Trigun Stargaze takes us to the anime world of Trigun, a high-octane show available now on Crunchyroll.
The synopsis for the show is “Vash the Stampede is a joyful gunslinging pacifist, so why does he have a “$$6 million bounty” on his head? That’s what is puzzling rookie reporter Meryl Stryfe and her jaded veteran partner when they look into the fugitive only to find someone who hates blood. But their investigation uncovers something heinous.”
We caught up with the show’s English dub stars, Johnny Yong Bosch who plays Vash (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle ) and Sarah Roach who plays Meryl Stryfe ( the actor is also known for You and I Are Polar Opposites, My Dress-Up Darling) to find out more.
How would you pitch the show to a beloved elderly relative?
Sarah: Dystopian Space Western, with a lot of heart.
Johnny: Vash is a pacifist in a world that is very crazy and violent, and his twin brother is part of that violence, and he is just trying to bring peace to this world. And there are many adventures, meeting many friends along the way, and they end up working together to try to, you know, achieve that same goal. And it’s fantastic, and the animation is great, and the music is amazing.
But what was your first day on this project compared to your most recent last day? What were the two like?
Sarah: I mean, for me, I was really nervous and excited to be stepping into this series, and so I’m still very excited every time I go in, just a lot less nervous now
Johnny: I feel, I mean, I’m very comfortable with the character. We show up and the script is right there, but it’s not like we can turn the page, it’s electronic, so we’re finding out what’s happening in the story as we’re going along. Or if we ask Jeremy, our director, would feed us what’s happening in the story. And I think, earlier on, I was just kind of curious where things are going to go. Now I kind of see the direction of where we’re going so I am more comfortable
What happens when you’re in that like you’re in the zone. You’re in that role, you’re going through the script, and suddenly there is a huge surprise. How do you essentially keep your characters cool during those moments?
Johnny: Well, sometimes you want to react to those surprises appropriately, you know. So if you’re seeing something for the first time and you’re saying something, a line or whatever, you might get a natural reaction off of, like, Whoa. Okay. A lot of times, though, with this sort of thing, with anime, specifically, there’s, you’ll have previews and stuff.
So this is a far future space apocalyptic story. What do you that’s very different from, you know, living in LA, what do you do? What do you do to get into the role to like, get into behind the wheel of the characters?
Sarah: For me, anytime I play a character, I like to listen to music beforehand that either kind of reminds me of the world that they live in or that I think the character would like. And so I like listening to kind of, like that Western, like whistly kind of stuff. Sometimes, sometimes, yeah, spaghetti western. I like to listen to kind of music to get me in that space.
Johnny: Typically, I try to find what’s the heart of the character? Like, what is their main goal? Like, what do they want to achieve? And it doesn’t always happen right away. Sometimes you find out through a few lines or an episode or two, but once you find that piece, then you just sort of lean into that.
Why do we marry science fiction and Westerns together so often? What is it about those two genres that inspire that kind of merge?
Sarah: Something about it just really works. I don’t know. I. It’s always really cool. I mean, a Western in space, just saying that, it’s like, that sounds awesome.
Johnny: It’s Pretty cool. I don’t know. I really just in anime there’s, there’s a huge variety, so you can find just about anything. But yeah, there is something fascinating about it, for sure.
If you could grab one thing from the show, one piece of technology, one power, one ability from the show and bring it into your everyday, day to day life. What would it be?
Sarah: I love the birds that they ride on, like horses. I would love one of those to be my pal. I don’t know. They’re really cool.
Johnny: I’d take Vas’s Arm. Or Wolf Wood’s Cross.
You can catch the show on Crunchyroll here.
Based on the original popular manga created by Yasuhiro Nightow, TRIGUN STAMPEDE and TRIGUN STARGAZE are produced by Studio Orange (BEASTARS, Leviathan). TRIGUN STAMPEDE was directed by Kenji Muto (Land of the Lustrous episode director), and TRIGUN STARGAZE is directed by Masako Sato (HAIKYU!! TO THE TOP). Additional credits for both include scripts based on Takehiko Oki’s concepts and concept art and character designs by Kouji Tajima (GANTZ:0 character artist).
Official TRIGUN STARGAZE Synopsis
It’s been two and a half years since the Lost JuLai tragedy laid waste to an entire city and engulfed the whole planet in chaos. Meryl continues her search for Vash with her new younger sidekick, Milly, and runs into Wolfwood along the way. Meanwhile, Vash has taken the new name Eriks and is living in hiding in a backwater town. When he receives an abrupt visit and SOS from the third ship they call home, he acts swiftly in order to protect those dear to him. However, as soon as the planet receives good news from the far reaches of outer space, the one-winged angel returns to wreak havoc and despair. Fates collide to forge a final conclusion for the panicked planet. TRIGUN STARGAZE is the second season and final journey of TRIGUN STAMPEDE.
