#very optimistic for their future in stampede actually

[butchvashwood]

#vashwoodweek late day 2: names → monikers and choices

[otaku-tyriq]

Do you have top 10 or top 7 favorite (fictional) characters (if you feel like listing multiple) of all time from any media?

That is actually a very tricky question, dear Anon. For you see the list if my favourite characters is CONSTANTLY changing. Similar to my list of my favourite songs haha. So I cannot give you a set "All time Favourite” list but I can offer you a "List of Characters Tyriq enjoys at this very moment on the 18th of March 2024”

1) Nero Claudius from Fate/Extra, Fate/Last Encore, Fate/Extella and Fate/Grand Order

The second I had first heard this woman say "umu” that was it for me. I knew I’d be obsessed with her for the rest of my days. She is adorable, she is loyal, she is THAT GIRL, a queen, an emperess, a goddess, and just seeing her instantly makes my brain pump out serotonin. Who even needs anti depressants when you can have Nero.

2) Vash the Stampede from Trigun Stampede

Babygirl. Princess. Loserboy. Golden Retriever Puppy. Beloved Wife. He’s adorable, pathetic, a wonderfully tragic yet optimistic character. He’s my beautiful little princess and I lay my life down before him.

3)Yoimiya from Genshin Impact

Her absolute happy go lucky attitude and sweet personality is like liquid gold shot straight into my arteries. I had fallen in love with this woman the very second I had laid eyes on her. Also she has been my main for two years at this point she’s genuinly just that fun to play.

4) Kaveh from Genshin Impact

The suffering artist trope CRANKED UP TO ELEVEN! Again like Vash this man is equally tragic as he is kindhearted and despite having been scammed out of his money multiple times he still cannot help but sacrifice his own well being if it would result in someone else’s happiness. Also before you ask: Yes, I do ship him and Alhaitham

5) Ichiban Kasuga from Yakuza

What else can I say about Ichiban other than he’s almost stupidly optimistic and no matter how hard of a curveball life throws at him, he ALWAYS keeps the attitude of "once you hit rock bottom the only way is up.”, always trying to both see and bring out the best in people. Also he’s a massive Dragon Quest fan so obviously I’d end up obsessing over this beautiful specimen of a man who at the age of 42 still is not 100% sure where women pee from.

6) Erik from Dragon Quest XI

Honestly I could have EASILY put the entire main cast of Dragon Quest XI on this list because the characters of that game are simply that likeable and well written, but if I had to choose one, it would have to be your very first party member and the hero’s best friend and totally platonic roommate Erik. This man’s sassy attitude yet undying loyalty and devotion towards the hero is so strong not even the apocalypse itself could tear the hero and Erik apart for long.

7) Ryuji Sakamoto from Persona 5

I think at this point y’all are starting to see a pattern in my favourite characters: Ryuji is loyal like a golden retriever puppy, absolutely adorable and sweet with a severe lack of Braincells.

8) Silver the Hedgehog from the Sonic the Hedgehog Franchise

Silver has literally been my favourite Sonic character since Childhood. His whole stick is that he’s unbeatable optimistic. Despite becoming from an apocalyptic future where everything is covered in flames, he never stops believing that things can become better if you try. His naivety however leads to characters like Mephilis abusing his optimism for their own agenda. But none of that stops Silver from

being one of my greatest comfort characters.

9) William James Moriarty from Moriarty the Patriot

✨Be Gay. Do Crime✨

✨Communism✨

✨Clinical Depression✨

All these things and more describe William James Moriarty and he’s so valid for it.

10) The Professor from Puppet History

He’s just a little guy. He’s a little guy and it’s his birthday

[regrettablewritings]

Podcasts, Youtubes, and TV Shows to Distract Yourself With Because Why Not, and Also Because I Wanna Blab About Some of These

Since I can’t go to work and horrify my coworkers/make them realize I’m a mess and/or nerd by telling them about the type of media I’m into, I’m foisting my recommendations on all of y’all who choose to read this. I frankly do not care how many people have actually heard of these things because I’m also sure there’s plenty of people who, like me, are very slow and oblivious to entertainment, or who have heard of the property but were never that convinced.

Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts

Type: TV series

200 years after a mysterious yet earth-shattering event, much of humanity has taken to living beneath the surface in communities called burrows, wherein life goes on, if effected somewhat by the bizarre fauna that exists above them (referred to as “mutes”, short for “mutant”). One burrow girl, Kipo, founds her world turned almost literally inside-out when she finds herself not only separated from her father and the only world she’s ever known, but on the surface, no less. What ensues is her trying to find her way back home with the help of a stony-faced little girl with a massive chip on her shoulder; a music enthusiast and his literal gadfly friend; and some . . . unusual allies that only an oblivious optimist like Kipo could make. All to a kickass soundtrack, a beautiful backdrop of art, and a world where animals have basically evolved into gangs under a looming threat known as Scarlemagne. If you can’t already tell, I love this series to bits and now is the perfect time for people to get into it and encourage another season of it. Just . . . don’t think too hard that whatever happened to cause the Event in the show happened in October 2020 . . .

Available on: Netflix

My Dad Wrote a Porno

Type: Podcast

This should go without saying, but this podcast is definitely meant for more mature audiences. Or somebody with a strong stomach. Not that it’ll always be easy to tell with the type of content this series gives. When Jamie Morton’s father handed him his manuscripts for his self-published books, he had no idea he was being given a pinnacle of a polished turd: It was erotica. Really, really, really bad erotica. But the ear’s trash is the heart’s pleasure with this bad girl, as Jamie enlists the company of friends Alice and James to provide commentary on “Rocky Flintstone”’s series Belinda Blinked, a drama chronicling the sexcapades of Belinda Blumenthal as she climbs the ladders (and men and women) both in and out of the cut-throat world of pots and pans sales. What follows is a goldmine of awkward metaphors, strange bedmates, and just an overall stampede of whiplashing events that somehow exceed expectations. Listen in if you dare . . . And make sure you’re in good company for it. Fun Fact, though: Daisy Ridley, Ben Barnes, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michael Sheen, Mara Wilson, Elijah Wood are but a few well-known fans of this series! Nobody is safe . . .

Available on: Wherever podcasts can be found

Lore

Type: Podcast

Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. And what better way to be reminded of that, then to have the dulcet tones of Aaron Mahnke tell you about the lighthouse incident that the 2016 movie The Lighthouse was loosely inspired by? Suffice to say, this podcast could also be interpreted with some advised discretion, but definitely in a way that’s different from My Dad Wrote a Porno. In the centuries humankind has existed, we’ve managed to create a menagerie of beasts, both fictional and in ourselves. Lore explores all the many different kinds of events and persons and creatures we have to offer. In any given episode, we could be talking about anything from the bizarre story of a lady who convinced 18th century physicians that she was giving birth to rabbits, to something more disturbing like the life of H.H. Holmes. Or something as relatively innocuous as the relationship between gremlins and flight. Regardless of the subject, however, you’ll definitely walk away knowing something new, if bizarre. And perhaps slightly terrifying.

Available on: Wherever podcasts can be found

The Amelia Project

Type: Podcast

Congratulations: You have been made aware of The Amelia Project. If you’re not interested in this, exit the page. Now. If you continue, there’s no unhearing it. Good choice! A new interest awaits. If you don’t enjoy it, please consider the whole thing a hoax. Okay but in all seriousness, there’s no way to do The Amelia Project justice in just a simple description. The plot sounds quite simple, really: People want to disappear and start a new life, The Amelia Project is there to help – with a price. And that’s if you can actually get a hold of them! What really makes the show, however, are the people and the writing, and I’m not just talking about the almost childlike Interviewer with an obsession for hot cocoa. I’m talking about the clientele: I’m talking about the macabre-obsessed theme park owner who’s out for revenge; the cult leader who’s in way over his head; a Santa impersonator stuck in a miserable marriage with his own manager; an actual podcast character trying to outrun his creators. And obviously this would all be nowhere without the spectacular writing! I really can explain this series without blabbing on and potentially spoiling things; The Amelia Project is an experience!

Available on: Wherever podcasts can be found

LegalEagle

Type: Youtube channel

To be frank, I just like learning for the sake of learning, even if I may not always necessarily understand the topic or have any plans to use it in the foreseeable future. The big difference here being that at least this channel makes learning about the law fun and breaks it down. Headed by a certified lawyer (because what an age we live in, where professionals actually take time out of their lives to teach us common folk), there’s a multitude of series D.J. Stone uses to help break down the complex world of law, from reviewing the realism of procedural favorites (Law & Order, The Good Wife, HTGAWM, etc), to analyzing real-life situations, to even watching childhood media that has nothing to do with the law and determining how much money, say, Willy Wonka would owe in a lawsuit. In short, it is one of my worst subjects done in one of my favorite ways to learn! Plus, Stone hates business students and is perfectly willing to poke fun at law students so it’s all fun, frankly.

Available on: Youtube

Nando v Movies

Type: Youtube channel

Sometimes, movies are bad. Sometimes, they’re good. And sometimes, they could use a few adjustments in hindsight. Especially the nerdier movies where the directors may or may not have tried way too hard or way too little. And that’s where Nando comes in: Whether it’s explaining why a different villain might have worked better for a hero’s origin story movie, or analyzing how one seemingly small adjustment could’ve potentially made more sense in explaining characterization, this channel is always providing a new perspective on a movie or show you’ve probably seen and maybe weren’t necessarily too pleased with. (Or maybe you were – I enjoyed Justice League okay but I love the version he rewrote more.) Oh, yeah: Sometimes he does rewrites of movies or even series. So if you’re anything like me and you’re way into that, this is a channel you don’t want to miss out on.

Available on: Youtube

DEATH BATTLE!

Type: Youtube channel

Does anyone remember Deadliest Warrior? No? . . . How about that one time during lunch where you and your friend got into it over who would win in a death match between Superman and Goku? Good news: A buncha geeks did the math for you and have come out with the results! Specifically, hosts Wiz and Boomstick have analyzed the weapons, armor, and skills of each combatant in every episode, resulting in an ongoing series of absolute nonsense and satiation of bloodshed. The description is admittedly nothing crazy, but the amount of detail applied is honestly where it’s at: From calculating how loud Black Canary’s screams are to approximating Scrooge McDuck’s speed (I’m not kidding you), there’s actual thought put into the characters being assembled and how they might fair with their respective combatant. And it all comes together for an actual fight, often animated but always amazing. So if you’ve ever wondered if Thor could beat Wonder Woman, or if McGruff the Crime Dog stands a chance against Smokey the Bear (I’m…I’m being honest), then this is the show for you!

Available on: Youtube

Sideways

Type: Youtube channel

If there is music in that movie or show, it will be analyzed to a degree that, unless you’ve been trained in music, you would’ve probably never thought about. There isn’t necessarily much rhyme or reason to Sideways’ videos in terms of themes beyond music, but really, must they? Is it not enough that this man is screaming to the internet these wack and awesome trends he’s noticed in certain pieces associated with movies and musicals and the genius behind them? Could life not just be him explaining the symbolism of the instruments associated with the Crystal Gems of Steven Universe, or breaking down the cultures explored by way of the Black Panther soundtrack? Also, here’s a fun drinking game: Take a shot every time he mentions leitmotifs or the Dies Irae.

Available on: Youtube

Craig of the Creek

Type: TV show

In the woods of suburban Maryland, there exists a kid’s utopia: A place where horse girls are free to roam the fields, where a boy can be a king of garbage, and where children travel the sewers completely unsupervised. That is, until the dinner horn rings; then they have to go home until the next time they can return to The Creek. The show focuses on one specific trio (Craig, JP, and Kelsey) as every day, The Creek (and their own childish naivete) brings them new hijinks to experience. There’s a blissful lightheartedness to the show, in addition to a lot of creativity that feels like it was ripped straight out of your own imagination as a child (robots made from cardboard boxes, building portals using lights, etc). But beneath it all, there’s something just plain wild brewing. I don’t want to spoil anything, but CotC has some G-rated GOT shit going on the further along the series goes and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds!

Available on: CN app, wcostream.com

And that’s probably enough for now, I think. Lemme know if you want any other suggestions, or how you’re findin’ ‘em if you take any of them up! Stay safe, stay healthy my dudes!

[douchebagbrainwaves]

HERE'S WHAT I JUST REALIZED ABOUT COURSE

There are few corporations in which it shouldn't be: when there are people you already know you should fire but you're in denial about it. But no one seems able to foresee that, not even older, more experienced founders. A popular programming language should be interactive, and start up fast.1 What they all have in common is that they can't force anyone to use their software, and they can't force anyone to do anything. There may be nothing founders are so prone to delude themselves about as how interested investors will be in giving them additional funding. Like a kid tasting whisky for the first time they raised money. Unless you're in a startup founder about whether it might be as much as possible, as if that could be described as a marketplace usually has to start in a subset of the market.2 This article was written as a kind of fake tribe. When you transform a mathematical expression into another form, you often notice new things. Paraphrased for the Web, became popular first within CS departments and research labs, and gradually spread to the rest of the world.

In the best case, both components of the vector contribute to your company's DNA: the unscalable things you have to make deals with banks. It's still early days.3 I think future programming languages will have libraries that are as carefully designed as the core language. Sometimes it was even better than we'd hoped. Till then the best I'd managed was to get the first commitment, because much of the reason—possibly the main reason Lisp isn't currently popular. Though the idea of the corporate ladder was still very much alive. They'll like you even better when you improve your language, but they seem quicker to learn some lessons than others.4 They unconsciously judge larval startups by the standards of established ones. The thing I probably repeat most is this recipe for a startup location is very important. I don't mean, of course. But there's a second much larger class of judgements where judging you is only a beginning.5

When one investor wants to invest in them. Languages become popular or unpopular based on what expert hackers think of them, there are probably adjacent territories that have more. You would not believe the amount of freedom you get by scaling the size of the tree structure that every large organization is going to be at odds with it, because their competitors would have to work hard to delight users when you only have to interrupt someone a couple times a day before they're unable to work on it. Founders overestimate their chances of raising more money, you were squeezing the organization that was going to happen. I was persistent, but I think hiring people is the worst kind. There are of course examples of startups that cause stampedes end up flaming out in extreme cases, partly as a result of the stampede, and lots of very successful startups were only moderately popular with investors the first time during the Bubble, optimistic analysts used to justify high price to earnings ratios by saying that your code is patriotic, or avant-garde, or any of the other dodges people use in nontechnical fields. There will be a few stars who clearly should make the team, and if the answer is a thousand than if it's ten. But there are different kinds of prosperity.6 Using first and rest means 50% more typing. It's not necessarily bad to introduce more, as long as you can without endangering runtime systems like the garbage collector.

Time after time VCs invest in startups founded by eminent professors.7 I don't think so. And on a tuesday, of course, since they read somewhere that's the optimum day to launch something fast, listen to users, and that probably made a difference. What they all have in common is that a lot of tricks for making myself work over the last 20 years, but even Lisp has changed a lot. Which means options tempt employees, if only to remind themselves what they invested in new startups that promised to be the scripting languages of web browsers. If you start a startup?8 People who majored in computer science generally tried to conceal it.9

Notes

In some cases e. In a typical fund, half the companies that get funded this way that weren't visible in the next round, or boards, or whether contractors count too.

If that were the impressive ones. If they were offered were so new that the worm infected, because you're throwing off your own. See Greenspun's Tenth Rule. I learned from this that most people don't dislike him for the same motives.

Whereas many of which he can be times when what you're doing. Trevor Blackwell, who adds the cost can be a few percent from an interview with Steve Wozniak in Jessica Livingston's Founders at Work. Or rather indignant; that's a rational response to the rich paid high taxes?

Einstein, Princeton University Press, 1973, p.

I don't mean to be significantly pickier. Some people still get rich, people who lost were us. I'm not saying that this filter runs on. World War II was in logic and zoology, both of which he can be done at a Demo Day and they won't tell you that if colleges want to.

Anything that got built this?

While the space of careers does. Thanks to judgmentalist for this type is the most important factor in high school to be in college.

Actually Emerson never mentioned mousetraps specifically. Trevor Blackwell, who probably knows more about this from personal experience than anyone, writes: I'd argue the long tail for sports may be enough to do and everything I say is being unfair to him like 2400 years would to us an old copy from the study. I have to tell computers how to use to develop server-based applications, and that they are within any given time I did when I switch in the life of a country richer; if anything they reinforce the impression that math is merely a complicated but pointless collection of stuff to be is represented by Milton.

Steve came back as CEO. I've said into something that would get shut down in the Ancient World, Economic History Review, 2:9 1956,185-199, reprinted in Finley, M. The problem is that the angels are no longer written in C and Perl. University Press, 2006.

[descontext-blog]

Task 3 - Trigun Critique

Often times in critiques of narrative media, reviewers would hold the script as the most vital point in the work of art. Whilst I would agree with them on this approach, I believe it usually disregards 2 other important components of animation and film. This being the visuals and audio. For this reason, I decided to focus my critique on the Trigun’s character art and how this is used to foreshadow events in the story while implying the personality traits of each character.

Trigun (1998) is an animated tv series adapted from Nightow, Yasuhiro’s manga series of the same name and produced by Madhouse. The show is a post-apocalyptic space western, taking place on a fictional planet known as Gunsmoke.

Throughout the show, we follow the adventures of Vash the Stampede, a legendary gunslinger living in a world where humanity has reverted back to the days of the old west. Despite his pacifistic philosophy he often finds himself in trouble due to the rather large bounty on his head. As a result of this, 2 insurance employees, Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson, are sent to make a risk assessment of him.

In many respects, Trigun can be seen as a show about dichotomies, often between the appearance of the characters and their true nature as well as the morals of humanity and the repercussions this would have on their survival. This aspect is greatly reflected in the character designs by Yoshimatsu, Takahiro, emphasizing the unique philosophies of each character whilst also subverting them. This is done through clever use of colour and form.

Most characters seen in the world of Trigun wear rather simple clothing, reminiscent of the cowboy style, popularized by country music and western films. They typically wear tones such as greys, beiges and creams or dark shades of green/blue. Sometimes this is offset with a desaturated cool colours such as purple or blue.

Aside from our main characters, typically those with more vibrant colours are portrayed as rich or powerful. An example of this would be the pink dresses and black, green and blue suits of the rich folk during a “sand steamer” heist, in episode 8 or the red of the police chief in episode 2 to show bravery and strength.

On the other hand, our protagonists are depicted in triadic colours: blue, red and yellow. These colours help give a sense of unity with the characters, whilst helping them stand out against other characters.

Out of all the characters, Vash has the most unusual design. Vash is depicted with long hair sticking straight up in a triangular shape and a long red coat. His body consists of 2 more triangles for his upper and lower half. Whilst Vash is seen as a cheerful, peace-loving fool, these sharp angles betray his rather sinister background and immense power.

The rounded shoulders alongside his circular boots, knee guards and elbow guard is used to display the tender side of him. I believe these circular shapes are not often used due to the fact that his cheerful disposition is often little more than a facade, hiding a deep pain he carries alone. The circles are much more subtle than his striking angular design, perhaps referring to loneliness and desire for a true connection with those around him. This is often shown through his high regard for human life and willingness to help them.

This is further portrayed through his colour design. Trigun often utilises religious imagery and so it seems the characters have been coded with the liturgical colours. According to traditions of Christianity, red is used to portray “the joy of life and love” (Anonymous, West Oregon University 2015). This is reflected through Vash’s dialogue and actions, often using diplomacy to solve problems and only drawing as a last resort.

For the first half of the series, the audience is led to believe Trigun would take on a fairly optimistic tone, allowing Vash to de-escalate situations either through peaceful means or lightly injuring the aggressor. However, we soon see the great suffering his mercy has caused him, manifesting itself as a number of scars and gaping holes in his body. This aspect is also depicted through the red coat as red is often used to depict martyrs in Christian iconography.

The yellow of his hair can be interpreted as cowardice or light and purity. This further plays into the odd dichotomy of Vash’s character as it can be seen as his feigned cravenness or as the hope he brings to those he meets and his virtuous, albeit idealistic code of ethics.

His strange fashion sense also seems out of place in this western aesthetic. Due to this, it gives Vash an otherworldliness. This conveys how his morals do not fit in with the cynical and pragmatic attitudes of those around him.

Wolfwood on the other hand is in many ways the opposite to Vash, though his pragmatism compliments Vash’s idealism quite well whilst also criticising it. This is shown through Wolfwood’s black suit and hair with dark eyes. Although to the viewer, the objective colour of his suit and hair is a desaturated shade of blue. The dark blue was likely chosen to fit the triadic colour scheme whilst preventing a flat appearance due to lack of lighting or shading. 

Along his sleeves, there are 2 white cross shaped cufflinks matching his white shirt and large cross.

Out of all the main characters, he has the darkest colour design. At first glance, these colours appear to illustrate his occupation as a priest. The dark suit and hair gives him an inconspicuous design, if not for the giant cross he carries on his back.

This coupled with his mostly rectangular body type, rounded hair and face gives him a warm friendly aura, not unlike Vash. The rectangles communicate his strength as a character, whilst showing him to be reliable, kind and confident. Perfect for his image as a priest.

However not long after he is introduced we realise he is no ordinary priest but also an assassin. As it turns out, cross he bears actually holds a large arsenal of guns. Whilst he is supposed to be a merciful priest, he can be quite ruthless due to his utilitarian approach to ethics. 

Despite his work as an assassin, Wolfwood does in fact, take his faith very seriously. Unfortunately this lawless society was not made for tender hearts. At times, he is believes it is necessary to sacrifice the few in order to save the many, contrasting with his priestly duty and initial characterisation.

This provides some dramatic irony since the cross is supposed to be the ultimate symbol of mercy in the Christian doctrine. However, Wolfwood uses it as a tool of destruction. Thus the weight of his cross his like that of the sin he carries on his shoulders.

Upon realising this, the black of his suit seems to convey the death that hangs around him, sealing his fate in the end. The white of his shirt points to the liturgical symbol of innocence and birth. This was likely chosen as despite his misdeeds, Wolfwood is eventually brought around to Vash’s way of thinking. Whilst it is too late to undo his deeds, it is heavily implied that Wolfwood was redeemed in the end and maybe reborn in a time where he won’t have to kill. “If I am reincarnated, I'd like to live somewhere where life is easier. Somewhere with nothing but peaceful days.”

Similar to Wolfwood, Meryl is depicted with dark hair, wearing blue and white. However, white is the more dominant colour in her design. This is likely due to her resemblance with Vash’s deceased maternal figure, Rem. Whilst it is not obviously stated in the anime, it is heavily implied towards the end of the series that Meryl is the reincarnation of Rem. This could either be in the literal sense or perhaps in a metaphorical sense where Rem’s ideals live on in Rem.

This is further noted by the limitless life giving symbolism of the colour blue. “No one ever has the right to take away the life of another person... and everyone deserves a future.” This reflects Rem’s view that life begins with a “blank ticket”. Afterwards each human is free to follow his/her devices, though no one has the right to kill since life is precious.

To further connect her with Vash, Meryl is given a sloping angular outline, composed mainly of triangular shapes. Though unlike Vash her hair and face are rounded off like Wolfwood and Milly.

Meryl is a single-minded individual thus she has little patience for nonsense. As a result of this she can appear mean and cold at times. However, she can be quite kind to those around her and some what naive at times, illustrated through her rounded features and white colours. 

Lastly to round off the liturgical colours is Milly. Milly is dressed in mostly yellow, with a white under shirt, a green shawl and red tie. Milly is most akin to Vash, thus sharing some of his colours, though unlike Vash, Milly’s character is not a facade.

Milly is a very cheerful character representing the hope each character struggles to maintain. She is caring, loving and benevolent, noted by her warm colour palette. Although there is a certain childish element to her character, depicted through her white shirt. Despite this, Milly can see things with great clarity, realising Vash truly was the $$60 billion dollar fugitive,she and Meryl were hunting from the beginning. 

In particular Milly seems to be rather perceptive of interpersonal relationships and reading the hearts of others, as if gifted with divine eyes. This ability is shown when Meryl wishes to stop Vash from compromising his principles at which point Milly remarks “I don’t think we can stop him”(Milly, Trigun 1998), realising it is an issue he must resolve, himself.

Like Wolfwood, Milly is designed with curved rectangular shapes. This coupled with her hulking physique gives Milly the image of immense physical strength. Although the curved lines denote a sunny disposition, further reflected by her warm colour scheme.

She wears a green shawl around her shoulders which acts as a complimentary colour to Vash’s red coat and an analogous colour scheme alongside her yellow coat, Meryl and Wolfwood’s blues. This is likely used to portray how effortlessly she befriends them and the closeness between each character. 

If we were to read the colour green through a Christian lens however, we get an interesting bit of foreshadowing for the relationship between Milly and Wolfwood, however. Typically green is used as a colour to symbolise fertility, although in the context of Christianity it can also be used to mean hope and the “victory of life over death” (Anonymous, West Oregon University 2015). 

This victory could refer to Milly overcoming her grief over Wolfwood’s death towards the end of the series. Though she was deeply pained by it, her strength of character gave her the will to hold onto hope. Due to this, she is able to comfort Meryl and Vash whilst giving a sense of direction.

Green can simultaneously refer to how Milly and Wolfwood slowly developed a relationship with each other. This is implied to have led to a pregnancy, just before Wolfwood died, relating back into the theme of death and rebirth.

For all the detailed character designs and interesting visual information one can gain from them, it is unfortunate that this creates a trade off with the quality of animation. Since cel animation is painstakingly crafted, frame by frame, it is difficult to draw complex movements whilst keeping track of finer details in the characters’ clothing, hair, ornaments etc. “Just looking at the pictures, I thought, Boy, the artist is going to have a hard time of it.” (Nishimura, 1998).

As a result of this it was Yoshimatsu responsibility to create an abstract version of these characters. This is particularly noticeable with the lighting on the characters. In Nightow’s manga, shadows and reflections seem more subtle and detailed than the block of tints and shades emulating harsh reflections and shadows on the characters. 

Nonetheless the characters remain quite complex, undoubtedly giving a burden to the animators at the time. As a result of this, characters are often shown in still shots with little more than a moving mouth or hair. Albeit, the dynamic perspective shots and strong dialogue helps to ease this issue.

Thankfully the animators are quite talented however and as a result Trigun showcases some rather impressive character animation, often changing the changing the art style to give unique poses or accentuate the character’s emotions.

To conclude, Trigun has some impressive character designs, utilising simple shapes to create a striking design. The colour palette follows follows an interesting motif, referring to the religious symbolism found in the show, denoting the role of each character in the wider story and their background. Unfortunately, the level of detail found in the work may have hampered the team’s ability to animate effectively at times. 

References:

Character Design

https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:637902/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Colours

http://www.pravmir.com/icons-symbolism-in-color/

https://www.wou.edu/wp/exhibits/files/2015/07/christianity.pdf

Staff

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=88

Interview

http://www.oocities.org/sumirechan/tri-nishimura.html