Volume 4 DVD Review By Tommy Walker

Upon playing, there is a short introduction to the main menu which consists of Vash, in front of a flaming backdrop, looking rather menacing. There is the usual choice of raw Japanese, subtitled Japanese or the English dub. In the interests of completeness and comprehension, I viewed this in both sub and dub.
There is also an extras section, which comprises of a general trailer for the series, villain concept art and art showcasing a toy of Vash as production sketches, an unfinished casting of the toy, and the finished product, complete with stand. There is, also in the extras section, the usual fare of trailers for forthcoming releases.

The first episode on the disk is Episode 11- Escape From Pain. This sees the group of Vash, Nicholas, Millie and Meryl stranded on a caravan waiting for nearby geysers to quieten down. Nicholas meets up with Millie in a bar and while making their way back to the other two, they come across a dancing girl from the bar who is running away to her lover- the son of the owner. They help her to escape but Vash is sent, with Meryl in tow, to find them and bring them back.
This episode is quite interesting as it pairs up both Millie and Nicholas, who seem to have a bit of a spark connecting them, and also Meryl and Vash. This allows for some nice dialog in-between the two pairs and further develops the characters’ relationships with each other, especially the one concerning Meryl and Vash as Vash appears to reveal something sinister about himself, hitherto undiscovered. The episode does conclude on a high though, with the legend of Vash the Stampede continuing to spread over the planet.

Episode 12 (Diablo) begins with a shadowy meeting in a dark cellar during a storm. A beginning with that much foreboding should be a give-away to what’s coming up in this episode. This is soon forgotten, though, as this gives way to a light-hearted scene with Vash and the insurance girls in a town square relaxing, playing with kids and eating ice cream. The usual wackiness and good nature of Vash shines through here in abundance in the warm sunshine of a perfect day.
The fun is son interrupted by the appearance of a mysterious messenger who telepathically advises Vash that his life will end on that day. Moments later, the cobbler whom Vash visited is found dead and Vash is consequently locked up by the Sherriff, awaiting trial. When Meryl and Millie visit him in the cell, they find Vash deep in thought about the messenger. During their visit, they are attacked by an unknown assailant. It appears that this is the agent who will bring about the death of Vash and he proceeds to set about that task.
Thanks to the intervention of the girls Vash is allowed to escape the cell, and so begins one of the best battles of the series so far. This concludes with Vash revealing another side to him, another trick up his sleeve and at the end, facing a grave moral decision. This is, all in all, one of the best episodes to date as it’s full of comedy, action and key plot points as well as giving insight into the character of Vash the Stampede and his past.
Ok, it’s episode 13 of a 26 part animé series. Time for the obligatory mid-way recap episode! This one is entitled, funnily enough, Vash The Stampede, and is a bit of an anti-climactic way to end the DVD, but the previous episode does make up for it somewhat. Even so, most of it is reused material and so you feel that another episode could have been added to the disk to make it more appealing as what’s on here is basically 2.25 episodes.
Grumbling aside, the episode tries to mask its blatant intent by having Meryl write up a report to her bosses and recounting her previous adventures as she does so. One positive point to all this is that we do get some illumination as to her thoughts about Vash. Another good point is that the flash-backs do stop after a while and we are ‘treated’ to the sight of Vash’s true form, i.e. his actual physical body. While his face may be that of a typical pretty boy (according to him, anyway), his body is far from it. This provides a glimpse into the life that Vash has lead thus far and is not pleasant indeed, raising the question- ‘Just what is Vash?’

Overall, this is a thoroughly enjoyable DVD of a very good series. There is little to complain about, although it is let down by the recap episode, that’s a matter for the original production staff. There was a minor anomaly with the subtitles in the second episode (presenting an ‘n’ as an ‘m’ incorrectly in one scene to the bemusement of myself), but the quality of the sub was otherwise very good and easy to read at all times. Likewise, the dub was also of a high calibre as it was accurate in the translation and the voices were well matched to the characters in both timing and also in manner.

Using a (not so) bog-standard ratings device, I have given this 9/10 stars and would advise anyone interested in comedy, action, drama or kick @$$ theme tunes to give it a go.