‘Trigun Stampede’ Review: Studio Orange Reinvents a Classic

The 1990s were really a magical time for anime. The medium was finally accepted into the mainstream outside of Japan thanks to productions such as Akira and the works of Studio Ghibli, so more and more series were being released with Japanese and foreign audiences in mind. Animation also went through a huge leveling up, and so shows like Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Rurouni Kenshin, and Trigun looked and felt better than ever in the medium, especially for a TV series. Trigun Stampede, now available on Crunchyroll, prepares to do just that once again.

Trigun Stampede is an anime series produced by Studio Orange and based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Yasuhiro Nightow. The series follows the character of Vash the Stampede, as he travels the planet known as No Man’s Land, avoiding bounty hunters who seek to cash in on the huge bounty over his head. Vash will meet several allies on his journey, and soon his mysterious past will catch up to him. The series is an amalgamation of all things western, alongside a good dose of science fiction elements.

Nightow has declared himself a huge fan of western films, and you can see it in each aspect of Trigun as a story. Our protagonist is a lonely man with a mysterious past who also ends up being one of the most impressive gunmen you have ever seen. The planet where the story is set is basically a huge desert with tiny towns, corrupt mayors, fascist authorities, and so much more. Everything in Trigun screams “Western Genre” and yet, Nightow adds a dose of science fiction that really makes the story stand out on its own.

The other main thing about the story that really makes Trigun such a lovable franchise is Vash himself. Having the right protagonist for the right story is always a very important element of any narrative. Do we care about this character? Do we want to know what happens to him? Vash makes you ask those questions, and we are sure that the majority of people will have affirmative answers to them. Vash might be mysterious and very much a lone wolf, but he is also very goofy; he undermines himself at every step, and his gentle soul always comes forward.

The original Trigun already did all those things, and the result is a show that is remembered very fondly by those who watched it in the 90s and even in the 00s here on the western side of the world. However, in the world of entertainment, no intellectual property is really dead, especially when people remember it with such love. So it makes sense for a new adaptation to arrive in hopes of catching new fans and also telling the story differently. Trigun Stampede tries to do all those things, and it is quite successful.

The first thing to notice about the show is its visuals, of course, and, well, we are talking about a visual design and execution that really will blow your mind. The use of CGI in anime productions keeps being very controversial. Older and newer fans seem to prefer the old 2D style, as it is way more expressive and easy on the eyes. For the last decade, many productions that have tried to be full CGI anime have failed because the studios didn’t have the talent, the knowledge, the time, or the money to execute that level of visuals properly.

Nevertheless, it seems that the animation gods are slowly but surely arriving at the point where CGI anime can be something that we all can enjoy at the same level as we enjoy 2D animation. Toie’s latest efforts with films like Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and The First Slam Dunk, have proven that CGI anime can be done right, with both of those films being just amazing examples of how to translate the unique anime feel into a CGI 3D environment. Those films are not perfect, and Trigun Stampede isn’t either. However, they are pretty close.

You can really feel that the process is improving with each new production, and Trigun Stampede just looks fabulous. There are a couple of moments when the characters feel stiff, but overall, the fluidity of the animation using these 3D models is just amazing. Vash for example feels incredibly detailed, and he still manages to be as goofy and fun as in the original anime. His design is different, but the soul of the character is still there. The same with the rest of the supporting cast. Of course, just like in a 2D anime, background characters have less detail, but the entire package is very impressive.

There are some changes being made right from the get-go. The biggest one seems to be more focused on Vash as a character. As in any good western or following the example of the Mad Max franchise, the main character, no matter how interesting it is, serves mostly as a getaway for the stories set in the world they live in. The main character is a vehicle, a very cool one, but a vehicle, nonetheless. In Stampede, the series focuses on Vash’s origins from the beginning. We can only hope that this doesn’t dilute the rest of the interesting stories that he will become part of in the future.

Trigun Stampede is a very fun and visually impressive anime show that is trying to take CGI animation to a new level, and I believe it achieves it. The story feels very much more in the vein of Cowboy Bebop than in the original, with more focus on Vash’s past, which was just basically background before. Trigun Stampede seems like a good way to start watching anime in 2023.

SCORE: 9/10