Trigun is one of the most beloved anime series of all time. Unlike most other series, Trigun is a science fiction western, which is strange to see in a medium saturated with animated school girls. Trigun is a one of a kind series and now, thanks to the effort of the fans, a new film has been made to complement the T.V. show. Thanks to the good people at Sakura-Con, Badlands Rumble had its world premiere screening in Seattle, Washington with Director Satoshi Nishimura and Character Designer Takahiro Yoshimatsu in attendance. Fans got to see the movie even before it was released in Japan. The movie was shown without any dubbing or even subtitles with raw Japanese audio. Even though most of the fans at Sakura-con could not understand the dialogue, it was still relatively easy to follow.The story of Badlands Rumble centers around the town of Makka which is surrounded by quicksand. There is talk in the town that the legendary robber Gasback has been sighted and he has his sights set on stealing the wealth of the town. In order to protect the town, Mayor Kepler has hired many bounty hunters to protect mainly himself and the rest of the townspeople. It is up to Vash the Stampede and his good friend Wolfwood to stop Gasback and his rag tag gang.
Trigun: Badlands Rumble appears to be one of those movies that is produced directly for fans. There are many moments during the film that are fan serviced. The story was quite predictable, but the interaction between characters especially Ameria and Vash was extremely amusing . The movie basically followed an extended episode format. The story didn't add anything new to the series, neither did it take anything away from it much like what the Cowboy Bebop movie did to its own series. It was pretty much a fanfare of Trigun love. The interaction between older characters and new ones was quite amusing. There was one particular scene where Vash first meets Ameria and he then tries to rub his face on her hand because she is of course very beautiful, but once he does, Ameria suddenly breaks out into hives. Apparently Ameria is allergic to guys, a recent theme found in anime.
Unlike the television series, Badlands Rumble has clean and vibrant animation. Each scene is fully animated with characters moving freely in the background. In the T.V. series, there were many still scene with character dialogue. There would also be little or no activity in the background. In addition, the action was few and far between. On the other hand, the movie had plenty of action and animated backgrounds. This is especially noticible during the city scenes of Makka and in the bar scene later in the movie.
Overall, Trigun: Badlands Rumble was an entertaining and amusing film. The characters have deep personas and back story that really makes fans want to learn more about the world they live in. While Badlands Rumble has a predictable outcome, it was still fun to see Vash and Wolfwood back on the screen. The interaction between the various characters were fun to watch and there were plenty fan nod moments that were also quite comical. The black cat (Kuroneko) from the Trigun series makes several appearances in this film. If fans weren’t able to travel to Seattle to screen the movie themselves, then there is still hope. The movie will appear in Japanese theaters later this year with a DVD/Blu-ray release that will follow. Unfortunately, the movie itself was screened in a regular 4:3 DVD format.
Attendees to Sakura-Con had to check in their bags and any electronic devices before entering the main theater.Once inside, fans were forced to sit on uncomfortable chairs that were pretty awful, especially for an hour and forty minute movie. There were also some restrictions while in the theater. If anyone’s cell phone went off during the screening, then that person would be ban from Sakura-Con, for life. They were pretty strict when it came down to the possible bootlegging of the new movie which one can understand, but they could have turn down the distracting personal walking up and down the isle like Gollum from Lord of the Rings.
After an eleven year wait, it is good to see Trigun return with some fanfare. It goes to show what the power of fandom can do to rekindle a beloved series. Hopefully with enough fan support, they might turn Trigun: Maximum into its own series.
The following is the Q and A that preceded the screening of the movie. Fans were able to ask Director, Satoshi Nishimura and Character Designer, Takahiro Yoshimatsu questions.
Q- How have the characters grown or evolve since 11 years ago in the T.V. Series?
A- Nishimura - A great deal of time has past, somewhere in the T.V. Series, if these events had happened. I didn’t want to make changes to the spirit or soul Trigun.
Q- There seems to be a significant departure from the art work, reminiscent of the manga. What is the reason?
A- Yoshimatsu- We wanted to incorporate the taste of the original creator, Nightow-san. However I had him create six cuts. Please look for them
Q- How did your character designs change when you first thought of them
A- Yoshimatsu - Many design and readings with Nightow-san we got a new direction from him
Q- Are there any plans to make more Trigun or animate Trigun: Maximum?
A- Nishimura - Just as with the production of this movie, (Fans made the Movie possible), it will be more likely to happen
Q- Why was the decision made to set the movie during the series instead of after the series?
A- Nishimura- We described very literally we want to see Vash, Meryl and Wolfwood. Do you want to see Wolfwood? (The crowd cheers)
Q- Are there plans to dub or subtitle the movie?
A- Nishimura - Right now negotiations are in the process, there is almost certainly it will be release in the U.S.
(Nishimura then stand and says "peace, peace everyone, Love and Peace")
