Posted: 09/26/2011

Trigun: Badlands Rumble

(2010)

by Ruben R. Rosario

Coming to Blu-Ray and DVD September 27th, 2011 by Funimation.

It’s been 12 long years since anime fans were introduced by Vash the Stampede and the hit series Trigun here in the US. In 2005, original creator, Yasuhiro Nightow had announced the possibility of there being a film version of Trigun being made due to the high demand made by the US fans and the US distributors. The original director of the TV series Satoshi Nishimura, Nightow and animation studio Madhouse had some serious doubts on the importance of creating a sequel to the show but decided to take the gamble. Trigun: Badlands Rumble is hands down worth the wait and if you’re an anime fan, it deserves to be in your collection, regardless if you’ve seen the original show.

Trigun: Badlands Rumble is self contained and takes place in between the original series, like another space western anime, Cowboy Bebop and it’s feature film, Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heaven’s Door. Gasback, a legendary thief on Gunsmoke made the biggest heist of all time, to only have it stolen by his crew members and have Vash the Stampede interfere by just being ever so present. 20 years later, Gasback travels to Macca City to dish out some payback against his former colleagues and it just so happens that Vash is in town and is once again stuck in between them. Along the way, Vash stumbles upon the fallen priest Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Bernadelli Insurance Agents Meryl Stryfe and Milli Thompson and the mysterious bounty hunter, Amelia that has her own score to settle with Gasback herself.

The video for Trigun: Badlands Rumble on Blu-Ray is presented in a 1080p AVC encoded video track with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Studio Madhouse is know for their amazing visual presentation in the anime world and Trigun: Badlands Rumble is no exception. Crisp colors and smooth lines are ever so present and the level of detail is astounding. Everything from the backgrounds, characters and spectacular battles strewn through the 91 minute running time is a visual feast and Studio Madhouse further cements their status as one of the best anime studios around.

There are two audio tracks for the film on the Blu-Ray, Dolby True HD 5.1 Japanese and Dolby True HD 5.1 English. Both tracks are fantastic on the in terms of the sound effects usage and make full use of the surround channels and LFE channel. On the Japanese track, all of the original voice actors reprise their roles for the characters and bring them back to life once again. On the English track, the only voice actor to return is Johnny Yong Bosch, who plays Vash the Stampede once again and does a fantastic job. You can’t go wrong with either 5.1 track and it just comes down to a matter of preference.

Funimation does a great job with an plethora of extras to supplement Trigun: Badlands Rumble. There’s a ton of interview’s with the original creators about the creation of the film. Cast interviews with the Japanese cast on how they feel on returning to these roles once again. There’s also a really great reversible cover, drawn by Yasuhiro Nightow himself on the Blu-Ray case. There’s so many good extras on this disc, that it’s like nice little cherry on top of a giant ice cream sunday that’s been missing from anime releases for a long time.

Overall, Trigun: Badlands Rumble is an absolute blast and cannot afford to be missed for any anime enthusiast. Studio Madhouse and Yasuhiro Nightow pulled out all the stops and made one hell of a film and Funimation has done a fantastic job at localizing and presenting it here stateside. It’s surprising that a show this old would have such a great film made years later due to fan demand. It’s got something for everyone, Trigun fans, non-Trigun fans and even someone that’s never seen any anime for that matter. Full of bullets, great comedy and absolute mayhem, Trigun: Badlands Rumble is one of the best anime films ever made and is a testament to the Trigun legacy. Highly Recommended!!!

Ruben R. Rosario is a graduate from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Audio for Visual Media. He works as a freelance location sound mixer, boom operator, sound designer, and writer in his native Chicago. He’s an avid collector of films, comics, and anime.

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