‘Trigun Stampede’ Episode 3 review: “Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness”

Following two set-up episodes to get the new audience familiar and keep the old fans on their toes, Trigun Stampede sets off the bombs – literally – and sets us off on what it is really going to be about. While at first the series seemed interested in a sort of monster-of-the-week adventure while we learned more about Vash’s (Yoshitsugu Matsuoka) past, instead the third episode acts like a season finale all in itself. By the time the end credits roll, it is very difficult not to completely understand the fear Vash has of his brother, Millions Knives.

“Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness” starts by simultaneously thrusting back into the aftermath of episode two while making it clear to the audience that something far scarier is on the way. For Vash and the townspeople of Jenora Rock, the aftermath of the bomb that attached itself to Gosef has sent everyone out to the town’s edge. It’s there that Trigun Stampede tries to lull us back into the pattern: we meet E. G. Bomber (who claims he’s been renamed E.G. The Mine), the newest threat to Jenora Rock’s life-giving Plant system. 

Immediately, he’s facing off with Vash while racing through the town in a jarringly animated and deadly big wheel. Meryl and Roberto get involved to help Vash; we’ve seen this a couple of times. There’s even another showdown between Vash’s pacifism and the harsh reality of Noman’s Land that these people have lived under. But, that’s about the time you realize the episode isn’t even half over, and an even harsher reality has arrived. 

Knives’s arrival is suitably haunting and dramatic. 

As I mentioned before in my review of episode one, I don’t know the source material or the original anime adaptation of Trigun. I’m purposefully avoiding the details to allow Stampede to tell its tale without expectation. As such, I don’t know when Millions Knives (Junya Ikeda) shows up there. In this series, he’s here now, and it sure feels like he’s way too early. 

That feeling isn’t a negative. “Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness” deftly acts almost as if the episode itself doesn’t expect Knives in person so early and is powerless to stop him walking all over this town we’re no familiar with. Vash too, is pretty powerless in the face of his horrifying brother, first forced into a trance state then in a frantic chase while trying to protect everyone else from his brother’s indiscriminate killing.

Knives is an immediate and overwhelming threat.

It’s easy to forgive the rough compositing of E.G. Bomber’s killer big wheel when compared to the beautiful horror of seeing why he’s called “Millions Knives.” Knives spends the rest of the episode slowly but surely stalking his way through the town like a horror movie killer to claim the Plants for himself and it becomes clear very quickly that there’s a decent chance no one makes it out of here. 

While “Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness” doesn’t tell us more about Knives as a character, his threat level is off the charts. I can’t think of a good comparison in recent anime history where an enemy shows up this early and makes it abundantly clear who’s actually in charge. His constant taunting of Vash while he strolls around, asking him who’s “side” he’s on is haunting. He’s clearly playing with Vash and the townsfolk, even assigning his equally intimating assistants who arrive on the scene cleanup of Bomber’s mess while he continues to enjoy himself.

Trigun Stampede Episode 3 masterfully constructs an air of horror.

Additionally, am I crazy or does that girl with Knives have the same haircut as the young versions of the two brothers? Does Knives have a kid? I’m already fascinated both with the man and the dynamic this could create. It’s clear that despite his lackadaisical desire to kill, Knives has an agenda and an ideology. I look forward to seeing Trigun Stampede explore that sooner than expected.

By the time the episode reaches its climax, Knives murders the town of Jenora Rock itself, not only successfully taking its critical plants but also in a visual feast of steel. The final sequence of thousands of blades squirming and dancing in the sky and back down into the town feels less like an attack in an anime and more like an eldritch horror.

No victory to be found.

I do want to credit Studio Orange for finding a way to depict something like this in a truly scary way, but I also have to say that the sequence seemed to have some impact on the stream delivery of the episode to my TV. It doesn’t ruin the experience, but I’ll definitely be hoping for a Blu-ray release so that I can revisit this horror in all of its glory.  

Again, I’m not sure how much Trigun Stampede is faithful to the material it takes from, but “Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness” really feels like I’m now watching the actual Trigun Stampede. The episode ends on a somber note, with Vash departing to chase his brother, leaving behind the completely broken remaining populace. There’s no victory here and no teasing – we now have a direction and a real tone of how uncaring this world really is. With an episode potent enough to count as its own season finale, Trigun Stampede is definitely going to be a year-end contender at this point. 

Trigun Stampede is available to stream now on Crunchyroll.

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Featured Image courtesy of Crunchyroll / ©2023 Yasuhiro Nightow, SHONENGAHOSHA / TRIGUN STAMPEDE Project