Japanese: トライガンマキシマム
English: Trigun Maximum
Type: Manga
Volumes: 14
Chapters: 102
Status: Completed
Published: Jul 1998 to Feb 27, 2008
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Seinen
Mangaka: Nightow Yasuhiro (Story & Art)
Serialization: Young King OURs
Note: Nightow changed publishers to Shonen Gahosha and the series continued to be serialized in Young King Ours magazine. Due to the original publisher retaining the name Trigun, Nightow had to change the title to Trigun Maximum, which isn’t a sequel but a new name for the rest of the series. The first 3 volumes were published under the title 'Trigun' and the entire series compiled into 14 books as 'Trigun Maximum' (the numbering was also restarted when the title changed).
English: Trigun
Synonyms: Tri Gun
Type: Manga
Volumes: 3
Chapters: 22
Status: Completed
Published: Apr 22, 1995 to Jan 22, 1997
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Shounen
Mangaka: Nightow Yasuhiro (Story & Art)
Serialization: Shounen Captain
Synopsis: Much of the damage attributed to "Vash" is caused by the activities of bounty hunters who are after the 60,000,000,000$$ (sixty billion "double dollars") reward on Vash's head for the destruction of a city called July. Vash does not clearly remember the destruction of July, and only wants "love and peace", as he puts it; though he is a gunfighter of inhuman skill, he uses his weapons only to save lives wherever he can.
As the series progresses, more is gradually learned about Vash's mysterious history and the history of the human civilization on Gunsmoke, the desert planet the series is set on. The series is often humorous in tone, but at the same time it involves very serious character development and especially in later episodes it becomes quite emotionally intense. Vash is occasionally joined by a priest, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, who is almost as good a gunfighter as Vash himself, and later is targeted by a band of assassins known as the Gung-Ho Guns for reasons which are mysterious at first.
Trigun evolves into a very serious discussion of the nature of morality, posing questions such as: What is the nature of morality? Can we judge different moral codes? If a person is forced to betray their moral code, does that betrayal invalidate that moral code, and can the person still try to live up to that moral code? Can the person find redemption from their wrongs, and if so, how?
Background: Won the Seiun Award at the 48th Japan Science Fiction Convention Were for the best comic of the year.
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| Anthology, collects the side stories into one cover |
Related Series
Trigun Badlands Rumble (Side Story)
Trigun: Rising (Side Story)
Trigun: The Lost Plant (Side Story)
Trigun (TV) (Adapted form)
Groups Scanlating
MangaProject
Maximum7
Licensed in English
Dark Horse (Trigun, 2 Volumes - Complete
/Trigun: Maximum, 14 Volumes - Complete)
Source: MAL Manga info, Baka updates
Side notes: This is my manga award section of today.^-^ And I'm moving away from the magic sword realm to guns and other weapons... I do wonder where I'm ending up today.XD The anime of this series has been on my Plan to watch list for some time and I've not had time to see it yet. But as I read character descriptions I had quite surprising deja vu to Seven Ghost and there is something similar in the air as in D.Grey-man and in Hunter x Hunter.
Main characters
Vash the Stampede (ヴァッシュ・ザ・スタンピード)
Age: unknown (150 +)
Height: 180 cm (5'11")
Weight: 81.6 kg (180 lb)
Vash displays two different personalities. Vash usually exaggerates foolish characteristics to make people feel unthreatened and to hide his identity; for instance, exhibiting an almost obsessive love of doughnuts and at one point introduced himself as "Valentinez Alkalinella Xifax Sicidabohertz Gombigobilla Blue Stradivari Talentrent Pierre Andri Charton-Haymoss Ivanovich Baldeus George Doitzel Kaiser III." Vash's reputation as "The Humanoid Typhoon" is legendary, as is the damage and destruction associated with his presence. However, when those around him are threatened, Vash shows complete focus and control.
Vash is a very multidimensional character—quite literally a walking contradiction. He is often a womanizer, and other times a gentleman. Sometimes he is a coward, yet other times he shows great courage. He is a wanted man, yet he wouldn't hurt a fly.
Nicholas D. Wolfwood (ニコラス・D・ウルフウッド)
When Vash's bus runs across Wolfwood's motorcycle in the middle of the desert. He proves to be a valuable ally although his and Vash's philosophies often conflict, Wolfwood being a firm believer in martialism while Vash is a pacifist. By the end of the series, he agrees with Vash's way of thinking even though it costs him dearly. Wolfwood's purpose is to raise money for the children in the orphanage he runs.
The giant cross that he carries comes in two versions. Version 1 holds 12 pistols (across arms of the cross). Version 2 houses a giant machine gun (long part of the cross) and finally, a rocket launcher in the top, while the ammunition is stored in the arms of the cross(an alternate opinion is simply that one of the horizontal arms holds ammo for the machine gun and rocket launcher while the other holds six pistols). The trigger for the Version 2 is a skull shaped symbol in the centre of the cross. As can be expected, the weapon/case is very heavy, and only Wolfwood, Milly, and Vash seem to have no trouble holding it (though Vash once comments on its weight). The weapon is not actually named in the anime, but it is commonly referred to as Punisher, which comes from the manga. Wolfwood states that it's heavy "with God's mercy," a fitting statement from the cynical Wolfwood.
In the original Japanese version, Wolfwood speaks in a Kansai Dialect. Nightow has said of this: "It's an English-speaking world, so he's not actually speaking Kansai dialect. Think of it as indicating some accent."
Milly Thompson (ミリィ・トンプソン)
Milly Thompson is a fellow Bernardelli agent and friend and assistant to Meryl. Despite physically towering over Meryl, Milly looks up to her and always refers to her as "senpai," or "Ma'am" in the English Version, as a term of respect for a senior.
Although physically very strong, she appears rather simple and ditzy, but has an extremely kind heart and also reveals a strength of character and genuine optimism. However, Milly can be just as hotheaded as Meryl if someone is disrespectful towards their family (or wasting food, especially pudding). She can seem somewhat dim, but she has some amazing skills (chess playing, for one) which hint at a deeply buried intelligence. She does have a tendency to go a bit overboard when drinking.
She seemed to pick up on the fact that Vash is the notorious Stampede before Meryl, but she is apparently still somewhat surprised upon realizing that she was correct. Milly comes from a very large family, and writes letters to them constantly (known as "The Milly Monthly").
Somehow Milly manages to hide a very heavy concussion gun (referred to as a "stun-gun") under her coat. The shots, which pop out into the shape of an X-shaped claw, are so powerful they can even knock over trucks. At one point Milly refers to herself as "Stun-gun Milly."
Meryl Stryfe (メリル・ストライフ)
Meryl Stryfe and her junior co-worker Milly were sent by the Bernardelli Insurance Society to evaluate claims regarding Vash the Stampede. Despite her serious attitude and short temper, she is a good person.
Although she doesn't often fight alongside Vash, she hides many derringer-style "throwaway" pistols under her coat. She once referred to herself as "Derringer Meryl."
Initially, she finds Vash to be a nuisance and dismisses the idea that he is the legendary Humanoid Typhoon. As time passes, she realizes that Vash isn't the villain that he is made out to be nor the buffoon that he presents himself to be. Gradually, she comes to respect Vash and love him deeply.
It is also hinted near the end of the anime that she may possibly be the reincarnation of Rem Saverem. This, however, is not present in the manga, and may have been an independent decision by the producers of the anime. Another source of this belief is through the construction of her name, where as Meryl = Mer-yl = Rem
It is hinted that Meryl has problems involving her family. Early in Trigun Maximum, she celebrates her 23rd birthday, which means she was 21 at the beginning of Trigun.
Meryl is very short, more so in the manga than in the anime.
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