On a barren, dusty planet baked by the rays of two suns, colonists eke out a miserable existence in small settlements reminiscent of the Wild West. It has been hundreds of years since the Ship brought them to this world; people know the old stories but no one remembers the lost technology that allows them to raise crops on this inhospitable land. In this lawless time stands a lone gunman. His name is Vash the Stampede. He is the Humanoid Typhoon, the man responsible for wiping out the entire city of July. The price on his head: $$60 billion. Truly a man to be dreaded. Where he goes, destruction follows.
   Well, if the premise sounds dark, the actual anime is far from it. TRIGUN, based on a currently-running manga of the same name, is comical, bright, and full of "feel good" messages. The former never fails to berate Vash at every opportunity while being polite to a fault, and the latter gives a whole new meaning to the word "airhead." They may seem like your typical quirky female sidekicks, but they really are fun to watch, and surprisingly refreshing.
Some of the more cynical folks might dismiss Vash as just another CITY HUNTER wannabe. While Vash is somewhat less than original, when you add in "mysterious past," "tragic love," "partial memory loss," and "evil rival," and mix in a healthy dose of goodness and humanity, you do get a pretty memorable hero.
    The series is on the episodic side, with several two-parters and a couple minor characters that stay on for a few episodes. The tightly sequenced stories, time-wise, give TRIGUN a strong sense of continuity that other shows of this format tend to lack. Despite his reputation for the contrary, Vash always winds up helping out some person in distress, albeit sometimes involuntarily. While it is fun, it also means the show is a little light on plot. The hope is that the series will soon begin to reveal more about Vash's past and his connection with the lost technology of the Ship.