Give us more Trigun!

Let me begin by saying that I LOVE Trigun. It's a great manga and anime that's always held a special place in my heart, while its creator, Yasuhiro Nightow, is one of my favorite mangakas of all time.

With that said, let's take a look at 2010's Trigun: Badlands Rumble.

Believe it or not, I don't like this movie that much. No matter how much I watch it, I simply can't give it the same love as the rest of the franchise. And I think I know why.

SPOILERS FOR TRIGUN: BADLANDS RUMBLE AND THE TRIGUN ANIME/MANGA AHEAD!

Let's look at the good stuff first.

The movie was produced by Madhouse, the studio behind the original 1998 anime. They brought in an impressive crew to make the movie happen, including several big players in the original series' production.

Along with the return of several producers, Satoshi Nishimura returns to the director's chair and Takahiro Yoshimatsu returns as lead Character Designer.

The movie looks quite gorgeous, maintaining a newer, more polished look that still has traces of the original series's aesthetic. I've always been a fan of the anime's take on Nightow's style, so this is a big plus. There's some CGI, but it usually isn't too noticeable except for a few particular points.

SEEMLESS!

Tsuneo Imahori returns to compose the music for Badlands Rumble, re-interpreting a few tunes from the old series while introducing a few new ones as well.

The seiyu cast for Vash, Wolfwood, Meryl, and Milly all return which even further legitimizes the movie for any Trigun movie. On the English side, Johnny Yong Bosch returns as Vash the Stampede, though Wolfwood, Meryl, and Milly have been recast. Fortunately, the new voice actors do just fine with their roles, though fans of the dub will certainly miss Jeff Nimoy as Wolfwood.

The new major characters, Amelia and Gasback, work well in the Trigun universe and it's really fun to see them interact with the characters we are familiar with. Gasback in particular comes off as being a lot like Brights Dynamite Neon, especially how he causes so much destruction in such a flashy manner. He makes a good opponent for Vash with how focused he is on revenge that he doesn't care who gets in his way.

Meanwhile, Amelia's likable mainly because of this

The script is also well done with some really good dialogue. Scriptwriter Yasuko Kobayashi perfectly revives the personalities of Vash and co., while also building a Trigun-esque atmosphere.

(Writer's Note: While I was doing my research, I learned that Kobayashi is actually a writer for the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime. Makes reviewing this even more appropriate, eh? XD)

Sounds great, right?

Well here's the thing... The story kind of sucks.

Nightow came up with the story and it kind of works, but the execution is just plain terrible. I've never really liked the parts of the Trigun manga that take detours from the main action with Knives and the Gung-Ho Guns. Sure, they usually allow Vash to regain his resolve or something, but really... It feels so pointless.

Feels pointless

I will say that the central plot revolving around Gasback's revenge does work well in Trigun. It's a blast seeing his traitorous former partners get their comeuppance as Gasback destroys entire towns in style.

Payback's a bitch, eh?

But, the plotline connecting Amelia and Gasback is very poorly done with an extremely predictable twist at the end. And while they kind of make sense at first glance, Amelia's motives are extremely messed up and thus they make her character less likable. It really doesn't help that much of their plot thread revolves around both Gazback's really out-of-place super ability either.

It's Trigun and all, but this thing is so random. XD

The movie does manage to smoothly incorporate Vash and even Meryl and Milly (it's their job to keep an eye on him, after all). But, Wolfwood is obviously forced in. Madhouse advertised that Badlands Rumble would feature a Vash VS Wolfwood conflict. But, Vash and Wolfwood are best friends. The reasons why the latter sides with Gasback make little sense. Wolfwood is awesome and all, but he was not necessary in this movie. If it was just Vash, Meryl, Milly, and the new characters, I probably would have liked it much more.

I missed scenes like this

The worst part is when they make it look like Vash dies near the end of the movie. While we get a pretty cool scene of Wolfwood wearing Vash's trademark shades as he takes on the baddies, it's undermined by a certain factor.

Really cool and all, BUT...

Vash doesn't die and cannot possibly die since Trigun: Badlands Rumble is a side story. Side stories ALWAYS have to retain the status quo when they adapt from a series with continuity. This always frustrates me because this keeps us from enjoying the movie. The production crew wanted to create something true to Trigun's continuity. The downside is that it restricts a movie from holding its own. They will never kill off a major character for real as long as the story is not part of the main storyline. It only makes the movie worse when they bring attention to this.

I personally hope that Badlands Rumble's success will encourage a resurgence of interest in Trigun. 

The fact that the movie was made at all shows that people still want to see Vash the Stampede raising hell, while keeping the casualties to a minimum.

The first anime finished its run way before Nightow finished Trigun Maximum and thus, very little of the manga was adapted to animation. Fortunately, the Trigun anime did hold it's own with its divergent take on the series, hence why we still remember the whole affair so fondly.

It perplexes me that with the exception of its first volume, Trigun Maximum has never been adapted into an anime. Why is that? Hellsing won considerable success with its original anime adaptation and now Hellsing Ultimate is completely adapting the manga.

Why can't Trigun Maximum get the same treatment? The series was just as popular and Trigun Maximum could just as easily be adapted into an anime OVA just like Hellsing Ultimate. Hell, Madhouse is producing Hellsing Ultimate now and they were behind the production of Trigun and Badlands Rumble!

A legit Vash Vs Legato fight by Madhouse? Awww yeah

Badlands Rumble also has a bit of merch attached, including new Vash and Wolfwood figures. But, this too, I find frustrating. There is very very little in terms of Trigun figures or posters out there. I find it very perplexing just how little merchandise there is for Trigun Maximum in particular. The scale is just so much more epicly big than the original anime and yet there's barely anything out there. The best we have for Trigun Maximum are those 6 non-poseable figures from Yamato's !StoryImageFigure collection and that's it.

My personal favorite of those 6

There are so many new characters that I wish could be made into figures like Crimson Nail and Manga!Chapel. I mean, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has an extensive figure line and that series had a relatively short OVA adaptation that only covered Starlight Crusaders. Why can't there be more figures for Trigun?

One day I will have a Livio the Double Fang figure...

Anyway, here's hoping that Badlands Rumble, while not being the greatest adaptation of Trigun, will bring greater things for Trigun aficionados! Although I don't like it all that much, it does have some very good scenes and good characters, while providing the audience some Trigun after a hiatus of 12 years. Here's hoping we get some more in the future! *fingers crossed for a Trigun Maximum anime adaptation*

I give Badlands Rumble 7 loves and peace out of 10.

LOVE AND PEACE!