The space western: Trigun Maximum

Most avid anime fans are familiar with the anime Trigun, however few realize there were two manga that followed the events of the series. The first catalogues earlier events in the series (and was released before the anime in Japan) and is followed up with the long running and one more independent from the anime, Trigun Maximum. It is a shame this manga series is over looked, because it is just as good if not better then the T.V. show for number of reasons. This manga deserves more credit and recognition then it gets, which is the reason I have chosen to review it.

The art style of the manga is somewhat similar to the T.V. show, however there are major differences in the art style that set it apart from the anime. Most noticeably different are the designs in the insurance girls Milly and Meryl, though just about ever character design including Vash has a special flavor adapted for the manga. The characters design in Maximum have a nice variety of physical and emotional traits that draw in the reader’s interests. The facial features are especially well draw, allowing characters to exhibit a vast array of emotion, whether it is comical to sorrowful or pensive the emotion convincing. What is most impressive about Maximum is its ability to come at you from ever-possible angle, as though the drawings were taken from stills of a film. Much like MW it uses a variety of angles and panel sizes to capture the action in many angles. Occasionally it tries to hard to be creative and images become confusing do to this detail, but overall the format works more often then not to its advantage. As far as background goes it is both complex and complete or (especially during action) a simple shade grey, black or action lines. Although, this helps add to the drama of the action and/or helps prevent confusion, it would be nice to see the same quality backgrounds a majority of the time. Overall the art is usually very high of quality and is a major boost to the storyline.

The Maximum quickly moves away from the T.V. storyline to create a thrilling story with more complication and explanation then was found in the anime. It still carries the same absence of a complex plot, however it’s simple plot allows for thrilling stories despite being somewhat unimaginative. The plot follows the hero Vash the Stampede who is wanted for destruction of a city and putting a hole in the moon. Vash is actually a super being created by humans known as a plant, plants carry immense amounts of power within the their bodies which can be harnessed as weapons or power sources.

Vash is plagued with trouble caused by his evil brother Knives (his name kind of gives away the evil part) who is disgusted with humans and seeks to destroy them, as well as convince his brother that humans deserve death. Knives forces Vash against his will to destroy a city, placing a high bounty on him. To make things worse Knives hires a powerful psychic who he cripples and who slavishly serves him named Legato Bluesummer, a transvestite (transsexual?) known as Elendira the Crimsonnail and a cast of elite assassins known as the Gun-Ho Guns.

Vash along with his partner Nicholas T. Wolfwood (a wandering priest/gunman armed with a giant cross gun) now Vash most seek out and stop Knives from destroying humanity. Vash most do this while protecting humans and harboring his vowed never to kill again as well as dealing those after his large bounty. Although the plot is very loose it is not the plot so much as the characters that make this story work well. An interesting element added in Maximum is the ethics of the use of the plants life force as power sources. This gives Knives more of a reason for his hatred with humans, but also he turns out to be little better then the humans, as absorbs his own kind for power. This creates an interesting ethical issue, however this issue beyond what the story can handle. The stories plot lack complex issues to keep it interesting on it’s own and it is up to the characters to create interest.

Where this story really stands out is the complexity many characters within it, both the heroes and villains are fleshed out far better then the anime. Each character has far more time in the manga to develop personality, giving you a clearer idea of their motivation and personality. The character that seems to benefit the most from this is Nicholas T. Wolfwood who is assigned by Knives to travel with Vash. Wolfwood is forced throughout the story to constantly to question his beliefs and action; he believes in killing as the only permanent solution to the problems he and Vash face from villains. Wolfwood is constantly frustrated by Vash’s unwillingness to kill and determination to save people. Wolfwood at the same time feels an inner guilt for those he has killed and at the same time is unsure about his position guarding Vash for Knives. Another character that is clearly differently treated is Legato Bluesummer’s, who appears more human and inhuman at the same time. His crippled nature, appearance and enjoyment in human slaughter makes him seem more monstrous, while at the same time he displays more emotion then in the anime such as jealousy and anger especially toward the top Gun-Ho Gun Elendira. Even Knives is given far more personality and importance in the story, though he still is an underdeveloped character.  He simply loathes humans and wishes for Vash to see humans as he does.

Characters behave also in the manga form are more believable behaving then in the anime. The Gun-Ho Guns for example have more internal disputes among each other and have their own personal objectives. Many times they even clash physically with one another. Maximum keeps much of the humor found earlier in the series, which helps to keep the story for always being to dark and brooding. Another nice change is the additional stories one-shot stories, which are just as well crafted as the main plot and just as enjoyable. The main problems in this work come for the vast and fast moving storylines which can switch from comical to serious and back relatively quickly. On top of that the reader is given a lot of story relatively quickly and much of it is important to remember.

Overall this is a thrilling tale, although the main plot is sub par the characterization and art make up for this by filling in the holes. Despite a few big flaws, this manga stands alone from the anime and features many important advantages that the anime lacks. It is intelligently written while still retaining a fast action packed speed. For those who liked the anime or simply like a fast and thoughtful story this is certainly a good read. For those who are not familiar with the Trigun series it might be good see the anime or pick up the first two volumes of the manga. However it isn’t imperative to watch the series or read the earlier manga understanding Trigun Maximum.