Trigun - The Complete Boxed Set
by Satoshi Nishimura
from Geneon [Pioneer]
Who and what is Vash the Stampede, a.k.a. "The Humanoid Typhoon"? To bounty hunters, he's an outlaw with 60,000,000,000 Double Dollars on his head. To Meryl Stryfe and Millie Thompson of the Bernardelli Insurance Society, he's a walking disaster area who's cost the company a fortune. To otaku, he's one of the most popular characters in anime. Based on Yasuhiro Nightow's manga, this comic adventure takes place in the distant future on a desert planet that looks like the American Old West. Vash wanders from town to town, unsuccessfully pursuing peace, doughnuts, and "the mayfly known as love." Meryl and Millie follow him, trying to minimize the destruction, but Vash's only real friend is the gun-totin' preacher Nicholas Wolfwood. Despite their grudging affection, Wolfwood articulates the other characters' thoughts when he tells Vash, "When you're around, things always seem to get worse!"
Anime heroes tend to be either cold-blooded warriors who kill for honor (the Gundam Wing pilots) or unlikely nerds who grow into the role of warrior when it's thrust upon them (Shinji Ikari in Evangelion). Sometimes comic and kooky, sometimes gentle and earnest, Vash reveres life and agonizes over the bloodshed he inadvertently causes. He'd rather eat than demonstrate his amazing marksmanship: he doesn't fire a shot until the fifth episode, although one of his arms is actually a gun. Voice actor Johnny Yong Bosh articulates both Vash's suffering and adolescent exuberance whenever he sees a pretty girl with exceptional panache. The runaway popularity of Trigun seems to have surprised the filmmakers. Although no plans have been announced for additional animation, a new manga series has appeared, Trigun Maximum. It seems unlikely that the artists would prematurely end the adventures of a figure with so much potential--and so many fans. --Charles Solomon
The wild gun-crazy action of Trigun gets collected in a new eight-volume DVD boxed set featuring 26 episodes of brand-new art from Takahiro Yoshimatsu, the character designer of Trigun.
Trigun - The 60 Billion Dollar Man (Vol. 1) (Geneon Signature Series)
by Satoshi Nishimura
from Geneon [Pioneer]
Japanese anime--animated movies--have a reputation for being ultraviolent and ultracool. And there's a lot of cool to be found in Trigun: The $$60,000,000,000 Man (those two dollar signs aren't a typo--money, in the Trigun world, is counted in double dollars). If you liked the way Nicolas Cage's coat flapped in the wind in Face/Off, you'll get plenty of that as Vash the Stampede, notorious ace gunman, walks through the desert landscape of an alien planet with two suns. Vash is so feared and famous that there's a $$60 billion price on his head. He's destroyed entire cities, yet no one has ever been killed in his rampages--though rumors paint him as a ruthless murderer. However, in truth, Vash is a goofy buffoon who can step out of the way of bullets (which may have inspired The Matrix) but who never actually shoots anyone--in fact, on several occasions, he pointedly chooses not to. The whole sensibility of Trigun is surprisingly innocent; it's like a wildly hip Saturday morning cartoon. There's a fair amount of over-the-top violence, but it's pretty harmless, more silly than extreme. Most of the stories--for this isn't a single movie, but a collection of four episodes from an ongoing series--all have earnest morals, most of which are about peace, equality, and being humane. Besides, how can you not like a cartoon in which two main characters are Meryl Styfe and Milly Thompson, disaster investigators for the Bernardelli Insurance Society? Dubbed in English, Trigun is frivolous and very entertaining. --Bret Fetzer
Trigun - High Noon (Vol. 8)
by Satoshi Nishimura
from Geneon [Pioneer]
In these final four episodes, the saga of Vash the Stampede builds to the climactic confrontation between Vash and his vicious twin, Knives. Director Satoshi Nishimura and writer Yosuke Kuroda also sort out the fates of the other characters: gun-toting preacher Nicholas V. Wolfwood reveals a surprising past; sorrow gives Milly an unexpected strength, shifting the balance between her and Meryl. Vash also has to deal with the last of the Gung-Ho Guns, including Legato Bluesummers. These confrontations involve some agonizing decisions, and voice actor Johnny Yong Bosh articulates Vash's suffering in an exceptional performance. Before the final face-off, the filmmakers show some of the backstory of Vash and Knives, which they began to explore in episode 17. But Nishimura and Kuroda fail to supply some important information: it's been clear all along that Vash isn't human, but what is he? Trigun ends on an upbeat note that will please its many fans, despite the unanswered questions. Apparently no one expected the series to become so popular when it hit the states in 2000; there's already talk of additional episodes or a feature. Sometimes comic and kooky, sometimes gentle and earnest, Vash stands out as one of the most appealing and individual characters in recent anime. It seems unlikely that the artists would end the adventures of a figure with so much potential--and so many fans. Rated 13 and up for violence and mild profanity. --Charles Solomon
The choices one makes. The excuses one uses. What do they mean in the end if you don't get what you want? The time for the ultimate show down has arrived, but will Vash be able to save everyone? Can he save anyone? Trigun Vol. 8 (Episodes 23, 24, 25 & 26). The Final Volume! Featuring a limited edition chromium onsert! (While supplies last.)
Trigun - Remix (Vol. 6)
by Satoshi Nishimura
from Geneon [Pioneer]
The choices one makes. The excuses one uses. What do they mean in the end if you don't get what you want? The time for the ultimate showdown has arrived, but will Vash be able to save everyone? Can he save anyone?
Trigun - Limited Collector's Edition II (With Steel Case)
by Satoshi Nishimura
from Geneon [Pioneer]
Trigun - Limited Collector's Edition I (With Steel Case)
by Satoshi Nishimura
from Geneon [Pioneer]
Who and what is Vash the Stampede, the hero of the popular fantasy-adventure Trigun? The outlaw with the 60,000,000,000 "double-dollar" bounty on his head or the good-hearted goof who'd rather eat donuts than fight? The poetic seeker of "the elusive mayfly known as love" or the jerk who goes gaga when a female comes within 20 feet of him? The pacifist who refuses to kill his enemies or the possessor of the power to destroy entire cities?
A sci-fi road story set on a desert planet that recalls the American West, Trigun offers a mixture of slapstick humor and violent action reminiscent of Rurouni Kenshin. Ex-assassin Kenshin Himura is a wanderer who wants to settle down and enjoy peaceful times with the group of friends he's assembled, but political exigencies force him into action. Vash is a more determined vagabond who also uses his destructive powers and crack marksmanship very reluctantly. Both men bear the external scars of battle and the internal wounds of romantic tragedy. But Vash lacks Kenshin's icy self-discipline and the love that makes his onerous past bearable. In his travels, Vash is accompanied by Meryl Stryfe and Millie Thompson of the Bernardelli Insurance Society, who try to minimize the liabilities the one-man disaster area causes. The closest thing he has to a friend is the itinerant priest Nicholas D. Wolfwood, and even he tells Vash, "When you're around, things always seem to get worse!" As Vash, actor Johnny Yong Bosh shifts effortlessly from anti-heroic suffering to adolescent exuberance.
The Limited Collector's Edition I comprises the first half of the series, which begins slowly. Director Satoshi Nishimura gradually accelerates the pace and suspense as Vash's enemies circle him warily, like hyenas waiting for a lion to stumble. Extras include the original Japanese promotional spots and a bullet necklace. (Rated 13 and older: violence, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Trigun Remix, Vol. 4
by Satoshi Nishimura
from Geneon [Pioneer]
Bonds of love and friendship are strong, but some can only be preserved when they are severed. Vash must leave his friends and happiness behind as he walks the treacherous and bloody path prepared by Legato. The body count begins to rise as the Gung-Ho Guns enter the picture, but Vash will do anything he can to preserve life.
Trigun Vol. 4 - Gung-Ho Guns
by Satoshi Nishimura
from Geneon [Pioneer]
In "Escape from Pain," Vash and his friends bid an appropriately offbeat farewell to the gun-and-cross toting preacher Nicholas D. Wolfwood, as the two antiheroes help a young couple escape to freedom. Vash's past comes back to haunt him in the linked episodes "Diablo" and "Vash the Stampede," when Legato Bluesummers and the gargantuan Monev the Gale try to murder him. Vash escapes with his usual élan, but refuses to kill his would-be assassin. The ace marksman's behavior puzzles investigators Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson. They discover further hints about who Vash is (or was) when they see him without a shirt: his upper body is a mass of hideous scars. And the viewer has seen the intriguing Rem, the long-haired girl who appears only in Vash's memories. Meryl tries to decipher this charismatic and frustrating character in a report to the Bernardelli Insurance Society, which triggers a series of flashbacks from previous episodes. The outrageous man with the long blond crewcut is clearly the outlaw known as "The Humanoid Typhoon," but what does that mean? Director Satoshi Nishimura and writer Yosuke Kuroda aren't ready to tip their hands yet, and Vash remains the enigma he's always been.
Rated for ages 13 and up for violence and mild profanity. --Charles Solomon
Which is the real face of Vash? The clown, the saint, or the killer? Vash reveals more of his character and more of his secrets as he takes on a contract to kill, and then faces a man whose sole purpose in life is to destroy Vash! When a man is programmed to kill, can he deny his destiny? Volume 4 (Contains episodes 11-13)
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