REVIEW: ‘TRIGUN STARGAZE’ Episode 11 — “I Miss You”

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 11, “I Miss You,” sees Knives (Ryuji Sato, Solo Leveling) begin the final stage of his plan. He will transform the Plants into Independents and cause a second great fall, wiping out humanity in the process. Then his paradise will be real. But, he may have overlooked one important detail. 

Picking up where the last episode left off, TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 11 sees Knives arrive as Legato (Kôki Uchiyama, Scarlet) pushes (Kôki Uchiyama, Scarlet) Vash (Yoshitsugo Matsuoka, Fate/Strange Fake) to kill. Seeing Knives in his new form is a haunting sight. How he descends from the sky with all the air of a condescending god come to judge the unworthy is chilling. His features have been stripped of any human resemblance, leaving a cold exterior in their place. 

Making it clear that the coldness of his new design isn’t just skin-deep, his first act in TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 11 is to kill Legato for simply “not knowing his place.” Seeing Legato’s severed head held in his own hands as he thrills at the chance of being reincarnated for Lord Knives is the perfect finale for the religious wack job. 

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 11 wastes no time throwing the characters into chaos.

After a brief but futile attempt by Vash, Wolfwood (Yoshimasa Hosoya, My Hero Academia), and Livio (Genki Muro, Ragna Crimson) to stop Knives, the would-be mass murderer makes off with his brother, as the other two are seemingly devoured by a giant worm—a worm whose appearance happens to provide Milly (Chika Ayamori, Zenshu) and Meryl (Sakura Ando, Beastars) a means of boarding The Ark.

Meryl and Milly’s presence on board The Ark provides TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 11 with its most powerful moment. As the pair sneak around the ship, their presence is eventually uncovered by Elendira (Ayuma Murase, Leviathan). The villain chases the duo down, eventually cornering them with their seemingly endless rain of nails. Once cornered, Meryl finds herself in the same room where Roberto met his fate. However, a cruel moment of realization spares Meryl from a similar end. 

Just as Elendira is about to kill Meryl, they discover the truth about how Knives views them. Realizing that they are not accepted by the master they devoted their life to, Elendira collapses, sobbing with an intensity befitting their childlike appearance. 

Meryl’s act of humanity ultimately saves her in TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 11.

If it is true that mercy is the mark of a great person, then Meryl Strife is the greatest of people. Choosing to see only an abandoned child, rather than a psychopathic monster that moments earlier was going to kill her, Meryl reaches out ot them, pulling them in for a comforting embrace, assuring Elendira that she will never let her be lonely or hurt again.

The way this interaction plays out amplifies Elendira’s pain and confusion perfectly. Rather than simply falling into Meryl’s willing embrace, she at first pushes her away. She even questions the woman’s place, asking, “Who are you to…?” when Meryl offers to keep her safe and not leave her alone. Implying that she couldn’t possibly have a reason or right to make such an offer. 

Studio Orange has done tremendous work with its animation throughout this series, but this moment in TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 11 pushes its emotional visual storytelling to the next level. Meryl’s tenderness and Elendira’s pain and confusion are given a powerful amount of visual presence in these shots. Paired beautifully with Ando’s and Murase’s voice work, the scene is a heart-rending moment of pain and healing. 

Vash realizes some painful truths that cloud the waters of not just Rem’s morality but Knives’ as well.

Elendira isn’t the only one in TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 11 to face a painful realization. After being absorbed by Knives, Vash discovers some harsh truths about Rem. What Vash learns about the mother figure whose kindness has shaped much of his perspective on life shatters him profoundly. As he reels from the shock, his pain manifests itself in a visually disturbing way. 

While Rem’s past causes Vash significant pain, it also makes a great deal of sense for the character, deepening who she is within the world. Rather than simply being an angel that Vash idolizes, Rem is allowed to have feet of clay, showing just how human she really is. Also, given how upset she is, even as she fails to do the right thing, it is easy to presume that this failure is a large part of what spurred her to try so hard for Vash and Knives.

The truths that Vash faces not only call into question his understanding of Rem, but of Knives as well. What Knives knows, as well as why he hid it from Vash, shows that there is still some measure of good within the violent murderer, at least where Vash is concerned. 

Knives’ hubris spells his failure in TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 11.

The torrent of painful truths reaches its final crescendo when Knives attempts to enact his plan to transform all the Plants into Independents. Floating above Octovern like a Messiah, Knives reaches his tendrils down to all those he sees fit, touching their foreheads to transform them. However, Knives’ gift is utterly rejected by his brethren, who choose instead to whither away. 

This utter rejection of Knives highlights once again how singularly the antagonist’s quest was about him rather than his beloved “brethren.” He killed them to gain power. He did the very thing he repeatedly condemned humanity for, sapping them dry for his personal gain. And in the end, they didn’t even want what he offered. One can’t help but wonder if it ever even crossed his mind that they might actually not want his “gift.”

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 11 delivers a ton of complex emotion as it sets the stage for the finale. Its powerful visuals and sincere voice work bring these painful moments to vivid life. With the fleet in orbit and Knives ready to unleash his pain upon it, all that remains is to see if the last chapter of the story can live up to the highs the series has crafted in its best moments. 

TRIGUN STARGAZE Episode 11 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

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