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|  On a barren, dusty planet baked by the rays of two suns, colonists eke out a miserable existence in small settlements reminiscent of the Wild West. It has been hundreds of years since the Ship brought them to this world; people know the old stories but no one remembers the lost technology that allows them to raise crops on this inhospitable land. In this lawless time stands a lone gunman. His name is Vash the Stampede. He is the Humanoid Typhoon, the man responsible for wiping out the entire city of July. The price on his head: $$60 billion (double dollars). Truly a man to be dreaded. Where he goes, destruction follows.
Well, if the premise sounds dark, the actual anime is far from it. TRIGUN, based on a currently-running manga of the same name, is comical, bright, and full of "feel good" messages. This reviewer's first impression of Vash was of Ito (GUNMM) crossed with Saeba Ryo (CITY HUNTER). Vash is a tall, thin, blonde guy, and his penchant for acting like a clueless idiot belies his amazing marksmanship and intelligence. Did I mention he has a thing for women?
Because of the way Vash seems to attract trouble, an insurance company has set two agents to follow him around and make sure he causes as little damage as possible. The people for this job turn out to be two women whose characters more than succeed in matching Vash's. Meryl "Derringer" Streep (played by Tsuru Hiromi!) and Millie "Stungun" Thompson stick to Vash like flies on garbage, much to the chagrin of the man himself. The former never fails to berate Vash at every opportunity while being polite to a fault, and the latter gives a whole new meaning to the word "airhead." They may seem like your typical quirky female sidekicks, but they really are fun to watch, and surprisingly refreshing.
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