Warning: SPOILERS for episode #4 of Trigun Stampede.Trigun Stampede has found the perfect solution to the problem of “reboot fatigue”. Aware that fans of the franchise are already familiar with its story, Trigun Stampede drops every pretense of maintaining the mysteries of the series and instead focuses on telling a good, visually compelling story.
Trigun Stampede is the reboot of the iconic Trigun anime series from the late 1990s. As one of the first successful modern anime to reach Western audiences, Trigun is still widely known today, and it’s considered one of the precursors of the “anime invasion” of the 2000s. Trigun Stampede is the modern retelling of the story of Vash, the man known as the Human Typhoon, which takes place on the unforgiving planet of Noman’s Land, a unique blend of sci-fi and Old Wild West influences. While the original Trigun story was full of mysteries, especially concerning Vash’s nature and his relationship with the series’ villain, Knives, Stampede has taken a very different approach instead.
Trigun Stampede Does Not Pretend That It’s Telling A New Story
From its first episode, Trigun Stampede made it clear that it did not care about maintaining the pretense that its viewers are not familiar with the story. The opening sequence reveals that Vash and Knives are related and that they grew up on the spaceships of Project SEED, which was one of the biggest surprises in Trigun. Another example is episode #4, “Hungry!“, which introduces an important and popular character from Trigun, Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Once again, the anime does not try to hide the surprise of Wolfwood’s future betrayal against Vash, but makes it evident that he is working with the series’ villains.
In today’s entertainment industry, reboots and remakes are a constant presence. Anime have, in a sense, always dealt with this issue, because the majority of anime are remakes of manga, even if the differences between the two media mean that fans can still enjoy both. In Trigun Stampede‘s case, the series clearly wants to stay as close to the original anime as possible introducing only minor changes (such as the much-criticized absence of Milly Thompson, or Ash’s different hairstyle). However, the anime is also recognizing that, with a franchise as iconic as Trigun, there is no reason to pretend that its viewers are not already well-versed in the story. This acceptance opens up a new, interesting approach to reboots. As Trigun Stampede‘s director Kenji Muto said during an interview, rather than simply tracing the original series, he wants to “define the meaning of creating this work as an entertainment piece in this day and age“.
Free from the constraints of obligated plot twists, Trigun Stampede can focus on how to best tell an old story in a new way that can please old fans of the franchise and, at the same time, attract new viewers. This is certainly a bold choice by Orange studios, and only time will tell if it will pay off. For now, Trigun Stampede has divided fans for its use of CGI graphics and the small changes it has made to the original story. In a time when reboots and remakes seem to be growing more popular every day, Trigun Stampede at least stands out for its innovative and bold approach.
Trigun Stampede is streaming on Crunchyroll.
