Gintama°

This will be my second review of the Gintama series and I will definitely get around to reviewing the other seasons of Gintama momentarily. Spoiler free!
~~
Before I start this...
Are you looking to start Gintama? Or maybe you're new to watching anime and came to check out the top anime; saw Gintama's substantially catchy cover art?
!! Do NOT start with this season. Make sure you start at season 1 episode 3 (first two episodes are specials) to get the most out of this masterclass anime !!

And for those who are under the impression that Gintama is just a gag or a parody: remove those expectations and ... let yourself in for an experience that will change your life.
~~
Now let's review Gintama (with some focus on this season of Gintama)!

It is not often in anime where you not only watch through your eyes, but also with your heart and soul. Whether it causes you to binge watch a dozen episodes in succession or periodically; the emotions course through your body. Maybe it courses through the soul between your thighs too, as you try to connect with the pair of giant souls that eclipse the rest of the scene. Have some class, would you!

Most anime viewers will watch one large series (150+ episodes) among series with smaller capacity or ongoing series. You may pick One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, HxH, Fairy Tail etc. which tend to be the obvious go-to in shonen. So where does Gintama assert itself in the grand scheme of things? Why is it so highly rated that each season & movie takes up the top 20 on MAL?
If you ask me, Gintama not only deserves to be up there on the top anime of all time but it deserves the number 1 spot. It *is* the top anime of all time; there is no other anime that will resonate with you the way Gintama does.

Story (10/10):

Sorachi Hideaki, you wonderful b*stard. He just had to go and create the most tearjerkingly fantastic arc ever written in shonen. That's one of the things I enjoy most about Gintama, is how it does not recycle the same arc formula where you start to notice patterns (like in Fairy Tail); bad guys come in out of nowhere, overwhelm good guys and whatnot. Not Gintama! Gintama builds into this arc with such delicacy and it ends up harbouring the most raw, deep-seeded emotions you could comprehend. No fan service either.
Gintama proves, yet again, that it has superior storytelling that other anime immediately fail to challenge. You cannot expect people to take the "Gintama is just a gag" remarks seriously while knowing arcs like this exist.

On top of how Gintama has already shown its storytelling prowess in previous seasons, this just adds to the experience that is Gintama. That goddamn gorilla mangaka... stop cutting onions!

Art (10/10):

While the first season of Gintama is certainly not anything to go nuts over in terms of art, later seasons are definitely where Gintama's art shines. Action scenes, specifically fight scenes, allow Gintama to explore creative and gripping art styles to match the intensity of the story. Gintoki, when he unleashes the White Yaksha (White Demon) within himself, is portrayed in black and white slow-motion scenes and the emotions radiate through the screen. You will never find an art style that portrays a demon in the same raw, cynical and terrifying way as Gintoki is portrayed in these scenes.

Sound (10/10):

Let's start with the openings shall we? Maybe this comes with a little bit of bias as I adore Gintama and its openings - & endings too - but every single opening complements the upcoming arcs. While some of the openings are not as catchy as others, they are all unique and all enjoyable to listen to. I don't think I have ever skipped an opening while watching Gintama, as the songs are excellent!
Even the endings produce the same effect; oftentimes they work seamlessly with the closing of an episode.

The voice acting is perfect, beyond perfect in fact. Nothing will make me cry with laughter as much as hearing him singing Doraemon out of fear or yelling obnoxiously.

As for the sound effects, they enhance combat scenes and especially comedy scenes. Sometimes the sound effects are what causes a scene to reach its climax, mostly due to how Gintama is action-heavy.

Character (10/10):

Why is 10 the maximum for this? It should be 'Gintama'! Gintama is the pinnacle of character development in anime. The absolute pinnacle; unchallenged; nothing remotely comes close -- nothing! Sorachi is a genius when it comes to creating and developing a character, even side characters who will usually have one appearance. In fact, every single side character is memorable which is explored in one of the endings where every single one is shown in chronological order.

Gintama has a beautiful canvas of characters, personalities & relationships that puts it on a level so high it exceeds the scouter's limit tenfold.

As for the supporting characters, it is safe to say that Gintama has somehow achieved 4-dimensional characters. One of the reasons is to do with how they break the 4th wall, which is shown through them reading JUMP, referencing other shonen or talking about real-world events. Might I add, there is an enormous list of characters in the Gintama universe and every single one of them is memorable. You know exactly what they are doing when they are not on-screen, their backgrounds, how they react to events and their relationships with one another.

And, of course, the three main characters: Shinpachi, Kagura and of course, the White Yaksha, Sakata Gintoki-san! These three characters, along with Sadaharu, make up a beautiful family-like connection to one another. It is deep-seeded and exerts itself benevolently, while also fitting in with the comedy aspects of Gintama. In fact, the comedy enhances the bond between the Odd Jobs crew and any indifference felt causes a huge shockwave of emotion.
Gintoki is the best protagonist in anime. With the ability to transition from a leader & father-figure, to a lazy, carefree gambler and further, the White Yaksha (white demon), while keeping his character consistent and memorable is an enormous feat. Not only is his appearance unique, but his personality as well. Never has there been a sadist with a heart (and smile) as big as Gintoki's.

Enjoyment (10/10):

Huh? An anime that can perfectly combine hilarious comedy with plot twists and tragedies, while making room for the emotions that come along with both? I can't remember how many tears I've shed at both dying of laughter and weeping in sadness; Gintama will tenderise the soft place in your heart with laughter, before soaking it with intense sorrow. If you don't have a soft spot in your heart, Gintama will certainly help in making one.
Having taken this anime in varied portions, it has enabled the best possible experience in watching Gintama. Extremely enjoyable anime that will make you want to binge to the end of the rainbow.

Overall (10/10):

Reaching the end of season 4 has given me a chance to look back at the journey I have taken with the Odd Jobs crew. It reminds you not to rush to the end nor to skip any steps; embrace every single journey you take and to trust those who will always be around you. For a long time I felt as though there was a missing place in my heart and Gintama has filled that void.

Gintama is a masterpiece. The perfect blend of comedy & tragedy; hard-hitting action and the occasional parody. It is the absolute pinnacle of storytelling, character development and the like. There is nothing you can fault this timeless anime for, as once you're into Gintama you can never avoid the way it will warm your heart and make your soul chern. A little inferno will gradually turn into a sacred, silver fire that will reside in you for as long as you live.
Your balls may even turn golden.

Season 1-8 Review
This is a masterpiece and I mean it. Firstly, you don't need to see 100s of animes like people tell you to, these guys are probably people who hate the show without watching it. You don't need to see even 15 shows to watch it. 10 would be fine.
Gintama has every single genre. It's not widely historic like it's told though. The only things that are historic are a few characters names and Edo(the setting) is based on History. Gintoki on the other hand, is not a real person but is taken from a storytale baby named Kintoki who killed bears lmao.

The show; ... it's awesome and realistic. It's not mainly focussed on dreams and goals, or even people's backstories. It's focused on how to live life after your dreams have been crushed. The only show where you can relate with everyone else.

The plot and action is spread out at the beginning but it's there, just that not many people notice it. The biggest plot is later revealed when we find that Gintoki's unknown past somehow revolves around it.

The show hides the action with comedy almost all the time. There's 50% comedy, 50% arcs.
Comedy won't be funny at the beginning but it will get better as the show progresses. Some of the humour contains jokes inappropriate for anyone less than 15 year old. You will also find that it will take you some time to adapt and you will need to adapt to their humour to enjoy the show. Even the title is a joke, it was just one character away from spelling "balls".
Inappropriate jokes tend to be less as the show progresses which in my opinion is good as I get to let younger people watch it without being interrupted with a d joke. It's funny sometimes, it's not other times.

I've never seen so much depth in almost every character in a long show. Mind you, there's about 800 characters introduced, all having good character depth. Out of these, nearly 200 are the main and most reoccurring. You will only probably hate 6/200 characters or less.

The best trio I've seen. Kagura may not be a good female character; she might resemble Sakura from Naruto at first a bit, but she will 101% become your favourite female MC after ep 40 passes. It's long but don't worry, there 300+ other episodes left to enjoy

The main character is the best you will see. He is not like Luffy or Naruto, he is most of us. While Luffy's goal is to be the King of the Pirates, and Naruto's is to be Hokage, Gintoki's wonders on how to pay his rent. And besides he's hilarious and savage.

There is also a homeless guy, you won't find a person like him anywhere else. Poor guy has been homeless since the beginning till the final. Happy to see him finally bloom lmao. He deserves it.

Nothing can beat Gintama; comparing Naruto with it, Gintama is 100 times better and in my top 3 with Death Note and AOT.

Starts with 1 story per episode, then slowly progresses to short arcs till 57 and then arcs slowly get longer and more common. Longer common arcs doesn't mean 10 episodes, it will only take 4-6 episodes and they are all detailed and well paced; none are slow.

Like I said, the show is how to live in the present, but the backstories which gets revealed many times will crush your heart and soul. It's painful to hear and see, and the author did a good job in interpreting those emotions.

But best part is, even if many episodes hurt, it always has a good ending which is NOT common anymore. Trust me, having good ending in Gintama is good. Let me ask you, do you want to see Gintoki, Hijikata, Kagura and even glasses die??? Or any other character. God no.

It's also a good therapy for Attack on Titan fans, cuz most people will be alive 🙂👍🏻 and most female characters are good aside from 3. More main characters will be introduced between 60 and 150, females too. Things will get 50x more entertaining cuz of the chaos and drama. It's will get funnier but that also mean more intense action. No action anime can compete then, trust me.

It is a must watch show, you will regret it if you delay this show any longer. I will tell you, this show will make you cry in a minute and make you laugh in the next. And that is almost all episodes. I AM NOT EXAGERRATING. If you don't believe me, try it.

Here's an updated review now that the series has officially ended.

As a person who just started watching Gintama at exact one year ago, when this 2015 series started, I understand that you think "wait why is Gintama popular again?" or maybe now, "Why is it in the first ranking of MAL???" and unfortunately my friend, I can't answer that. Because I myself, don't know why either. To be honest, I started watching Gintama at the seventh season (this season) first episode and the next thing I knew, I was laughing hard.

What make Gintama interesting and why you should watch this? Well for me, the story ... pretty much unpredictable. You don't know what's coming and that make Gintama interesting. That is also why I rated the story 10/10. When people said that there all kinds of genre are packed in Gintama, it is true. At one moment you can laugh out loud without knowing when you will stop laughing, moments later you might be looking frantic for a tissue box because you were crying your eyes out or maybe, I don't know, sitting at the edge of your seat and praying for all went well during the last two serious arcs of this season? Well, it's a bit exaggerated but it's true. I experienced it.

The Gintama art and animation steadily improved from the first season, which was 10 years ago. It deserves some credits for the improvement. You could see the improvement and the difference of the art and animation of this series. In the beginning of Gintama series (the 2006 ones), their art was very sharp and shounen-ish but in the latest one, the art and the animation was more soft and somewhat relaxing to stare at.

Meanwhile, the OST fits perfectly with the moments, whether it was in comedy mode, action mode even sad mode. The OP/ED also fits perfectly. For example, Day by Day was filled with bright colors while Pride Kakumei was fill with more darker colors and gave us some seriousness vibe. After that, you got Beautiful Days with its upbeat and cheerfulness, giving us a hint that the comedy episodes has returned before turning it into an again, a dark and full of action opening. Lastly, Gintama closes its book with a gloomy, serious yet epic opening with Know, Know, Know by DOES.

The seiyuus are incredible as well. They delivered their best performances into this series in every single scene and sometimes I wondered how they managed to held back their laughter during the recording session.

The characters are the most interesting part. It's not a rare thing to see them breaking fourth wall, including mocking the very own protagonist, insulting their own mangaka, making fun of the producer and director of the shows in the previous six seasons. Every character have their perfections and their flaws and there are no characters in this series that was not insulted by the mangaka. The male characters are unique, you have the lazy protagonist, the stalker gorilla, the sadist, etc. Meanwhile, the female characters portrayed as a strong willed and independent individual, and yet the mangaka still made fun of them.

If you have watched the previous seasons of Gintama, you've seen how each of the characters grew and developed in the most awesome way. Or if you haven't, and you should do so by the way, you might've had this strong feelings toward secondary characters who has very small screen time yet relatable to you somehow.

Overall, it was a 9/10. If you are interested with an anime in their seventh season that was filled with other animes parodies, toilet and dirty jokes, comedy gags and sometimes could switch into more serious and touching mode, then Gintama is your choice. Gintama is also great to watch it if you feel bored or searching for an anime to binge watch. That's what I did and I didn't regret it. Oh and the reason I chose 9 not a 10 was because my disappointment of why didn't they adapt more of the comedy arcs or stories because I was hoping them to do so :(

But Gintama is still cool.

This review applies to all seasons of Gintama, including OVAs and movies.

This is my first review and much as I want this to be the best review for the best anime, well (shrug).

Out of a hundred anime I have watched, I have always felt the desire to write a review for those that left an impact on me. It took me two years before I was able to find the series worthy of my first review. That's Gintama.

Our opinions may differ, but for me, Gintama is the best anime of all time. I will seriously cry once the manga ends. I never did cry for ... Naruto or Bleach or Kuroko. I am pretty sure I will for Gintama. This series was my salvation during my toughest times. This series made me laugh (very hard), cry (very hard), annoyed (sometimes) and made me feel all other emotions you can think of.

Story - 10/10
Gintama is about a trolling samurai and his daily life as he struggles to pay his rent and find money to spend in pachinko. He runs a shop called "Yorozuya" or Odd Jobs, and does any errand in exchange for money. Or so it seems. I tell you, remember the word Yorozuya. Because by the time you get hooked in this anime, this word will make you cry. Many people go to Yorozuya to have their errands done, and most of the times it involves their lives and their family or friends. This is where the emotions come in. Once you encounter every character and the moral lessons they teach you (if there is), you will get attached to every single character in this anime. For the first 30 to 60 episodes, Gintoki Sakata is just a trolling samurai who picks his nose while reading Jump magazine. But his pain is greater than any of the characters in this series. At first, this will have you thinking, what the hell is happening? What's the plot? It's all nonsense. I'm staking my name on it, bear it for just 60 episodes, and I promise you'll never regret it. The memes you see where Gintama's plot is all over the place, while other shonen animes are all well laid, that's true. But that's the beauty of Gintama. It crosses other dimensions and does not care for the fourth wall, but it will make you cry after you realize the real depth of this anime. I can't detail the story and plot without spoiling anything, but trust me that Gintoki has one of the deepest pains in the anime history.

Art - 10/10
I have nothing to say about Gintama's art. The animation is nice, not that great. You will see improvements as you go along every season until 2016. The fight scenes, oh, the fight scenes. Watch out for it.

Sound - 10/10
Can I just say one thing? I have all of Gintama's theme songs in my playlist. I listen to it everyday, again and again. I will never get tired of its soundtrack. Especially those sung by SpyAir and Does. They seriously give me goosebumps. The background music for emotional scenes are more than perfect. I always get on the verge of crying when I hear Sakura Mitsutsuki which is the opening song for the Suzuran Arc. The sounds for the fight scenes are more than fitting, it builds up the excitement. I don't know how more will I emphasize the greatness of its soundtrack, it's just that. Great.

The voice actors. I am willing to marry Tomokazu Sugita right now. The voice actors are godly. Perfect. They suit the characters so much, and I believe these guys deserve more recognition.

Character - 11/10
Oh no, don't get me started with the characters. The cast for this anime is magnificent. The female characters are all strong and well-developed. We have a ninja, a cabaret girl, a samurai, a Yoshiwara girl and an alien. All of them are lovable and funny. You will not get pissed off with a female character for crying in the corner while waiting to be saved. They are all badasses. Over all the bishies out there, I will still choose the male line-up of this anime: Gintoki, Hijikata and Sougo (sorry Kondo and Shinpachi). These guys mess the whole time, picking noses, over-eating mayonnaise and trying to kill each other once they get the opportunity. But never ever piss them off, or you'll see how devil behaves. Badass is an understatement. Their awesomeness and epicness are indescribable. One more great thing about these characters? Their relationships. Their bonds will make you cry rivers. The source of pain and happiness of Gintoki are the bonds he has with every character in this series, be it good or bad guys. His past, his present and future revolve around these bonds. Learn the definition of "Nakama" in this series.

Enjoyment - 10/10
I absolutely enjoyed this anime. Every episode and every arc made a mark in my mind. I loved how there are episodic parts to give you a break from the emotional arcs before entering a new arc. I wouldn't say it's a filler 'cause that's just how Gintama works. The arcs in these series are to die for especially the recent ones.

Overall - 10/10
If I can give this a 100/10, I will. Gintama will forever hold a special place in my heart as the best anime of all time. I never regretted watching this, because it changed my life. The only regret I had was not watching this earlier and for having hesitations at first. Sorachi-sensei, thank you for this gem. May the Gintama era never end.

Watch this gem, as I want everyone to experience the pride I felt for having watched this series.

Note: This is my first review on this website so bear with me please
Second note: This is a spoiler free review of the entire gintama anime( as of writing this review I have not seen the 5th season of gintama and onwards)

Ah yes, the only show that most of its seasons place within the top 25 spots on this website, yet no one complains. This season is actually top 5 as of writing this review and I think it should be top 1. Never have I cried so hard yet laughed while watching an anime. Let me tell you this: Gintama is the king of ... hyping the viewer up. People refer to this franhise as it being a comedy and while that is true it doesn't mean it cannot get serious or emotional. As much this show has made me laugh, it has made me cry just as much in just two arcs.It's just constistantly good and gets better the more you watch it. I am not gonna talk too much about this season's predecessors, as this review will focus primarily on season 4.

Story: 10

People might argue that Gintama doesn't have a story. I will tell them that Gintama has a better story than most of the anime that come out nowadays. It's story is just as good now as it was when it was first released. Most of the episodes are episodic comedies and there are a few comedic arcs, but it's main focus is comedy. When the serious arcs hit ,though, that's when Gintama truly shines and differentiates itself from other shounen. Through it's comedy it presents it's plot. I am not gonna talk about the actual plot though because the plot itself is a spoiler. If you have seen the first 61 episodes of the first season you might actually tell what one of the plotpoints may be , but as you watch you realise that something else is building up and there is a higher power in play. Anyways, the entirety of the anime's plot won't be clear until much later.

Art: 10

I mean, what is tehre to say about art. This season is the best Gintama has looked compared to the previous seasons. The characters look better, their designs are more detailed, the colours are more saturated and the animation, oh the animation... The animation is a huge step up from before, not only in the comedic episodes, but also in the serious arcs. In every single season of Gintama they stay on budget for the comedy, but when a serious arc kicks in they just decide to put everything they have into it. This season was no exception. The animation was jaw-dropping( of course it wasn't better than one punch man s1 nor mob psycho, but it was still damn good). The fights had never looked better and it shows that a lot of hard work was put into this.

Sound: 10

The sound was really well used. The osts as always were were well executed and sound very good. No ost particularly stood out to me, however what stood out to me was the voice acting, both in the comedic skits and serious/emotional moments. It was just perfect and fit every situation. Due to their voice acting, some characters stood out to me as well,some made me laugh, others made me hyped, and others made me cry. A lot of emotion was put into voice acting in this season and you can really feel the characters' emotions through their voice actor.

Character: 10

This is the sector Gintama really shines. The characters. Every single character is memorable. I am just gonna do a small summary of some of the side characters that get introduced early on: Murderous police officer, Sadist police officer, Gorilla stalker police officer, Hemorrhoid ninja, Stalker ninja, Suicidal Hobo, Gorilla sister that gets stalked by gorilla police officer, Friendly neighbourhood terrorist and his pet a dude in penguin's costume, naive and stupid merchant and the actual terrorist. These characters are just the tip of the iceberg of all the characters that gintama has to offer. The main trio is just amazing. You have the protagonist, Gintoki: lazy, poor, good-for-nothing samurai that just reads manga all day. After you start watching the show , you realise he so much more than that, and that is especially clear in this season. This season made Gintoki my favourite anime character ever. Then you have Shinpachi, a bland samurai wannabe character that keeps getting made fun of. That's it. The final person of the trio is Kagura, a really strong girl that comes from an alien tribe and cannot stand in front of the sun. She does offer a lot to the anime and she can hype you up as well. The synergy between these three characters is one of if no the best in any anime out there. This show is purely character driven and it's character development is achieved through it's comedy and just reinforced through it's serious moments. Before you even realize, you feel way too connected to these characters, because they have made you laugh. Without realizing it, you are getting fed a lot of information about them( not just the main cast) that you end up anticipating their next move and you cannot stop rooting for them in any situation they are in. If they hurt, you will hurt. If they are sad, they will make you sad. If they are having fun, you will have fun. It's connections like these that you won't get from any other anime( at least not that I have watched). It is really hard to find any show, not just anime, with just a perfect dynamic and intresting cast. While I am watching the series I am constantly think about how a character would react in a certain situation and when I see that situation played out it goes almost just as I had anticipated yet I am still surprised, if that makes sense. That is a result of character development done right.

Enjoyment: 10

If you have made it this far into the review you probably know my answer already. This show is a rollercoaster of emotions and you are having a blast watching. In one episode you will laugh to your hearts content, and in another you will be extremely hyped up for a big fight. It's always one of the two. However, in this season, me clicking on the next episode could result in three outcomes: I would laugh my socks off, I would start getting hyped up for a big fight or I ould cry my eyes out. In one episode especially there was a moment I laughed, then I cried because I laughed and immediately afterwards I got hyped up because of a fight. I am an emotional person, but not every anime can make me cry. I have cried at steins gate, at violet evergarden, at your lie in april, at fma brotherhood, even at angel beats. Those times though I only shed one or two tears ( with the exception of steins gate and your lie in april, those made me cry more). In this season, though, I cried like a baby. Because of hype, because of emotion and because of sadness. That is also when voice acting gets into play. I cried, I laughed, I screamed because of hype. The comedy was amazing as expected, but the serious arcs and mainly those towards the end of the season were beyond phenomenal. So, yes, I did enjoy this.

Overall: 10

First things first thank you for making it this far into this review, unless you skipped the entire thing and just wanted to read my overall opinion, which is still fine. My favourite anime before Gintama was Steins Gate, before steins gate it was between Code Geass and Attack on titan( I have caught up to the manga). Gintama just annihilated my previous favourites and after finishing the second to last arc, in this season, it instantly became my favourite. Gintama deserves it's high ratings and in my opinion deserves even higher( As of writing this review I have seen the current top 5 anime on mal. Out of the top ten I haven't seen Hunter x Hunter, Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu and march hits like a lion season 2. Considering the above, I believe my opinion bares some validity on the matter).Is it worth the 300+ episodes? Yes, it definantly is worth it regardless of what anime your taste in anime or your preferred genres. Gintama DOES NOT DISSAPOINT!

This will be a review of Gintama (as an anime series) and a bit of comparison between this season (2015) and its previous season to be able to convince you on what makes this season much more awesome than the previous ones.


STORY/CHARACTERS:
There's this group/company called "Odd Jobs" which consists of three members: Sakata Gintoki (the leader), Shimura Shinpachi, and Kagura. Basically what they do is that they'll accept any requests from people as long as they get paid.

The story doesn't only limit to these three characters. We also meet the Shinsengumi which is one of the special police in Edo. The three main characters in ... there are Kondo, Hijikata, and Okita. We also get to meet Gintoki's neighbors like Otose, Catherine, and Tama. We also see other characters in Edo and outside of it like Sarutobi, Tsukuyo, Hinomi, etc. It doesn't leave any characters behind. The story's comedy gives them time to shine. If not comedy, then they shine on the serious arcs.

Now... Where's the plot? Where does it go? This is a comedy Shounen series. When you watch the early episodes of Gintama, you think there's no plot. However, it could be that you already watched an episode that leads up to one of its serious arcs. Like some comedy episodes about the Shogun. The Shogun appears around Episode 80+ and appears again around Episode 150+ and around 230+. You may not know that this is actually a development that leads to one of its serious arcs and that is "Courtesan of a Nation arc", but that doesn't stop there. Some serious arc could lead to sequels and that is the latest's season "S.A. arc" (Had to make that an acronym. I don't want to spoil there).

It is recommendable that you need to watch at least all episodes of Gintama so when the time comes that you'll watch the serious arcs, you will feel the emotion of each characters, and you won't get lost while you're watching it.

The question lies here: Does the comedy click for me? Are the serious arcs that amazing?

For the comedy, yes, it is hilarious. The early parts of the show however, didn't really click me. Like around the first 10 episodes, its comedy were just okay, but the comedy gets better later on. What I do notice about its comedy is that when the characters deliver their punchlines, it's not only once. It's like there's a chain of continuous punchlines in one segment that connects to the joke and it's hilarious. The comedy also features breaking the fourth wall jokes and I thought that was also hilarious. They even do parodies outside of Gintama's universe so you'll see them making fun of Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, Kuroko no Basket, etc. The only flaw that I can point out on its comedy is that there are inside jokes. Meaning, jokes that most likely only the Japanese audience can get, but I understood most of Gintama's jokes.

For its serious arcs, it's good. However, I don't think some lives up to the hype like what some people say. Arcs like Benizakura and Shinsengumi Crisis maybe emotional, but at the back of my head, it felt like I've seen something like this before and it doesn't really differentiate from other Shonen anime. However, I wouldn't say the same for Red Spider and Four Devas arc. While Red Spider didn't really had connection to Gintoki's past, it showed some similarities. Four Devas arc really opened up a lot of character development for the characters like Gintoki and Otose. However, there weren't a lot of turning points or there were only few turning points on these two arcs I've mentioned.

Gintama's latest season (2015) blow these arcs away and give us much more serious arcs - S.A. arc and F.S. arc (Mentioning the arc's name is a huge spoiler, so might as well make it an acronym). I mean, there was another serious arc called "Reaper", but then it suffers the same flaw from the other serious arcs I've mentioned. What makes S.A. and F.S. different from others is the turning point of the story. These arcs had a HUGE SHIFT from its characters. We got to know more about Gintoki's past, the Shinsengumi and its rival, Mimawarigumi. It had more character development and it opened up much more on the past and I thought it was outstanding.


ANIMATION/SOUND:
I'm not going to mention the early days of its animation. It's old, we get it. As long as it improved, I don't think that's going to matter, so I'm just going to critique its latest animation which is impressive. I love how the animation shifts its tone from comedy to being serious. Like, you can see the distinct change on its shadings when it's about time to laugh or to get serious. However, I wouldn't say the animation, in terms of its fight scenes, are always consistent. It does have its moments, but not most of the time. Still, I think the animation is great.

For the soundtrack, it's also great. Its comedic soundtracks and its serious soundtracks are played at the right time and I thought they were memorable. For the OPs and EDs, there are some great ones, but some are okay. However, some OPs and EDs sometimes don't match to the content of its latest arcs. Take "Beautiful Days" by OKAMOTO'S as an example. Lyrics? "Beauty Beauty Beautiful Monday. Beauty Beauty Beautiful Tuesday--" and it shows that the arc is going to be sad.


OVERALL:
You need patience and dedication to watch this show. It's comedy maybe off for some at the beginning, but it does get better and better. Gintama's latest season isn't the conclusion though. It left hanging as the manga is still ongoing, but its conclusion doesn't disappoint. This series is easily one of my biggest recommendations to some people who hasn't watched it yet.

Score: 10/10 (9.6, but fudge it. I enjoyed it a lot and round it up to 10/10).

Gintama anime is one of the best comedy show ever made.It has all the combination of action,parody,drama,adventure,slice of life,historical,etc.Every episode have their own message and many different genre.That's why i love this anime.In this 2015 continuation the story takes a darker turn.Everything became so dramatic and the mood changed at the end.But that's fine i still want to rewatch everything.This anime has a big replay value.At the first cour you will laugh until you got sick.At the end you'll know that this is not a normal anime you ever watch.I will say one thing "JUST WATCH THIS ANIME" you don't need to watch previous season ... to know the character because this anime is episodic.Many stories may not be connected to others,but THIS IS GINTAMA.What do you expected?Some cliche comedy anime?NO.This is not for you if you expected normal slice of life comedy anime.
The characters are funny and likeable.They don't feel really overpowered.You can relate to main characters like Gintoki.
I will give this 10/10 cause this anime cure my depression and give hapiness to my stressful life.

Well Gintama is about a typical loser protagonist seeks inspiration from.. a lazy sugarholic samurai, who runs into a freakishly strong alien girl and I spent days watching them act like idiots and laugh my ass out.

Story:
Actually there isn't any story for most of the time. More often than not, it is about how to win at life which no one in the anime does. But whenever the story gets serious it has a well written and manages to emotionally involve you in it.

Art:
It is out standing. Sticking closely to the manga, the anime hasn't left out any comic features that ... you would find in the manga. The characters are well drawn and have a significant features that distinguish them.

Sound:
Voices and well done and the music is memorable.

Character:
Despite the amount of characters, each character is well introduced and it helps you makes an impression of them and remember them. Giving each one a distinct feature also comes in handy, especially similar looking characters. the development of characters is also done gracefully, though i am not sure if that is word to use.

Enjoyment:
If you are looking for a comedy anime, there can be no other better than this. Period.

Overall:
Almost as good as playing with Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon.

I know many people will be looking at this review and thinking that i am such a hardcore fanboy, but the truth is I'm not. When I first started watching Gintama I kind of almost dropped the show, it really wasn't my kind of anime. So fast forward a couple of years and O decide to dive back into the anime. Now I'll admit it the first 30 or 40 episodes are not that great since they are just introducing characters ( Gintama has a REALLY huge set of characters), but after that the comedy episodes were absolutely HILARIOUS. And then came the arc that ... hooked me on and thats the Benizakura arc. It made me realize that this anime actually has a plot and a dark one at that. I had a blast with the first 3 seasons they were absolutely amazing. Then came Gintama 2015 this where I go in depth.

Animation: 10/10

I was surprised when I saw how good the animation was in this season, it was like the studio increased their budget tenfold. The fights are absolutely mesmerizing and the quality of the show just improved by a lot.

Sound: 10/10
Gintama focuses a lot on the sound effects. For example: During the fight between Gintoki and Takasugi( I've re-watched it a couple of times since i was too busy shedding tears during the fight that i couldn't focus on the details.) you can literally hear Gintoki's sword smacking Takasugi with every hit, which shows that not even the most minor of details are overlooked when it comes to sound. To keep this short the sound is just perfect and the BGM just makes the battles feel even more intense.

Characters:10/10
SHOOOOOOOOOGUN KAYOOOOOOOOO!!! The characters are great i wont say anything else( props to Sorachi sensei). The voice acting is on point. The characters feel like real people and you can sympathize easily with them.

Enjoyment:10/10
This season was a blast, I literally felt empty when I realized that the season ended.

Overall:10/10

Gintama is a masterpiece and if anything it really does deserve to be on the top.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review.

Gintama, a show that is capable of both producing tears of laughter along with tears of joy, has not failed to impress me over the past decade it has been aired and this season is no different. If you haven't watched the first few seasons go ahead and do so. This review will just go through category by category
(story-art-sound-character-enjoyment) and conclude with my overall statement about this seaon

Story: 8/10
The true magic of Gintama is that it is episodic in nature and very comedic in nature. These comedic arcs and episodes help to connect the watcher to the side characters, so that when eventually a ... serious well-constructed arc does take place it takes a dramatic impact on the reader/watcher. The thing that this season will get a lot of flack for is stringing two serious arcs together. The arcs themselves are really good and I would place them in the top 3 in terms of serious arcs (courtesan of the nation is the best imo). However, it just so happened to be too bad that the arcs led directly into each other.

So to sum up this point, I really do enjoy the serious arcs and they are an essential part to Gintama. However, Gintama's strength lies primarily comedy and making the audience connected to side characters that would not get attention in typical shounen anime. But I do applaud Sorachi's attempt to steer Gintama in a new direction towards its finale.

Art 9/10
This is where this season truly separates itself from the others. Although the fight scenes aren't as crisp as the season before, the back grounds are much prettier and the lines are much bolder. The detail in the faces are much more visible and give Gintama a great look.

Sound 9/10
As always, Gintama has a pretty great ost that establishes the emotional backdrops of scenes. However, 3/5 of the OPs this season were pretty mediocre until the last arc blew me away,the second OP was excellent as well. In terms of EDs Gintama was pretty excellent. Voice Actors 10/10, Gintama knows how to cast

Character 10/10
No other anime does better at connecting the audience to ALL of its characters as Gintama. It's one thing to have a well-written MC with strength and weaknesses as well as villains. But Gorilla has made it to where any character can be placed in the spotlight of an arc and the audience will feel sympathy for them. Gintoki will always have the focus on him as the main character should, but the voice acting and writing of the side characters truly propel it further than other anime

Enjoyment 10/10
EFFING HILARIOUS

Overall 9/10
I like that in this season Sorachi is trying to lead Gintama to its inevitable close. However, it makes me feel sad when I'm reminded that Gintama is going to tie ends but it has to be done. If a lot of comedy has to be sacrificed then I stand by Gorilla-Sensei in making sure the series has a solid ending. This season is a success and it's no suprise Gintama composes most of the top 10 on MAL

this season is undoubtedly the best season for the gintama series i had very much fun watching it. the comedy arcs and serious arcs in this season beats all of them the openings are also very good an this season made me a SPRYAIR fan(one of the bands that did the gintama op) but my fav op is still season 3.tho this season made one of the best arcs in anime and u will know after a few episodes and how it shifts the tone from full on hilarious comedy to just seriousness tbh this season has alot and the most epic moments idk if ... im overrating but i gave this a 10 lmao gintama has good characters as always and i always watch an anime for characters ik my review bad pls dont judge me this is my first time ;)

They aren't exhagerrating at all.

This is my #1. I rated it above GiTS. On its own its amazing. As a series Gintama is my 4th favorite.

This installment of Gintama IS the best TV animated comedy; anywhere in the world. It IS better than rick and morty or Family Guy or One Punch Man. 100% positive. I laughed for hours.

Is this the best TV comedy? Arguably yes. This is a sttong competitor depending on your preference. It stands up to live action TV comedy.

Is this the best Comedy? No, there are some classic films that win.

This show competes however for a top 10 spot on that ... list.

If you don't wanna survive hundreds of episodes of episodic anime to get here fine. Watch the first 50 of the series. Then find yourself a "Compressed list of Gintama Episodes", skip the non-pot relevant episodes to get here.

I did this with some,parts of the series, skipping and going back to rewatch later. Works fine.

Don't miss these though. From this point onward binge away.

This review is quite late but whatever.

This season was one hell of a roller-coaster but boy was it worth it. I'll get right into 'cause this is my first time writing a review so yeah cut me some slack, alright?

Story: The show in itself is very episodic, while the yorozuya get most of the spotlight every now and then other supporting characters get a story of their own. Showing the shenanigans everybody gets into while sprinkling a lot crude humour, and at times the serious situations they get into which ends in them learning more about each other, being more open with each ... other (especially Gintoki), showing the underlying tension in the lawless town. Each arc builds and builds and builds until at some point it collapses and all hell breaks loose , which is what this season mostly covers. The one sad thing though is that they didn't cover some arcs which is disappointing but what can ya' do? Overall the story hasn't changed, there definitely is a shift in genre as the most serious arc in the manga is about to take place in the anime but don't worry the beloved humour we all adore is still sprinkled in there somewhere. My score: 10/10

Art: I think this was my only real complaint this season, the animation in the beginning was amazing, didn't fall short of it's predecessors but somewhere in the middle it dipped for me. The animation felt odd and it just didn't feel like Gintama's style, granted that a new company is handling Gintama now and I did read the manga before this season came out but very powerful moments in the manga fell short in this season. It wasn't too much to deter me from enjoying it but just enough to bug me. Score: 7/10

Sound: Voice actors still sound superb and there's more variety to the soundtrack now. Some of the tracks do feel out of place but I got used to it. Score: 9/10

Characters: Ah, the reason why so many of us love this anime. Nothing unusual about the characters until the serious arcs kick in and I mean serious. We begin to learn more about our 3 veteran warriors and why they act the way they do, their backgrounds, the hostility towards each other. Our beloved yorozuya and shinsengumi are put in a situation where they openly rely on each other, character development skyrockets in this season. Characters we had mixed or bad feelings about ended up being characters we cried for. At the end of this season everybody learned something new about each other and some even helped open each others eyes whether intentional or unintentional. Score: 10/10

Enjoyment: I thoroughly enjoyed this season granted it did fall short for me but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Score: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Totally the best season of Gintama. The 2017 also will never be as great as this one. Has million times of funny shit. Also contain two best serious arcs that will never make you stop amazed!!! You will never had the best experience other than from this anime. All the 51 episode of this season are damn enjoyable. Had one of the best fights of all time in anime in one of the arc. Totally HYPE!!! Totally deserved 10/10. JUST DO IT!!!! Complete the first 250+ ep b4 reaching this heaven. The animation, the choreography , the funny and random shit, the 4th wall breaking, ... the action, the story, the parody, the best of all time!!!

Damn. Listen up, kids. If you, for some reason, didn't like the first 265 episodes of Gintama, this season is gonna change that. The main story arcs in this season are so badass? Not only that, but this season has some of the best comedy arcs in the whole series so?

Obviously, this season saw a significant improvement in the overall animation and art style. A lot of the outdoor scenery was absolutely gorgeous, and the animation for the fight scenes felt so much cleaner and nicer this season. I noticed the voice acting this season had more opportunities to be stellar, as well, though ... it's been awesome the whole time.

Let's talk comedy first. Gintama is a masterclass in comedy, and this season did more to promote that, for me, than any in the past. There are funnier episodes in other seasons than some of the ones in this season (there were a couple episodes this season that didn't stand out in comedy), and there are amazing arcs elsewhere as well. However, this season did remarkably well to meld standard Gintama comedy with bits and pieces of character development that supplemented the main story. This season isn't as ridiculous as previous seasons are, so maybe you won't think this season has standard Gintama comedy, but the structure and content of the comedy arcs felt much more entertaining to watch at this stage. Yes, the one-off episodes are usually super funny, but as we enter a phase where any time spent with the characters is important to the bottom line of the main story, I appreciated that even the comedy arcs this season felt like important pieces *and* were hilarious at the same time.

So, main story arcs--this season, you'll get three. For those people who say Gintama isn't even trying when its main story is better than most shounen anime or those who say comedy is the main reason to watch Gintama: you're wrong. This season more than any other showed me that there is so much thought and care that's gone into Gintoki as a character, how he affects the main chess pieces of the story, and the antagonists. The main story shown off in this season is so intricate, and the stories that even the antagonists and side characters get to tell are entirely fleshed out without making the story drag. Character development alone this season was insane, not only in regards to Gintoki or his rival, but also between characters. The fight scenes, as I said, were animated beautifully and they were coupled with storytelling in a way that was surprisingly interesting. No piece has gone missing this season, and with all the chess pieces in place, it sets up for one hell of a finale.

This season specifically is a study in how well Gintama can do both comedy and drama. In fact, it's a study in how "Gintama" is its own genre because of what it's accomplished in melding two opposites into one. This season is the best to date in regards to both comedy and action. It's made me laugh, cry, and get angry, but most of all, it's gotten me excited to see what comes next.

“Cheer up. Your job isn’t just some conveyor belt process. We’re all valuable cogs in this massive wheel known as society, and each of us is an irreplaceable part of the world.”

- Tama, Episode 268 (Gintama° 3)

Gintama° is the peak Gintama experience. The self-referential comedy, parodies and slap-stick humour remain unmatched; tied together by story-telling that is out of this world. This series contains some of the best comedy episodes around (with episode 282 being a personal favourite of mine).

The more serious arcs from this season are also some of the best in anime. The mix of emotions, drama, tragedy and action is so ... finely done that you can’t help but hold your breath. Even the moments of genuine emotion, or wise words were spoken to a barcode scanner, in the comedy arcs really start to cut deep; leaving the audience to dwell on what it means to live (a repeated theme of the series).

Sorachi’s ability to weave such an affecting story through a mesh of dick jokes and toilet gags will never fail to impress. This is backed up by phenomenal voice acting and intense fights which only heighten the emotional moments. I can't write much more without running the risk of spoilers, but the final two arcs really highlight why Gintama° is so highly revered and really set the bar high for anyone who tries to do a comedy/sci-fi/action/parody in the future.

Watching this ensemble cast grow and evolve over time has been one of the most enjoyable elements of Gintama, and Gintama° is the perfect culmination of this.

"THIS IS MY REVIEW, IF REPOSTED ITS FAKE" Have you ever wanted to laugh so hard that it feels like you're dying? Well, then this season is no different from any of its predecessors. The season dives straight into its main focus which is comedy and gives us all sorts of parodies and laughs that viewers can relate to other shows, which is what makes it so great. However, this season is not all laughs. As with this season, the show moves into some of the more serious arcs—a must see for any fan of Gintama.

Besides starting out with heavy action, comedy is one ... of the best ways to make people continue watching a show. To hook the viewers into the first few episodes is what the producers try to do each season. If you don’t start off with something funny in a show that is so well-known for its way of doing parodies and comedy, then there’s no way the viewers are going to continue watching. I mean, who doesn’t like a good ol’ DBZ parody to start itself off? I know I do.

If there’s one thing I didn’t like about how the season went is the skipping of some of the smaller arcs. Gintama has always been faithful at adapting all its arcs, but this season was quite different. This may be due to pushing it for OVAs to sell, or maybe they just didn’t have the time slots available. That or something came up within the studio to make them adapt the bigger arcs earlier.

With that, I guess we should talk about the highly anticipated arcs that a lot of people have been waiting for since the announcement of the season. Without trying to spoil, these arcs provide a lot to the watchers as to what’s happening to some of the most known groups/people in the Gintama franchise. The first arc is the Shogun arc which obviously focuses on the Shogun himself but also his enemies. Compared to the other big arcs, I’d say this was a pretty good arc and rivaled some of the other ones from the past seasons. If you thought that was all for the big arcs, then think again! Not only do we get one major roller coaster arc this season, but two. The other being the Shinsengumi arc which focuses on the Police force of Edo and two other “prominent” groups—the Joui rebels and the Mimawarigumi. Unlike the previous arc, this arc is more about emotion than it is about action. While this arc does have action, I wouldn’t put it ahead of the arc before it in that sense. I still enjoyed this arc though because it shows us some backstory of some of the Shinsengumi, the Mimawarigumi, and even Gintoki. These two arcs go hand-in-hand as the former leads into the latter. Just what is in store for our beloved characters?

Visually speaking, it has been up and down here and there. Mostly a hit though. Like most shows, or at least ones that want to stand out in scenes, the visuals will go above and beyond then the usual to look when it needs to. The comedy arcs were also pretty good in terms of its animation, but there were times when the animation took a turn down and looked pretty bad. Expect the animation budget to be really good during the action arcs, especially for the final two arcs. Thankfully it wasn’t bad when it needed to be so there’s nothing major I would note down.

As for the soundtrack, it has been really good. The OST was done pretty well and matches the overall mood of what the scene is trying to portray to the viewer—whether its during comedy or action. The OP/ED songs I have mixed feelings for because I’m mainly a fan of catchy songs, but they sounded good and is no different from past season. I’ve been mainly a fan of Gintama’s OP, but this season there was a few EDs I quite enjoyed more so than its OP counterpart, so props to the singers for that.

And just like that another season of Gintama ends. The waiting once again begins as per regular tradition. If you haven’t enjoyed this season, then the season to come, which will most likely be the finale, is definitely not for you.

Gintama hasn’t changed one bit; it will continue being its same old self until it finally brings a closure to all the characters we love and find so hilarious.

It took me 316 episodes to finally realize that Gintama can be best compared to life. Sometimes it makes you laugh out loud, sometimes it makes you sad, sometimes it’s boring, and sometimes you don’t even know what the fuck is happening. And just like life, it can be strange, unique, unforgettable and beautiful. This, ladies and gentlemen, is Gintama. It’s an anime, that while deserves the title of a masterpiece, I won’t award it with one. And yet, I’m absolutely fucking sure I’ll remember this anime for as long as I live. Now I shall move on to the last season, and end this ... journey with a big smile on my face.

Top notch animation+ super serious arcs+ super cool fights. Gintoki is in action .. hell yeah, shiroyaksha nails it. It’s easily batter than the best arcs of big 3 or ain’t anime you’ve watched. It’s was not really predictable. This season also got the best 2 arcs of the anime. It’s well deserved. Art style is definitely top notch . The blood lust , choreography is too good. No flaws are there , as far as I know. Don’t rate this anime it you’ve not watched the Gintama ever. I’ve seen those FMAB bastards who create fake accounts and rate it 1. Literally there is ... 1 in a really long series.

Incredible.
Just Incredible.
Shogun Assasination Arc and Farewell Shinsengumi Arc was one of the best arcs i've ever seen in my life. Gintoki and Takasugi's backstory and why Takasugi hated Gintoki to the death and Shoyo-sensei actually being immortal and our beloved shogun Tokugawa Shigeshige's death.

The only thing i wish was how characters keep getting injured and injured and injured and they can still get up and fight like nothing. Other than that Gintama° is a absolute masterpiece, Gintama can be a little tough to get into it but it is really worth it.
You should give Gintama a chance.