Episode 5: Hard PuncherReview by Dale July 8, 2000 In Inepral City, bandits burst into a bar and gun down Vash in a pool of blood, or so they think. He just happened to be drinking tomato juice and had fallen on it. Before the bandits can open fire again, Vash shoots them all with a child's dart gun. Now the bandits are a bit scared since they believe he is just toying with them and can kill them whenever he wants. Vash dares them to shoot him, but when they fire, their guns are all empty. They drop all their gear and run out of the bar. When the bartender asks Vash why he didn't fire, Vash just replies that the cost of one bullet could easily buy a stack of pancakes. In a very strange twist, the bartender and all the townspeople point their guns at Vash. Outside the city, Meryl and Milly are remarking how the town is covered by sand, probably resulting from a plant not working. Back inside the town, a hilarious chase ensues as Vash is hunted by the entire town. They use all sorts of weapons on him, from bazookas to grenades. The agents enter the city and attempt to stop the chaos by warning them that Vash is a dangerous man. Just then, the town headquarters announces ahold on the plan to capture Vash. Inside the headquarters, the townspeople remark how they've spent four hours trying to capture Vash, resulting in many wounded. Even though Vash hasn't fired once through all this. The agents say that it's useless to fight him because there's no chance of winning, but the town leader explains how desperate the situation is. Their plant is broken and the town will die without it. He then says he has used their last alternative, which is the Nebraska family. This "family" consists of a four story high mechanical giant and a mad scientist riding in it's front pocket. A little girl interrupts their discussion saying that Vash has been caught. Several women are holding him at gunpoint in a nearby building. Vash begs them not to make him use his gun, but they tell him that their families are sick and dying because of the broken plant. The giant suddenly wrecks the entire building, leaving only Vash standing in the center. Vash tries to get all of the injured women out of the rubble, but the giant fires a large spinning fist at a group of them. Desperate to save them, Vash dashes and fires five shots, knocking the fist barely out of the way. He says he saved a special bullet for last and takes out the giant with one shot. The agents now realize that he truly is Vash the Stampede. While he is talking to some children who are admiring his skill, the scientist tries to get off one last shot. Before he can fire, Vash grabs the dart gun from the kid again and shoots the scientist with several dozen of darts. Vash then says, "lets all stop because the world is full of love and peace." He then gets the crowd involved in a "love and peace" chant. This episode was alot of fun in the first half, much like episodes 1 and 3 were. The chase scene in the city had me laughing out loud many times. This episode also had alot of firsts. Meryl and Milly finally come to terms with Vash's identity. Vash also fires his gun for the first time. It seems the real plot of the series is starting to form here with talk of plants as an essential part of cities. The problem with Inepral City has yet to be resolved, so I assume it will continue in the next episode. The tragic situation of the town gave alot of dimension to the story as this wasn't just some gang of bounty hunters after Vash this time, but good and decent people. Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Buy the DVD (eps 1-5) from DVD Empire |
