Gintama: For those who don't take their otaku life too seriously~

Written by Little_Wolf-18 on April 13, 2012 at 12:17 PM

This has to be one of the funniest anime ever out there. If you haven’t watched this yet… I can promise you’ve got no idea what you’re in for.

“Gintama” is basically comedy/parody only, and surely not suited for everyone out there. No cookie-cutter anime, rather aimed at a mature audience, highly unpredictable with an amazing character cast but highly random as well, and definitely not what I usually watch.

But lemme try to explain.



-----STORY (3/5)-----

LIKE: Unique in every sense of the word. Unpredictable. Points out its own flaws. Addresses real problems in today’s society. Many underlying meanings if you care to dig as deep.
DISLIKE: RANDOMNESS. No overarching plot, nobody can actually tell what it is about. Looks shallow at first. The common description “historical” is more than deceiving >.>

I should have known that last point before, because I was a bit shocked in the beginning. I’m usually a lover of historical works, and after reading the description, I was expecting a history/fantasy connection from this anime.
Boy, was I wrong.

The only history in this anime is history parody. Care to know this anime’s setting? Before the Meiji revolution, i.e. before Westerners could force Japan to open up, in the Gintama anime, aliens (Amanto) took over Edo and forced Japan’s government to submit to their technology and way of living. So there’s basically samurai gone useless, weird-looking aliens, and modern technology and media mixed all in one.

What else is “Gintama” about? I wonder how to explain. It is about umbrellas, wigs, strawberry milk, anime, comrades, teen idols, the manga business, screwdrivers, mayonnaise, otakus, bazookas, spiders, long introductions, rebels, gorillas, burnt eggs, balls, growing up, glasses, samurai, Shounen Jump, oranges, Shoguns, popularity polls, domestic violence, onsen, laziness, fans, pocky, memory losses, kotatsu, lazy people, weather forecasts, penis jokes, soap operas, ghosts, excrements, technology, philosophy, monsters, cooking, ninjas, transvestites, censoring, competitions, alien princes, being broke, useless old men, music, bad luck, amnesia, motorcycles, perverted people, joblessness, screwdrivers, cats, dogs, friendship, prostitutes, sadism, the police, mothers and grandsons, pachinko, exorcism, vacation, Santa, host clubs, hyper-sized pets, stalking, pop idols, natto, swordsmen (or –women), rice with eggs, *runs out of breath* This won’t end. Anyway, as is probably evident from the list above, Gintama’s basic premise is based on all sorts of different and random things.

Similar to this, “Gintama” can’t be defined by target group; it’s not exactly a shounen, nor a shoujo, a seinen, or a josei anime. It focuses on comedy instead of action or emotion, it has no plot whatsoever, and if there are filler episodes, they are impossible to figure out.

Plot? There is no distinguishable plot. Whereas the anime’s quite episodic at the beginning, there’s very short sub-arcs thrown in there that… are as random as the single episodes. Some help you in getting to know the characters and universe better; some are emotional; some contain their fill of badass action; some nag about life in the funniest of ways; some put the characters in completely ridiculous situations; and so on. Each mini-arc – be it a single episode or a couple – works with a different (and mostly ridiculously absurd) situation but each of these encounters makes the series shine. Anything can happen in this anime. Didn’t I say you have no idea what you’re in for?

Basically, as far as Gintama can be reduced to genres, it’s a mixture of comedy, parody, action, and drama. Where it gets serious, it can be quite insightful, and get across many emotions; but even where it isn’t, small things are made so dramatic and important and epically exaggerated that I couldn’t help but laugh. Even the silliest episodes are there for a reason. Actually, it feels like many things could happen similarly in real life (of course somehow toned down there…)

At first, “Gintama” seems quite shallow, and it takes two or three episodes to really take off but from there on… this anime is hilarious yet serious, but doesn’t take itself seriously at all. Some things don’t make sense at first glance, but everything’s there for a reason. Beyond many events, there’s a second, underlying meaning that’s quite funny to uncover; because beyond jokes, odd characters and a mixture of random stuff, this is a highly clever parody that gives you something to think about. It won’t make you work your brain cells if you don’t want to, but if you care to, the universe of true parody will open up in all its bizarre and hilarious gloriousness.

What am I talking about? Easy: Gintama doesn’t take anything seriously. Not technology, not Japanese pop culture, not today’s mundane routines, not its watchers and not even itself. It points out its own flaws every now and then, it parodies idols, films, music, our daily life, and any popular manga or anime out there. Meaning? If you’re a completely fan of a different manga or anime and can’t even stand one nasty word about it, DON’T WATCH, because Gintama will parody it. (Though you could always skip the episode.) But even if it doesn’t take anything seriously, “Gintama” addresses serious topics of today’s society. Otakus, stalking, useless adults, joblessness, homelessness, smoking and smoking bans, running out of toilet paper – wait, the last didn’t belong here, but I think you got a small idea.

Also, many episodes have a quite weird (and sometimes semi-educational) titles (“Make friends you can call by nicknames even when you’re already old men”, “When sleeping under a kotatsu, make sure not to burn your balls”, “The people you tend to forget tend to show up after you forget about them”), and some episodes have a totally hilarious ending. Example for that? Skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want the tiniest two spoilers. –The crew’s in a heated video game competition till Gintoki lifts his visor and notes they’ve beaten up the entire audience while in the game. Or –Kyuubei (a girl brought up as a guy who can’t stand guys touching her) helps out the Shogun, he ends up accidentally brushing her hand, and she throws him in the river flowing by. And that’s just how the episodes end.

Format: If there is something such as a plot, it’s very rough and most episodes aren’t linked to each other. There’s a few serious arcs with emotional impact or loads of action, but those are short (the longest arc up to episode 252 is 8 eps long). Basically, you could dip in somewhere along the line and still understand what’s going on.

Example? Skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want even the tiniest two spoilers. When the crew’s in a heated video game competition till Gintoki lifts his visor and notices they’ve beaten up the entire audience while inside the game. Or when a certain noble girl, brought up as a boy and with the reflex of hitting every guy that touches her, helps out the Shogun, he ends up accidentally brushing her hand, and she throws him in the river flowing by.

No, there is no intelligent plot and gripping storyline with long, focused arcs and serious drama. There isn’t even an overarching plot at all, but with all the parody, epic randomness ensues. (That was what I meant when I said ‘not what I usually watch’ – before Gintama, randomness used to piss me off to no end.) If you’re looking for a complex, gripping storyline with twists and turns and evil villains and character development, this anime will piss you off, trust me. But if you just want to relax, laugh out loud, and don’t mind a dose of epically weird utter randomness, this might just be right for you. Keep reading! I’m nowhere near through with this review -.-


~~~Side Note: List of Multi-Episode-Arcs… so you’d know where not to start off XD ~~~
(Wouldn’t be able to provide you with a filler list at the end. If there are fillers, they’re impossible to figure out from the anime alone. D: )
027-028 | ~031-032~ | 040-042 | 045-046 | 051-052 | 054-055 | 058-061 | 069-071 | ~076-081~ | 084-085 | ~086-087~ | 094-095 | 098-099 | 101-105 | 107-108 | 115-118 | 121-123 | 126-128 | 129-130 | 131-134 | 139-146 | 148-149 | 151-152 | 157-163 | 167-170 | 176-181 | 182-184 | 190-192 | 195-199 | 200-201 | 232-236 | 237-238 | 239-240 | 241-242 | 244-247
Most of those are random fun with more or less action and provide some or another form of background on the series/characters. The three arcs in tildes (mostly the latter two) to me seemed like some of the most emotional ones in this anime… ah well *sighs*
FYI, Ep. 58-61 is basically the same as the movie, so no point in downloading the latter D:



-----CHARACTERS (4/5)-----

LIKE: Varied and unique cast with well-developed characters. Everyone has their own hilarious peculiarities, but also a heart of gold. Amazingly funny character interaction. Certain peculiarities exaggeratedly reflect our twisted society…
DISLIKE: No character development whatsoever (and that during 252 episodes…)

The character cast in “Gintama” definitely is one of the selling points. Highly diverse with unique, well-developed and lovable characters, amusing and memorable for their unique peculiarities but besides all faults, they have hearts of gold. Each of them is important as they all influence the show and the way things go, and you get to know each and every person with all the quirks and flaws they may have.

Whom do we have here? An ex-samurai in his thirties with no aim in life who is constantly broke and evading his landlady whilst tending to his two addictions: sugar and Shounen Jump. A bespectacled straight guy and teenage otaku obsessed with a teen idol. An alien girl of the strongest clan in the universe who has a way too huge appetite. A giant dog who’s got a knack for biting random people in the head. A giant duck that is known for talking only when its owner/companion is not around. An airheaded anti-government rebel with a like for mature women and blindness for the obvious, constantly managing to point out his own lack of intelligence. A police vice-chief with an unhealthy like of mayonnaise and cigs. A sadist police samurai with a bazooka who constantly tries to kill his boss or at least piss him off and embarrass him. A masochist ninja with a love of natto, totally infatuated with the protagonist, stalking him, and utterly blind without her glasses. A noble young woman who has been brought up as a boy, thus having a strong dislike of men. A young woman working at a hostess club who wants to rebuild her father’s dojo and is hopeless in cooking. A chain-smoking landlady who always threatens to throw out the protagonist ‘cause he doesn’t pay his rent. A prince Baka… erm *coughs* prince Hata… and this ain’t ending so soon either. From ex-samurai over the police over idols over landladies over jobless guys up to giant animals, anything is possible.

All characters are suitably crazy and seem quite random, but each and everyone has a heart of gold. That combined with at least one defining feature that WILL stick to memory, most of the charas popping up frequently are simply lovable. Their peculiarities/odd habits make for high entertainment value. And each character in a way can be interpreted as a reflection of our society and what exactly is going wrong. (C’mon, you can’t deny that. We’ve got enough useless grown-up guys, jobless madaos, or teenage otakus. Heck, even I’m kinda an otaku XD)

Some characters are based on actual people from Japanese popular culture. Anyone here knowing about Japanese history? Gintama’s character cast contains a parody of the Shinsengumi. I was pretty shocked when noticing that first (history lover after all) but sometime along the way, those quirky guys grew on me. XD

Character interactions provide through-the-roof entertainment value. Not only show they the beauty of friendship, the way they interact is way too funny. Random, yes, since situations and characters both are random, but funny in all that glorious randomness.

There’s no specific goals in here, no constant power-ups and almighty villains. Neither is there any character development at all. Still, in my opinion, the characters themselves and their interactions more than make up for this.



-----DIALOGUE (4.8/5)-----

LIKE: Makes sense despite the randomness. Smooth and quick flow. Excellent voice-acting.
DISLIKE: Some sequences have been repeated a few times and are pretty unnecessary by now.

The character interaction and dialogue in this anime is quite memorable. Often enough, it turns random again, totally missing the original point, but somehow, it still flows smoothly, quickly, and somehow manages to make sense. Surely opens new perspectives at things – that in itself would already deserve 5/5 IMO!

During all those 252 episodes, some of the dialogue has been repeated a few times and become unnecessary (wonder how often they repeated that “end of the year” sequence by now? O.o) but those moments still are few and far in-between.

Conversation and dialogue between characters make for most of the entertainment value (credit to the subbers by the way!), meaning the humour’s often not in the situation itself but in the dialogue/text. As loads of references that otherwise could be hard to catch onto (as well as plays on words or second meanings that make for adult jokes) are explained in side-notes, it’s quite helpful to either be able to read very fast or pause from time to time to read the explanations… ^^°

The voice-acting on this anime is highly versatile, and the seiyuu manage to get their respective characters’ emotions across excellently. Though I am still wondering how they managed to record the dialogue without any of the voice actors breaking into laughter.



-----ANIMATION (4.5/5)-----

LIKE: Fitting and unique art, nice animation. Slight animation changes when parodying other shows. Catchy themes. No ecchi content.
DISLIKE: At times the art comes across as simplified. Mosaics have been overused by now.

The art and animation of this anime is not the main selling point. At times, it can seem simplistic (by far not as much as many of the latest comedy-mostly anime though), but the art is unique and the animation’s enjoyable to watch as it is still far above average. From time to time, scenes are reused, but not like that could be avoided in a series this length -.- at least this anime refrains from many flashbacks or the like.

Also, this anime refrains from ecchi content. I know many like ecchi, and I don’t mind it either, but it was a refreshing change seeing as many recent anime place some sort of stress on the ecchi part.

Over and over, certain parts in the Gintama anime are mosaic-ed just for a laugh. (“Can’t show this on TV!”) It was funny the first times, but sometime around episode 160 or so it got a bit annoying ^^°

Don’t expect much fighting. There are a few action arcs, and though the fights can sometimes seem exaggerated for someone who expected a historical work (*coughs*) action scenes are very smoothly done and quite ‘badass’, so-to-speak.

If you pay close attention to the animation, you’ll notice tiny changes whenever they spend another episode or even a few minutes parodying a different anime; changes that exactly mimic the respective parodied work. (Costume changes occur, too, but less frequently, and they’re far easier to spot.) Quite the funny and intriguing effect, I must say. Kudos to the producers for managing that – can’t have been easy.

I have to warn about LQ files, as sometime around the 150-200 episodes, LQ files pop up that don’t stick to the anime’s original 5:4 release. It’s easy to adjust that in a good media player, but it’s annoying to have to do that with any and every file. (Not speaking of the fact that obviously, LQ files don’t have the best overall quality.)

Gintama’s music generally is enjoyable, with catching opening and ending themes.



-----ENTERTAINMENT (5.5/5)-----

LIKE: Many types of jokes. Doesn’t take itself seriously. Manages to put humour even in the midst of fights. Addresses today’s social issues if you care to look beyond the jokes.
DISLIKE: Can be silly just for the sake of it. Fades out somehow after 150-or-so eps, toilet humour has been overused. Knowledge about Japanese culture more than helpful.

Haven’t yet come across a type of joke in anime that was not established at one or another point in this one! XD From toilet humour (perhaps aimed at the kiddies watching this O.o) over small repetitions (all the end-of-the-year eps -.-) over spoofs over situational humour turning any and every cliché upside down over constant breaking of the fourth wall over adult humour (quirky and lewd puns… just look at the almost-homophones of “Gintama” and “kintama” (=balls)) up to parodying not only the whole of Japanese pop culture, but also our daily life and even itself… everything can be found in here. Over-the-top and truly refreshing entertainment! I think most people would easily be able to see at least some of the humour in here. (If you find everything of the listed above funny, you’ll have a cramp in your laughing muscles by the end of each ep.)

Take my word, randomness does annoy me quickly, but in all the craziness funny lines and weird situations pop up with, they make sense in that moment, and that’s what makes all the randomness intriguing.

This anime takes nothing seriously, not even itself – which I love about it. Example? They parody themselves in a Gintama-universe-exclusive Shounen Jump manga series called “Gintaman”. They constantly point out their own flaws. When trying to come up with improvements, they parody about anything in the world of animation. Characters make fun of each other (and constantly break the fourth wall in the process). Literally nothing is left in peace. Mundane life isn’t taken seriously; stuff like long introductions, popularity polls, or in general the anime business is made fun of; Gintama itself, its characters, mangaka, studio, TV station and most importantly other anime/manga are ridiculed in the process.

WARNING: If you are a serious fan of ANY other anime/manga and can’t stand even one bad word about it, you should NOT watch Gintama, because it WILL parody your favourite. While I was still counting the anime/manga parodised (that was up till around ep 120) more than 50-60 games or manga/anime series had been referenced and/or parodied. Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Doraemon, Sket Dance, D.Gray-man, Captain Tsubasa, Monster Hunter, Dragon Quest, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbour Totoro, and far, far more are laughed at.

(I found it easy to get over that btw, though I wasn’t exactly happy about the one episode parodying Nausicaa either. But hey, there’s more serious fans than me out there.)

Sometimes “Gintama” does try a bit much to get through to the kiddies as well, thus can get silly for the sake of it; however, those cheap moments are few, and don’t dampen the anime’s spirit much. (What generally comes closest to this is toilet humour, and yes, that one was a bit unnerving towards the end. Might be due to the fact that I watched all 252 episodes in the matter of a few weeks though.)

Generally, Gintama is a slightly mixed bag. Big-time stress on the parody/comedy aspect, with some drama and some action, it is sometimes touching, sometimes exciting and sometimes annoying, but mostly just meant to make you laugh your ass off. Strange but funny!

Gintama won’t -make- you rack your brain, but if you care to think about it, its parody aspect surely gains in depth. (Even if you don’t, the cheeky way which this anime copies and parodies other animations with is one-in-a-million.) Touching upon real – though all in all still small – issues and crazinesses of today’s world and Japanese culture, this anime could sure have you thinking. However, many gags are related to Japanese culture and might be hard to catch onto especially for non-otaku Westerners. References at least to pop culture (anime/manga/games, music and film) are explained if you care to pause to read the explanations (or read REALLY fast). To pick up on every joke, you’d have to be a major in Japanology/Japanese culture (or of Japanese origin but not taking your origin all seriously). If you’ve got the required otaku knowledge, this is beyond hilarious; if you don’t… this might still be good for a few episodes, and lots of things are explained (THANKS A LOAD to the subbers!!!) but it gets shallow easily, and its whole in-depth parody experience would get lost.

Seems like the creators were aiming at a large audience when coming up with the humour… though slight fails can’t be avoided. Generally, I’d say Gintama is much more suited for a more mature audience due to lewd jokes and its sense of parody… granted, perhaps without much of the toilet humour.

Granted: Even the entertainment value fades out a bit if you, like me, watch a hundred episodes in four days straight. However, that fading came after those a hundred episodes – saying, it stays entertaining and funny for far longer than most of the anime out there. And recently that I had to slow down due to the last eps still being released (yup, for now, the Gintama anime seems to have ended ;_;) I could laugh out loud at each episode again. (Me? Mature otaku woman, for anyone wondering.) Saying… Don’t overdose? XD


To me, this is the best parody anime I’ve seen so far. Episodic so it doesn’t keep you up half the night. Individual, over-the-top characters with crazy interaction, randomly dramatic occurrences, and a variety of humour that can probably appeal to everyone. As long as you have the background to understand at least some of the jokes, and don’t mind the randomness, Gintama is a strange but funny experience; something to sit back, chill, and let absurdity take care of your troubles for a moment. Might well appeal to those sick of generic fighting, sports, mecha, or high-school-girl anime, as well as those looking for something unpredictable, or those who just feel down or creeped out and want to laugh their troubles away.

To watch this, you must not mind randomness, parody, or a lack of intriguing storyline and character development. Knowledge on Japanese culture is not mandatory, but more than helpful. If you fulfill those requirements and want to laugh out loud once again, you might well give this a try (though I’d advise skipping the first two episodes). Generally? For the anime veterans that don’t take their otaku life too seriously. Don’t eat or drink while watching Gintama, or you’ll get your food down the wrong way. And remember: Don’t drink strawberry milk before bed. ;)


A huge THANK YOU to anyone who had the patience to read this entire marathon of a review!