For a shonen from the 90s, it's quite typical, and if that's something you're looking for, particularly something that mixes science fiction and westerns, this is probably the thing for you. Personally, while I respect the talent and detail in the artwork, I cannot stand the art style, and actually find it quite difficult to follow a lot of the time because too much is happening. I also find the story in this volume at best funny in the more comedic moments, or just kind of boring, though the world-building is... at least interestingly designed? Though also a lot of it is very typical for stories of this type, and this doesn't exactly stand out to me other than it's still popular today, and I'm up to speed with "Trigun: Stampede", and giving the manga another chance while I wait for episode 12.

I actually started this back in 2011 and dropped it because of the art and story. My impression hasn't changed. I still love Milly best of the cast, and it's nice to see her again. Vash's physical flexibility is also quite neat, and his ability to wear 10,000 belts and constantly show off his stretchy arms and legs is quite... fascinating. I'm not complaining.

All in all, if you want a classic shonen from the 90s... well I can't say I exactly recommend this, but if you really like "s-CRY-ed", "Cowboy Bebop", "Outlaw Star", "Marchen Awakens Romance", "Flame of Recca", or that kind of thing, this might be for you. If you like "Trigun: Stampede", there will be a number of elements here that you can see I the anime, but a lot was changed. ( )

My favorite Manga series of all time. ( )

I've become a bit jaded with manga in recent years, as evidenced by the fact that I quit the last long term series that I was working on (even though it had beautiful art) and barely gave the last set a try, but delving back into Trigun was a fun romp. The post-apocalyptic(ish), western setting is definitely not my norm for content, but something about the red-jacketed gunslinger makes me want to know his story. Nightow is really just starting to set the stage for his story in this first volume, throwing all kinds of random conflict Vash's direction, but some of the major themes are already starting to emerge. We see Vash's lonely nature being eroded by the insurance girls and the wild west themes about settlement, competition for resources, and the importance of the environment are taking the forefront. What is Vash trying to accomplish on this wayward planet is still a mystery, but we'll join the caravan (or steamship in Vash's case) for a while to find out. ( )

the anime covers this same territory. I liked the anime better.

Trigun always was a strange series. To some extent, one could make the case that all the filler is in the first few volumes, before the story proper gets started. ( )