[TRIGUN]: Your smile was so empty it hurt to watch you

|| TRIGUN || 1998 || Anime series || Action, Post-Apocalyptic, Space-western || PG-13 ||

 

I already started writing about the second DVD once, but it ended up being a whole entry about the sixth episode, which leads me to the conclusion that it would be much more obvious and comfortable choice for me to blog from episode to episode, since I can easily get stuck on the details and invested in lore, and I wouldn't be able to write a normal summary even if they held a gun to my head. 

 

But also I always forget that this website is still not social media. I can take my time to write lengthy posts about things, and I don’t have to write anything under one breath-take. So I think this time I was finaly managed to summarize what happened in the 6-10 episodes. 

 

What I noticed that the structure starts to become less episodic, and rather aiming to pick up smaller arcs that are relating to each other, and even direct continuations from the previous ones. 

Episode 5: Hard Puncher

Episode 6: Lost July

The city of Inepril is in danger of decay due to their broken powerplant, so when Vash shows up, the bounty on his head is their only chance for them to make things better: by killing Vash, they use the bounty to call engineers to repair the powerplant and the city can prosper again. They were even willing to hire wanted criminals to catch and kill Vash, which of course backfired on them, because the Nebraska family didn’t spare the city itself, nor its residents, so in the end Vash saved everyone and HE collected the bounty from the Nebraskas. Vash gave the money to city which could finally afford to invite scientists and engeneers to Inepril. And I wrote about episode 6 [in this post].

 

Episode 7: B. D. N. 

Episode 8: “And Between the Wasteland and Sky…”  

Episode B.D.N. connects to the previous ones in a way that Vash boards the same steamer that brought the engineers to Inepril and continues on his journey. But the train gets hijacked by the bandits called Bad Lad Gang, and they got help from the inside too from a kid who has personal ties to this particular train too. 

 

Meryl and Milly gets on the train too, because their duty of following Vash around not ended, and due to not being able to pay for the tickets, they start to work there as cashiers. I really loved how we saw them taking initiative and actually having roles of catching the bad guys. They were able to incapacitate a patrol on their own, taking on their guise and in the end, they basically arrested the boss. Not that it really moved the BDN the slightest, but still, it was nice to see them in action. 
 

And regarding Vash? We got closer to him regarding of his truer personality. When he boarded the train and yelled, how he is finally ALONE after everyone was constantly on his back??? DAMNNN Vash, I can relate :D But more and more we see that being a cheerful loser is just a facade. He can’t recall memories about certain things, which explain why he has no idea what’s going on most of the times, and this makes him kind of an airhead from the outside, especially that he usually don’t try to convince nor people, nor the audience from the opposite. Or how he is a perv that desperately wants girls, but not actually want to have sex when the opportunity presents, like with those prostitues. 

Speaking of women… Vash has a woman in his life. A someone named Rem. Aside from a song and memories about their conversations, we don’t get to know too much, but we know that she is someone very important to Vash and that she is one who inspires him in this pacifist lifestyle. 
 

Episode 9: Murder Machine

Episode 10: Quick Draw

This is what I call the Wolfwood arc along with episode 11 that is on the third dvd. This is where the show introduced the fourth main, reoccurring character Nicolas D. Wolfwood, a travelling priest with his iconic giant cross, the Punisher on his back. Honestly if something I remember from this anime very clearly by design is THIS GUY. 
 

And the first guy who figures out Vash right from the start. He sees throught him. He comments about the fake smile. And comments about his genuine smile too. When Vash sees him doing something out of his kind heart. Some kind of admiration?  

We have this mysterious priest, who hides pistols in his cross, have almost as good abilities as Vash so you can be sure he is not your usual travelling priest who collects donation to his orphanage for kids, but you can be sure that Wolfwood has soft spot for children and for the weak too and this is something that makes him symphatetic in Vash's eyes after the first bad impressions.  
 

But I think the show starts to build up something with Wolfwood x Milly. 

Speaking of the main heroes and romance…

Now because we are still at the end of the 90’s we can’t really talk about the official existence of the named tsundere archetype just yet, but I think Meryl fits into the trope (just not the skull-bashing type). Hot headed, short, she becomes very flustered around the protagonist quite often due to her complicated feelings which is more than just not being able to reconcile with the fact that sometimes things are NOT what she thinks they supposed to be. Not to mention that Vash is intimidated by her. :D So yeah, Meryl is not the skullbashing type of aggressive with superhuman powers, this is why I love when the show actually presents her and Milly the opportunity to shine as important part of the story. Because as mortals, they have their limits, especially compared to Vash who is introduced more and more as some otherworldly being. 

But what I enjoy that this affection Meryl starts to feel toward Vash is subtle, and you can’t describe it as love, not on the physical level. I don’t think Meryl can describe what she loves about this man. But ooohhh I have lot of thoughts about her, especially regarding the third dvd. 

[HARD CONTACT] Chapter 2: Qiilura is neutral

 || Republic Commando: Hard Contact || 2004 || Book Series || Military, Sci-Fi || 18+ for harrowing themes || 

One of takes I usually encounter in the fandom, that this book is anti-jedi because not a single character is reacting to the Jedi in the welcoming way. 

While I don't deny the fact the first encounter with the jedi and a civilian wasn't too happy, in fact, Birhan expressed his dismay toward Etain being a Jedi, but we actually get a very obvious explanation why is it like this:

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

“Oh, great,” the farmer sighed, eyeing the shaft of pure blue light. “Not one of you lot. That’s all we need.”

--

Zey went on, “Qiilura is technically neutral. Unfortunately, its neutral status is likely due to end very soon.”

(...)
“You’re looking at farming communities, almost all of them located here in this region because it’s the most fertile land,” Zey said. “They produce barq, kushayan, and fifty percent of the luxury foodstuffs and beverages in the galaxy. There’s also gem mining. The population is nevertheless living at subsistence level, and there is no government other than the law of commerce and profit—Neimoidian traders effectively own the planet, or at least the productive areas that are of use to them.

(...)

“The Neimoidians own and control all the infrastructure—the native population scarcely have pits for refreshers, but their overlords enjoy the finest comlink net and air traffic control that credits can buy. They like to ensure that nobody does business without their knowledge.

---

The farmer stared at the crushed stalks and the scattered bead-like grains, tight-lipped. Yes, barq fetched a huge price in the restaurants of Coruscant: it was a luxury, and the people who grew it for export couldn’t afford it. That didn’t seem to bother the Neimoidians who controlled the trade. It never did.

(misc quotes from chapter 1 and chapter 2 in relation of the topic)

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

Qiilura is NOT Republic territory, therefor the Jedi had no reason to be here before - until now. And simple farmer who worked themselves to death due to their master's exploitations had no reason to think of the Jedi as some kind of mythical heroes, no reason to think they are some kind of positive savior figures.

And let's be honest, ultimately, the Jedi are NOT saviors of the mankind, they are not doing charity work OUTSIDE of the Republic. 

Quiilura is now ruled by Neimoidians, Neimodians are the head of the Trade Federation (puppets under Sidious), and Trade Federation is the key supporter of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.   

The only reason the Republic, therefore the Jedi are now interested in a planet like this is not because they suddenly took pity of the oppressed residents. It's because on the planet the CIS doing an operation that could endanger the safety of the entire Republic. 

EDIT: okay, last time I edit this post, but please take a look at this brilliant way of Zey BULLSHITTING. I LOVE IT. 

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•
“Given how thinly stretched our resources are, we are unfortunately unable to justify intervening to deal with any injustice on Qiilura at this time."
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•