Triumph of Trigun - A Look at Both Series Original and New

Series Name/Year: Trigun (1998)
Series Name/Year: Trigun Stampede (2023-)
Streaming Service (Both): Crunchyroll
Genres (Both): Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Western
Average Episode Length - Trigun:  24 min (1 Season, 26 episodes)
Average Episode Length - Trigun Stampede:  24min (1 Season, 12 episodes)
Rating (Both): TV-14
Director - Trigun: Satoshi Nishimura
Directors - Trigun Stampede: Kenji Muto, Minoru Yamaoka, Naomichi Yamato, Hiroshi Nishikiori, Mie Ôishi
Writers - Trigun: Yôsuke Kuroda, Yasuhiro Nightow
Writers - Trigun Stampede: Tatsuro Inamoto, Yasuhiro Nightow, Shin Okashima, Takehiko Okishi, Yoshihisa Ueda
Actors - Trigun:
- Japanese Cast:
Masaya Onosaka, Satsuki Yukino, Hiromi Tsuru, Show Hayami, Tôru Furusawa, Masamichi Ota, Aya Hisakawa, Toshihiko Seki, Kôki Miyata
- English Cast:
Johnny Yong Bosch, Lia Sargent, Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Jeff Nimoy, Kirk Baily, Bridget Hoffman, Richard Cansino, Bryce Papenbrook, Joshua Seth
Actors - Trigun Stampede:
- Japanese Cast:
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Sakura Ando, Kenji Matsuda, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Junya Ikeda, Yumiri Hanamori, Tomoyo Kurosawa, Tarako, Ryûsei Nakao, Maaya Sakamoto, Kimiko Saitô, Mirei Kumagai
- English Cast:
Johnny Yong Bosch, Sarah Roach, Ben Bryant, David Matranga, Austin Tindle, Kristen McGuire, Madeleine Morris, Megan Shipman, Larry Brantley, Emily Fajardo, Lydia Mackay
 
IMDb Blurb - Trigun: Vash the Stampede is the most infamous outlaw on the planet Gunsmoke and with a 60 billion double dollar price on his head the most sought after!
IMDb Blurb - Trigun Stampede: Follow gunman Vash the Stampede as he struggles to maintain his pacifist ways while avoiding the immense bounty on his head.

 
Cat’s Point of View:
Before we delve into the warm fuzzies of the Holiday Season – better yet, before we return to our more usual review fare with the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike; I thought I’d dive into one of my favorite Japanese manga adaptations: Trigun.

Of course, there’s more than 1 series to mention, considering the freshly released Trigun Stampede that premiered this year. Both series approach the same material (for the most part) from different perspectives, and I find both of them excellent in their own ways.

I have a bit of a soft spot for westerns. Couple that with my love of science fiction and adventure and Trigun just started checking a lot of boxes in the positive column as I caught the original series airing on Adult Swim years ago.

If I had to pick some well known titles to mash together to compare Trigun to, I’d have to say that it would be somewhat like a combination of the world of Mad Max (1979) and the sci-fi blend in Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999). (Of course, Trigun was one of Bebop’s contemporaries airing in the same year.) I adore the blend of action with drama and comedy. Some of the physical anime gags go a little over-the-top (especially facial features and expressions). Those really aren’t my favorite bits, but everything else about the series is a wonderful blend of chaos, futuristic steampunk, and the visuals of an alternate world “old West.”

Before I go any further, I feel I do need to warn that this review will inherently contain some mild SPOILERS regarding the Trigun storyline continuity. The 1998 series and the 2023 series approach Vash’s story from different points in the timeline and some bits of information revealed as a surprise or plot-twist late in the Trigun original series are front and center in the very first episodes of the Trigun Stampede series. Further, anyone who has watched the original series will generally know most of what will happen in Trigun Stampede, however not everything is shown in this first season. There’s room for the “missing characters” (to some extent) and other plot elements to be explored in season 2 and potentially beyond.

First, let’s talk animation style. With the 20-plus years between Trigun and Trigun Stampede, it’s a given that animation production methods and styles will have changed over time. 1998’s series fits right in with the high quality of its contemporaries. The action was handled really well, and not all of the comedy digressed into “comicalization” or simplistically exaggerated facial expressions for the characters. Hey, I’m not knocking that stylistic choice – it’s just not my preferred cup of tea. Even so, plenty of my favorite series utilize that affectation as a common anime trope. It doesn’t generally impact my enjoyment.

The Trigun Stampede series is rather straight-shooting in a seamless animation style that remains uniform, even while still delivering the moments of emotion and comedy. The new style is clearly rendered in a digital format, though still retains much of the “old school” animation charm rather than the shiny plastic nature of most 3D animation. The action is fluid and well done, and Stampede also utilizes a more modern approach to cinematography. As an example, there’s one scene in an early episode of Stampede that comes to mind where Vash is using parkour as he dodges bullets, and as he flips onto another rooftop or similar surface the camera does a rotation with him. (This scene is actually shown in the music video that accompanies the opening theme music for Stampede.)

Now let’s get into the story a bit. Trigun Stampede might be hard for some fans of the original series to take in at first because of some changes and/or seeming omissions. Some characters aren’t seen that are in the 1998 series and even the world has a different name. Previously called Gunsmoke, it’s now called Nomans Land. Some of the villain-of-the-week characters don’t make an appearance, and even some of the Gung-Ho Guns don’t show. Some characters have different backgrounds… you get the picture.

Most of the differences are honestly splitting hairs, in my opinion. Stampede is not worse for wear for these changes. Honestly, it felt like the story was more cohesive and streamlined. It felt like the original series had more light-hearted moments sprinkled through the explosions, raining bullets, questionable pick-up lines, and camaraderie. Trigun Stampede has the comedy and action down, but also leans in a bit more to drama, ethics, discrimination, personal moral code, and existential questions. It’s a bit heavier in tone in some places, considering you know from the outset what the relationship is between Vash and Knives and get an inkling as to what the stakes are overall.

There’s one main thing to keep in mind, however. When the 1998 series ran, the manga was not finished by a long shot. Both series are made from a combination of Trigun and Trigun Maximum. The latter just wasn’t complete when the first series made its run. Maximum also wasn’t a reboot of the original Trigun manga, but a continuation. The name only changed due to legal red tape because the publisher changed, etc. Stampede now has the full manga run at its disposal to draw from, and has the opportunity to spin the entire story in a different way than presented in 1998.

Both versions of the series remain true to Vash’s core journey – both literal and figurative. He strives to put together what went wrong in the past and find some redemption in his life. Vash has profound sadness within him, and yet shows a great understanding and zest for life and laughter all the same. Throughout both series, in the face of daunting circumstances, he maintains his beliefs in finding alternate solutions to violence. Though, when violence cannot be avoided, he shows strength and stands up to defend even those that have tried to hurt him. In this way, the story of Trigun in both series reminds me of the way of life and perspective of the late Gandhi and makes this story that much more powerful. 

“My creed of nonviolence is an extremely active force. It has no room for cowardice or even weakness. There is hope for a violent man to be some day non-violent, but there is none for a coward. I have, therefore, said more than once....that, if we do not know how to defend ourselves, our women and our places of worship by the force of suffering, i.e., nonviolence, we must, if we are men, be at least able to defend all these by fighting.” - M.K. Gandhi

As usual, I feel I must disclose that, at this time, I haven’t read the manga to know specifically what differences exist between either Trigun’s original series or Stampede and the source material. There are many anime resource sites, forums, and databases you are welcome to peruse should you wish to look up the play-by-play yourself.

One of the things that brings me great joy about all of the Trigun series is that, at least for the English dubbed versions, Johnny Yong Bosch (Black Clover, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War) has remained the voice of Vash the Stampede throughout. He seems to be the only consistent cast member to return through both series and the 2010 stand-alone movie. He brings something great to all of the characters he brings to life on the screen, and seemingly effortlessly evokes both their strengths and vulnerabilities.

Yes, I did mention that there was a Trigun movie. Trigun: Badlands Rumble hit screens in 2010 as an independent story that could have taken place somewhere in the middle of the continuity of the 1998 series. It didn’t pick up from the end, as some might have hoped. In that way it shared even more in common with the Bebop series, as Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001) did the same thing (much to my dismay).

Trigun Stampede does have a 2^nd season announced, though details are scarce as to the timeline for production. The ending of Stampede’s first season did allude to the return of a familiar original series character that was conspicuously missing thus far. There’s always room for more villains and other supporting characters to pop up in the next installments, as well as new elements of the expanded story within the source material. I just hope they also find a way to fit Kuroneko back in for at least a cameo. The familiar silly black cat was a missed opportunity in Stampede, in my book at least.

If you are a fan of the original series, I implore you to give Trigun Stampede a chance. If you haven’t watched any of the series yet – old or new – I do not envy your decision between original and new series, but once you’ve watched one, I encourage you to watch the other. Stampede is definitely an easier binge with only 12 episodes compared to the original’s 26 + movie, but I’d have to say it’s well worth the time spent to view both perspectives. 

 
Trigun Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 100%
Trigun Stampede Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 100%
Trigun Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 88%
Ttrigun Stampede Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 78%
Metascore – None (both)
Metacritic User Score – None (both)
Trigun IMDB Score – 8.2/10
Trigun: Stampede IMDB Score – 7.3/10
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating:
Trigun – 4.5/5
Trigun: Stampede – 4.5/5

 
Trigun: Stampede Trailer:

Trigun (1998) Trailer:

Ghost Hunt (2006-2007)

 

Streaming Service: Crunchyroll

Series Name/Year: Ghost Hunt (2006-2007)

Genre: Animation, drama, horror, mystery, comedy

Average Episode Length:  24 min (1 Season, 25 eps.)

Rating: TV-14

Directors: Fuyumi Ono, Akira Mano

Writers: Luci Christian, Jack LaRouche, Andrew Rye, Sonny Strait, Shiho Inada, Fuyumi Ono

Actors:

Japanese Cast – Yuuki Tai, Kaori Nazuka, Kenji Hamada, Rie Kugimiya, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Masami Suzuki, Ken Narita, Kousuke Okano, Miyuki Sawashiro

 

English Cast -  Todd Haberkorn, Cherami Leigh, Travis Willingham, Jad Saxton, Jason Liebrecht, Colleen Clinkenbeard, J. Michael Tatum, Eric Vale, Kent Williams, Caitlin Glass

 

CrunchyRoll Blurb: Mai’s fascination with the unknown leads her to join the Shibuya Psychic Research team. Using her growing psychic abilities, Mai will work with a spirit medium, a shrine maiden, an exorcist, and a monk to uncover the darkest mysteries of the unseen.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

After the scorching summer we’ve just had, it’s such a relief to finally be getting some weather that feels generally like fall. It’s almost mid-October and the anticipation for the thrills and chills of the season is only building by the day. I decided to shake things up a little in my quest for some lesser-known spooky anime and took a meandering journey through some of the titles that Crunchyroll obtained through their merger with Funimation. One such anime title looked like it would be exactly what I was seeking – Ghost Hunt.

 

Considering how long ago Ghost Hunt was released, I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of it before – and, at the same time, not so much. I’ve loved anime as a genre ever since I was first introduced to it back in high school, but I know I haven’t even seen a 10^th of the titles out there. I digress…

 

 

One of the factors that encouraged me to watch this series was my enjoyment of ghost-hunting and paranormal related shows. I’ve seen most of what A&E, SYFY, Discovery, the Travel Channel, and a few others (I’ve forgotten the acronyms) have to offer along the supernatural niche of reality TV. I also find myself playing a lot of spooky ghost hunting games with my friends via Steam and Discord. All of this only fueled my desire to give this series a chance and had me crossing my fingers that it was as good as I hoped.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed Ghost Hunt. By the end of the 25^th episode, I was lamenting that there was only one season.

 

Lets get a little further into it, shall we? 

 

 

In the very beginning I admit I had a few doubts, but once things took off it was undeniable that I was hooked by this story. While the narrative comes primarily from the perspective of Mai Taniyama, a high school student; each character had their own time to shine along the way. I appreciated that the young girl’s infatuation didn’t bog everything down as much as I thought it might, once there were hints that there might be some romantic tension between some of the characters. Ghost Hunt deftly skirted that topic without feeling dismissive of it. I’ve since read that the manga’s creator had an idea of how characters would end up in that regard but never addressed it because she wasn’t trying to write a romance.

 

Ghost Hunt decidedly stays true to its titular premise from beginning to end. I adored its use of technology – some still in use today in real-world paranormal research - and the efforts made by the team to debunk hauntings before declaring something supernatural was actually afoot. The calculated skepticism as well as open-minded teamwork were refreshing.

 

 

At this point, once I’ve mentioned an anime has been adapted from manga I need to give my usual disclosure. I haven’t read the manga for this series, so I can’t personally attest to whether or not this adaptation stays true to the page. I haven’t, however, run into any negative reviews through my cursory research that would indicate otherwise. You’re welcome to check that out for yourself. There is more to the manga, apparently, that wasn’t included in the series – but likely not enough for a 2^nd season to be created. I did search around to see if there were any talks about a second series and found nothing to support that idea anywhere, in spite of generally glowing reviews for the anime and fans’ wishes for more. Given that Ghost Hunt aired over 15 years ago, the chances are decidedly slim.

 

Back to the story!

 

The ambiance throughout Ghost Hunt was on point. Each case gave the group new challenges and didn’t feel like a ‘rinse and repeat’ as so many procedural-type shows fall prey to. The animation style was right in my preferred comfort zone for aesthetics and everything flowed smoothly. I snickered to myself that one of the characters reminded me of Sebastian from Black Butler (2008-2011). I was surprised to learn that the same voice actor for the English dubbed version also voiced the character in Ghost Hunt - J. Michael Tatum (RWBY: Ice Queendom, Vinland Saga, My Hero Academia). Funny enough, while the similarities in the characters may be purely coincidence, the Ghost Hunt series actually came first! 

 

 

On a more somber note, while this series is rated PG-13 or TV-14, it would be best for parents to strongly consider before allowing young viewers to watch this series. While there were no explicit scenes of a sexual nature nor were there many depictions of graphic violence, there were many bloody visuals and the discussion of characters having “unalived themselves,” as today’s phrasing goes. There are spooky spirits and characters get hurt. Considering this series is about a team of ghost hunters, there are many depictions and discussions of death, as well. This is all on the more tame end of the spectrum, but touches on the topics all the same.

 

If you have the opportunity and a couple days to run through these 25 short episodes, I wouldn’t hesitate to encourage you to do so. 

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None

Metascore – None

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 7.4/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5

 

Series Trailer: