their interactions are more goofy-looking as compared to the illusive strikingness of the 1998 OG series, where everything was much industrial-looking for an era that focused much on industrialization anime, like director Akitarou Daichi's 1999 original show "Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku a.k.a Now and Then, Here and There". Takei stated that while in the original manga and the previous anime adaptations the story is always centered around Vash, in Trigun Stampede they "really want to focus on the depth of Vash", so they decided to focus on his origin, memories, and the time he spent with Rem and Knives. In a way, I felt that this was what Nightow's depiction of an alternate Trigun would be like if it came to fruition under people like Katsuhiro Takei who understood the magnitude of the original manga, and did something that's an alternate take, but something that could also still stand the test of time amongst the many adaptations of Trigun's unlimited potential, with the closest resemblance being that of the OG manga and Maximum together that makes for a cohesive story. Believe me, Trigun: Stampede is a more rigorous character-driven story, as opposed to the plot-driven ones that came before it, emphasizing a lot on the tormenting relationship of twin brothers Vash the Stampede, Million "Nai" Knives and their caretaker Rem Saverem. It's essentially the same as what you've read in the OG manga and Maximum, only I think that within the span of 12 episodes, Stampede came out to be its very own thing that albeit drives home the conflict of Vash and Nai that intercedes for much of the story that was shown at first glance, yet like RWBY: Ice Queendom, diverges into its own set and story structure that I feel, is dependent on us the audience, whether does it feel any semblance of the original while being different in its own regard. And that is something that's very difficult to do and balance, for we are seeing especially Vash in a whole new light, being the same cool character that he is, and what he fights for as he resists against the humanity-hating device that is his own brother Nai, together with the cross-wielding Nicholas D. Wolfwood the Punisher. The battle against Plants and Independents has never been this intense, and I'm all for it in this new, refreshed storyline. The production for Trigun: Stampede isn't anything to scoff at, either. Regarding the primary use of 3DCG for Stampede, Takei commented that the core of Trigun is "something that is very firm" that does not get affected by introducing additional elements, expressing that the strong core could be adapted into various things, and so the thought was that Trigun should go full-on 3DCG. This brings Takei and his team towards studio Orange, which animation producer Kiyotaka Waki, commented that the project started with concept art, followed by the development of a world for the adaptation, which wasn't just drawings but was also filled with ideas of how we could respect that old nostalgia factor and also add in the new designs. Kouji Tajima, who did the concept art and character concept art, he read the Trigun manga to interpret it in his way to capture much of the nostalgia factor, as well as something that's brand new towards the audience. We all know today about studio Orange's magnificent prowess in 3DCG, barring the ONLY studio to execute 3DCG right, but did you know that Trigun: Stampede was the VERY FIRST show in the studio's lineup that was in development took around five years that started in 2017? Yes, that was the EXACT same year where studio Orange would debut with their first non-co-produced series, Houseki no Kuni a.k.a Land of the Lustrous, to high fanfare of the proper, gold standard use of 3DCG in anime production going forward. It's been 5 years since that Trigun: Stampede was the OG starting point for the 3DCG studio, that now we're seeing this in live form, and it's been a project in the making for perfection right out of the gate. Even better, is the music. For such an acclaimed series, while the OG was done by Tsuneo Imahori of Gungrave and Hajime no Ippo fame, the new series's OST was composed by Tatsuya Kato of Mirai Nikki and Shokugeki so Soma fame among many others. Regarding the music, Takei expressed that while developing the series, he considered the choice to use new music as they were developing the script and concept art, and that Imahori's soundtrack would not suit the world they would be building. That being said, the new music provides an atmosphere that definitely blends well to the new series, that far from discrediting what Tsuneo Imahori had before with the 1998 OG series, Tatsuya Kaho's take is a refresh for a new style. The OP song "Tombi" by Kvi Baba, now that's one hell of a banger of a song that expresses Vash's emotions to an insane degree, putting characterization on the front as opposed to the plot. The ED song by singer Salyu and composer Haruka Nakamura, it felt different of a world as light and sci-fi as it is, more than just another great song, it's telling of the constellations of fate between Vash, Nai, and the rest of the characters, like stars illuminating across the sky for a hope that's not long gone. Overall, I really don't mind if Trigun: Stampede is meant to be different than the 1998 OG series. Think of this as the equivalence of the comparison between Ashita no Joe and Megalo Box, but in a different sense that if the new series doesn't move you, then I don't know what to say. It's been an experience trying to see what Trigun would be like if Yasuhiro Nightow got a chance to modernize his cult-status of a hit, developed with other people to create something that's just as enjoyable as the series he first created. What can I say? It's Trigun in a new skin, that is something I wish to look back at over and over again. And this new work...it's not over yet.

Trigun Stampede TRIGUN STAMPEDE

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