TV Review | Trigun Stampede (Episode 10: Humanity)

“The end is near. This is a poignant episode filled with action preparing us for the final confrontation between Vash and Million Knives.”

The last two episodes of Trigun Stampede were heavy in revelations as they dived into Vash and Million Knives’s past. Now the story moves forward bringing us closer and closer to the confrontation between the two brothers.

DREADFUL SCIENCE

We pick up where we left off last week with Wolfwood and Vash heading to the third city of July to rescue Meryl and Roberto. Throughout the episode, we follow separately the two groups as it all leads to the same path. The two journalists meet with William Conrad, the scientist who has created the villains we have encountered since the beginning of the series. And he is just as creepy as in the flashbacks from Wolfwood’d episode. Conrad is a mad scientist whom you can only hate. He is the type of character who pretends he wants to save the world/humanity but he does the exact contrary. That whole sequence is quite troubling because we see how far Conrad has gone and what he did is horrible.

Moreover, it is great to see Meryl and Roberto being put on the foreground again. It is a duo that I appreciate. They have this mentor/apprentice relationship but at the same time, Meryl also pushes Roberto to stand up. So it really goes both way. They help each other to be better. However, I wasn’t ready for how things turn out for these two. You will need tissues because this episode goes heavy with the feels.

JULY

On top of that, the animation team at Orange has outdone themselves again. We get a clear look at the third city of July and it is absolutely striking. It is a huge city with scifi, Asian and Western inspirations. And to think this was all done with CG is quite impressive. Tatsuya Kato has also stepped up his game. You can feel the epicness in his score.

As for Wolfwood and Vash, they encounter some troubles on the road but nothing too big for them. Plus, Wolfwood finally reveals his true intentions, which I believe Vash knew somehow since the beginning. Wolfwood’s job was to bring Vash to Million Knives and Vash wanted that too. So, this is not a betrayal or anything. Wolfwood finishes his mission and Vash gets what he wanted.

Million Knives’ lair is a room fitting for a villain like him. It definitely sets the mood – dark and gloomy. And I also think this is perfect for a confrontation. The scene between Million Knives and Vash mirrors their confrontation from episode 3. Once again, there is a distance between the two characters. In way, it symbolizes the gap there is between them. Indeed, they have different visions of the world. It is something that neither can change. But, Million Knives is also more powerful, at least as long as Vash doesn’t know how to control his powers yet.

Obviously, this episode ends with a cliffhanger. I think it is going to be incredibly hard to wait for next week’s episode. You can definitely tell the end is near and it is going to be an emotional one.