Today marks a new beginning for this blog, since it’s not just gonna be long essays on some topic but also long reviews on some of my favourite anime series. Most of you reading might not even watch anime but that’s exactly the reason why I’m doing this; to change your conception of anime and maybe even get you to try it one day. The series I’m going to be talking about today is Gintama.
The Amanto, aliens from outer space, have invaded Earth and taken over feudal Japan. As a result, a prohibition on swords has been established, and the samurai of Japan are treated with disregard as a consequence.
However one man, Gintoki Sakata, still possesses the heart of the samurai, although from his love of sweets and work as a “Yorozuya”, one might not expect it. Accompanying him in his jack-of-all-trades line of work are Shinpachi Shimura, a boy with glasses and a strong heart, Kagura with her umbrella and seemingly bottomless stomach, as well as Sadaharu, their oversized pet dog. Of course, these odd jobs are not always simple, as they frequently have run-ins with the Shinsengumi (the Police), ragtag rebels, and assassins, oftentimes leading to humorous but unfortunate consequences.
GinTama (meaning ‘Silver Soul’) is a MASTERPIECE and is rated insanely high for a reason. I’ll explain it a little more objectively rather than just “it’s great” for because most people judge whether something is a masterpiece via objectivity.
PLOT: 9/10
Sooo… yeah, this is actually hard. The story is essentially nonexistent, but is composed of a series of mini arcs that have no real connection to each other. You can’t call it a consistent storyline but it’s also not really episodic. A strange kind of hybrid, that still works somehow. Action, drama and most of all comedy, Gintama’s got them all. Also, because I can’t find a better place to do this, let me tell you a few things about the often overlooked setting. The pseudo-medieval, post war Japanese capital Edo with modern technology, invaded by a multitude of alien races called Amanto. Sounds utterly random right? Wrong. It is my firm believe that this setting is actually the backbone of Gintama. Why, you ask? Because it allows for the greatest number of possible scenarios, different people and places. You can have a samurai, a rebel leader, an alien and a penguin costume guy added to the cast and nobody bats an eye, because it still feels natural. NEVER forget the setting, it makes this anime what it is.
CHARACTERS: 10/10
Gintama has what I’d consider the best cast of characters in all of anime. Despite starting off slow having to introduce characters, this is the deciding factor that makes this anime awesome. Here we have some amazingly thought out characters and not just for comedy purposes, most of them have a backstory, even the vilest of antagonists are not just pure embodied malice. This is also what causes the anime to take time to get going, you have to get to know the characters. A naked random guy is very much different to a naked Isao Kondo. Almost all of them are likeable, memorable and most of all funny. We have no focus on development here, but such progression would do more harm than anything else. It takes time to get to know them and that process is very important, since the series is filled with running jokes regarding them. No one character feels like they were copied from some other show. There is someone for everyone to relate to.
SOUND/MUSIC: 9/10
There are a few very iconic and memorable tracks on the Gintama OST, that’s probably due to the fact that they are used so frequently but that doesn’t mean that I ever got sick of them. Audio is mostly bright and uplifting, fitting to the anime’s focus on comedy. This would be a seven or eight if it wasn’t for the seiyuus. These guys are BRILLIANT! Every voice fits its character and the voiceover job is amazing.
The Opening and Ending themes along with the characters themes are good as well.
ENJOYMENT: 1000000/10
Gintama has some of the best comedy I have seen (not just in anime). Even the name ‘Gintama’ in itself is a joke (it is one character off from meaning balls/testicles in japanese). The comedy is mostly slapstick in nature and just pure Laugh Out Loud. There are a lot of running jokes which never feel repetitive and will only make you laugh harder every time you hear them. Watch a random episode whenever you feel down and it brightens you up immediately. It is not just pure comedy but also has some serious arcs scattered around with some amazing fights and you would never wanna miss. Otherwise, this is a mostly comedic series and Gintama is the king of comedy in this town. Enjoyment is over the roof!
CONCLUSION:
TL;DR, Gintama is a must watch for any fan of anime or anyone who enjoys comedy in general. Though you have to be patient for about sixty or so episodes till you get the push that you need to get hooked on this show, I say the time you invest is worth it. Also I suggest that this not be the first anime you watch since it parodies a lot of other shows which you need to have some context to understand. Gintama is without a doubt an anime MASTERPIECE second to none.
Thank you for spending your time reading this and have a nice day!!
bananablogs 