Trigun - episodes 14 to 22

Trigun isn't very funny anymore. In fact, one episode has some of the most horrifying moments I've seen in a long while. Admittedly, I'm not much of a one for horror and have different standards ... but still, pretty damned horrific!

The thirteenth episode was supposed to be a turning point, but there's an episode about Milly and Meryl before the biggest drama ever comes into place. It's the sort of episode in which Vash does something, says "That's all I get?!" and then disappears for the remainder. The insurance girl scenes are funny and sweet, but the Nebraska family are clearly among the worst villains written for this or any other series. They're hideous and bad and once was enough, even if these are the female members. Even if the writers were going for the family motif, it didn't work. The rest of the episode was more than good enough, however.

Then the Gung-Ho Guns come about and damnit they're fierce. Vash doesn't kill, regardless of the weight of sin ... but they end up dead if they fail. That's what they call real lack of mercy.
Because of the different backgrounds of each of these Gung-Ho Guns, Trigun gets to play with genre and once again it becomes clear just how alike the samurai and western genres are. The interchangeable imagery has been one of the many joys of watching this. Generally the whole thing is now high on the drama front, and Vash can't do too much to change that; however his retort to Dominique the Cyclops' 'I could have killed you three times' was some pretty good comedy right there.
However, even if Vash can't read Japanese, Legato is evil all the same and it comes to light how tortured his existence might well have been.

Possibly the most horror inducing episode of things produced is Rem Saverem, which details Vash's past. Seeing the humans and seeing what Knives did is hard to go into, but it confirms some of the darkest fears that one might have had for the series. It's important that this episode was entirely set in space, as the Western side is starting to wind down and the science fiction is kicking in. The confined space of the ship and the uncertainty as to whether it was genuine malice that fuelled the character's motives or if he was provoked is too hard to fathom.
Everything about the episode was compelling in a truly discomforting way: it makes one sympathise with Vash more, but also makes his own philosophies harder to understand. Pacifism can't always be strictly enforced; the inhuman don't believe in mercy, so Vash really shouldn't show it to them. One simply can't compromise him, I suppose, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he did have to kill someone. At least one.

The rest of the episodes have more of that sci-fi flavour and make for more interesting viewing with few moments of comic relief; Meryl's undecided feelings for Vash and Milly coming full circle to not being the sharpest agent still shine every now and then. Wolfwood is welcome as he's a priest but can see that everything can't be defined as clearly as one would like to think, and he knows when he has to kill. He's the smartest, most realistic thinker of the characters, but at the same time the guiltiest and probably least worthy or capable of redemption.
Finally, montages of dead characters who were only around for two episodes are hard to produce, so Kuroda Yosuke must be commended for that.

Good characterisation, some genuine moments of terror, suddenly very few jokes ... Trigun is almost over, and how different has become. One knew from the outset that there would be darkness, but this dark? A true surprise. (Well, not now ...)