Trigun, Musings
With the news of an on-coming new film lots of people have suddenly started freaking out about their OTP, their fics, and so forth. Having Views on the subject I thought I should put my little say into this.
Guys... chill.
Firstly let's remember something. This is Trigun. We, the fans, are getting more Trigun. This is a GOOD thing!
Secondly; this is not the first, nor will it be the last, fandom to have been faced with New Cannon. Just take a look at Harry Potter. Hundreds... no, thousands of people are writing new fic out there right now with no idea, indeed perhaps even with the expectation, it will become utterly void and AU when book 7 comes out. Does that stop them? No.
For example, I know full well that when the movie comes out, if it at all explores What Happened After the anime, then How Far is Eden? and Eden's Children are certainly going to become AU. And you know what? I don't care. I'm still (hopefully!) going to write that third part (in fact I might attempt to write it BEFORE the film comes out!) because I have a good story to tell and, whilst I like to stick to cannon as much as possible I am not, nor will ever be, it's slave. Most fanfic is un-cannonical to some degree or other, that's kind of the point (unless you just want to be righting the scripts in novel form!) the question therein merely becomes how much you manage to strike a balence between telling a good story and sticking to the origional text. Most people mange that fairly well and most people will not bitch at you about your un-cannonical fic which doesn't fit in with the movie if it was written BEFORE the movie came out. Or, if they do, then they're lousy readers and not worth listening too.
Thirdly the pairings issue. On this I have three little points to make...
1: Trigun is not, has never been, and I doubt WILL ever be, about romance. If anything it's a series that delves into concepts and ideas rather than romance. It's about family, sacrifice and, perhaps most of all, about whether killing is ever right. It is NOT about how Milly got together with Wolfwood, how Vash got together with Meryl or how any other particular pairing. The character interactions are, of course, very important. But they are important more in a development way rather than a Twu Wuv way. Not that there is no Love in Trigun, there is, but it just takes back seat to characterisation and issue exploration. As such, unless an entirely different set of people with a very skewed vision take over the project (which I very much doubt will happen) it is highly unlikely that this movie will be about, or will strongly feature, romance. If nothing else with know Nightow's ability to keep us all hanging, giving us little tid-bits of our favorite pairings but always keeping in the subtext. If the producers of the film follow this concept at ALL then it's safe to say that the Trigun Movie will not be any sort of romance. In short, I highly doubt Meryl/Vash or Vash/anyone will become strong cannon.
2: If you still doubt me on the Romance issue consider this: Name 3 animes wherein the Hero and Heroin get together and live happily ever after. Go on. I dares you... well? OK, if you've watched a lot you *might* be able to do this, but I can't think of any off hand. In the western film industry it is customary that the male and female lead get it together and the end, true. But in Anime? If anything in Anime it is extremely RARE for the two main leads to find happiness together. If anything it tends to end with one or both dying or going away. Baring in mind this is a Trigun ANIME movie (or at least I HOPE it is!) this adds further evidence that, whatever happens, Vash/Meryl/Millie/Knives/insert name here are going to end up living happily ever after together. It just wouldn't make sense genre wise.
3: Even IF, *IF* by some strange, skewed chance it does end, or result, in a pairing you don't like becoming cannon... don't worry! I've read fics which make the most unbelieavalbe things sound credable! Take the HP fandom... think of Harry/Snape(1). Or, better yet, take Harry/Draco. In cannon this pairing is probably quite laughable(2), after all surely Harry/Ginny is more cannon now? Yeah? But lots of people still write Harry/Draco. So, if they can do that, why can't people continue with the Vash/Wolfwood thing even if the Vash/Meryl thing is ratified in a movie? No reason. None at all. ANY pairing can be backed up in one way or another, provided you're a skilled enough writer.
So, to conclude, just CHILL people! Trigun is not about Romance! Just sit back and wait for the fun ride to come! I know I will be.
(1)Not much of a fan myself but I've read a couple of fics.
(2)I mean NO offence to any H/D shippers out there, they are a very fun pairing but I don't think it likely that they are going to get together at the end of book seven. If you dissagree please feel free to argue.
Guys... chill.
Firstly let's remember something. This is Trigun. We, the fans, are getting more Trigun. This is a GOOD thing!
Secondly; this is not the first, nor will it be the last, fandom to have been faced with New Cannon. Just take a look at Harry Potter. Hundreds... no, thousands of people are writing new fic out there right now with no idea, indeed perhaps even with the expectation, it will become utterly void and AU when book 7 comes out. Does that stop them? No.
For example, I know full well that when the movie comes out, if it at all explores What Happened After the anime, then How Far is Eden? and Eden's Children are certainly going to become AU. And you know what? I don't care. I'm still (hopefully!) going to write that third part (in fact I might attempt to write it BEFORE the film comes out!) because I have a good story to tell and, whilst I like to stick to cannon as much as possible I am not, nor will ever be, it's slave. Most fanfic is un-cannonical to some degree or other, that's kind of the point (unless you just want to be righting the scripts in novel form!) the question therein merely becomes how much you manage to strike a balence between telling a good story and sticking to the origional text. Most people mange that fairly well and most people will not bitch at you about your un-cannonical fic which doesn't fit in with the movie if it was written BEFORE the movie came out. Or, if they do, then they're lousy readers and not worth listening too.
Thirdly the pairings issue. On this I have three little points to make...
1: Trigun is not, has never been, and I doubt WILL ever be, about romance. If anything it's a series that delves into concepts and ideas rather than romance. It's about family, sacrifice and, perhaps most of all, about whether killing is ever right. It is NOT about how Milly got together with Wolfwood, how Vash got together with Meryl or how any other particular pairing. The character interactions are, of course, very important. But they are important more in a development way rather than a Twu Wuv way. Not that there is no Love in Trigun, there is, but it just takes back seat to characterisation and issue exploration. As such, unless an entirely different set of people with a very skewed vision take over the project (which I very much doubt will happen) it is highly unlikely that this movie will be about, or will strongly feature, romance. If nothing else with know Nightow's ability to keep us all hanging, giving us little tid-bits of our favorite pairings but always keeping in the subtext. If the producers of the film follow this concept at ALL then it's safe to say that the Trigun Movie will not be any sort of romance. In short, I highly doubt Meryl/Vash or Vash/anyone will become strong cannon.
2: If you still doubt me on the Romance issue consider this: Name 3 animes wherein the Hero and Heroin get together and live happily ever after. Go on. I dares you... well? OK, if you've watched a lot you *might* be able to do this, but I can't think of any off hand. In the western film industry it is customary that the male and female lead get it together and the end, true. But in Anime? If anything in Anime it is extremely RARE for the two main leads to find happiness together. If anything it tends to end with one or both dying or going away. Baring in mind this is a Trigun ANIME movie (or at least I HOPE it is!) this adds further evidence that, whatever happens, Vash/Meryl/Millie/Knives/insert name here are going to end up living happily ever after together. It just wouldn't make sense genre wise.
3: Even IF, *IF* by some strange, skewed chance it does end, or result, in a pairing you don't like becoming cannon... don't worry! I've read fics which make the most unbelieavalbe things sound credable! Take the HP fandom... think of Harry/Snape(1). Or, better yet, take Harry/Draco. In cannon this pairing is probably quite laughable(2), after all surely Harry/Ginny is more cannon now? Yeah? But lots of people still write Harry/Draco. So, if they can do that, why can't people continue with the Vash/Wolfwood thing even if the Vash/Meryl thing is ratified in a movie? No reason. None at all. ANY pairing can be backed up in one way or another, provided you're a skilled enough writer.
So, to conclude, just CHILL people! Trigun is not about Romance! Just sit back and wait for the fun ride to come! I know I will be.
(1)Not much of a fan myself but I've read a couple of fics.
(2)I mean NO offence to any H/D shippers out there, they are a very fun pairing but I don't think it likely that they are going to get together at the end of book seven. If you dissagree please feel free to argue.