Trigun Stampede (2023)

Season 1

Director: Kenji Muto
Studio: Orange
Starring: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Junya Ikeda, Sakura Ando
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
On a desolate planet where humanity is barely clinging to survival, a pair of reporters pursue a story about the notorious Humanoid Typhoon, Vash the Stampede.

Impressions:
As an old fan of Trigun, I met this remake with some skepticism. CG anime doesn't generally have a great track record and that's not even starting on all the changes made to the characters and story. Now, to be fair, the '98 anime quickly outpaced the manga and struck out in a significantly different direction itself, but even so, there was a fair bit of fan discontent about all the changes here. I maintained my skepticism even while I committed to giving this version a chance. Without spoiling anything, by the end, pieces started coming together that has me interested in seeing where they go from here (as a second season has been announced). Also, regarding the animation, I have to give all due credit to Studio Orange for an amazing production. If more CG anime was this good, people will be more welcoming of it. No jank, a good range of expression, dynamic action... All good. While a good portion of the original voice cast is still active in the industry, none of them return here. I still prefer Masaya Onosaka as Vash, but Yoshitsugu Matsuoka does a good job in the role. So long as you accept that this is a rather different animal from the original, you should enjoy yourself and I'd gladly recommend adding this to your collection.

Rating:
Own It