Key takeaways from anime recommendation of the week – Gintama:
- Gintama is a comedy anime that goes beyond just humor, offering serious and emotional storylines that get viewers hyped or make them cry.
- The series is set in a parallel timeline where aliens have invaded Japan in the Edo Era, and it follows Gin-san and his odd jobs store on episodic adventures in a weird city.
- Gintama has entertaining characters, great animations, and soundtracks that make it worth watching for those looking for a hilarious and engaging anime with unexpected fight scenes.
I think we have all at least heard of this anime. I picked it up because I was looking for some funny stuff back then, and it did not disappoint on that front at all. The thing is though, that is not all that Gintama has to offer. It is so much more than a comedy anime. Yes, ultimately, it is a parody of your usual shonen troupes but it still manages to give you some stories that get you hyped or make you cry.
So welcome back to another edition of our anime recommendation series! This week let’s talk about the awesome Gintama! Goes without saying that this anime is quite close to my heart and I absolutely love this. I still have like 150 or so episodes of this series on my hard drive because I love to rewatch it. So let’s get started.
Introduction
Gintama is based on the manga of the same name by Sorachi Hideaki. No disrespect to the manga but in this case, the anime is simply better. It is very clear that the staff at Sunrise/Bandai Namco Pictures had a lot of fun making this anime. Looking at the total episode count, you will land 367 episodes, slightly more if you include the canon movies and OVAs. These are split across multiple seasons with the first season being the longest at 201 episodes.
Plot
Oh man, where do I even begin to describe Gintama’s plot? So the series is set in a parallel timeline where aliens have invaded Japan in the Edo Era and now they run the government and stuff. Gin-san, our MC run an odd jobs store in this weird city and the series follows them on a mostly episodic adventure as weird stuff keeps happening around them.
Not much in terms of the plot when I put it like this right? But you’d be surprised to learn how serious Gintama can get at times and how dark and grim its world can be. Despite the comedic nature of the series, there is always a hint of seriousness to it. And I really like that. It’s all fun and games then you get to the Benizakura arc and the series reveals it’s true colors.
Characters
Gintama is full of entertaining characters. Gin-san is one of my favorite shonen MCs of all time just because of how big of a troll he is. And the list of the supporting cast is long too. I love how important members of the supporting cast get their own arc and stuff. They really take the time to bring out characters like Toshiro, Sougo, Kondo, etc. Love how most of these characters fit both the comedy and serious angles of the series.
All GIFs are from Tenor~
Animations and Soundtracks
As I said before, it is very clear that Sunrise/Bandai Namco Pictures had a lot of fun making this anime. And that is very clear by the frequent 4th wall breaks and the amount of effort they put into this series. The animations are really good and the soundtracks do no disappoint either.
Why should you watch Gintama?
Quick pointers on why you should check out this series.
- Funny as hell
- Better plot than you’d expect
- Awesome characters
- Unexpectedly good fights
Conclusion
That is about it for now. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. Personally, Gintama will always be one of my favorite animes of all time. With that said, I will take my leave here. See ya!!
