It's that time again- I'm not one to decry every single reboot as automatically doomed to fail; but I am well aware that it's difficult to get right and very easy to screw up. Case in point- while rumors were swirling of a reboot of the beloved anime classic "Trigun" for ages, I was never among those who thought it was necessary. Yet, lo and behold, at this year's Anime Expo (the first held since the last two shows were cancelled amid COVID-19 concerns), it was officially revealed for next year: a CGI reboot known as "Trigun Stampede." Here are my honest thoughts on the matter.
 |
| Courtesy: Crunchyroll Collection YouTube Channel |
Let's address the elephant in the room right away: the CGI. I've mentioned before that it's often a crapshoot whenever a previously-2D anime is given a CG reversion, but that especially becomes a problem when the source material is so distinctive that people have certain expectations in mind. For every Lupin III The First that nails the transition, we've had scores of adaptations like the 2016 Berserk. Even though the CG studio previously worked on both Land of the Lustrous and BEASTARS (both anime I enjoyed), I have very conflicted feelings about this approach. So, as you can imagine from the screenshot I just took; the reactions have been decidedly mixed so far. I won't be going into every tweet I've seen with tagged with this series; but a small sample of reactions compared Vash's new design to a "zoomer," Machine Gun Kelly; and in my case, a Fortnite avatar. It doesn't really help that the framerate looks choppier than the PS1 games I just got with my new PS Plus upgrade either.
I can't say at this stage how this version will approach the characters; but the changes in story already seem quite significant. Apart from some of the weapons, bandits and Vash's prosthetic arm, the original anime and manga (along with the 2010 Badlands Rumble movie) were a fairly grounded "new old west" tale with a flavor of desert punk fiction. So, seeing the first shots of this teaser have a space colony orphanage and sandworms stolen from the set of Dune already has me concerned. Some have theorized this might be a prequel, but that actually raises more questions than it answers. If that ends up being the case (I am not currently at liberty to confirm or deny anything about that), then it looks like it will take a very different direction; one I'm not certain about being successful.
Lastly, there's the point I made above about the reboot as a proposition itself. I didn't really have any need or desire for a reboot of Trigun; as much like Cowboy Bebop, it told a self-contained story across all its episodes and the movie. Even as someone who didn't hate the live-action version of that; I also wasn't surprised when Netflix canned it either (that alone concerns me about their Gundam adaptation, though). Taking creative license also isn't a bad thing in itself- for every adaptation like the 2017 Ghost in the Shell; there's ones like Devilman Crybaby. It's just that in this specific case, my skepticism about a reboot at this stage seems somewhat justified.
I don't plan on passing final judgment on the anime until it actually releases next year, especially as the current entertainment landscape can often make a "sure thing" anything but. However, given the legacy of Trigun as a whole (I'm among those that considers it a companion piece to Cowboy Bebop); this version has an uphill battle on its hands. I am considering reviewing more of the original in the near future.
Bottom line- given how this reveal has already proven divisive in many respects; I will not be addressing Trigun Stampede in further detail until it officially releases next year. That will be all for now, take care.
No comments:
Post a Comment