Re: Not surprised. But still disappointed.angels_wear_redApril 13 2007, 02:47:59 UTC
It's actually really not like that. If it was it would have bothered me too, because it DOES annoy me when authors do that. But it wasn't what I would call Dues Ex Machina. And frankly, I think an ending which came down to who shot who in the forehead first? Would have been incredibly trite. Trigun was never about whether or not Vash or Knives was stronger, it was about if Vash would hold true to his ideals or not. And the answer was yes.
Knives lost before Vash chose to save his life. Even Knives knew it. He lost the moment the PLANTs chose not to destroy humanity. And after that, had Knives lived? Vash still wouldn't have had to kill him. The fact that Knives in the end was willing to die for his brother says clearly that he wouldn't have killed him. He could have killed him if he still wanted to.
And as soon as Knives stopped wanting to kill Vash, he stopped being someone Vash would ever have to kill. Vash isn't capable of revenge. He can, if absolutely forced to choose, kill to save a life (as Legato proved), but not for revenge.
And it's not that way because Nightow likes Vash, it's that way because that's the sort of person Vash is. Vash isn't kenshin, who coldly slaughtered people for years out of revenge before renouncing his ways. He's Vash, who goes catatonic if forced to take a life, represses the memories for decades, and if forced to remember completely freaks out. He's the guy who dedicated his entire life to saving a populace that feared and hated and betrayed him for the sake of a woman who he only knew for one year.
I like it. I have some issues with the tone of the final issue. But the ending? Was almost perfect for me. Vash would not be Vash if, after everything, he betrayed the one thing he has always held to just to get revenge on his brother.
Really, Kenshin's a good guy, but he and Vash are on different levels. =\
Knives lost before Vash chose to save his life. Even Knives knew it. He lost the moment the PLANTs chose not to destroy humanity. And after that, had Knives lived? Vash still wouldn't have had to kill him. The fact that Knives in the end was willing to die for his brother says clearly that he wouldn't have killed him. He could have killed him if he still wanted to.
And as soon as Knives stopped wanting to kill Vash, he stopped being someone Vash would ever have to kill. Vash isn't capable of revenge. He can, if absolutely forced to choose, kill to save a life (as Legato proved), but not for revenge.
And it's not that way because Nightow likes Vash, it's that way because that's the sort of person Vash is. Vash isn't kenshin, who coldly slaughtered people for years out of revenge before renouncing his ways. He's Vash, who goes catatonic if forced to take a life, represses the memories for decades, and if forced to remember completely freaks out. He's the guy who dedicated his entire life to saving a populace that feared and hated and betrayed him for the sake of a woman who he only knew for one year.
I like it. I have some issues with the tone of the final issue. But the ending? Was almost perfect for me. Vash would not be Vash if, after everything, he betrayed the one thing he has always held to just to get revenge on his brother.
Really, Kenshin's a good guy, but he and Vash are on different levels. =\
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