Trigun

Director
Satoshi Nishimura
Production
Madhouse, TV Tokyo, Victor Entertainment
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
1998

Trigun Volume 6: Project Seeds

By otaku_kei
15th Apr 06

Trigun has been yet another title to be badly effected by the DVD warehouse fire back late last year. As such this volume has taken quite some time to arrive, such a long time in fact that I had quite forgotten just what had happened so far! Just to quickly recap we have had an ongoing investigation by insurance agents Meryl and Millie into the human disaster area Vash The Stampede. This investigation has had the girls trailing all across the planet Gunsmoke after this happy-go-lucky gunman encountering many eccentric and dangerous characters along the way! In the last volume though, the girls lost track of Vash when one of his frequent battles results in the destruction of almost half of the moon, a blast that has caused tonnes of debris to come crashing through the atmosphere onto the planet! This darker turn for the show looks set to continue in this volume as well!

One of the main recurring themes of this show has been Vash's overriding burden of guilt, about something that lies in his hidden past! The regular allusions to this past have kept us guessing just what really motivates Vash in everything that he does. Finally in this volume we finally get some of the answers to Vash's mysterious past, a past that has links to the intergalactic quest Project Seeds!

Once humanity had exhausted the resources of the planet Earth, it was decided that humanity needed to find a new home, and so taking inspiration from biblical texts mankind has entombed themselves within a convoy of gigantic interstellar arks. Hunting through the long dark of space these giant sarcophagi were to become the seeds of a new world. Vash and his 'brother' Knives had been picked up in space by the navigation crew of this convoy. This would prove to be an act of charity that would doom mankind. Growing up amongst the navigation crew Vash and his brother learn all about the history of man, the failings of mankind and the morality that we hold to ourselves. Decisions are made, and we find out just what has burdened Vash for so long, the sin that stains his heart.

The following episodes bring us back to current events when Wolfwood reappears on the scene, looking for his old partner in crime. Wolfwood is in need of Vash's help in tracking down an entire village that simply disappeared overnight. The only clue to this enigma is one word daubed in blood on the town walls - Knives! These episodes are a return to the usual formula for this show as we get back to the usual mix of comedy, action and drama. But for the first time ever in this show, the drama starts to take a much greater portion of the screentime. This show is taking the first steps building towards an eventual showdown. The events of the last few episodes have been mutating this show, changing it from the episodic format of the earlier volumes to culminating in a definite story arc for the closing chapters.

This show has often been described as a fan favourite, and has regularly been cited along with Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop as a fundamental show to appreciate so that you can claim your credentials as an anime fan. I have personally never agreed with that brand of snobbery, or agreed with why this show has received such high praise. But with this latest volume, I have really been able to see just why this show is so popular with so many people.

For me to really get into sci-fi shows or books I like them to have a darker edge to the story. The plotline needs to have a bit of bite, so that it gets the audience to think about what is going on. That edge is something that has been sorely missing from Trigun thus far. By now taking the time to explain Vash's backstory it allows the audience to connect on a deeper level with these events, as well as make more sense of many of the inexplicable events from earlier in the series. This character backstory will surely also help put in context what is to come for this show!

Whether this newfound edge to the plot will manage to lift this show up in my overall estimation is yet to be seen. I'll not deny that throughout this series I have found much to enjoy about Vash's ongoing escapades, but I have found it almost instantly forgettable and without any lasting impact. This latest installment has left more of an impression on me, but is this a case of too little too late? Trigun still has quite a bit of plot to fit in to its closing chapters if it is to tie up all its loose ends. Vash still has his personal journey to complete, and the events of his past need to be atoned for. Meryl and Millie also have their own journey's to complete, and there are certain unresolved romantic tensions that need to settled. With only so much time left has this show left enough time to resolve itself neatly, or merely left enough rope to hang itself!

For those amongst you who have put up with the long wait for any UK company to release this show on this side of the pond, then I am sure this is going to be an essential purchase for yourself. Like I said, there has been a lot to enjoy about this show from the very start, but it has not really enthralled me. For those of you who have found yourselves captivated, then you have to be aware that this show has changed gears, and you may be setting yourselves up for something quite a bit darker than you were expecting! Trigun is certainly getting better and better, and with the strength of this volume I have quite high hopes for the coming conclusion. I just hope it does not stumble at all!

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English Language 2.0; Japanese Language 2.0; English Language Subtitles; Trigun Trailer; Japanese DVD Covers Gallery; Design Gallery for Seeds Crew; MVM Trailers

Release information: OUT NOW - 10th April 2006

Notes: This volume is just as good as the previous discs in this series. For a show this old the visuals have dated a bit, but are still transferred well, and the stereo soundtracks deliver everything you need. The extras are still rather lacking, with the main interest on each volume so far being the production artwork for each volume.

-- otaku_kei 15th Apr 06

Trigun Images