REVIEW: ‘TRIGUN STARGAZE’ Episode 5 — “What A Wonderful World”

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 5, “What a Wonderful World,” sees Midvalley the Hornfreak’s (Shin’ichirô Miki, Undead Murder Farce) arrival met by Wolfwood (Yoshimasa Hosoya, My Hero Academia). The pair clash as Midvalley is tested by his old comrade, both physically and mentally. As the violent reunion delves into the past, it questions its villain.

The battle that takes center stage in this episode performs a delicate balancing act. It weaves both the physical conflict and a philosophical argument between the two adversaries. The interlocked elements amplify the impact of the fight by adding a personal layer for both combatants. 

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 5 makes Midvalley’s trauma perfectly understandable.

The philosophical debate centers on the pair’s past working together and on how Wolfwood walked away, whilst Midvalley remains trapped. How the men perceive their worlds and their ability to control their own destinies creates a striking ideological clash. Despite how much power Midvalley wields via his combat saxophone, whenever the concept of walking away from Knives is brought up, the assassin’s impressive presence is reduced to that of a traumatized child. 

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 5 makes Midvalley’s trauma perfectly understandable. In its opening moments, we see the character’s first encounter with Knives and how effortlessly he slaughtered his former allies. The blood-drenched terror that is etched into Midvalley’s soul moments after Knives reduced his two bandmates to fine red mists makes his terror at walking away from Knives clear. The reluctant villain elicits sympathy as he continues to do his master’s bidding. 

Both Wolfwood and Midvalley show off clever tricks and raw power.

Delivering visual crescendos between the argumentative side of the confrontation in TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 5 is the physical battle. Both Wolfwood and Midvalley show off clever tricks and raw power. This greatly heightens the situation, leaving the viewer in suspense as they wonder what new twist one of the combatants will introduce. 

The only place where TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 5 conflict stumbles for me is in Midvalley’s musical choices. Whether playing short bursts or longer, concentrated attacks, the villain never does anything more than riff some wild jazz-style chords. It would’ve been nice to hear something a bit more coherent play out at some point. An echo of the inner person bleeding into the music would’ve added another emotional element to the confrontation. 

Vash’s blind idealism is the greatest accomplishment of TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 5.

The visuals that bring the confrontation to life continue to lean into the series’ smooth camerawork, which amplifies the movement and force of its fights. While the confrontation is very stop-and-go, the energy returns to peak levels within moments in every clash, thanks mainly to the amplification of each strike through the camerawork. 

Capping off the emotion-fueled conflict is the arrival of Vash (Yoshitsugo Matsuoka, Blue Lock). As is his practice, Vash manages to disarm Midvalley and spare him from the gruesome end the antagonist is convinced awaits him. While Vash’s brief combat moment skillfully showcases his incredible speed and strength, it is his heart that shines brightest as he extends his unending mercy and kindness to his vanquished foe. 

The blind idealism Vash displays as he promises to protect Midvalley and everyone else is the greatest accomplishment TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 5 delivers. This moment shines because, despite the overwhelming odds, the grotesquely violent intent of the oncoming foes, and the utter lack of realistic outlook Vash holds, you can’t help but believe he really can accomplish the impossible. Where other heroic characters’ words would feel hollow, Vash’s gentle delivery and underlying determination make it believable. Whether that enhances the character’s strength or adds to his tragedy is left for the viewer to judge. 

As the episode comes to a close, we see the villain’s ship arrive, unleashing the mother of all anime missile swarms as it begins its full assault on Home, leaving the episode on an extremely tense note. With those inside the besieged ship as prepared as possible, it looks like we’ll soon see if Vash can be as good as his word and heart would have him be. 

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 5 delivers on both its combat and character work, harmoniously mixing battle and emotion within its narrative while setting up the larger fight to come. 

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 5 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

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