Approaching the end. Spoil me and die: which includes saying that something will be explained later, or giving hints, or saying that I should have noticed such-and-such. It warps my expectations and it pisses me off. Just don't.
Two-parter on the floating ship. A little obvious, in one sense, but still good. (I kept waiting for people to point out that actually, it was the fault of the people trying to kill Vash, but I don't think anyone did. Vash has an overdeveloped sense of responsibility.)
When Vash and that spinning guy (looks it up: Hoppered the Gauntlet) went into the power room, at first I thought the power plant was a communication device, because I thought I saw someone in it: which of course I did. Good job on the animation there.
So: the plants are powered by . . . angels? [*] Which Vash can communicate with, so that explains the overloading plant early on that he "fixed." Vash is likely related to them somehow ("When a Mommy power plant and a Daddy power plant love each other very much . . . "). Did the people who created this tech know what they were doing? Are the angels there voluntarily? And was that Knives upside-down in the vat that Legato was talking to? (Someone Vash hurt, and I don't think we've seen Vash hurt Knives yet, but it's pretty late to be introducing new characters.)
(No, I don't want these questions answered.)
[*] In the third episode, Vash's dialogue suggests that he thinks the Beast is literally possessed by a demon.
Speaking of things in vats, the doctor on the ship says "they" are still in suspended animation, which I don't believe was followed-up on in this set of episodes. (And, eep, see below.)
And Vash has his red coat back! And a new arm, too; prosthetic not intrinsic.
Wolfwood is on a job? *waits for backstory promised by preview for episode 23*
Let's see, who have we got left of the Gung-Ho Guns? (I should've done a chart like for Fullmetal Alchemist.) Working off ep. 15 mostly for the names:
- Monev the Gale [defeated by Vash, killed by E.G. Mine]
- Gray the Ninelives [destroyed by Wolfwood]
- Dominique the Cyclops [defeated by Vash, killed by E.G. Mine]
- Zazie the Beast [killed by Wolfwood]
- Leonof the Puppetmaster [killed by Wolfwood]
- Hoppered the Gauntlet [suicides in floating city]
- Rai-Dei the Blade [killed by Wolfwood]
- E.G. Mine [killed by Rai-Dei the Blade]
- Caine the Longshot [named in ep. 15]
- Midvalley the Hornfreak [can hypnotise with music?]
- Chapel [named as absent in ep. 15]
- Legato Bluesummers [mind-control] (not sure he's actually part of them)
Waitaminute waitaminute: the Puppetmaster calls Wolfwood "Chapel the" and then Wolfwood cuts him off. I totally missed that when I watched, and just saw it as I was checking on the suspended animation comment.
I had noted that there was another another guy with a big cross at the end of ep. 22 and in the preview for ep. 23.
I think I had more to say about these, but I've forgotten now.
Also, finally made a Vash icon to be my default for the show, which may or may not be showing because of the maintenance on userpics. (And a matching Wolfwood one, see userinfo.)