Meryl Stryfe is one complex lassie. I'm not sure why she's not a much more popular character maybe because of how incredibly cool all the other characters in the show are, too? Well, whatever the reason, I'd just like to state that Meryl is very underrated as a female lead.

Initially, Meryl comes off as a sort of straight-up no-nonsense girl. Why? Because she has to be. She has to be the one who has it together. She takes her job seriously. It's not some frivolous pursuit. (Note: I think Milly takes her job seriously, too; I think she just approaches it in a different manner.) I think perhaps she works too hard to keep things orderly, and this is why she's constantly spazzing when Milly and Vash are being utter loons, which is a sad majority of the time. She also probably puts a lot of unnecessary pressure upon herself — and the more others act like they have a few screws loose, the more she tries to keep things together.

This changes. As the series progresses from comical into serious, Meryl also transitions into someone a bit different. She's still the same Derringer Meryl, but we see more of her than we did before. Despite how she can come off as bossy and argumentative, Meryl is a very feeling person. She cares deeply about people. I get the feeling she has a strong sense of empathy — at least when it comes to those she cares about. (And Vash, in particular.) She also has bits of remarkable wisdom and a sort of serenity not usually shown... perhaps not intentionally hidden, but not brought out in her, either, until circumstance warrants it — or perhaps it was something she had to grown into. Meryl changes a great deal throughout the series. Like the rest of the characters, her world expands, changes... to be annoying and steal from "Vox" again: her walls get wider.

Of course, while Meryl might be in tune with others' emotions, she seems to have troubles with her own. Maybe because she's more accustomed to order, and emotions do not and never will follow any rules? Well, whatever the case, she eventually does learn to accept her feelings so... I guess this little blurb was pointless.

Also, Meryl strikes me as an incredibly strong person. For all her spazzing, she's very stable. (Yes, she doesn't always have it together; she's not always prepared for everything; she sometimes breaks down and needs help: this doesn't make her weak; it makes her human.) Meryl is very much her own person — her own woman. While her height may not indicate it, Meryl left childhood long ago. (Not referring to physical age here...) She's a very well-rounded character. And since I'm not so very good at conclusions... I'll leave it at that.