It is this comedy that lulls the viewer into a false sense of security, and the writers take advantage by throwing in an episode that will truly stir feelings. The humour used throughout the show is relatively simplistic and puerile, but occasional regression is good for the soul and helps to keep you feeling young. That said, there are enough references to modern culture to give every viewer a sense of belonging to the “in” crowd as they pick up on a Death Note parody, or spot a tongue in cheek mockery of Jackie Chan.Two hundred and one episodes later and nothing has changed from the premiere, but that is what is so lovable about the Gintama universe you come to feel as if you have friends in the alternate Edo, and get to know each personality inside out. To fully understand exactly what Hideaki Sorachi created in his manga, the viewer needs to have a good appreciation of Japanese culture and have seen a reasonable amount of anime across many decades. With a character developing and butt-kicking Yoshiwara arc, there is a stark contrast with the Otsu Tournament that parodies numerous shows and frequently makes no sense whatsoever. Although the battles don’t last for 3 episodes each, there is enough excitement and onscreen antics to keep even the biggest shounen fans hooked. The comedy may frequently outweigh the action, but this only goes to highlight the stupendous sword duels and furious fist fights.Dividing the series into eight individual seasons, each final quarter holds a mini-arc that shows a glimmer of Gintama’s Jump origins.
Take for example the madcap antics of the local law enforcement agency, the Shinsengumi sadistically delicious Sougo is more distracted by trying to usurp the vice-commander than actually doing his job, whilst comically deformed Kondo (aka Gorilla) spends as much time running round in his birthday suit as he does admonishing the bad guys. However, it quickly becomes apparent that there is more to the black sheep of the shounen universes than just a hack and slash adventure. At first, it seems that the humans struggle against the alien amanto invading Earth would be the main focus, especially as the star is a wooden boken wielding ex-samurai. Sorry!With so many completely unrelated and varied tales, it is difficult to pin down a single underlying story for Gintama. Some may take offence to my mild fangirlism, others may nod their heads in agreement to virtually every word that spreads across the page either way, this is merely one persons view of the show and will certainly not agree with every single AP’er out there.
That has been my experience of trying to write this review as I try to make sure full justice is bequeathed upon the epic series that is Gintama.
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