It is make or break for Trigun, as the show trudges ever closer to the halfway mark. Can the series leave behind the droll filler that plagued earlier instalments and at long last deliver the kind of formidable storytelling we all know it is capable of? The answer, for the most part is a resounding yes.

"Which is the real face of Vash? The clown, the saint, or the killer?"

The first episode on the disc is another slab of the unswerving, obscure storytelling Trigun built its reputation on. Whilst I can't escape the nagging feeling I'm being spoon-fed the exact same story only dressed up slightly differently every time, this episode manages to quietly impress.
There are plenty of quaint character moments, and the baroque but sincere scruples of Nicolas D. Wolfwood are given a thorough airing. For me his rough-hewn charm and endearing presence is all that is keeping these otherwise unremarkable episodes worth watching

This volume is worth the expenditure for one episode and one alone, that episode being 'Diablo', which drags Trigun kicking and screaming back to the no-holds barred exuberance so slickly employed in episode one. Its single major coup is the emergence of some formidable and downright diabolical villains for our bumbling gunslinger to tangle with. It's high time the real battle begun and this episode piles on the dramatics, danger and action with aplomb.

After what has been an agonising wait we finally get to see Vash's nice guy exterior well and truly shatter, exposing the merciless gunman he risks his life to suppress. This scene sends shivers up and down my spine whenever I see it, dripping with unrestrained malevolence and underpinned with a precarious sense of veracity, it is an unsettling yet welcome reminder of how emotive Trigun can be when it is firing on the right cylinders.

Following those painstaking lengths to inject the series with some urgency in 'Diablo' the ultimate episode on this disc falls agonizingly short. I can only hope this re-cap episode is the deep breath before the plunge, serving as a timely reminder of what has gone before and what will hopefully be left behind. Worth watching for the new footage that tops and tails it, this episode is an otherwise redundant exercise in cost cutting that was all too prevalent in shows of the Trigun era. It’s a real shame MVM didn't take the initiative and squeeze another episode onto this disc, which would have gone to some lengths to combat this snooze-worthy dose of shameless filler.

Video
As usual this is a solid transfer, the colours are muted and at times very grainy which is an inherent problem in shows of this age. Fortunately this unwanted side effect gives Trigun a very gritty, filmic lustre which compliments the dreary spaghetti western feel perfectly.

Audio
I watched Trigun with its original Japanese 2.0 track, the lack of any directionality is sorely missed in the more frenetic gun battles, but dialogue is perfectly audible and pleasingly clear.

In Summary

This has probably been the most frustrating volume of Trigun for me so far, the second episode on this disc is absolutely devastating, offering a tormenting glimpse of the slick, captivating storytelling Trigun is capable of delivering, and which was so ably demonstrated early on. Hopefully it can capitalize on this dramatic high in ensuing volumes and finally cement that much lauded reputation as one of the best shows of the 90's.