Last year, Orange Studios released Trigun Stampede, a remake of the 1998 Trigun anime based on the manga created by Yasuhiro Nightow. While it’s a retelling of a familiar story, “Stampede” does enough to stand on its own.
One notable example is the choice of art style. Many popular anime, such as Attack on Titan, are presented in a 2D animation art style, often retaining CGI for epic battle scenes. Trigun Stampede’s main art style, on the other hand, relies heavily on the use of CGI.
It’s been over a year since the show hit the small screen. Since then, Orange Studios has been working on a second season.
During Anime Expo 2024, TOHO producer Katsuhiro Takei, who worked on Trigun Stampede, sat down with GameSpot to discuss the creative process behind bringing Trigun back to life, how the MCU inspired the show, and which scenes stood out to them.
GameSpot: What was the inspiration behind the recap of Trigun?
Katsuhiro Takei: When initially discussing how to adapt this new Trigun with Nightow, there was a lot of discussion about what to do. [he] Like, and one of the recommendations from [him] It’s Marvel [Netflix shows].
Because it was the first time Marvel was re-introducing original classic Marvel properties into modern adaptations, it drew a lot of inspiration from them. From there, we learned that even if you change a lot, as long as you have some respect for the original, it can still feel like the original property. So that’s very encouraging.
Can you share what Marvel elements inspired Trigun Stampede?
Takei: The first is Netflix’s Daredevil . Then we saw the first Iron Man, [and] Let’s start watching all [the MCU] Movie.
Are you worried that the retelling won’t be as popular as the original anime?
Takei: Personally, I like the 1998 anime. So, of course, there’s always the worry that it won’t be that popular. But this uncertainty would prompt me to face the current condition of the property. So, if I didn’t have this uncertainty, I might be arrogant and think my idea is great.
What was behind the decision to change the original art style to CGI?
Takei: I mean, the ’98 Madhouse version was done. I mean it’s great, it’s the best. So to do something to a similar degree, you have to do it in a different medium.
Beyond that, were there any scenes that were difficult to animate because of the new art style? Are there any that you’re really proud of?
Takei: I mean, some things are difficult. But what we think they can achieve [due to the new art style] In the first episode, Vash asks for bullets. It was a very difficult scene, but that’s all we wanted to do in this new series. It has action, characters, [and] His relationships with people. Everything we wanted to do was within that scene.
Despite being in a desert world, it’s full of life and color. Can you talk about the philosophy behind making a normally dull world colorful?
Takei: A lot of the credit goes to Muto (the director of “Trigun Stampede”). He really wanted the world to be full of fun and entertainment. Additionally, he likes colors to have meaning.
Stampede did not adapt all of the Trigun comics. Can you share some insights into the sources you decided to put in versus the ones you kept?
Takei: We focused on the relationship between Vash and Knives and based the story on Vash’s journey to see Knives. So it has a very powerful but very simple structure. That’s what we focus on. Based on this, there are some things that haven’t been included yet, but we think this is a very powerful approach.
When casting Stampede, did the original animation have an influence on who you were looking for?
Takei: This is something we put a lot of thought into. We already knew we were going to change it because it was physically impossible to bring the original cast because someone was no longer with us. Onosakasan (Vash’s original 98 voice) is an implementation of Vash. So it’s really hard to find someone who can match that.
A lot of thought went into who played Vash. Although we put a lot of thought into it, the cast [of Trigun Stampede] Leave all their stuff to us. So they met our expectations.
Music is a key point in storytelling. Can you share some insights into your decision to have Tatsuya Kato produce the score?
Takei: It was definitely the director’s opinion that had a strong influence on it. He wants to be strong [yet simple] Music that shakes people’s emotions. So, from these two aspects, we finally chose Mr. Kato.
From a production standpoint, what lessons did you learn from season one that you carried into season two?
Takei: Adapting Stampede was a lot of work. From a production standpoint, we always felt like we were putting too much into it. But our creators always put more into it, despite whatever constraints we impose, they put everything they have and more into the show. I feel like I really didn’t learn anything. It will continue to invest more. This is a good thing and a bad thing.
Can you share some insight into the progress of production on Season 2 and when fans can expect to watch it?
Takei: About what time [studio] Tangerine is very satisfied with the quality.
