REVIEW: ‘Trigun Stampede,’ Episode 12 – “High Noon at July”

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With Vash succumbing to Knives’ mental assault, the gate to the higher plane is open, and Knives now tries to wrest control of a power that will let him reshape the world in his image. But has he truly won? Even as the world is twisted around her, Meryl makes one last desperate attempt to awaken Vash so he can save humanity in Trigun Stampede Episode 12.

With the tension built up to a fever pitch, this episode needed to come out and deliver an ending that served as a fantastic capstone to the season and justified the return to this legendary anime franchise. Now that I have watched Trigun Stampede Episode 12, I can say it does everything it needs to and so much more. It takes the tension in the show’s primary conflict, ratchets it up to eleven, and never gives the viewer a chance to breathe as it sweeps them away into a powerful ending that sticks a perfect landing.

While the bulk of this episode focuses on Vash and Knives, the episode does a great job of not forgetting its other important stars. Wolfwood gets his moment as the situation rapidly melts, but Meryl gets a true scene-stealing showing. Having come so far with Vash and already lost so much, it was only fitting that the young reporter gets a moment to own the stage. Her indomitable will as the world implodes around her is critical and worthy of the character in every way.

While Meryl has her moment, Trigun Stampede Episode 12 is ultimately about the family at this series’s core. When Vash is finally able to confront Knives, the Humanoid Typhoon feels like he is at his peak. He is even sporting a spikier hairstyle that will have many long-time fans cheering. The confrontation is both emotionally charged as well as being a visual spectacle. Studio Orange goes out of its way, pulling out all the stops as the series explores this final battle for the planet’s future. Every bullet fired, daring leap, and desperate plea are brought to life thanks to Orange’s gorgeous visual design and some of the most dynamic camera work I’ve seen in a long time. It is a masterwork in making viewers feel like they are in the scene, dodging around Knives’ tendrils and falling through the air with its combatants.

But while the action and drama of Trigun Stampede Episode 12 are delivered with amazing precision, what may have fans talking even more than the show’s flawless execution of these moments is what comes after. Following the climatic battle, the show returns to the world one year later. Laying the groundwork for a second season. These moments shift this series’ story from the main event to almost feeling like an origin story for Vash and Meryl, as both are seen in these final moments in new places, preparing for what comes next, along with a tease for an old friend’s return. If you had asked me at the outset of this series how I’d feel about Orange taking it beyond the core story, I would’ve been concerned. Given how much I have enjoyed this series and how they have delivered other reimaginings, I find myself extremely excited to see what the studio has next for the $60,000,000,000 Man.

Trigun Stampede Episode 12 is streaming on Crunchyroll.