TRUTH OF MISTAKE
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"TRUTH OF MISTAKE" is the second episode of Trigun (1998 anime).
| TRUTH OF MISTAKE | |
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| Japanese Name | TRUTH OF MISTAKE |
| English Name (Funimation) | Truth of Mistake |
| Episode No. | 2 |
| Original Airdate | April 8, 1998[1] |
| US Airdate | April 1, 2003[2] |
| Previous Episode | The $$60 Billion Man |
| Next Episode | PEACE MAKER |
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Synopsis
At night, a blond-haired figure in a red coat holding a large gun is running away. A short man with a mustache wielding a rifle shoots at the fleeing figure. The first shot misses, but the second shot hits their right shoulder. The injured figure manages to run away. The man mutters in frustration that something has to be done to stop them.
The next day, a bedraggled Meryl and Milly arrive, with their thomases in tow, to a once-thriving, but now deserted town. At first they are overjoyed to find a well, but are soon dismayed to find that it is dry and collapse to the ground. While laying down, Meryl then notices the land subsidence in the town. A man and child walk by, tugging a cat on a leash behind them as they lament how the town's water dried up and now that Vash the Stampede is the bodyguard at the Schezar mansion, meaning that the town "isn't fit to live in no more."dub Meryl, however, is delighted because she's been looking for Vash, and Milly is delighted because the mansion will likely have water.
The girls arrive at the mansion and knock on the door, only to be greeted by Vash himself when he hands them two glasses of water. He greets them and Milly waves in reply while Meryl expresses disbelief at the fact that the dorky guy from the incident in Felnarl is there. When she asks what he's doing there, he tells her he's working as Mr. Schezar's hired bodyguard and ace gunman. He then takes the box of donuts Meryl is holding and starts eating them. He offers some to the girls and Milly readily accepts, only to be admonished by Meryl.
Mr. Cliff Schezar walks up from behind Vash and asks the if the young ladies are friends of his. Meryl shouts out in disbelief, who is not at all convinced that the dork in the red coat is the legendary Humanoid Typhoon. Mr. Cliff invites the girls inside and introduces himself. He says that he's in the business of selling water but that recently someone's been trying to kill him - that was originally why he hired a bodyguard. He had put Vash's name down in the ad as a joke, but didn't expect that he'd actually show up. Milly expresses delight at this turn of events, but Meryl still isn't convinced that Vash is the real thing.
Mr. Cliff then pulls a rope that opens a curtain to reveal the other reason he hired a bodyguard: Miss Marianne Aura Cayzen, the granddaughter of the head of the Stantal Federal Bureau. She is staying as a guest at the mansion, and Mr. Cliff is concerned for her safety. Vash is instantly smitten with Miss Marianne and begins monologuing dramatically about his shots not missing their mark, especially if it's the heart of a beautiful young lady. He pretends to fire a gun, which causes Meryl to grab her chest and flop onto the floor. Marianne politely thanks Vash for offering to protect her.
After Meryl comes to her senses, she pulls Mr. Cliff aside behind the now-closed curtain. She proceeds to ask him if he really believes the guy he's hired is actually the legendary gunman as she harshly berates Vash. The others overhear, causing Milly to remark that Meryl's actually really nice and she was the one that bought the donuts, after all. Vash remarks that she's nice and loud. Meryl asserts that Mr. Cliff is being deceived, to which he replies he's actually doing the deceiving - he spread the rumor that Vash was now at the mansion in the hope that it'd get his enemy to flee like the other townsfolk did. As it turns out, the man Mr. Cliff claims is after him happens to match the rumors regarding Vash's description, so in a bid to catch up to him, Meryl suggests that she and Milly could also work as bodyguards for Mr. Cliff. He agrees to it, and the girls find themselves cooking dinner.
In the kitchen, Meryl expresses frustration at this type of "bodyguard" work, but Milly gently tells her that they must be patient. Vash pokes his head in and asks if the food is ready yet. Meryl snaps at him, telling him they'll take it out when it is and Vash retreats, calling her scary. Meryl laments to Milly that nothing's gone right since they met him. Milly respectfully disagrees whilst drinking directly from the kitchen sink, excited that they have all the water they can drink.
Meanwhile, Vash heads upstairs to check on Marianne and hears the sound of running water coming from her room. This gives him an idea. Now upon the mansion roof, Vash ties a rope around his waist and leaps off in an attempt to peek in Marianne's window while she is bathing. However, he is surprised to see that the room is empty, despite the running water. Just then, Milly enters the room, calling out to Marianne that supper is ready. She realizes Marianne is nowhere to be seen, but notices Vash outside. Milly opens the window to ask what he's doing hanging upside down in front of the window like that. Vash lies that he's "diligently patrolling the roof area for spooks."dub Milly tells him that supper is ready. Elsewhere in the mansion, Meryl is carrying a covered tray when she notices Marianne exiting Mr. Cliff's study.
In the dining room, dinner is served with Vash, Marianne, and Mr. Cliff all present. Vash starts a conversation, and it's revealed that Mr. Cliff's father was a plant engineer who purchased land with a water supply. Mr. Cliff says he's been accused by many of monopolization, but asserts that the water on the land needs to be managed properly lest it be used up too recklessly. Marianne angrily objects to the fact that Mr. Cliff is still profiting off of a natural resource, and shortly after this she excuses herself to go back to her room, saying that she's not feeling well and going to bed. Vash excuses himself once she's left, saying that he should go make the rounds. Mr. Cliff says he's had Marianne's curtain drawn as a precaution, much to Vash's chagrin.
Outside in the courtyard, Meryl and Milly are sitting on the edge of a fountain eating sandwiches. Milly says she's exhausted from all of the cooking they did, but Meryl says that they have to remain vigilant in case the man they want shows up.
Meanwhile in Marianne's room, she begins to unzip her dress, revealing her right shoulder is wrapped in a bloodied bandage. She is interrupted by Vash at the door, asking to come in. Hurriedly, Marianne zips her dress shut, closes a drawer containing a gun, and opens the window and begins gazing out before telling him to come in. Vash enters, talking in a suave voice as he tries to start a romantic conversation with her, asking if she's looking at the stars. Marianne awkwardly responds yes, saying she was thinking of her home and family, although the memories were not all pleasant. She tells a story of how she always dreamed to travel by herself to wherever she wished to go, but her father would only allow her to stay at the homes of his closest friends. Vash stares at her intensely, and grabs her shoulders in a romantic gesture, causing Marianne to cry out in pain. Vash assures her that someday she can travel to wherever she desires, though it may not be exactly by herself. Marianne becomes uncomfortable and suddenly states that she saw something move outside.
Distraught by the interruption of the romantic moment, Vash dutifully jumps out of her window and screams in frustration. Once alone, Marianne clutches her shoulder and muttering that Vash had hurt her and calling him an idiot. In the courtyard, Vash tackles Meryl, thinking she's the mystery assailant and attempts to apprehend her. Meryl becomes panicked and begins screaming, thinking she's being accosted by the mystery assailant she assumes is the real Vash the Stampede, but realizes it's Mr. Cliff's hired bodyguard, Vash instead. Meryl angrily asks why Vash attacked her as the Vash realizes it's only Meryl. He crossly explains how he and Marianne's "heated discussion about [their] future"dub had been interrupted by the sound of an intruder, which he was investigating. Meryl berates him while Milly obliquely comments that she didn't know Vash and Meryl "were on such friendly terms."dub Vash turns back to the window to let Marianne know everything's okay, only to notice that she's disappeared.
Vash and the girls begin searching the mansion and find not only Marianne missing, but Mr. Cliff as well, both seemingly without a trace. Milly shares the evidence that she's found: Marianne's dress and some bloody bandages. Meryl recalls that a man had been trying to break in five days ago, and with the discovery of the discarded dress and bandages as well as the fact that she saw her sneaking into Mr. Cliff's study, stating that the evidence suggests that Marianne is the one who's been after Mr. Cliff. Vash cries out that Meryl is wrong and Marianne isn't that kind of girl, claiming he knows that because she has a "beautiful heart."dub Milly hypothesizes that a ghost must have gotten Marianne, confusing both Vash and Meryl, until she reminds Vash how he himself had said there were "spooks on the roof" when she saw him by Marianne's window. Vash begins stammering nervously as Meryl figures out what Vash had been doing. Enraged, she backs Vash against one of the sofas and begin reprimanding him for peeking into a lady's room. Vash falls backwards and grabs on to the nearby rope as he falls, pulling the curtains open, and to the surprise of all three of them, a hidden passageway is revealed.
Below the mansion, Marianne, now clad in a red jumpsuit and hair worn in an updo, is running down a hallway with a gun in hand. She enters a large facility with water in reservoirs and machines making large ice blocks. She remarks that she knew Mr. Cliff wasn't telling the truth. Mr. Cliff suddenly appears from behind the large blocks of ice, pointing a gun at her. He notices Marianne is wearing a marshal's badge and sneers. Marianne confronts him about his selfish monopolization of the water supply, that he is the reason the land has dried up, and people have suffered because of his greed. Marianne points her gun at him, activating the bow mechanism, but is unable to hold it up with her injured shoulder. Mr. Cliff realizes that Marianne is the one that he'd shot the other day, and knocks her to the ground and states that since everyone had evacuated, there would be no witnesses and begins to kick Marianne and step on her injured shoulder. He smugly says spreading the rumor of Vash the Stampede had done him good and he'd put far too much work into his operation to let someone come in and ruin things for him. Mr. Cliff raises his gun to shoot her.
Suddenly a scream rings out, startling Mr. Cliff and Marianne. They both watch as Vash comes tumbling down a nearby water chute. The drenched Vash pops his head out of the water and cheerfully asks Marianne if she's alright. Meryl and Milly observe from the top of the chute, behind one of the machines, unable to help. Vash looks around the facility and realizes this is the reason Mr. Cliff leads such a luxurious life. Marianne cries out to Vash to hurry and run away, but instead of running, Vash smiles and begins to cry tears of joy, delighted that Marianne is the kind of girl he thought she was, much to her confusion.
Vash then leaps out of the water and confronts Mr. Cliff, staring him down in silence. Mr. Cliff shoots at him, but Vash dodges impossibly quickly, surprising everyone. Vash's brave facade then shatters and he screams in fear, causing Mr. Cliff to start shooting at him again. Vash dodges the bullets, moving about erratically and shrieking. Incredulous, Mr. Cliff says that Vash must be "reading the trajectories of the bullets by watching the gun movements and timing,"dub but Vash, now nose-to-nose with him, responds "just no skill."dub Vash grabs the gun from Mr. Cliff and flicks his nose. He staggers back, exclaiming "what the hell are you?"dub Vash responds he's simply his ace gunman and bodyguard, as advertised.
Mr. Cliff laughs and pulls open his tailcoat, revealing that he's wearing a vest with four guns attached to it that begins firing. The bullets hit the nearby ice blocks and Vash grabs a large shard, throwing it at at Mr. Cliff's guns. The guns on his vest continue firing as he momentarily reels back, striking the machines in the facility. The guns then cease firing, to Mr. Cliff's anger. Vash proudly states that he has protected Mr. Cliff's guest, as requested, and gives Marianne a thumbs-up. Marianne points to the machines, which are now sparking and billowing smoke. Vash screams, and the machines explode.
Outside the mansion, the ground begins to quake. Meryl and Milly's thomases begin to panic and flee from where they'd been hitched. The mansion then explodes, followed by a huge rush of water.
The following morning Vash, Meryl, Milly, Marianne, and the apprehended Mr. Cliff stand on a cliff above the now-flooded town. Marianne explains that the dammed water had overflowed all at once and will return underground eventually. She assures Vash it wasn't his fault. She expresses hope that the town will prosper again and the displaced citizens will someday be able to return to their homes. She thanks Vash for his help, but Meryl insists Vash's actions were just a "series of lucky accidents."dub Marianne turns to Vash and asks if Vash dodged the bullets by accident or on purpose, because if it was done consciously, she'd really have to believe that he was the legendary Vash the Stampede and arrest him, much to Vash's dismay. Marianne then thanks Meryl and Milly for their help.
Vash begins to walk away and Marianne watches wistfully as he departs, saying she could "really fall for that guy."dub Meryl reacts in disbelief, berating Vash as irresponsible and Marianne responds that Meryl "has no eye for men."dub Milly steps in to calm Meryl.
As Vash walks into the desert, he laments how things hadn't gone his way with Marianne, but it couldn't have worked--he doesn't want to get arrested.
Characters
In order of appearance:
- Cliff Schezar
- Marianne Aura Cayzen
- Meryl Stryfe
- Milly Thompson
- Father
- Child
- Kuroneko-sama
- Vash the Stampede
Manga
This episode's story is original to the anime.
Marianne and Mr. Cliff would later make a brief cameo appearance in the Trigun Maximum chapter "THE END OF THE JOURNEY AND THE ECHOES OF BREATHING".
Gallery
- See subpage Gallery
Notes
Trivia
- This is the only episode without a known unique version of the opening credits. It reuses episode 1's version on all releases.
- The Monthly Satellite Times headline for this episode reads "A town sunk out of sight in a single night!?"
Errors
Animation
- Meryl is intermittently missing her earrings for several scenes in the beginning of the episode when she and Milly first arrive in the town and find the dried-up well.
Credits
- See subpage Credits
Home Media Releases
| 🇯🇵 | 1998 | TRIGUN STAGE-1 |
| 🇯🇵 | 1998 | TRIGUN LD-BOX.1 |
| 🇯🇵 | 1998 | TRIGUN STAGE-1 |
| 🇯🇵 | 1998 | TRIGUN R-1 |
| 🇺🇸 | 2000 | Trigun - The $$60,000,000,000 Man (dub) |
| 🇺🇸 | 2000 | Trigun - The $$60,000,000,000 Man (sub) |
| 🇯🇵 | 1999 | TRIGUN D-1 |
| 🇺🇸 | 2000 | Trigun - The $$60,000,000,000 Man |
| 🇺🇸 | 2001 | Trigun: DVD Box Set (disc 1) |
| 🇯🇵 | 2004 | TRIGUN R-1 |
| 🇺🇸 | 2004 | Trigun - The $$60,000,000,000 Man (Geneon Signature Series) |
| 🇺🇸 | 2005 | Trigun - Limited Collector's Edition I (disc 1) |
| 🇺🇸 | 2006 | Trigun REMIX Volume 1 |
| 🇺🇸 | 2010 | Trigun - The Complete Series (disc 1) |
| 🇺🇸 | 2005 | Trigun - UMD Volume 1 |