Trigun is Better than Cowboy Bebop (NOT CLICKBAIT)
You are not immune to the silly, sad angel in the red coat.
Welcome back to Klaudia's Corner!
For the unitiated, each issue, I bring you 1 piece of media that has captivated my heart and soul lately, and break apart why it is wonderful, why it is (or could be) popular, and why you will love it, too.
This issue, I am decades late in bringing you the animanga sweeping the internet, starring the silly blonde man in a red coat you have probably seen everywhere....
Trigun
by Yasuhiro Nightow
Do not be fooled by his badass look. He is a silly little man.
As a part of my recent project to catch up on all the classic and recent anime I'd missed, I also recently watched Cowboy Bebop for the first time, another classic of the space western anime genre, that I was surprised even to myself that I hadn't seen already. I enjoyed it quite a lot, and saw why it was lauded as a classic with such a large impact. But it didn't have as much of an impact on ME, as Trigun did.
You may ask, "Well, Klaudia, just because they're both popular space western anime, why must you compare them?"
Because I was rage baiting you into opening this email.
Because people have told me Cowboy Bebop is the best thing since sliced bread for decades and yet it did not hit the way Trigun rearranged my psyche.
"But Klaudia, that may just be your personal taste, and not an objective measure of what is good or not." True! And comparing them doesn't really bring us anything fruitful, since they have very different aims. However, it is the elephant in the room when talking about classic 90s space western anime, so I felt it must be mentioned.
He's using his silly little laugh to cover up his unending sadness! Of course I love him!
So, what the hell IS Trigun?
Trigun is a space western manga by Yasuhiro Nightow that has been adapted into two anime series, plus a movie. It's a post-apocalyptic story, with the jazz music and existentialism of Cowboy Bebop, the extensive Christian iconography of Evangelion or Devilman, and a central moral quandary about the nature of pacifism.
What does it mean to protect life at all costs? Trigun explores this through its central character, Vash the Stampede, who is a walking contradiction. The pacifist with a gun, the inhuman trying to be human. What gives one person the right to decide if another should live or die, even if that person did wrong? What makes someone a monster?
It also explores common scifi, post-apocalypse, and dystopian tropes, like the ethics of scientific experimentation, mutation, artificial intelligence, and what is ethical to further human survival. Much like how Evangelion's premise centers around the metaphor of the hedgehog's dilemma, Trigun's main theme is relayed through a metaphor of a spider and a butterfly. A young Vash saves a butterfly caught in a spider's web, and his brother Knives, berates him because now the spider will starve. Trying to spoil the least I can, it is a metaphor for what the humans of Trigun's world need to survive on the planet they crashed on. If that thing is a living being as well, who gets to live and die? Who gets to decide?
(Also, yes, the main antagonist, and Vash's brother, is named Knives, or as he is known in some versions, later in the story, MILLIONS KNIVES. Yes, that does mean the entire story is one extended joke about bringing a knife to a gunfight, since Vash is a famous gunslinger. Sometimes anime and manga are not subtle. But do not be fooled. The silly story where a guy named Millions Knives literally has knives sprout out of his body will STILL make you cry.)
The story of Trigun depends on the version, but follows mostly the same beats and resolutions. Neither anime adaptation is a direct adaptation of the manga, and in that way, it has three versions that are in conversation with each other.
The manga, first called Trigun, and then after switching publishers, Trigun: Maximum, began in 1995, and finished in 2007, and the original anime, Trigun, like many back in the day, began AND ended before the manga was finished. It then got a movie in 2010, Trigun: Badlands Rumble, and now the reboot series, Trigun Stampede.
Love and PEACE!!!!
You would enjoy Trigun if you enjoy:
Yes, Cowboy Bebop
10th Doctor era Doctor Who or Torchwood, but especially the part of Doctor Who where a peace loving nonhuman traveling with a few companions always finds their way into sticky situations, and will do anything to make sure nobody, even the "bad guys", die. You know when the Doctor sacrifices their immortal life to constantly help others, painting on a fake smile and living in constant loneliness? And how they're known for wearing long coats and having a secret dark side they try to hide?
The stark contrast between ridiculous slapstick Looney Tunes level animated comedy and the saddest shit you've ever seen.
Milly thinks Vash is funny. Meryl finds him obnoxious. He is joking through the pain.
The sexy priest from Fleabag. If you didn't already hear about him through his inadvertent promotion of a scifi novella on Twitter, Trigun has a sexy priest/assassin with a very large gun in the shape of a cross named Nicholas D. Wolfwood. He's not really a priest, and sometimes he says he's an undertaker, which he isn't really either. He wears his outfits in the sluttiest manner possible, he chainsmokes, he puts his entire life on the line for the children of the orphanage he grew up in, and he's doomed by the narrative. (He's literally carrying his own cross to his death. Like Jesus. Like I said before, it's not subtle.) What else could you need in a story?
Sir. You are a MAN OF GOD.
The inherent homoeroticism of an angel and the priest with a giant gun who protects him (even though he's complaining about it the whole time).
The star crossed love story and philosophical tension between a man who won't kill anyone to the point of self injury, and the assassin tasked with protecting him whose entire job is to kill.
They spend most of the story being a bickering old couple and share one braincell. They are also a not at all thinly veiled metaphor for Jesus and Judas. This is Bible yaoi. One could also argue Meryl represents Mary Magdalene. It is not subtle AT ALL.
The part of Fullmetal Alchemist that has 1 blonde immortal brother who loves humanity and the other blonde immortal brother is fucked up, crazy, and wants to kill everyone (yes this is the Hohenheim-ification of Vash the Stampede)
Two non-sexualized, interesting women in anime with guns. Milly Thompson is tall with a BIG gun. Meryl Stryfe is very small with a small gun (and a cape full of small guns). They both are always wearing an adequate amount of clothing and are complex, just as loveable as the male characters, and survive to the very end in every version. An absolute rarity in anime, the bar is very low.
The Insurance Girlfriends represent sapphic excellence.
The inherent comedy of insurance adjusters running after one fucked up little man (in the reboot so far, they are reporters, which is a reference to something I can't spoil at the end of the manga, but it's still funny.)
Biblically accurate (AKA: eldritch being) angels
The tragedy of immortality
A funny little cat that follows the main characters around and does nothing but be funny in the corner (Kuroneko-sama, my beloved).
If she talked to Vash like Luna from Sailor Moon maybe things would turn out differently.
A canonical trans woman who shoots big nails at people with her mind (in the reboot she's a child right now and we don't really know if she'll be confirmed to be trans but we're hoping! Elendira the Crimson Nail Hive let's go!)
A system with DID represented with a surprising amount of tact and nuance (it remains to be seen how Livio and Razlo will be handled in the reboot as well, but both Elendira's trans identity and Livio and Razlo's relationship are handled REMARKABLY well for a 90s-early 2000s manga)
Did I also mention Livio/Razlo and Elendira are VERY hot and fight to the death in the manga?
The part of Star Wars that is the heartbreaking relationship between the pacifist warrior and his brother who took his ideals too far and turned them on the very people he wanted to protect (and who also got burnt to a crisp and had to have his body reconstructed).
The main character being a literal walking human disaster (this is a direct quote)
The inherent hilarity of "No, I ACTUALLY have an evil twin brother and everyone thinks I'm him and it ruined my life!"
When cartoons and 90s anime went balls to the wall with queercoded villain of the week designs and made the craziest little guys possible. There's a guy whose weapon is a saxophone whose name is MIDVALLEY THE HORNFREAK.
This guy's name is LEGATO BLUESUMMERS and he's not even the wildest one. He looks like if Seto Kaiba had blue hair and pronouns, and he's the only one with INEXPLICABLE superpowers. Literally everybody else is either an inhuman being or was genetically experimented on. Legato is just Like That.
Whatever the fuck leather look this twunk is serving consistently:
The loss of this serve in the first season of the reboot is sad, but I am confident Vash's under-armor in future seasons WILL get sluttier.
I could really go on about the angel and his priest but then I may spoil something for you. They make me feel very insane.
You can see WHAT in his eyes?! I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE.
How do I get into Trigun?
Thankfully, it's not a very LONG series, compared to many popular anime and manga. The manga is only 16 volumes, the original anime is only 26 episodes, and the reboot only has 12 episodes so far. Since each version builds on the other but isn't exactly the same, I suggest:
1. Watch the original 90s anime, Trigun.
While the original anime is missing the level of lore and plot detail of the manga, unlike other anime that were being produced as the manga released, it doesn't stray from the story's overall structure that much. Certain events still happen, albeit in slightly different ways, and the ending is mostly the same, with slight variation. While it has some of the faults of a 90s anime (unnecessary sexualization of women not in the source material, running out of budget in the back half of the series, etc), it is also iconic for a reason. It slowly eases you in to the world and unfurls the mystery behind why Vash is the way he is, and the music is bitchin'. If any lore or plot details seem confusing, just know that this version is more focused on the emotional and philosophical beats, and other versions will answer those questions for you.
Trigun '98 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll, and in the US also on Hulu, with both the English dub and in the original Japanese with subtitles. This is one of the few universally beloved dubs, so it's great in either version.
The '98 anime is a silly fun time where nothing bad ever happens!
(Although, I'm excited to rewatch the original with subtitles, because the dubs of both the original and the reboot lose Wolfwood's canonical twang, which Yasuhiro Nightow indicated by having him speak a specific Japanese dialect in the manga, and which his Japanese voice actor has in the original anime. Nightow said that the characters aren't speaking Japanese in the story, so the interpretation in some translations of an American accent with some sort of twang is the closest).
Also, the same voice actor, the absolute icon Johnny Yong Bosch, dubs Vash in both anime versions, plus the movie!
2. Watch the movie, Trigun: Badlands Rumble.
The 2010 movie is a glimpse into what a modern 2D version of the original anime would look like, with similar designs, and occurring somewhere in the middle of its timeline. It's fun to see these characters in more modern animation, and also Wolfwood wearing Vash's glasses for EXTREMELY gay reasons.
However, much like a lot of mainstream 2010s anime, it really leans into the sexual harassment of female characters that the early episodes of the original anime had (which, again, is pretty OOC from the manga), and whitewashes Wolfwood QUITE a bit.
3. Read the manga.
I know not everyone likes or has the time to read the manga many anime are based on, me included, but I promise, this one's worth it! It's been a while since the English versions were first published, so they're difficult to acquire right now, but there is an ongoing fan project to overhaul the English translation, called Trigun Ultimate Overhaul, that is free to read online.
The main reason you should read the manga at this point is that it will enhance all you experienced in the original anime, and give you a richer experience for the reboot, Trigun Stampede. The reboot is an expansion of the manga, rather than a more direct adaptation, where the mangaka is working with the producers to expand the lore, timeline, and characterization, so reading the manga first will be especially fun.
NOTE: The first two volumes are called Trigun, and the rest are called Trigun Maximum because it switched publishers during original publication. Please make sure you read Trigun first! They're easily in sequence in the Overhaul project, and collected into handy PDFs for easy reading as well. You can even listen to my carefully curated Vashwood playlist as you read!
Volume 10 is a canon event that cannot be avoided. I am so sorry.
4. Catch up on the reboot, Trigun Stampede.
The reboot has 1 season so far and is streaming on Crunchyroll, and in the US also on Hulu, in both dub and sub. (The reboot is also phenomenal both ways!)
As I previously stated, Stampede is an expansion of the original story in the manga, with Yasuhiro Nightow's assistance, so any changes are with his blessing. For example, the first season takes place BEFORE the devastating events of July, which in the other two versions have already occurred in the past and we learn about in flashback, so season 1 is almost like a prequel. This is why Milly isn't there yet, because they chose to fully develop Meryl's backstory first, so we can see how they meet and grow close in further installments, which we've never gotten to see before.
The animation, which they took FIVE YEARS to develop, is breathtaking, the music is jaw dropping, and the attention to detail is immense. (Also, don't worry, if you look very closely, Kuroneko-sama does appear in the background of some episodes!) Differences in characterization for characters we know and love like Vash and Wolfwood are because these are younger, less experienced versions of the ones we've seen in other versions, and Stampede will be taking its time showing how they grow and change over time (including, as hinted in some panels, changes to their character designs).
Oh he's just a silly little guy! He's so silly!
5. Message me while doing all these things with your live thoughts so I can have more Trigun friends.
Please. What are your opinions on Vashwood? What about the Polygun? Or Meryl/Milly? I have to know. I have fan fiction recommendations.
Content warnings
This is a SEINEN manga and anime, for ADULT audiences only. Please do not watch or read it with children present.
Obviously, gun violence and a lot of it
Partial nudity
Blood, gore, and body horror, in varying degrees depending on the version, including dismembered body parts, body mutilation, amputated limbs, extensive scarring, bullet wounds
Unethical scientific experimentation/medical abuse, and body augmentation, including experimenting on and sacrificing children (involving a Christian church-like organization)
DID (dissasociative identity disorder) due to child abuse
Animal death and abuse
Drug-induced hallucination
Disordered eating (this is more prevalent in the manga and the reboot)
Sexual harassment, sexual assault, sex trafficking, both discussed or partially shown depending on the version, to people of various genders. The manga includes it involving a child/teen in later volumes. (This isn't like an animanga passing this stuff off as ok, which is sadly very prevalent, it is very much treated as horrifying and wrong, and not done gratuitously, although the harrassing jokes in Badlands Rumble and early parts of the original anime are a bit annoying and frankly out of character. The assault and other physical situations are not explicit but are still graphic in some situations).
Alcoholism, EXCESSIVE smoking
Police brutality (this is mostly present in the reboot and is not excessive, however I just wanted to mention it)
Bugs (there is a character that is a hivemind of insects and controls giant worms)
Abusive/controlling family members, depersonalization from a family member
Issues with consent and bodily autonomy (for any gender). In the reboot this does involve...tentacles? Vines? Who can say what those things are. And some weird alien impregnation shit. (Not in an "oh god anime is being weird and horny again" way but in a "this is grotesque and horrible because it is supposed to represent a violation" way). There also is someone with powers that can control how anyone moves.
Memory loss/amnesia, tied to trauma
Beheading (in a dream sequence)
Hanging (not shown but there are bodies afterwards)
Suicide from a shot to the head (and also murder by shot to the head)
Gender is a MAJOR theme in Trigun and there is a lot of association of Vash with female imagery and themes both in positive and negative ways. Many see him as transmasc, nonbinary, and/or intersex for various canonical reasons, so the depersonalization and family abuse stuff may be triggering for those with gender dysphoria or gender-related traumas
Exploitation of women and AFAB bodies (the plants especially)
Misinterpretation of the Bible and "end times" rhetoric to justify atrocities through Christian-coded cults
Every version of this story has wormed its way into my heart, but also into my mind. It did what I think the best stories do, which is make you think AND feel in equal measure. I was challenged intellectually, entertained thoroughly, and emotionally devastated all in one go. What more could you ask of a story?
So long, space cowboy (plant).