Trigun Bookclub: deludedfantasy: Trigun Maximum Volume 5: Chapter 4-6

Back to the Trigun Bookclub Archive

Original Tumblr Post: Trimax Vol 5 Ch 4-6

Trimax Vol 5 Ch 4-6

Ok, it’s incredibly late and I have a flight to catch tomorrow but I desperately need to get these thoughts out before I leave. AKA I continue being emotionally devastated by Trigun.

Ch 4

I didn’t catch on my first read through that Meryl is also witnessing Vash’s memories! But she seems to be getting more than just July. She’s also seeing little Vash. I wonder how much of his past she ends up seeing. Does it include his time on the ship before the Big Fall? How much does she learn about him here?
Also lil baby Vash!!
Did Hoppred rig the whole building to blow so he could take Vash down with him as a last resort?
Wolfwood needs to stop pointing his gun at Milly right now. He’s trying so hard to protect her and keep her alive, but I hate that his first thought is to go for physical threats. The thing is, I think Milly knows he would never actually pull the trigger on her. She’s still so brave for how she faces up to him though and never breaks eye contact with him, even with a gun in her face.
Me, trying to make myself feel better by telling myself that at least Vash used his angel powers to save his friends rather than accidentally kill them this time.
I hate how Midvalley talks about Vash, calling him “it” and “a thing.” He’s spent so much time around Knives that he can’t comprehend Independent Plants as anything other than destructive monsters. There’s a certain significance to the fact that he’s saying this to Wolfwood, who up until recently might have held a similar view. But he doesn’t agree with Midvalley anymore and it serves as an interesting mirror moment for Wolfwood’s character.
A wild Legato appears! On the world’s weirdest motorcycle with his assistant. Once again I ask, who are they??
Actually, why is he even here? Is he mad that he’s been kept away from the action?
I gotta give Nightow a lot of credit here. It fucking hurts that Legato manipulates Hoppred into shooting Midvalley. I have a lot of sympathy for both these characters and they shared an interesting camaraderie. Midvalley might be the closest thing Hoppred’s had to a friend in a long time and Legato just made him kill him! They might be villains and they may be after our main character but I don’t hate them or want them to die or suffer like this.

Ch 5

Eldritch Vash! Eldritch Vash! I know it’s horrifying for him, but man, do I love me some uncanny, eldritch character transformations. Give me more of that cosmic horror, baby!
Legato crying because he’s horrified that anyone would betray Knives…he’s just sooooo. He truly is a character of all time. The toxic loyalty and devotion is truly something to witness.
Again, I ask, where does Wolfwood keep pulling handguns from??? His tits???
Oh Vash, is losing it. His eyes are completely white and devoid of anything but rage.
This is just like that scene from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Oh!! Is this the panel that inspired creature Vash? Love that it’s from such an intense scene. He’s just so shaped.

Damn, Meryl!! Breaking the Mexican standoff.
What I can’t tell is if Vash pushed her up, encouraging her to do it because he knew it would be a surprise or if she popped up herself. There’s something in the way this panel is drawn that suggests she’s shocked at being pushed out of feathers.
Oh shit, did Legato just get half his face blasted off???
Manipulating Midvalley’s dead body is…a lot, Legato. That’s a lot.
Oh no, not the Angel Arm again!
Interrupted by random giant nail? Looks like someone’s coming to join the party…

Ch 6

I’M STRESSED OUT. Meryl is stuck and Vash is stuck in a meltdown he can’t control. Things ain’t looking good here.
Oh Vash, oh no. He’s in so, so much pain almost constantly from what he’s done. This is what he’s been hiding behind all those sad smiles and goofy jokes. It’s a wonder he manages to keep himself going.
Vash’s imaginary (I think) conversation with Knives as he gains control of himself is gonna make me cry. All that pain and all that guilt, he could easily disappear into it and never find his way out. But he pulls himself back because he’s not done yet, he still has things to do and people he cares about and things he believes in above all else.
And he’s so unsure of his mission! He’s been proven wrong so many times and he’s fucked up beyond measure. But he knows people are kind, and just for that little kindness that was shown to him, he wants to give people a second chance, he wants to give humanity a chance to be saved. Oh God, it’s too late at night for me to be reading this.
Soooo, Legato was not supposed to be there and Elendira has just killed his handy-dandy transport assistant. I always find it interesting when the heroes of a story don’t technically win. In this case, one of their own opponents gets rid of a threat for them, mostly because Knives doesn’t want Vash dead just yet. Or ever, probably. He just wants that man to suffer.
I will give Elendira, she is very cool and I might be a little in love with her.
Vash has so much compassion, that even as Hoppred wishes uncountable suffering on him, he still holds his hand, so he doesn’t die alone. He caused Hoppred’s pain. He understands it. He can’t fix it, but he does what he can.
Ah, Milly is ok!!! I was wondering where she went.
Again, so much compassion. He buries the people who were trying to kill them and gives them grave markers, a final resting place. Wolfwood would’ve just left them where they fell. But he is contemplating his existence, as usual when he’s confronted by Vash’s immensely caring heart. We love to see it.

Back to the Trigun Bookclub Archive