Trigun Stampede

Episode 4

So with the introduction of Wolfwood, we now have our full ensemble cast together, and while this episode was a little weak narratively, it was still a spectacle with a lot of enjoyable moments. Now that we're finally out of that one town, we get a little more environmental storytelling and explanations about some of the oddities of this world. Through dialogue, we know that vegetation is a rare commodity, and the desert is riddled with insects that all seem to communicate with some distinct electromagnetic ecosystem. There are worms as big as the one that killed BoBA Fett in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Seriously, I couldn't have been the only one thinking that when the giant worm tried to eat up the power station, right?

This episode is mostly here to establish the character of Wolfwood and fabricate a circumstance where he can be trusted to join the group. I'll be honest, I called almost every single narrative beat that happened in this episode, from the kid being the killer the whole time to Wolfwood knowing everything that was going on. I wasn't expecting the worm tamer to get away. But this episode ranks better if I look at it more as a setup than a self-contained story. That seems accurate when one of the most noteworthy bits of dialogue came at the end regarding what Knives appears to have in mind for Vash.

Also, I'm not sure why Wolfwood calls Vash “Needle Noggin” when his hair isn't spiky like it was in the original. That felt a bit forced, but aesthetically, this episode was top-notch and continues to make me impressed with Studio Orange's efforts. The use of dynamic camera work and a lot of the backgrounds when they're inside the worm was absolutely gorgeous to look at. Again, this is the best that Trigun has ever looked. I hope that upcoming episodes will tell a story that better matches this level of presentation.

Rating:

Trigun Stampede is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.