The final chapter of the new anime series "TRIGUN STAMPEDE," based on Yasuhiro Nightow's manga "Trigun," titled "TRIGUN STARGAZE," will air on TV Tokyo from 11:00 PM on January 10th. The gun action manga was serialized from 1995 to 2007, and aired from January to March 2023. Ahead of the broadcast of the final chapter, which will be the first new series in about three years, we spoke to Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, who plays the protagonist, Vash the Stampede, about his thoughts on the series.
◇ I have to fulfill my responsibilities as the lead actor
Set on a desert planet, "Trigun" depicts the struggles and struggles of Vash the Stampede, a gunfighter who has sworn not to kill, as he fights to stick to his ideals. The anime was broadcast on TV in 1998, and the animated film "Trigun the Movie: Badlands Rumble" was released in 2010, and it is a masterpiece that continues to be loved all over the world.
Matsuoka said he felt a lot of pressure to play the lead role in the reboot of a popular work, confessing, "I was at my wits' end when I got the role."
"I also watched the 1998 TV anime. It's not a question of whether or not it will surpass that, but rather I want people to see that both have their good points. Ideally, people will like both. So I have no desire to surpass it at all. That was the difficulty."
When filming "TRIGUN STAMPEDE," which aired in 2023, Matsuoka said he was unaware that a final chapter would be produced.
"I hadn't thought about doing a sequel, and I felt like I'd accomplished everything after the final episode of 'STAMPEDE'. It felt like a fight between two actors. It had been a while since I last acted in 'STARGAZE', so I had some trouble getting my act together. At first, I kept asking myself, was Vash really like this?"
"TRIGUN STARGAZE" is set two and a half years after "Lost July," the event that engulfed the world in "TRIGUN STAMPEDE" and brought an entire city to ruin. Vash has changed his name to Elix and is living in a remote town. Tormented by a sense of loss, his life is no longer the same as it once was.
"The story is heavier overall than last time. I was really worried about how to portray that. Vash has become like an empty shell. How much of this is up to the judges on set. I want the viewer to empathize with me, but I didn't want to make it a painful work. Visual works are also a form of entertainment. I think the opening this time is completely different from last time. The first episode last time had some comedy elements and was refreshing, but this time the story is about what's going on inside Vash's heart. As the story progresses, how will Vash return to his normal self? We discussed this on set and acted together. It was difficult to find the right balance. It was extremely difficult, but having Naito-sensei on set was a great help. I was able to act with a consistent mindset."
During the recording, he approaches the work with a stoic attitude.
"When I'm on set as the lead, I often don't talk much with the people around me. My senior taught me that if the lead loses his composure, the whole team loses its composure, so the mainstay must have a strong core. I had to fulfill my responsibilities as the lead, so I didn't talk much on the set of 'TRIGUN'."
◇Images beyond imagination
It was a "pre-recording" process where the voice was recorded first and then the pictures were added.
"It was the same with 'STAMPEDE,' but we had the storyboard footage, so it was like a semi-pre-recording. The pictures were just a guide, and we were told that we didn't have to match the length too much, but I'm not very good at pre-recording. It's fine to be able to do it freely, but it's like an occupational hazard, and when there's a guideline, I try to match it. I don't have much experience with pre-recording, and it's difficult when there's a high degree of freedom."
"TRIGUN STAMPEDE" and "TRIGUN STARGAZE" were produced by Orange, the studio also known for "Land of the Lustrous" and "BEASTARS." "TRIGUN STAMPEDE" is appealing for its visual beauty, which combines the dynamic action that is unique to 3DCG with cel animation-like expressions that make you forget that it is 3DCG.
"Honestly, I didn't imagine the quality would be this high. 3D is constantly evolving, but when I watch it, there are times when I think, 'It's 3D.' But it didn't feel out of place, and I felt that today's technology has really reached an amazing level. Our acting and ad-libs were picked up on in great detail, and I was genuinely moved. There were many parts that exceeded my imagination. The sense of realism was also amazing. I particularly like the scene in episode 7 of 'STAMPEDE' where Nicholas and I try to stop the runaway sand vapor. He operates a crane, wraps an ion cannon around it, and drops it with an anchor. The whole sequence gave me goosebumps."
After "TRIGUN STAMPEDE," they poured their passion into "TRIGUN STARGAZE."
"When we were recording 'STAMPEDE,' there were some unknowns about how the visuals would turn out, so I was surprised when I saw the finished product, but I didn't feel like I should have done more. I felt that if I was going to do it, I had to give it my all. The final chapter should be of even higher quality, so I was conscious of that. This time too, it was basically full of fights. It wasn't very heartwarming. However, it was a little heartwarming when it involved Meryl and Millie."
"TRIGUN STARGAZE" is an anime that will allow viewers to enjoy the improved visuals and "fights" between voice actors, so expectations are high. (Anima Mitsuru/MANTANWEB)
