Customer Reviews

Trigun - Limited Collector's Edition I (With Embossed Tin Case And Necklace)

5 star:		(211)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Meryl and Milly are two insurance agents with a mission: find Vash The Stampede, a man with a $$60 billion bounty on his head, and stop him from causing any more damage! With a bounty that big and followed by a wake of destruction, Vash must be big, intimidating, and down right scary! Right? To Meryl's constant aggravation and disbelief, Vash turns out to be a friendly, doughnut loving pacifist. Its hard to believe that he has survived this long! But there is more to Vash then meets the eye, and the series starts to turn dark as Vash's past is brought to light.

This is a very entertaining series. The first half is mostly comedic Western style short stories, i.e. Bad guy threatens people and Vash bumbles his way in and saves the day with his amazing gun skills. Vash is one of the best anime characters I've seen and it is lots of fun to watch him save the day. The guy that shares the cover with him is Nicholas Wolfwood, and the two of them are excellent foils to each other. Around episode 15, things start heating up as the story starts focusing more on Vash's mysterious past.

I normally watch anime in Japanese, but when a dub is truly impressive I make an exception. This was one of those dubs. Johnny Yong Bosch does an awesome job as Vash, and all of the rest of the cast does a good job as well.

Trigun is one of my favorite anime series, one I recommend to just about anyone, be they anime fans or not! This release looks good too - with 26 episodes on 4 discs, it doesn't take up too much shelf space. I don't know what the video and audio quality will be like, but it is bound to be better than my imported Hong Kong set!

***UPDATE 10/15/10***
It has been pointed out that on Amazon's image of this product, it says that it is 24 episodes on 4 DVDs. According to AnimeNewsNetwork's enciclopedia, Trigun is 26 episodes. My imported set says it has 26 episodes. So I can only hope that it is a misprint or something with this set. Or maybe they cut the recap episodes or moved them to Extras. I guess we won't really know until the end of October.

***UPDATE 10/26/10***
Good news - all 26 episodes are included! So feel free to order it right now :)

He's prone to whining, crying and throwing tantrums, but Vash still manages to get the job done! Since I was introduced to Cowboy Bebop a little over a year ago, I've seen many different Anime, and I have to say flat out that Trigun is my favorite. Ironic, considering that Vash the Stampede is the epitome of everything I couldn't stand about Anime before I became a fan, but I actually find Vash to be completely hysterical, and one my favorite anime characters.

Its Wild West meets futuristic Sci-Fi in this anime about a man with names like 'The Humanoid Typhoon' and 'The 60 Billion Double Dollar Man'. Beleived to be the cause of mass destruction wherever he goes, Vash is actually a misunderstood, friendly and peace-loving individual...who is armed to the teeth, with superhuman strength and speed, the sharpest eye on the planet, and a 60 Billion Double Dollar bounty on his head that many are just itching to get their hands on. He hates violence and won't bring himself to kill anyone...and he has his reasons.

The overall plot of the show is great, but only loosely follows the Manga, since the anime is very different towards the end. Every episode is a continuation in the overall story. The first few episodes are mostly comical, but as the series progresses, Vash's true enemies reveal themselves and the show begins taking a darker tone. Many revelations about Vash's mysterious origins are revealed, and at about the middle of the show there is an origin episode that explains it a bit moe. That said, this anime is both completely hysterical and filled with great action. Vash's ridiculous behavior, stupid facial expressions and whining and screaming add a whole dimension to the character. Half the time when I watched this show, I was laughing. Sometimes it was so funny I was doubled over and tearing from the comedy aspect.

Side characters Meryl and Millie are also good characters...Millie's rather stupid but resourceful personality make her one of the funniest characters on the show (and one of my favorites). A gun-toting priest priest known as Nicholas D. Wolfwood shows up, inadvertantly forming a friendship and partnership with Vash, which leads to more hysterical situations. When the main cast of villains begin to get introduced to the show, it really takes off. Some of these villains, namely Legato Bluesummers (one of my all time favorite anime characters), are among the most sinister and evil characters I've seen yet in Anime.

Trigun happens to be my favorite Anime. The overall series has its fair share of comedy, alot of action, but also alot of emotion, particularly towards the end of the show. Combined with great character development, excellent animation, and a very good soundtrack, Trigun stands as one of the best anime to come out in recent years. As the second anime I got into after Bebop, I found it to be very entertaining and easy to get into. While the manga differs a bit from the anime, Trigun is definitely a great show and is worth the watch for any anime fan. Chances are that if you liked Bebop, you'll like Trigun.

Other people have already written better descriptions of this series than I think I can manage but I just want to affirm that this is quite possibly one of the best buys I've EVER had the chance to catch on amazon in a long time. A friend of mine had the original release boxset but I dare say mine is nicer and has even more special features than hers!

ALL 26 ORIGINAL EPISODES are included - there is/was a typo regarding this in the product description stating 24 instead of 26 - with both English/Japanese language and English subtitle settings available and the new boxset also includes textless songs as well as additional trailers.

This is a must have for any serious anime lover and I highly recommend that if you're considering investing in a great series that has high re-watch ability this is one to own! Still not sure? Check out 24 of the 26 episodes on hulu and I promise you won't be disappointed.

(Note: This review is for the Limited Collector's Edition I (With Steel Case), not the Boxed set... For some reason the reviews are showing up in both places.)

This popular anime series just got better. In addition to the collector's tin containing the first 14 episodes remastered in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, this edition comes with a collectable copper bullet pendant with TRIGUN etched down the length of the shell. The pendant also comes in a small black velvet draw-string pouch.

What's New on the Discs:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound in English and Japanese. The surround element alone makes this edition worth owning. The re-mastering was done very well. (For kicks, I turned on the Japanese audio with English subtitles. This is my own personal opinion, but I think the voice talent on the English version is one of the main reasons why this series has sold so well in the United States. The voices performed by the English-speaking actors not only seem to match the characters more closely, but the English-speaking actor's overall voice acting talents are demonstrably better.)
- Original Japanese Opening Sequences. For the most part, it is the same as the English version with the exception that the credits are in Japanese. English subtitles are optional. However, starting with the third episode, the opening sequence is changed slightly to show brief clips from the current episode. These usually consist of a shot of Vash followed by a shot of the main adversary for the episode.
- Original Japanese Trigun television spots. These are interesting to watch, however no translation is provided for them.
- Trailers for other anime produced by Geneon.

Also contains:
- Credit-less versions of the opening and closing sequences. (Note: Only the opening sequence from the first episode is available in the credit-less form).
- Concept Drawings of characters, weapons & vehicles.
- Interactive Menus. This is the only real bit of disappointment I had with the collector's edition because the same menu is used for all the discs. In the previous editions from Geneon, each disc featured a different menu that creatively highlighted a different theme from the series with music and custom animations.

Overall:
If you are looking to purchase Trigun on DVD for the first time, this is the edition to own. If you already own the original Trigun editions from Geneon and are a big fan with a Dolby 5.1 home theater system, this is a very worthy upgrade.

I started to get the TRIGUN series of anime after reviews on the net and various other sources recommended it. After getting the first DVD entitled The $$60,000,000,000 Man, I was hooked. TRIGUN features some of the strongest characters I have seen in Japanese animation. The stories are individual but build into the entire development of each character and especially the strange hero, Vash the Stampede. I won't ruin it for you by revealing any of the plot. This series is absolutely brilliant, each story is carefully thoughout and contains an enormous amount of humour (sometimes adult in theme) but the hero himself is a beautiful character that is superbly drawn. This hero is a bit like Clint Eastwood's The Man With No Name from the Dollars Spaghetti westerns. He enters towns as a drifter and is the ultimate in cool, but what sets him aside from other heroes is he acts like an idiot and does some really crazy stuff along the way. I love the English dub to this series, one of the finest and carefully put together dubs ever and it is probably even better than the Japanese soundtrack because it is so funny. The producers couldn't have found a better voice actor for the hero. The music to this series is excellent, from spanish guitars to heavy metal guitars, it never ceases to be cool. A superb soundtrack with many interesting instruments and styles sets mood and emotions.

This series is the ultimate anime treat, I have started to collect the series on DVD but now I'm just going to get the DVD box set instead.

This series works on so many levels and is a highly intelligent, thought provoking series with a high level of comedy.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Western. Comedy. Sci-Fi. Action. Drama. Did I just list off nearly every category of a video store here? Sorry, but that's exactly where Trigun fits, somewhere between all of these in stew that should be a bit too spicy. Instead it comes off as quite enjoyable, and a valuable asset to my DVD collection.

Inititially, upon putting in the first disk of this 8 disk, 26 episode series, I caught myself predicting 'great, this is funny and all but is this going somewhere?' I am glad I stuck with it because once you get into the third disk it is very difficult not to enjoy what turns out to be an original, and surprisingly complicated plot.

Here's a rundown of the main characters without spoiling anything.

Vash- Known as the 'Humanoid Typhoon' has a bounty for $$60 billion. He gets by as a drifter, passing from town to town in his solitude. Considering what he is wanted for, the destruction of entire cities within minutes, you would think he would fall under the tough burly male anime stereotype. You will never find someone more of a dork than this person. He has the firepower to take on anyone, yet refuses to take the life of another. He is a skirtchaser, a party animal, and donut scarfing pig. There is another side to him, one that is hidden in the calm, gentle exterior the earlier episodes portray. One of the most likable characters I've encounted in any series.

Wolfwood- He's a gun toting, chain smoking, cursing, drinking priest. You can never go wrong with that. In contrast to Vash's idealism, Wolfwood is more pratical in his thought and much more sardonic in attitude. There is a certain amount of mystery about him as you realize with each episode he is featured tells the viewer more and more that he is no ordinary priest.

Meryl- She is you bitchy chick of the bunch. To say she loaths Vash and Milly's (see below) ridiculous antics is being realatively mild. She is out to find the legendary outlaw Vash on orders from her employer, an insurance agency, to prevent more damage (and payments to victims) from occuring. She restrains herself and tries to come off as serious, but there is a side to her that is softer.

Milly- Many might initially think she is stupid. She isn't at all she's just naive in the worst way at times. (one line goes: 'My only salvation is that she doesn't know how smart she is') She is the first one to pick up on small details and has a really cool weapon. (okay, all the characters do)

Well, I can't say much about the storyline without giving spoilers so I will say that the first 8 episodes or so are pure comedy/action genre spoofs. (I think this was intended as a parody of our westerns and action films) There is little continiuity between episodes, much like Ranma and Coybow Bebop. But afterward it takes a very sharp turn where you see the other side of Vash and of his nature. Each character has something revealed by the end of this madhouse romp through a desert planet.

Japanese Acting: Okay, it is always good, isn't it? The way any movie is intended to be viewed. Voices are right on for each character and there is lots of emotion in each character. All of your mains are great and really bring out the characters appropiately. Great job here.

English Dubbing: There are very few dubs I like. This happens to be one of them. The script very closely matched the subtitles (there was one major screw up though at episode 5, a couple minor miswordings, but not bad enough where you lose vital information) And, the biggest shock of it all.... the voices were actually decent most of the time. Vash's English voice was very similar to the Japanese in terms of pitch and emotion. (usually japanese have higher pitched voices than americans both male and female) Wolfwood comes off as he was intended, cool, collected, and just a slight badass. Meryl sounds very normal and unstrained. You can imagine a buisness woman sounding like her. Milly's was slightly annoying at times as she sounds too childish and nasal at times. Villains were at times cheesey, but other times right on. I was impressed by the quality of this particular dub.

Extras are sparce on these disks unfortunately. Some of the technical designs are quite impressive, and there are quite a few. You also can see sketches of many characters and villains. If you bought the DVD's seperately like I did there is also the chrome card inside some of the DVD's which gives it a nice shiny look and is a nice collector's item.

Trigun was one of the early anime series to come to the united states during the late 90s adult swim line up (back before it was called adult swim more of an extension of toonami). The series was released as were many other wonderful series by Geneon entertainment which went belly up in the mid 2000s along with many other studios. Funimation has gained the rights to this series and several others from Geneon and is bringing them back from the grave.
This series follows the story of a couple insurance agents and the 60 billion double dollar man Vash "the stampede" as they try to mitigate what is described as a unmitigated wave of destruction caused by Vash. Initially you are dropped into a wild west style world with very little explanation about whats going on except for the dialogue between the main characters and the citizens of the towns they visit. As the series progresses however the story begins to flesh out and it becomes clear that this is not your grandmas wild west and theres alot bigger story going on.
This series is a classic and worth getting especially at the affordable price of this series. My only complaint about this series and it's one which is not unique to this series is that there is a substantial change in tone of the series from the first half to the later half. The beggining is a hilarious comedy but as the story progresses it becomes thematically darker in much the way that series like Cowboy Bebop or s-cry-ed do.

I see a lot of viewers complaing about how the villains are shallow, the jazz element doesn't fit, I hate Vash's character, other stuff is better, blah blah blah.

The fact of the matter is, none (read: almost none) of that really matters. Hear me out here.

The villains are "shallow" mainly because the story is entirely told from Vash's, Nicholas', Meryl's and Milly's point of view. We get glimpses of what is going on in the Gung-ho Guns/Knives part of the world, but that is simply to progress the story along. Since none of the aforementioned characters have had any encounters or experience with the Gung-ho Guns (Save Wolfwood and Chapel the Evergreen along with half of the other GhG's, which is explained in Ep. 23), it makes sense that nothing would be presented about them. The idea is that there is some mystery surrounding the villains and why they do what they do, which allows you to relate with the main characters who learn about the villains and their intentions and weak points through the action scenes and limited dialogue. If you're in a war, you can't always see where and what the other side is doing. That is the whole idea behind this style.

As for the Jazz element... I'm not sure. A reviewer mentioned something about watching a worthy anime like Cowboy Bebop. Now, I'm not ripping on the series; I happen to like CB very much, but in all honesty, does the Jazz and music tie-ins really fit with that series either (other than the name, obviously)? The only Jazz part I can think of in Trigun deals with Midvalley the Hornfreak. It's been a while since I saw that episode, but I'm pretty sure that was Blues instead of Jazz, but I'm going to say that I don't really remember rather than state it as fact.

As for Vash's character, well, that simply is a matter of opinion. I see him as a very deep and complex character, and the scene where you see the scars and metal patches on his body is a clear testament that the man practices what he preaches. Vash keeps his word to Rem until the end, when he finally realizes that sometimes you must take lives to save lives. I really don't understand how people claim to almost hate Vash's character. I laugh, I cry, I get a craving for donuts... Anyways, for the review saying this is like Die Hard with a wuss Bruce Willis, and goes on to praise works like Samurai X... I'm sorry, that made me laugh. Complain about one wuss character and praise another? Ok...

The fact of the matter is, Vash was never confronted again by any of the villains he did not kill. I suppose he could have killed them all, but wouldn't that make him a hypocrite? "'Thou shall not kill,' remember? What kind of priest are you anyways?" A character who swears not to kill does not save a series (and by no means is this series in need of saving) by murdering everyone that gets in his way. There's no reason to assume that the villains Vash and Co. did not kill went on to kill more people, since you do learn of many of the GhG's fates after their unsuccessful attempt at bringing down Vash. If you're so thirsty for blood, go watch Ninja Scroll or, even worse, Genocyber. *shudder* Vash's carefree and positive attitude through 4/5's of the series is a nice break from all the other characters, major and especially minor, and really sets him apart from the rest. Each major character has specific traits and habits that really make them unique.

*Wild Tangent Alert*
And as for Akira... 8th time watching it, still doesn't make any freaking sense. And the last episode of NGE... yeah... I went psychotic too, because it was the lamest ending I had ever seen. Nothing like totally pointless cut scenes and montages and confusing random scenes regurgitated from the series and skewed into garbage to sum up an otherwise flawless series (with a wuss main character, no less). But I digress...

Trigun truly is a great anime, and ranks in my Top 10, although I could never actually assign numbers to my Top 10; it all depends what kind of mood I'm in. The story is fantastically original and just about covers the whole spectrum of emotions, and the action scenes are quite common and fast-paced. The main characters are well developed and deep but not too complex, even though I would have liked to see more about "the Insurance Girls." The landscapes are great, the animation is very good, and the music fits well with the scenes and still manages to stay in the context of the story (it's a Wild West/Rock Concert mix). The villains are incredibly complex in the fact that, since you can only speculate what their drive is, you don't know what they'll do next, and how they'll react. And the fact that you know nothing about them until the main characters do adds to the whole experience in my opinion, since it helps you relate with the main characters just a bit more. The fact that you don't learn how the villains operate outside of the main two (Knives and Legato) just adds to the suspense. Yes, there are other great animes out there, but this is certainly one of them.

You may be confused by the title Trigun. In fact, this has nothing at all to do with the series, although some cases could be argued as far as its meaning. You'll start watching this series and be confused as first, but set your mind free. On a desert world scorched by 2 suns and orbited by 5 moons, people have regressed back to the ways of the Wild West, and every aspect is disturbing at first, but thats the fun of it all in the world of Trigun.

Vash the Stampede is an outlaw with a $$60,000,000,000 reward on his head, dead or alive, because of the complete destruction of the city of July. He gets the last part of his name because mass destruction tends to follow him, although its never caused by him. As the series opens up, Vash comes across as being happy-go-lucky, full of luck, and not very bright at all. When the insurance girls first come in contact with him, they can't believe that it really is Vash, because when they think of an outlaw, they imagine a dangerous person. He doesn't come across as being Vash because he doesn't act as how his reputation puts him. However, this is only one side of Vash. You'll have to wait until episode 5 until you see the other side of Vash, the side that is deadly serious, intelligent, angry, frustrated, and has excellent marksmanship. The reality is that Vash is not an outlaw; in fact, he tries to help everyone he comes across, and although everyone says that he kills people, Vash has never killed anything in his life, and he agonizes over everyone who dies along side of him. You'll probably never see another male, main character cry as much as he does, but he never cries without a good reason. To quote Meryl talking about Vash: "Everyone who has become involved with him, has somehow gained an emotion they had once lost."

Meryl Stryfe is one of the disaster investigators sent after Vash by the Bernadelli Insurance agency. Her job, as well as Milly's, is to prevent the agency from losing money by following Vash and stopping whatever destruction may come. She is very "by the book" and intent, but will get angry when things don't go right. She doesn't believe that Vash really is Vash until episode 5, and she doesn't stop beating on him until later episodes when she lightens up to him. Further in the series, she begins to develop feelings for Vash, but tries to hide them.

Milly Thompson is Meryl's partner from the Bernadelli Insurance agency. Unlike Meryl though, Milly is very childlike, but kind and patient. She is dedicated to the ideology taught by her family, those of justice and doing the right thing. However, while Milly may be an airhead, she is much sharper than many of the other characters in the cast (Vash sums it up with the quote: "My only savior is that she doesn't know how smart she really is!"). She rarely demonstrates this side though, but its quite apparent throughout the series.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood may say that he is a priest, a man of "god"; this may be the case. However, this priest wields some pretty heavy firepower, topped off with an elaborate, heavy cross that is actually a portable arsenal (he says that its so heavy because it carries so much mercy), and marksmanship thats second only to Vash. He is a traveling priest in the name of an orphanage near December City, and by the way he treats children and those in need, he has a huge heart and is willing to bend over backwards to help as much as he can. He'll come in and out of the series numerous times, and its safe to say that he's one of Vash's true friends. You may even find yourself beginning to love Nicholas more than Vash by the end of episode 23.

The music in Trigun is sparse. To elaborate on that point, there isn't a wide variety, and it doesn't add much to any scenes, but the scenes are already full of so much other stuff that they may even seem out of place at times. The english dubbing, however, is quite superb, and even fans of subs may enjoy the english dubbing more. The animation in the series, I will admitt, feels as if its lacking in the beginning, but it adds its own spice to the series, and you'll get used to it quickly.

If you are or aren't an anime fan, Trigun is a good series to check out. Its an excellent mix of comedy, action, and drama, as well as creating an universe that comes alive. The storyline flows throughout, and while there are a few side episodes, they still tie into the main plot, and only help to enhance characters. If you see Trigun, you'll quickly realize that its worth all five stars.

This show caught me totally off guard. I look at the cover of the first DVD and see this tough guy who I would never mess with ever. What I view is the goofiest anime protagonist in recent memory. I fell in love with this show after the first few minutes. The first and last halves of this show are very different.

The first half is happy-go-lucky character development with white-knuckled action scenes and change-your-underwear comedy. Vash has a misadventure in each episode. Most episodes are stand alone in the first half, but each episode affects the plot. Even if the show kept up this pace for the entire 26 episodes, I still would have loved it.

Alas, about halfway thorugh, the show take a very serious turn. Vash isn't so goofy anymore. His mysterious past becomes known. The two halves are almost completely different shows. As much as I loved the first half, I love the second half even more! Vash juggles the desire for revenge with his his desire for "love and peace." The moral dilemmas of the second half are phenomenal. The episodes are no longer independent. Each one picks up where the last one left off, making for a more involved story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and blow you away by the end. This show seriously has it all.

The animation is much better than most. It is not perfect, but it does what it needs to and it does it very well. Duels are done fluidly and never fail to disappoint. Every now and then, there is some SD (especially in the beginning) which adds to the general insanity of the scenes.

The music is awesome! I like it better than Cowboy Bebop's. The theme song is one of my favorites ever. The background music has this really laid-back slide guitar which adds to the whole western atmosphere. No song is out of place or is distracting to what is going on in the show. Excellent all around.

Guess what? The dub rules! No flat voices and they all match the characters! The translation is very accurate, too. I have seen Trigun subbed and dubbed and prefer the dubbed version (although the subbed version isn't bad by any means).

I seriously cannot recommended this show enough. It has something for everyone. There are a bunch of anime that I enjoy, but few change the way I actually think. Trigun made me look at my own morals and view of life. Trigun truly made an impact on me. Do yourself a favor and pick up the box set. You will not be disappointed.