 Ever wonder how Vash got his reputation? Well, here's where you get to find out. It's been 23 years since Vash single-handedly levelled the city of July, and now history's about to repeat itself in Augustus. But first, there are a few more of Legato's Gung-Ho Guns to take care of...
14 - Little Arcadia
Another town, another problem for Vash to deal with - an elderly couple are having to fight against the efforts of a local landowner, Morgan, to take control of their property, and Vash has decided to help them in their cause. After seeing Meryl & Millie in action, the couple are quite keen on hiring them as bodyguards, too. Well, if it keep Vash out of trouble, it can't be bad, right? When the gang visit their new employer's home, though, they see why there's so much interest from others in it - they've somehow managed to cultivate a green and lively oasis in the middle of the desert, an island of life where one shouldn't exist, and that's also the reason they're determined not to let others seize it. Morgan, though, is not the sort who'll take "no" for an answer...
15 - Demon's Eye
Meryl and Mille's transport isn't up to the standard they're used to - somehow, being carried across the desert by Vash lacks a certain luxury, but that's what he gets for destroying their car in the first place. Unknown to them, in a nearby town, Legato is dealing in rather gruesome fashion with the Roderick Thieves, a criminal gang that's been spreading terror in the town - not something Legato has any issues with, but when one of their number decide to pick a fight with him... well, he's planning on eradicating humanity anyway, may as well start with the lowlife. Vash arrives in town just in time to pick up the pieces - and to be targetted by Legato's associates...
16 - Fifth Moon
So far, two of Legato's Gung-Ho Guns have failed to deal with Vash in the way that their boss would have liked, but there are more where they came from, and some of them are just waiting for the chance to test their skills. Meryl & Mille are back to trying to track Vash down after he went on his own way. Wherever they go, they hear rumours of Vash being in the area, or with a gang, or causing some sort of mayhem - rumours that they now know couldn't be true - and the more they hear, the more determined they are to catch up with him and do the job they were sent to do. Vash, meanwhile, has received a message from Legato that he'll be waiting for him in the city of Augusta. Keen to avoid any more innocent deaths, Vash heads for Augusta, unaware of just what Legato has in store for him...
The first episode on this volume harks back to earlier stories, in style at least, with a fun little tale of evil property developers and wayward sons. Fun enough, but not really what we're here to see at this stage in the series. For that, it's on to episode 15, with the appearance of Legato and the Gung-Ho Guns, who are beginning to look increasingly out of their depth against Vash - for all that Legato is clearly a supremely evil sonofabitch, the effort he's put into creating the Guns seems to be rather misplaced. One by one, they face Vash and come undone, usually paying for their failure with their lives (and pay close attention towards the end of the episode at who'd doing the executing). It's enough to make you wonder why he doesn't just do his own dirty work - but then I guess he have no chance of getting the pleasure of watching his plans come to fruition. Not that that's happening at the moment.
The main event, though, is the final episode on the disc, where for once Legato gets his way and we get a practical demonstration of just how poerful Vash is - although it's power that he's positively frightened to unleash, as he clearly can't control himself. We learn a few things from this: that his reputation is well-deserved, as he can level a city on his own (and, as was touched upon early in the series, while Vash goes to great lengths to make sure he doesn't actually kill here, being a survivor amidst the resulting destruction wouldn't exactly be pleasant); and that he's not human in the sense that you or I would use the word. That makes seeing him declared a "human Act of God" by the insurance company a little ironic. That decision also makes one other notable change to the series - with the insurance company now free of responsibility for Vash's actions, Meryl and Millie are recalled, a move that Meryl in particular finds hard to accept. In all their travels she's become rather attached to the big guy - but I strongly suspect they'll be back on the scene before too long.
I know there are some people who really don't like the way Trigun swings to the darker side of life, preferring the more goofy early episodes. In a way, I agree, as Vash is a far more enjoyable person to watch when he's not dealing with the angst that the prospect of killing brings to him. The serious side of the story isn't without its charms, though - all it really needs at this stage is a decent explanation of why events are unfolding the way they are: why is Legato so hell-bent on destruction of the world? Why is Vash, for all his gun-toting skills, so adverse to causing injury and - perhaps more importantly - just what is he, now that we can see he's not human? Answers to these questions are coming, so fear not, all will be revealed. In the meantime, just enjoy the journey. Another volume well worth seeing.
|
Reviews Archive 
