Trigun review Approximate reading time nonspoiler section: 2 minutes Ill start off with a short Nonspoiler section written for people that are thinking about watching Trigun Ill be talking about what to expect when starting the show and hopefully even helping someone to appreciate it more on their first viewing by knowing what its going for which was much clearer to me on a rewatch. Its a stuck on an alien planetspacecowboy setting theres guns action scifi trains and a whole lot of desert the setting is almost exactly what youd expect it to be so I wont get into it. Trigun itself is built as a show that tests a Vashs resolve it starts out fairly lighthearted without challenging Vash to much on his beliefs hes allowed to establish who he is and what he stands for without much opposition. But that quickly changes as the early episodes of the show go on they shift in their nature from comedic where Vash can deal with the problem without much issue to portraying the situations as more nuanced problems that affect him on an emotional level Every episode has a new problem/villain and each one of them faces Vash with a new situation that is more difficult for him to deal with. Theres some really effective film language used here to make certain new villains that could arguably be considered less despicable than a previous one because morality isnt the same for everyone you might feel more hatred towards a rapist than you do a killer while someone else feels the opposite way still seem worse by making this new villain get closer to their goal by making Vash have a harder and more intense time stopping them or by not having as much comic relief during their scenes. This does a great job raising the stakes and justifies Vashs increasingly emotional responses. The early episodes have a beautiful escalation that slowly keep on developing the more tragic side of Vash up to the twoparter story of episodes 7/8. After this is when the show gets even better you gain a better understanding of Vash through his interactions with Wolfwood and you get to see the reaction people have to his philosophy and active stance in enforcing it. There are still spikes in escalation but the focus is now often on exploring the characters so not every episode steps it up anymore. A lot of shows test a characters resolve but Trigun built the entire show around it resulting in it having one of the best builtups and payoffs. It also doesnt shy away from showing how difficult it might be to stay on your chosen path while similar shows might not show doubt but instead pure herioc determination to the very end Trigun shows an internal struggle. Spoiler section Approximate reading time: 4 minutes Ill be talking about some of my favourite moments and characters since Id go on too long for anyone to stay interested if I went episode by episode Ill also try to structure it as a progressing narrative theres a lot of spoilers here but therell still be plenty reason left to watch the show if youre reading this before watching the show like the main characters arc which I dont even talk about. Milly Thompson: Milly is a more simpleminded version of Vash she also cares for everybody and wants for everyone to get along but because shes a lot more straightforward and emotional she doesnt plan things out or get as much done as Vash. Shell be there to help anybody but doesnt consider the possible consequences of her actions very much she just does what seems right and nice to do while Vash tries to find a result that works out best for everyone. Shes an optimistic sweetheart as well as an absolute unit and needs to be cherished. The first onscreen kill: Brilliant Dynamite Neon is the villain at the end of the escalation arc episode 18 which means its the first time a murder is shown on screen and with it the seriousness of death gets established You see a gigantic hole where the bullet enters the body you see the captain of the steamroller this is happening on react with terror and he powerlessly grinds his teeth as he can do nothing but watch. Neon kills a man and there is nothing to shield you from it because this isnt a flashback easily cut away from like in episode 6 you really see it happen without any barrier or distance from it. Death is shown to be horrifying and the reaction to it is unsettling by following this scene with one of violence against a child it offers no real escape from this uncomfortable feeling. Trigun needed to establish the weight of death and this scene does so very well. Second guessing your decisions: Wolfwood is a very troubled character hes a priest trying live a good life but he often finds himself falling short hes not a pacifist like Milly or Vash despite wanting to be instead he believes there are situations where youve exhausted your options and need to make the hard call that there are situations that call for lethal force. Hes able to understand Vash pretty well and his comment in episode 9 where he first appears reveals a lot about Vash and just how much he understands him. He calls the smile on Vashs face after seeing a hungry child being given food genuine while the rest of the time the way you would smile was so empty that it hurt to watch you.. When he tries to convince the couple from episode 11 to go back home and sacrifice their happiness to save their caravan hes made a call he often makes that theres just no way to help everyone. Milly simply goes along with the couple because they might need help and you should help anyone you can and later Vash manages to solve the situation in a way that guarantees both the couples happiness and the caravans safety. Wolfwood feels envious of Vash and Milly for being able to make these calls without even considering sacrificing one of the parties he feels like he fell short especially compared to Vash like he failed to find the right solution and made his call that damned one of the parties too quickly. Knives Plants: Knives is the main villain of the story hes a part of a special plantlike lifeform that came into existence in an unknown way on Earth which was becoming uninhabitable due to pollution. Humans used this new intelligent lifeform to fuel spaceships in order to migrate a small part of humanity to a new clean planet Knives sees this as leeching off of their lifeblood enslaving them for humanitys own survival. He talks about being eaten being made a sacrifice for the sake of humanity who will keep viewing themselves as the center of the universe. He believes humans will do the same thing to the entire universe as they did to his people he sees them as a pest willing to sacrifice everything around them for their own benefit and by killing the spider that is humanity he can save all the butterflies. However pragmatic this might have started Knives has obviously derailed at a certain point finding joy in exterminating this pest hes lost sight of the ideal he should be working towards and has become obsessed with the means. Like Rem said he makes the decision to save one by killing the other too easily he might argue its for the greater good but he doesnt see it as a regrettable compromise. Zazies death: This villain is still just a child hes used in the story to facilitate the moment Wolfwood and Vash have a direct clash of ideals as Vash believes he can talk this young kid out of murdering any of the people hes pointing his guns at but Wolfwood stops the conversation by killing Zazie thinking its the only way to save the people being held at gunpoint. Wolfwood justifies his actions even gets mad at Vash for not seeing that there was no other way he says he did what had to be done he desperately wants Vash to validate making the call so he can feel less guilty. Wolfwood may apply the same logic as Knives but he still regrets what in his opinion has to happen and doubts himself and the decisions hes made a lot. Its very fitting that Wolfwoods a Christian priest since hes trying to live up to an almost impossible standard like trying to live without sin and it pains him to see how others are doing this better than him.