Anime Review: Trigun

Title: Trigun

Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Western

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is an anime that I think everyone should watch, if not for enjoyment, to say that you have at least watched the masterpiece that is Trigun. 

This is on the Top 5 Animated features to watch before you die along with Your Lie in April.Trigun placed first for Action, and Your Lie in April won first for Drama.

General Set-Up: In a far off distant planet that is similar to the wild west Vash the Stampede (yes, that is the name of the main character) is worth 60 billion double dollars. It is said that Vash is a human cyclone, the first ever classified human natural disaster by an insurance company. It is also rumored that Vash caused an incident that caused a town to be wiped off the map. Because of this Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson from the Bernardelli Insurance Society must follow Vash around and try to prevent another disaster, all while taking insurance claims from many of Vash’s misadventures.

Characters: Vash the Stampede is not your typical main character. He tends to stand out of a crowd with his tall frame, wild, blonde hair styled into a mohawk, and bright red coat. All that and the personality to match. But what this show does best is the dual nature of the characters. Throughout the show you will be left wondering whether Vash is just doing everything by the seat of his pants, or if he actually has some semblance of a plan. The world may never know, although I suspect that it is a combination of the two. And perhaps the two things that stand out about Vash the most is his love for donuts and his desire for love and peace. Both are very important to him.

    Milly and Meryl are more simple than Vash. Sent by the Bernardelli Insurance Society, they both seem to be winging it and hoping for the best. Which, makes sense, because it’s not everyday that someone gets classified as an human disaster.

    I would be remiss if I did not mention the other main(ish) character, despite the fact that his is not introduced until much later on in the series. Nicholas D. Wolfwood! However epic that name sounds, he’s more epic. Dressed in a spiffy suit, he begins to follow Vash and the insurance girls around. Like Vash, he also has a dual nature. He is a preacher, and right off the bat, a rather strange one. He is first seen after his motorcycle breaks down, carrying a HUGE cross across the desert. With even a miniature confessional, he seems to be a rather eccentric Catholic priest. But that all flies out the window when you learn that the cross is full of guns! Is he true to the ideals of a priest or to a mercenary? You may never know!

Plot: The plot at first can’t seem to know what to do with itself. The first few episodes are very similar to what you might find on Saturday morning cartoons. The villain is introduced at the beginning of the episode, only to be defeated by the end of the episode. But the first episodes serve their purpose, and serve it well. They let us get to know all the characters and also introduce the ideals of Vash the Stampede. They are light-hearted, and full of humor, and arguably the most enjoyable episodes in the show.   About halfway through the plot suddenly becomes more serious, although there are still many humorous parts.

Finally, your main villains are introduced, and face off against Vash. The second half of the series plays like a thriller, with many twists and turns. It takes a much darker turn, going into morality, ethics, and metaphysics. The second half is different, but just as good as the first half, if not better!

Ending: The ending, while radically different than the ending in the manga, was satisfying and epic. What more could you ask for? It was as close to a perfect ending in Sci-fi that I think we are ever going to get.

Sound: The soundtrack is one thing that will never age. Perhaps the most well known track is H.T. the opening. Full of electric guitars and awesomeness, it pumps us up for each episode. It was so epic (in fact) that I listened to the opening for each episode. There is a longer version of this song called “H.T. in Badlands Rumble” that is available that was used in the Trigun movie.

    Not only was the opening spectacular, but the background music was as well. Trigun, like Cowboy Bebop, is a Space Western. The soundtrack includes many of the sounds of the Wild West like guitars and banjos, but also includes electric and synthesized instruments that form music that is familiar, yet alien, much like the setting in Trigun.

    Now, to the voice dub work. In a word: Epic. In two words: Super Epic! All the voices in Trigun were brilliant, but none as much as Johnny Young Bosch. It was the first major performance for Johnny Yong Bosch and did he ever knock it out of the park. Vash’s voice perfectly captured the character, going from zero to sixty. One moment Vash’s voice is soft and caring, the next loud and jovial, and the next challenging and harsh. It take some major voice talent to be able to pull that off.

    In my opinion, the English dub was far better than the Japanese dub. Part of it is the fact the western slang just doesn’t sound right in Japanese. Part of it lies in the fact that Trigun was very unpopular in Japan (much more popular in the west) and so had a lower dubbing budget. Part of it was also due to the fact that FUNimation pulled out all the stops, and I mean all of the stops,  for a voice acting cast. I generally don’t care if you watch a show in English or Japanese, but this is one that, hands down, should be watched in English.

Animation: Now, to be honest, the animation in Trigun is dated. There’s no way around that. But considering what they did have in 1998 it’s pretty darn good. The animation works when it has to. By far the most well animated part of the series is the characters. The facial expressions perfectly match what is going on screen, which is much better than even some recent animation that we’ve seen. Each character is drawn differently, with different designs for the eyes, texture of hair and clothing, and other details that make the animation pop.

    Also, there is this random black cat with green eyes that pops up at least once in every episode for some reason. It’s like an “I Spy” book, but you have to find the cat--not that it’s very challenging. I just find it really interesting that they put that in the show.

Things to watch out for: There is really no gore in Trigun, but there is some language and the second half of the show has darker tones. 

Other Media: Trigun has a movie that come out recently in 2010. It takes place sometime in the middle of the series, but is not important to the central plot. It is made so that you can watch the movie first, and then the anime, but I would recommend that you watch the anime first. It does not adapt any of the story line in the manga, but creates an original story.

    Trigun also has two mangas on which the series was based. Some of the first parts of the manga are adapted in the anime, but then the anime got a head of the manga. But Trigun is the only manga to anime adaptation in which I can say both endings are truly great. Both answer most of the questions left and have that satisfying feeling. While the conclusion in the manga is much longer, I can say both deserve a watch/read.

Where to watch it: Trigun is licensed by FUNimation.

Victory!

     I am pleased to announce that our YouTube channel is up and running! Yay! (Seriously, I am really excited about this because it is finally up!!!!)

     So, please, please, please check us out (no pressure). ;) Right now we only have a couple videos up (should be the Naruto and Nobunaga reviews, as well as an intro video).

     Wow, this is really short. I thought I would have more to talk about.

     Anyway, without further ado, I give you the grand unveiling of Rose Squad Reviews!

Manga Review: Reimei no Arcana

This is my first review of a manga, so we’ll see how this goes. :)

Title: Reimei no Arcana (or Dawn of the Arcana)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Genre: Shounen, fantasy, romance, drama

General Setup: In an attempt to keep the peace between two neighboring countries Princess Nakaba is marrying Prince Caesar as an act of good faith. Caesar acts cruel and demeaning towards Nakaba. Her only friend is her attendant Loki. Suddenly Nakaba starts to get visions. Some of them are of Caesar getting mortally hurt. What is going on? Will she try and protect him or leave him to his own measures?

Characters: Nakaba had few friends as a child. Because of her red hair she was locked away as an outcast of the court. Despite being rejected and mistreated she has a strong spirit and is willing to stand up for what she believes in. Nakaba has a kind heart toward others and wants to help them in anyway she can. She doesn’t care for material belongings, instead she treasures her relationships with people. Caesar acts cruelly towards Nakaba, but soon he comes to care for her. Behind a rough exterior he hides a heart that cares. He is a natural leader, but never had the chance to use his talent because he is not the Crown Prince. Loki is an Ajin (a species with both human and animal characteristics - they reminded me of the Faunus from RWBY). He is compassionate, but is also willing to hurt others in order to obtain his goal.

Plot: The plot for Reimei no Arcana  is actually very intricate. There are multiple plot twists lying in wait for readers. Get excited - you won’t be bored! The story has some deep themes, one of them being the discrimination of the Ajin, who are considered sub-human. Also, the story gets a little dark in some places. While I may not always like the actions the characters take they move the plot forward and are sometimes the only thing they could have done to improve their situations.

Ending: I feel like this story has two endings: the one you think is the ending and then the actual ending. Both of my reactions to them were, “What?!” and then, “Oh.” Disregarding my vague comments that are an attempt to avoid spoilers, I enjoyed the way this manga ended. The [actual] ending, while a surprise, ends on a bittersweet note. I almost cried (and I am not a big crier), but it was mostly happy.

Things to Watch For: Nakaba and Caesar are married, so there are some adult themes. Not to worry, nothing overt happens. Also, as I mentioned, the story can be a little dark. I’ll put it this way: Stuff gets real.

Humor: This manga has a more serious feel, but humor is still present.

Visuals: Manga doesn’t really have sound, so I changed the heading for this. I personally enjoyed the art style. It was cool to see the characters change as time went on (ex. Hair growth). The only thing that bothered me about the art was how Nakaba’s braid is so thin. Like, I think you have more hair than that!

Other media: Reimei no Arcana is just a manga. But it’s a good manga, so you should read it!

Length: This manga is composed of 13 volumes.

Where to Read: Reimei no Arcana is licensed in English, so look for it in libraries and bookstores. It is also available to read online. However, I am not convinced of the legality of that particular method.

First Impressions: Your Lie in April

For a video version of this first impression please go here.

Going into this episode all I knew about the anime was that it was about a guy who played piano and a girl who played violin. Well, that and a few other basic plot details, but I had no idea how it was going to happen!

My first impression of the first impression: Beautiful animation! Just gorgeous!

Thoughts on the theme song: Not what I expected, but it introduces the characters nicely. I can tell that there will be two female main characters and two male main characters. I especially liked the crescendo in the middle.

So, your main character is this bespectacled dude named Kousei. He was a child prodigy at piano. The episode opens with a scene of him playing in a giant concert hall. Then the music stops and there is an abrupt time skip and scene change that brings us to the present. Kousei is a middle schooler (which I was surprised to learn).

At the end of the school day he walks home with his friends. One of his friends mentions how when you love somebody everything is colorful. Kousei thinks to himself that he obviously has never been in love because he sees the world in a monotone. I got the feeling that part of this had to do with his mother who pushed him to become a talented pianist, but died when he was 11. This caused him to lose the ability to hear himself play the piano.

One Saturday morning Kousei is waiting to meet his friends near a playground when he hears the sound of live music. He sees a girl playing an instrument called a melodica (think a mini piano that you blow into - I swear I’m not making this up!). She plays with an obvious joy that surprises him.

As matters would have it, the girl (her name is Kaori) and Kousei go to the same school and have some mutual friends. She is a violinist and is performing for a contest that day. When Kaori invites him to come watch her performance Kousei tries to back out of going, but he gets dragged along.

I sensed that Kousei tends to avoid musical events because they remind him of his mother and his inability to hear the piano, so I was curious to see what would happen when he went to watch Kaori play. I was so curious to see what would happen next that instead of recording my observations in a more permanent form than field notes I pushed the ‘next video’ button. This happened again and again until I had watched the first five episodes and it was 11:00 at night (which for me is late). ;)

Note: To read my review for this anime go here.