Trigun Bookclub: pancake-breakfast: Trigun Maximum Volume 1: Chapter 3-4

Original Tumblr Post: Chapter 3-4

Time for more TriMax! I’m told we’ll be reunited with the girls again soon….

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 1, Chapters 3-4 below. (More detailed thoughts will be their own posts.)

Table of Contents

Chapter 3: Bravo, Girls!

Ah, there are the girls already!
He did warn them that it might be like July….
Awww, that cupcake is HUGE!
Meryl’s face. I don’t think she likes being reminded that she’s been through so much at her age. Or maybe she just doesn’t like people talking about her age. Or maybe… she doesn’t like all the rumors around the story versus the actual facts.

Vash using people as tools? Dude. It’s like they don’t even know the guy. ~~They don’t.~~
Woooow, way to dictate what makes women happy.
I sincerely hope New Miami is better than current Miami.
Oh, man. They straight-up note the hair color change here.
Oh, no! Her reports! Not only are they all over the floor, but they’re also being insulted! Terrible.
Hahahahaha, Meryl’s making faces behind her boss’s back. TBF he deserves it.

So… the insurance agency decided that, rather than send two young girls out to guard this “most dangerous criminal,” they’d send a former military man. This theoretically seems wise of them, but Vash is Vash.
Also, what military?? Best I can tell, there aren’t other nations on this planet. The closest thing to a military you’ve got is gangs and maybe a few organized militia.
Dramatic Vash is dramatic. This time, in silhouette!

I can hear the *ching* of this guy’s spurs as he steps off the bus. The fact that he’s not wearing spurs is irrelevant.
Vash doesn’t even try to pull one over on the insurance agency and pretend he’s a Mr. Smith or whatever.
LOL, shotgun-launching suitcase.
Assassination attempt: failed.
What’s up with the bottle on the string? Was… that how Vash opened the door?
Vash sees right through this guy. What’s his name? Bardeaux Keele. As in, “Hai, I’m an assassin and I’m gonna Keele you!”
Somehow, I don’t think this was part of his job description from the insurance agency….
LOL, now you done it, Keele. You gone and pissed off Wolfwood, and he has considerably fewer qualms about taking you out than Vash does.
Oh, honey. You’re only in volume 1 of TriMax. There’s no way in hell your next shot’s gonna “finish it.”
LOL, Meryl’s entrance onto the scene here is amazing. I wonder how long she was watching before she decided to speak up.
Ohhhhh, she’s gonna get this guy on a different type of insurance fraud. ~~TBF, it’s kinda on Bernardelli for not realizing it was a bad idea to hire someone named Keele.~~

I love how absolutely unphased Meryl is despite having THREE guns aimed at her and her life most definitely threatened.

Oof, instead she’s thinking about all the life-threatening situations she’s been in, and of Vash’s goofy smile. I have thoughts on all this.
Ah, he done threatened Meryl and now Milly’s gonna make him pay for it.
Vacation!? This is a hell of a vacation.
That face is not very convincing, Wolfwood. Just whaaaat are you planning?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Tabasco.
Meryl looks so happy about being carried away by the storm that is Vash.
Despite poo-pooing her reports, Meryl is still their second pick for Vash Babysitting Duty.

CW: Rape mention

Even though we’ve had a face reveal for Knives, he’s still cast in shadows here.
There it is. A summary of Knives as he COMPLETELY misreads the situation and tries to paint himself as the hero.

Heh, I love how in this moment, the best insult Vash can come up with is to tell Knives he’s not human. Which, of course, hardly works as an insult for Knives.
Geez. Vash thinks, “Forgetting brings too much sorrow. Remembering leads to everlasting pain.” And then he chooses to remember.
Awww, he’s so cute in his groggy wake-up phase.
That’s a lot of coffins….
I wish I could do one-handed handstand push-ups like that. ~~But I don’t want to train for three hours every morning before breakfast. That sounds like self-murder.~~
LOL, Vash has been working up too much of a sweat even for Wolfwood.
Vash, when he hears another of his sisters is alive somehow.

Wolfwood explaining what Plants are to Vash is hilarious.
That’s right; rape isn’t about sex. It’s about power. So if you’re trying to drive other people out or show dominance over them, it does often fall into the mix right alongside murder.
It’s played off, but Vash is well within his rights to cry here, I think. He cares a lot for humanity. Seeing them rip each other apart like this is bound to hit a note for him.
I love how much Nightow says about both characters and their relationship in just these two panels.

Nightow is very dedicated to not drawing mouths on characters who have moustaches.
Brad?? THE Brad???
Yep, it’s THE Brad.
Which face? Um. How many masks does Vash wear?!
In spite of all the time that’s past, Vash recognizes Brad.
He snuck away from you, WW!
Time to get some new fancy gear! Huzzah!
“Lost technology for lost technology.” Hahahahaha, these guys know what’s up.
He genuinely is sorry, guys. He just didn’t want to cause trouble.
Oh, Vash…. He looks so… empty at Brad’s comments.

This is just going to dissolve into me posting a bunch of Vash panels because I want to slap some sense into Brad and give Vash hugs. But his face is so… resigned and sad and kind of hard here after Brad points out how much of a threat he could be to humanity. Like… he gets it, Brad. I guarantee you, he gets it. And he doesn’t hold it against Brad for speaking the truth.

Vash is pleading with Brad. I love the close-up on his clenched fist. This isn’t what he wants. But it’s the way things are. And he’s gonna do his best because he has to. For their sake. Regardless of whether they want him to.

Hahahahaha, Brad is just jealous. Don’t worry, Brad. Vash isn’t gonna go that route.
Dude, what’s up with that surgery tool??
What the heck? Who’s crashing into stand steamer?? Rude.
LOL, WW crawling around with his bowl of… ramen? curry? soup? Whatever it is, it wasn’t designed to be carried while crawling.
I feel like WW’s chaos sense went off and he immediately followed it, knowing Vash would be there.
Misspelling of the word “custody” here….
Wolfwood doesn’t get it. But Vash is trying to be patient.

Hahahahaha, Vash is dying after being called a disaster-prone freak. WW is also dying, but of laughter. Because it’s true.
Oh, no. Vash has an idea. He looks way too mischievous for it to be a safe one.
Dramatic gun twirl!
VAAAAASHU ZA STAMMMMPIIIIIIDOOOOOOOO!!!
Hahahahaha, that’s right. Lean into your violent reputation as a way to quell the pending violence and lead to a non-violent outcome. This is how Vash wiggles out of trolley problems.
“These are the tactics of a the man whom our fate rests upon.” “All I’m seeing is a total nutjob!” Beautiful.