REVIEW: ‘Trigun Stampede,’ Episode 6 – “Once Upon a Time in Hopeland”

With the pain from last week’s episode still fresh, Vash and Wolfwood say goodbye to Meryl and Roberto as they board a sand steamer. But while en route to their destination, Vash is assailed by a new threat. However, while the threat is new to Vash, it seems it is someone Wolfwood knows. Seeing this would-be killer hits Wolfwood hard as Trigun Stampede Episode 6 takes a trip back into the tragic past of Nicholas D. Wolfwood.

Since his appearance in the series two episodes ago, the enigmatic Wolfwood has been a combative counter-point to Vash’s unending optimism towards life and his goal to preserve it at all costs. But why this wanderer takes such offense at Vash’s genuinely naive outlook on the world was only hinted at before.

The first thing I have to talk about in this episode is the visuals. Orange has done a great job of delivering crisp, smooth visuals to this series so far. When Trigun Stampede Episode 6 jumps back in time to Wolfwood’s childhood, the visuals shift drastically from what we have seen before to a style that seeks to mimic traditional art. Rough-looking line work and cross-hatch shading give these sequences a truly historic feeling. Coupled with the choice to omit spoken dialogue, the flashbacks utilize old-timey dialogue cards, and you have a presentation that is as striking as it is gorgeous.

The tale told within these moments perfectly explains Wolfwood and his gruff personality. While there are moments of light in his past, they quickly become shrouded by the darkness that makes him into the man he is today. The final agonizing moments we are shown of Wolfwood’s past are captured through gorgeous design choices that make it equal parts staggering, painful, and horrifying.

While the past is the highlight of Trigun Stampede Episode 6, the present can’t be ignored either. The threat that has come for Vash skillfully links the two sides of the narrative together, while providing the episode with plenty of action to pick the tempo back up between jaunts to the past. The assailant’s design, particularly his guns, is slick and memorable.

The other big thing about this episode is the subtle changes it brings to Vash himself. While the show’s first impressions of him were of the lovable goofball many remembered, we can already see the many brutal battles and painful losses the series has put him through taking its toll on him. He feels more desperate and pained now as he navigates the chaos of the story.

Trigun Stampede Episode 6 went to places I didn’t expect and I couldn’t be happier about it. It is emotional, heartbreaking storytelling that explains a lot about Wolfwood while making the character worlds more sympathetic, despite his less-than-positive motives.

Trigun Stampede Episode 6 is streaming on Crunchyroll.