Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I\u2019m eager to descend to the sand-swept wastes of No Man\u2019s Land, as we check back in on Vash and his companions for another episode of Trigun Stampede. When last we left off, the team had just barely survived a horror-themed outing in the belly of a giant sand worm, where a mysterious, youthful assassin known as Zazie the Beast nearly got the whole group digested. Fortunately, they were aided in their escape by Nicholas D. Wolfwood, a so-called priest wielding a giant gun in the shape of a cross.<\/span><\/p>\n Both the worm and its master provided a natural opportunity to expound on Trigun\u2019s moral philosophy, as Vash questioned Wolfwood\u2019s conception of \u201cmonstrousness,\u201d as well as his pragmatic view of survival. Vash is a martyr forever seeking his own destruction, seemingly finding it easier to sacrifice himself for others than to defend the worth of his own life. To Wolfwood, such a view is self-defeating and ridiculous; life is obviously its own reward, and clinging to it by whatever means necessary is the only directive worth following, particularly in a world as cutthroat as No Man\u2019s Land.<\/span><\/p>\n The two work as well here as in the original Trigun because they are actually quite alike, and are simply coming at a perspective of world-weary humanism from opposing directions \u2013 Vash from a refusal to harm others, and Wolfwood from a willingness to do whatever it takes to ensure others survive. Their similarities and differences alike are summed up in their approach to the dead worm \u2013 Wolfwood demanding that Meryl eat the beast he has slain, the burden he has taken himself, versus Vash quietly attesting that he too deserves to eat and laugh like anyone.<\/span><\/p>\n Furthermore, our stinger revealed that Wolfwood is actually in cahoots with Zazie, a fellow assassin looking to manipulate Vash and his companions. Like the origins of Vash\u2019s nature, the original Trigun only revealed this information at the end, basically after the point it could in any way inform our understanding of his character, so I\u2019m intrigued to see how this new structure will impact the show\u2019s portrayal of his journey. Let\u2019s get to it!<\/span><\/p>\n Episode 5<\/b><\/p>\n We open panning down over a series of makeshift windmills and broadcasting dishes. The architecture of Trigun is inherently kinda interesting because the vast majority of it is repurposed \u2013 all segments of the arc ships that were stripped from their carcasses and put to new uses, alongside whatever scraps of wood and metal they could form into lean-tos and other buildings. This aesthetic offers a perpetual reminder of humanity\u2019s apparently glorious past, the technological heights we climbed to, but which now only serve as irregular sheet metal. It\u2019s an aesthetic that seems to naturally echo Vash\u2019s philosophy \u2013 for when all our great wonders have crumbled, the only thing that lasts is how we choose to treat each other<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s also a convenient worldbuilding conceit in terms of narrative drama; technology is basically like magic in this world, a fading power that can be grasped or exploited for individual violent actors without implying everyone has some degree of access to their specific contraptions<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe Sinners were cast upon this land when the arc crashed.\u201d And of course, it\u2019s an obvious choice for this show\u2019s overall religious metaphor, that posits us as sinners who have fallen from God\u2019s grace, having lost the mandate of heaven and its countless technological wonders. Now only Vash and Knives, the two sons of God, can choose to either redeem or condemn us<\/span><\/p>\n It shouldn\u2019t need to be said, but your specific worldbuilding choices are crucial in storytelling, and should ideally match the scope, narrative priorities, and thematic philosophy of your work. Many modern anime have entirely forgotten this lesson, setting themselves in generic Dragon Quest-style isekai worlds, and thereby immediately abandoning either the allure of a unique world to explore or the narrative\/thematic benefits that an intelligently designed world could offer<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPraise the angel. Honor the angel. Become the angel\u2019s eyes.\u201d We see two figures praying before what is presumably their marker of an \u201cangel,\u201d a circle with eight lines sketched around it. Actually gesturing towards a \u201cbiblically accurate angel\u201d look<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDear God. Please let the wind blow.\u201d This boy\u2019s face is discolored over one eye, as if he has literally given one eye to the angel<\/span><\/p>\n Convincing fatigued expressions as our now-quartet drive listlessly through the heat and dust, that same religious program droning on the radio. Faith can be a tonic in hopeless times, but it just as often misleads and corrupts, twisted by mortal hands into an instrument of control and power<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe church of plant worshippers.\u201d Well, if you\u2019re going to worship something, it makes sense to praise that which keeps you alive. And as modern history seems to indicate, most people <\/span>do<\/span><\/i> need to worship something \u2013 if they\u2019re not actively religious, they will find a political or cultural leader, or even just a fandom<\/span><\/p>\n Roberto states that some mysterious creature attacked this land, slaughtering everyone and painting the desert red. Some very nice visual effects for this vision of the creature \u2013 it actually appears like continuously repainted glass, in spite of being a visual filter. The overall effect echoes Pluto\u2019s vague, ominous visions of its android killer<\/span><\/p>\n Vash has woken up, and seems to have his own thoughts on this tale. Trigun\u2019s interest in religion extends to a general preoccupation with myth-making, most frequently explored through how Vash\u2019s actions are interpreted and mythologized into the story of the \u201cHumanoid Typhoon\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n They come across a large bug that appears to have been killed with one bare-handed punch, and Vash notices the windmill village on a nearby bluff<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cChild of Blessing.\u201d Presumably that boy from the cold open, an assumption affirmed by our immediate cut from title card back to him<\/span><\/p>\n The radio preacher constantly droning in the background is a nice aesthetic touch, a graceful way to emphasize this faith\u2019s all-encompassing presence in this community<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy does God eat the sacrificed children?\u201d Welp, this cult\u2019s showing its teeth quick<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDeath is not the end. It is the beginning.\u201d If you can sell your followers on your afterlife, you can make them do anything. Very few people have genuinely made peace with their life; for everyone else, the fear of death is a powerful motivator<\/span><\/p>\n Wolfwood points out the town lacks a plant, and Roberto gestures towards the windmill. Without wind, they live in darkness<\/span><\/p>\n Excellent scrambling character acting as Vash dodges a hail of bullets. Trigun is inherently a sorta tricky property to adapt in CG animation, because Vash is such an elastic, cartoonish visual presence, but Orange are doing a fine job of conveying his constant fumbling through intentionally clumsy physical choreography<\/span><\/p>\n A holographic skull-headed meanie with gatling guns for arms drops to the street, roaring about Vash the Stampede. Don\u2019t know how anyone gets any work done around here<\/span><\/p>\n The team show off their fabric and particle effects by having this oaf machine gun through a row of hanging carpets, sending fragments of thread billowing in every direction<\/span><\/p>\n Nice texture to these interior backgrounds as we return to our child of blessing, who seems to be named Rollo<\/span><\/p>\n He learns he\u2019s been chosen as the next sacrifice, and flees into the desert. The aspect ratio tightens as he runs, lengthening black borders emphasizing the world closing in on him<\/span><\/p>\n Vash is as generous in his kindness as ever, appearing briefly worried that his violent pursuer might have hurt himself<\/span><\/p>\n Wolfwood chides Vash for his sentimentalism, but he\u2019s only venting light frustrations; the two of them actually seem to be getting along at this point<\/span><\/p>\n A dichotomy being drawn between Rollo and this pursuer \u2013 there is no life too precious to avoid being sacrificed to this faith, and no life so tainted that Vash does not see value or beauty in it<\/span><\/p>\n Rollo stumbles in the desert and is greeted by Vash, implying our two plots aren\u2019t actually happening simultaneously<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMaybe God won\u2019t save me because I don\u2019t believe in him.\u201d Their vision of god demands faith and sacrifice \u2013 the people work for him, not the other way around. In contrast, Vash still questions whether his own life has value, even as he perpetually strains and sacrifices for the sake of others. The son of God is proven so through his own unwillingness to believe in himself as savior, a doubt that inspires him to go to any lengths for others, seeing their lives as more meaningful than his own<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf God won\u2019t save you, I will!\u201d But it is precisely his belief in people that misleads him here, as he fails to ask any follow-up questions regarding Rollo\u2019s flight or his mother\u2019s love. Instead, he leads the boy right back to the slaughter, assuring him that everything will be fine<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe man you praise as God is not here right now\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Rollo is taken in for experimentation by a group of scientists, alongside a young girl who appears similar to Vash and Knives, and who similarly describes herself as an \u201cAngel.\u201d Knives\u2019 associates do not see your nature as reflective of your actions \u2013 there are simply gods, angels, and mortals, and the first two categories are allowed to do whatever they want to the third, owing to the fortune of their superior nature. A type of putting the cart before the horse that has basically infected every sort of organized religion<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere may be some side effects, but at the very least it won\u2019t be the illness that kills you.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A match cut makes it clear that this cyborg is what has become of Rollo. Thus this fight becomes a metaphor, a question regarding the allegedly infinite possibility of redemption<\/span><\/p>\n Meryl finds a photo of Vash with Rollo as a baby. This is his curse \u2013 to watch everyone he loves and cares for decay over time, dragged down by the cruelty of No Man\u2019s Land<\/span><\/p>\n As Vash apologizes for breaking his promise, we finally see Rollo\u2019s face behind the mask. A literalization of how strangers can appear as monsters until we find a point of connection<\/span><\/p>\n Frustrated by Vash\u2019s inaction, Wolfwood takes the shot. Some crimes cannot be made right, for either Vash or for Rollo<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYour hypocrisy is showing. You\u2019re the one saying things you can\u2019t even make good on.\u201d Vash promises a kinder world, but he cannot summon it into being, and his kind words can become a curse to those who believe in them. Wolfwood may be colder, but he never offers people more than the truth<\/span><\/p>\n And Done<\/b><\/p>\n Whew, that was a brutal episode! With Wolfwood on the team, the show is now fully equipped to interrogate Vash\u2019s philosophy, illustrating the limits of his idealistic view of human nature. It was Vash\u2019s unquestioning faith in others that led Rollo to five years of suffering and an unceremonious death; while Vash himself is strong enough to get away with believing all people are worthy of faith and support, the dependent, struggling humans of this desolate world are rarely so lucky. It is understandable now why Wolfwood has such contempt for Vash\u2019s optimism \u2013 this vignette demonstrates clearly how such idealism can be exploited, leaving the hard work of cleaning up to men like Wolfwood, who could see reality from the start. Is it possible to preach kindness towards a species as selfish and easily misguided as humanity? Can a world this harsh support any philosophy but survival of the fittest?<\/span><\/p>\n This\u00a0article\u00a0was\u00a0mad<\/a><\/em>e possible by reader support<\/a>. Thank you all for\u00a0all that you do.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wrongeverytime.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/December14102216.jpg?resize=584%2C329&ssl=1\")
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<\/p>\nLike this:<\/h3>\n