REVIEW: ‘TRIGUN STARGAZE’ Episode 10 — “Martyr”

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 10, “Martyr,” sees the final clash begin. As Knives merges with the remaining plants he needs to acquire his long-sought-after power, Legato (Kôki Uchiyama, Scarlet) leads a force against Vash (Yoshitsugo Matsuoka, Fate/Strange Fake), Wolfwood (Yoshimasa Hosoya, Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf), and Livio (Genki Muro, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii) in a final attempt to break Knives’ wayward brother’s spirit. 

Serving as the centerpiece of this episode is Legato. The zealot follower of Knives has shown himself to be arguably the most deadly of the villain’s servants, but here we get to see new depths of the character’s personality, and it isn’t pretty. As TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 10 peels back the layers of Legato’s fervency, we find a religious extremist who has concocted his own bible, with Knives and Vash standing atop it as a pair of deities to be worshipped. 

There is a special terror and unnerving edge that comes with a religious rant. The way fanciful ideas conjured from belief are presented as hard facts without anything to back them up always creates a chasm of dissociation that is hard to overcome. The way Legato raves about Vash’s sins against his brother in TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 10, and how this duo of gods must come together, is wholly unnerving. As the moment reaches its apex, Legato even sets himself up as a martyr to see the fantasy he has constructed come to life. 

Legato is truly unnerving in TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 10.

Legato’s wholly psychotic attitude is brought to life through both Uchiyama’s expressive voice work and the excellently implemented animation. The audio and visual presentation of the character as he progresses through his religion-fueled meltdown are perfectly in sync tonally. The two elements create an emotional feedback loop that continuously amplifies each other’s effect on the scene. 

While Vash is unwilling to sign on for what Legato wants, TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 10 does see him try to use Legato to better understand Knives’ position. After being accused by the mad acolyte of never bothering to understand his brother’s feelings after Vash turned his back on him, the hero decides to try to understand his brother with Legato’s help. This element of the story is hard to appreciate. 

Despite the motivation behind this pursuit of knowledge feeling like a Vash decision, it is a struggle to accept it. Wanting to understand why Knives strives to commit genocide feels like a waste of time, even for the big-hearted hero. Wanting to commit genocide is wrong. No feeling can validate it, no past trauma can justify it. Seeking to understand the motivations of such a pursuit feels like a choice that lives in the same realm as giving “every opinion the chance to be heard.” If the opinion involves genocide, it doesn’t need to be heard; it just needs to be stopped.

Vash, rightfully, does not pick up what Legato is putting down.

What further complicates this stance is how the moment frames Vash’s quest for understanding. Typically, Wolfwood is given time to object to Vash’s more merciful tendencies. However, that expected reaction isn’t given a chance to manifest here. By removing the opportunity to question Vash’s approach, especially since it’s usually present, this makes it feel like the narrative reinforces the “rightness” of it. Like many of Vash’s approaches to his foes, this one is certainly not above questioning, even if you find yourself agreeing with it.

Surrounding the philosophical elements and mad rants of TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 10 is a ton of fantastically shot action. The camerawork that Studio Orange continues to implement in the central fight scene here is some of the best to be found anywhere. As the characters surf down the wreckage of starships, blocking, dodging, and counterattacking their foes, the sequence’s speed and danger pop with dynamic energy and excitement. 

The only oddity that distracts from the fantastic action is Legato’s choice of weapons. Rather than bring his overwhelming powers to bear, Legato brings a bizarre-looking whip-like implement, whose end mimics a human ribcage and head. The choice to use this weapon rather than his powers is explained as a form of penance Legato chose after losing control of Vash earlier.

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 10 sets the stage for the upcoming finale episodes.

The design of this absurd weapon in TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 10 leaves a deep sense of confusion. There is no way this thing was just casually constructed by someone. There has to be a story behind it, as well as an explanation for why Legato chose to use it over a more sensible tool of war. Every time it is central in a shot, the unexplained design distracts from all else. This needed some explanation when first introduced to avoid this regrettable drawback.

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 10 ends with the arrival of Knives, who has ascended to his final form. With the stage set and only two episodes to go, it’s time for the brothers to hash out their differences one last time, to see what fate awaits their world.

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 10 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

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