At this stage, I should clarify I have completed the first season (50 episodes) out of a total 6. As such, I don’t expect I will have encountered all the characters the show has to offer, or watched some of the extended storylines from the manga the show is based upon, however what I have encountered has been a wide variety of different themes being tackled, at a surprisingly fast pace. It consistently amazes me given the length of the show that it is almost entirely episodic, with no overarching plot, à la Naruto or One Piece. Further distinguishing Gintama from the norm for these extended shows is that these one off episodes are nearly always based around comedy. In this sense, Gintama might appear closer to something like the Simpsons than to other longer running anime out there, especially given the penchant it can occasionally display for social commentary, addressing issues such as the perception of the LGBT community and racial profiling in Japan, although always with a positive and comic tone to it.
I am happy to say though that Gintama still looks to traditional manga and anime for its lovable character tropes, and it is the three members of the Odd Jobs Gin-chan business who entertain for the bulk of the screen time, in their ceaseless attempts to avoid poverty. The eponymous Gin-chan, or Sakata Gintoki, is what could be referred to as a more grown-up version of the classic shounen heroes, an ex-samurai who is wiser and more intelligent (at a stretch) than his companions and oftentimes more interested in protecting his own skin than upholding his ideals – in the most endearing way though. This show would truly not be what it is without the considerate but generally laid-back approach Gintoki takes to everyone and everything (except of course where Shounen JUMP is concerned– never get between Gin-chan and his JUMP).
Supporting him we have our superhuman-strength-very-nearly-loli female lead Kagura, an alien girl who settles down on Earth (did I mention the show was set in the near future and has aliens? Pretty cool), in order to establish her position as our token moe of the show. Thankfully though, in addition to being rather cute (and being voiced wonderfully by Queen of Tsundere Rie Kugimiya, of Aisaka Taiga from Toradora fame), as a character she is soon expanded upon, no doubt due to eating too much pickled seaweed. In a rather tragic mini arc her motives for leaving home are explored, giving Gintoki a chance to stretch his very capable father-figure wings.
Finally, we have our straight-man Shimura Shinpachi, Chief of the Otsu-chan idol fan club. Shinpachi is our slightly cynical otaku who in all honesty is the least interesting, but still an entertaining, member of our ceaselessly penniless troupe. This is however just another case of Gintama’s self-referential humour, as he is probably the one every guy watching identifies themselves with – Gintama is good enough to parody its own viewers, even to the point that one of the side characters is a middle-aged, rather ugly version of the cat-eared moe characters many of the viewers will know and love (including myself occasionally – long live Feyris Nyan Nyan!).
Other side characters are similarly over the top with comedy in mind, from the demonic flower salesman to the incompetent (but very well dressed I must say) Shinsengumi police force, sort of the bad guys and good guys at the same time, and a whole lot of fun. The members of the Shinsengumi themselves receive enough character development to easily merit their own spin off.
These characters are just the beginning of Gintama’s comedy. From witty one-liners to moments where the characters find themselves reflecting on their own status as anime characters, Gintama caters to all tastes. Many of the characters exist to solely support the comedy, with an emphasis on tying different branches of humour together, creating a sort of super-saiyan comedy. Particularly entertaining is the self-referential humour of the show. Take for example an episode Gintoki, having been given “ghost paralysis”, berates the animators for simply creating an excuse to do less work – the writers have laid claim to a fun and inventive style of comedy that I have encountered very rarely in the world of anime.
Gintama’s self-created comedy could stand on its own, but as a parody show as well, there is no end to the number of references the show very thinly veils to both other anime and Japanese affairs. Think of it if you like as the ultimate test of Japanese culture awareness! Looking to Death Note, Gintama at one point takes the L and Kira battle to the next level - the obvious step up clearly being a battle of wits over who could take all the meat from the hot pot! Little ideas like this can go a long way with the skill of the Gintama writers, entire episodes being dedicated to premises like Gintoki needing to buy a new fan, the plot going in utterly unexpected and hilarious places.
Talking quickly about the animation and sound now, it is going to be unfair comparing the anime to a more action heavy show, with a larger budget one would think. Although there are scenes of action in the show, they are largely passable, with the bulk of the screen time being spent with Gintama on the couch with his trusty strawberry milk and Shounen JUMP. I am of the opinion that, while a nice feature that can benefit a comedy-themed anime (take Non Non Biyori for example), the quality of comedy anime tends to be distinct from the quality of the animation, and never is this truer than in Gintama’s case. The music however is of vital importance, helping to pump me up for the next episode, and Gintama so far has performed admirably in this regard. The first op remains my favourite theme song for the show, but after getting used to a new OP or ED, I often found myself enjoying them all the same, and I would expect nothing more or less. The EDs especially change very quickly for an anime of Gintama’s length, something I commend the animation studio for.
Gintama is one of the best comedy anime out there and, at its length, you won’t soon find yourself in that post great anime void if you do decide to start watching it. Providing both hilarious and tragic moments, it truly is the all-in-one package as far as I am concerned, in which, the more you know about the world of anime and Japan, the more you will be getting out of it.
