First Impression: TRIGUN STARGAZE (Trigun Stampede S2)

Two years have passed since the destruction of JuLai. Vash is still missing. And now, Meryl and Milly are investigating a new string of Plant robberies, which Meryl assumes is the work of Knives. The loss of these Plants is catastrophic for towns, since they create and provide everything that residents need—food, water, fuel—to survive in this harsh world. When a Plant is stolen, residents must move on from their town and hope that they’ll be allowed into another. But the fortunes of the people of Noman’s Land may be turning with the arrival of spaceships from a distant but familiar planet…

TRIGUN STARGAZE (as this second season of TRIGUN STAMPEDE has been named) arrives with a whisper rather than a bang—but I think it’s all the better for it. I dropped the first season after several episodes because the violence and CGI turned me off; there was so much energy in early episodes, and it felt meandering and over-the-top; but the last half of season one (which I later returned to) was full of depth and showed that the story was far more complex than the early episodes indicated. And that depth continues in season two, with a focus in one scene that involves Meryl, Milly, and Zazie the Beast (who is now sort of a buddy to the girls?) on the ethics of humans using the living, breathing, thinking Plants for their own survival, while the final few minutes are sorrowful, featuring an outcast caregiver caring for “Eriks,” despite his own limitations and emotional scars. The tragedy of Vash was expressed so well in the original series, but it feels as if it may be even better shown here. What a wonderful remake we’ve received! On another note, the opening and ending songs are both terrific and worthy additions to the line of memorable Trigun music. I still hate the use of CGI (it looks fine when the characters are still, but so unrealistic when characters are moving in basic ways, like blinking their eyes or eating), though 2D seems to be used more often in this episode than it was in season one episodes, which is hopefully a good sign of things to come. Regardless, I’m all-in on this reimagining, and so excited that the story of Vash and the others is continuing forward this winter!

TRIGUN STARGAZE can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

Twwk
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