Trigun: Badlands Rumble

Vash the Stampede is a contradiction. He has a notorious reputation as "The Humanoid Typhoon," laying anything he comes across to waste on the desolate planet of Gunsmoke. However, Vash is in fact very non-confrontational and kind-hearted, living by a code of pacifism.

Twenty years ago, a high-profile bank heist went sour. The ringleader, Gasback Gallon Getaway, swore to get back at his backstabbing crew and the man who stopped him from killing them: Vash the Stampede. In the present day, the traitorous crew has been living the good life as successful entrepreneurs and politicians. Although two decades have passed, Gasback's bitterness has not waned as he aims to take them down one by one, by any means necessary.

Just in time to foil Gasback's plot, Vash has arrived in Macca City. Teaming up with the mysterious Amelia Ann McFly, along with the insurance agents Milly Thompson and Meryl Stryfe, Vash is ready to rumble.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Vash the Stampede Main

Onosaka, Masaya Japanese

Wolfwood, Nicholas D. Main

Hayami, Show Japanese

Thompson, Milly Main

Yukino, Satsuki Japanese

Stryfe, Meryl Main

Tsuru, Hiromi Japanese

McFly, Amelia Ann Main

Sakamoto, Maaya Japanese

Gallon Getaway, Gasback Main

Isobe, Tsutomu Japanese

Kuroneko Supporting

Flaccano, Cain Supporting

Shimada, Bin Japanese

Amelia's Mother Supporting

Inoue, Kikuko Japanese

Tanto Ogorare, Michio Supporting

Tachiki, Fumihiko Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Kitayama, Shigeru Producer

Takechi, Tsuneo Producer

Fudetani, Yoshiyuki Producer

Reviews

Jan 1, 2011

Scrypt

Recommended

When you hear the name "Vash the Stampede" mentioned in an anime conversation, what is the first thing you think of? If it happens to be Trigun in the first 5 seconds, I can safely guarantee without you even reading this review that you will like this movie....

...and if I asked if you heard the name "Valentinez Alkalinella Xifax Sicidabohertz Gombigobilla Blue Stradivari Talentrent Pierre Andri Charton-Haymoss Ivanovici Baldeus George Doitzel Kaiser III", and you answered with a smile that it's from the same anime, I can personally guarantee that this movie may even become a personal favorite.

So your probably wondering where I'm getting at ... by asking you these questions. Simple. If you haven't heard of Trigun in this day and age and you call yourself an anime fan, I suggest you stop what you're doing and go buy this anime classic quicksmart as the movie is tribute to this once great series.

Trigun, like many other classics I can mention, was pretty much entry level for anyone new to anime back in the day. When people use to ask why I watch "cartoons", I just had to sit them in front of a TV with this series playing and they were pretty much hooked line and sinker.(unless they were girls. period.)

Now before I start I'm going to be honest and admit that this review is going to be biased. Yes I'm a big fan of Trigun and yes Vash & Wolfwood happens to be 2 of my favorite anime characters of all time, but that's not what I'm going to be biased about. Let's just say that my favoritism stems from nostalgia.

When I had first watched the TV series, I was in my first year of college and the anime club of 6 people I belonged to were still watching anime via VHS.

"Ah yes....those were the days when hitting rewind actually meant you wait a few minutes"

So when I heard that Trigun had its movie premiere in early 2010, I was pretty much waiting in anticipation for it to hit our shores, and was also disappointed that the wait was going to be a while due to the producers not coming to my backwater country.

But as the saying goes: "all good things come to those who wait", and boy was it good!

Trigun: Badlands Rumble was created for fans of the TV series. There was never a dull moment while watching the film and if anything, it had made me fall in love with the series all over again.

Without giving too much of a spoiler, Badlands Rumble is about Vash's encounter with a bank robber named Gasback prior to the TV series. Due to Vash's "love and peace" nature, he lets Gasback go after foiling his botched robbery knowing full well that the man may become a threat to society later on.

Fast-forward 20 years later and the location is Makka City which most of the events take place for the movie. We are shown Gasback, now as a legendary bank robber with a very high bounty to his name(still paling in comparison to Vash's) and a horde of bounty hunters after his head in that city.

Now I'm not 100% sure if the film is in the same timeline as the TV series or an alternate(since Wolfwood makes an appearance) and if it is, where in the series it would have most likely taken place, but one thing I can say is that the movie had retained that 'certain feel' which most fans had come to love about Trigun.

The original cast of Vash, Wolfwood, Meryl and Milly was a welcome sight after 10 long years, and seeing their antics and personalities in a cinematic film was a treat for any fan of the series.

We are also provided with 2 new characters who play pivotal roles in the film. The first being Gasback(a cheap knock-off of Brilliant Dynamite Neon from episode 7 of the TV series) and the other named Amelia: a female bounty hunter with a dark past which slowly unveils through the course of the movie(and whose character design is equivalent to a female version of Ruth the bounty hunter in episode 1)

Now after rattling on about the glory days that is Trigun, you'll probably be thinking that animation is old school as well, but let me stop you there. If there's one thing age has helped with this movie, it would have to be its art and animation. Whilst Badlands Rumble had captured the essence of the original series, you'll find that Madhouse Studio had really put a lot of effort to this movie giving you eye-candy that is both rich in texture and detail, and at best could even give series made in 2010 a run for their money.

From story to character design, art and animation, soundtrack and even original voice actors, I found Badlands Rumble to be very well balanced and even accommodating for those new to the franchise. The pacing never felt "off", and everything had been executed so well that you could have even viewed this as a standalone.

In conclusion I found Trigun:Badlands Rumble to have the right elements to which the original series was well known for - a space western comedy packed with action and stunning gunplay that pays homage to the fans who loved the TV series whilst also a great introduction for those new to it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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May 29, 2014

THEAnimeHERO

Mixed Feelings

Trigun Badlands Rumble is an okay movie but could've been better if the story was about Vash's journey to face Knives rather than the plot we got instead.

The mains story of Badlands Rumble is centered on a robber named Gasback which leads to bounty hunters to gun him down for the reward money, however the film's main characters aren't very dominant onscreen as it leans more towards Gasback & Amelia; a woman who has a grudge against Gasback. The main dilemma is Vash sparring Gasback's life leading his morality being put into question as the criminal managed to get away from judgment. While it brings ... an interesting study into Vash's lifestyle the movie tends to not completely focus on that subject.

While Vash still remains true to his pacifist convictions, he comes as a bit too naive & goofy in this film with showing very little of his serious side. Wolfwood, Meryl, & Milly also partake in the film but like Vash seem to play second string to Gasback & Amelia.

Action is just the right amount as it is supported by its updated animation as Mad House in 1999 (Trigun anime) is nothing compared to its current visuals. One of the aspects I enjoyed from the movie is the "Trigun World" as much detail is placed into the bounty hunters with very wacky & strange character designs but remains true to the spirit of Trigun.

Trigun Badlands Rumble does have the heart & soul of the Trigun series, but Vash himself has a minor role to the film & his perspective on morality doesn't come into play until the scenes played in the credits, proving that his way of life may indeed be correct. At the end of the day, Badlands Rumble seemed to be a film that expresses the zany yet cool style of Trigun with showing very little of its more complex philosophies. I personally preferred if the movie focus more on Vash's journey to confront Knives & The Gung-Ho Guns as it would've made a theatrical feature much more rewarding, thus showing a interesting tale of a gunman questioning the death penalty.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jul 17, 2013

Squirrel_Fu

Not Recommended

*****SPOILERS ALERT*****

While it was fun to see Vash and the gang again I was really disappointed by this. My major problem was the story-line. It was predictable.

1 - Vash rolls into town, destruction (best part)
2 - Introduce the sex appeal (she's useless throughout the movie, but she can beat up a couple nameless thugs pretty good)
3 - Introduce the Bad Guy, he has a strange philosophy where destruction and robbery fuel his massive ego
4 - Re-introduce the old mains, who rally to save everyone
5 - Vash rolls in to save everyone at the last second, because only he can.
6 - Sun glances off ... Vash's super cool glasses and he wakes away into the desert without water

My problem with this story line is that it has been done over a million and a half times. There are no surprises in the entire movie (except for the part where Vash got shot, but we all knew he hadn't really died BECAUSE HE'S THE MAIN CHARACTER). I fail to see any creativity in this old re-used excuse to bring back fan-favourites.

Here is what I wanted:
1 - If you're going to introduce sex-appeal, then let there be sex. Otherwise, give them a use. Give them a personality. Give them something to make me feel like they are a real person and have something to contribute to the story. (Amelie was, admittedly the daughter of the bad guy, but whatever. That's not enough for me :/ )
2 - Everyone has flaws, except the characters I see in anime/movies/books. Fictional characters seem to have fallen into a cookie-cut staple where they are basic and boring. When was the last time you saw someone seriously fuck up, or kill the bad guy out of rage, or shoot a bullet that missed and ended up killing an innocent, or something I can't foresee.
3 - It seems to me that anime's choose to be realistic whenever it serves to aid the plot. Example, Vash never misses a shot, except when its the final bad guy of the movie. A weak example, but I feel if you're going to introduce realism to an anime, you need to keep it consistent throughout the entire thing. You can't use it as a plot device, because it cheats the entire story(side note: I hate plot devices, they are boring).

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I wanted more from this. I LOVED the original Trigun series, (I especially loved looking for that blasted black cat who was always hiding somewhere in the background of every episode, one of my favorite flavor-pieces of any anime ever). But I found nothing new or interesting in this story. It was nice to see Vash again, but I would have preferred that his memory was preserved in memory rather than tarnished by something new, and dull.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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According to an announcement on Toonami's official tumblr page, the following films will be airing on Toonami in December of this year. December 7th: "Akir...read more

Nov 15, 2013 10:41 PM by Wind_Sr | Discuss (74 comments)

	Poll: Trigun: Badlands Rumble Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) WolfWood37 - Jul 3, 2010	130 replies	by Dawizz »» May 20, 5:49 PM
	Is this separate from Trigun? 19maria9 - Sep 30, 2011	7 replies	by Avichii »» Nov 1, 2019 12:17 PM
	Vash throwing a tantrum Angry_Anime_Nerd - Jun 16, 2015	4 replies	by coffeedelusion »» Dec 12, 2018 4:49 PM
	Trigun the Movie on Toonami in December 2013 YourAnimeGuy - Nov 15, 2013	0 replies	by YourAnimeGuy »» Nov 15, 2013 7:30 PM
	Did they throw him into the Lazarus pit? (spoiler) marcosmk - Jan 2, 2013	2 replies	by GodotCoffee »» Feb 2, 2013 6:13 PM

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