REVIEW: ‘Trigun Stampede,’ Episode 1 — “Noman’s Land”

In the future, humanity has taken to the stars. But when a colony fleet suffers a massive failure, their trip is cut short and the survivors soon find themselves eeking out a living on a harsh desert planet. And on that planet, there is one outlaw feared more than any other. He is Vash the Stampede, the Human Typhoon. With a whopping 6 million double-dollar bounty, he is in the sights of anyone looking to make it rich. But is he really what everyone thinks he is? Trigun Stampede Episode 1 begins to explore just that as we see him run into a pair of unlikely reporters who may just be his ticket out of a jam…or into one.

The original Trigun series was one of the first anime I ever saw. It holds a fond place in my heart when I think about the adventures of Vash, Meryl, Milly, and Wolfwood. Given how other recent reimaginings of my beloved 90’s anime favorites have gone, I was concerned when I saw Orange was crafting a new take on the outlaw gunslinger. While this initial installment does some things right, it also changes a great many things too. While some of these changes feel like they could lead to strong stories and places, others are just strange and left me wondering why they were chosen at all.

Of Trigun Stampede Episode 1’s biggest changes, the one that will slap long-time fans in the face the fastest is its opening. Taking place on one of the human colony ships as it crashes, the audience is introduced to Rem and Nails right along side Vash from the get-go. This removes some of the mystery surrounding Vash and I don’t think it ultimately helps in any real way. It feels like it was put here through an assumption that anyone watching will know, so why try to hide it? While this approach may make sense for a piece of media that has truly saturated its sphere of pop culture, like when Final Fantasy VII Remake revealed Sephiroth far earlier in the story than in the original, I don’t know that Trigun is that well-known.

Following this setup opening, we are introduced to two of our main characters. Heading out into the desert looking for a scoop is veteran reporter Roberto and his new partner Meryl Strife. These two immediately deliver a classic “grizzled veteran and young upstart” dynamic that works well throughout the episode. I enjoyed them as a duo, though I was left wondering why Roberto was with Meryl instead of her original partner Milly. The job change is also odd, but I find that less bothersome. That she is chasing after Vash is enough, the whys are fairly superfluous.

But it wouldn’t be a series without Vash, and in no time, the duo comes across the gunman as he is strung up and under attack by some creatures resembling vultures. Upon being freed we get our first look at a grown-up Vash. While his visual design has changed greatly, he is still largely Vash. One moment the walking clown, the next moment saving everyone from certain doom. If there is one aspect of the original that Trigun Stampede Episode 1 gets right it is its lead.

Needless to say, more trouble follows the trio. I won’t give a blow-by-blow of the whole episode, but it overall delivers an entertaining tale that manages to showcase the numerous aspects of its lead as it sets the ball in motion for its larger story. However, these hints also herald a potentially significant change to the structure of Vash’s story. How that plays out, we’ll have to wait and see.

Now we come to the visuals. This is the biggest aspect of this series that I honestly don’t know how I feel about. While the animation is solid, there is something about the CGI look of the series that had an extremely distracting effect on me. Despite the obvious anime character designs, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was watching a Disney animated feature. I can’t even put my finger on what exactly about Orange’s work made me feel this way. But it was there and it bugged me. A lot.

So, coming out of Trigun Stampede Episode 1, how do I feel about the series? Honestly, I have high hopes that it will be an enjoyable ride with one of anime’s classic heroes. However, those who loved the original and we’re hoping for minimal changes to the larger story are going to have a rough time if the series continues to play with the narrative the way this episode did.

Trigun Stampede Episode 1 is streaming on Crunchyroll Saturday January 7th with weekly episodes to follow.