Warning: Spoilers for Trigun Stampede, Episode 2The new series Trigun Stampede has been both hotly anticipated and viewed with suspicion by fans. The series is utilizing a new CG anime style that's radically setting it apart from the first anime, which not everyone likes. The most recent episode, however, has proven that this transition to CG was actually the perfect fit for the series.
Both the original Trigun anime and its manga were known for the madcap action that often took place. Vash doesn't fight anyone directly; he's a complete pacifist, after all. That means he spends a lot of time dodging attacks, and the rest of it pulling off crazy one-in-a-million schemes to help defeat his enemies without harming them. This fact is never more on display than it was in this second episode, when Vash risked his own life to save one of the murderous bounty hunters that was after him.
This second episode, entitled "The Running Man," is just as heavy on the action as the Trigun reboot's first episode was. It sees Vash on the run from the town that he had been staying in and helping, as they've become desperate enough to try to claim his bounty to save their town in spite of all he's done for them. Vash, of course, doesn't want to hurt them, and winds up in an elaborate chase sequence dodging bullets, which ultimately collides with these other, more dangerous bounty hunters on the lookout for Vash. The chase sequence is incredibly smooth, and it utilizes long tracking shots that are incredibly difficult to pull off with traditional animation. To come up with a similar sequence in traditional animation, they'd need a movie-size budget, but the CG allows for a huge amount of freedom with the camera.
Trigun Stampede's CG Style Was the Right Choice
Action scenes can be incredibly difficult in animation; keeping a character's look and design consistent from many different angles and while performing physical stunts requires a level of attention to detail that's near impossible to achieve. Traditional animation does have some cheats for this, like smear frames, but over-reliance on those can make the action tough to follow. Trigun Stampede's CG style doesn't have this problem, though. Vash can be clearly seen throughout his chase scene, no matter the orientation of the camera or how fast he's moving. For those used to traditional animation techniques, it can be a bit strange at first, as the lack of smears and such is not what one has come to expect, but that doesn't make it bad. If Trigun Stampede intends to have Vash's action scenes like these on a regular basis, then CG not only makes it affordable to do, but also leaves it looking crisper than it otherwise might have. In other words, the action which is so central to this series' appeal is both more possible and more impressive thanks to the CG.
While CG anime like Trigun Stampede will likely continue to be a point of contention among fans for some time, the quality of this series' CG proves that a CG anime can look amazing, too--and it helps to set itself apart from its predecessor.
Trigun Stampede debuts new episodes on Saturdays, via Crunchyroll.
