Gintama – A recommended anime that’s hard to get started on… but once you get into it, you won’t be able to stop

Gintama is the pinnacle of Japanese gag manga/animation, a mishmash of ‘crazy, lively, serious, sci-fi, action, parody, and black comedy’.

I think of each time separately.
Gintama has many episodes that are completed in one go. Each one depicts a different emotion.
It’s like, ‘This time it’s a comedy’, ‘This time it’s something touching’.
In summary, it is a ‘SF touching historical comedy’.

In short, it’s a cartoon that’s hard to grasp.
Well, but it’s ridiculous for me to force you to read it like this because it’s like this, so feel free to read it.

– Comment from author Hideaki Sorachi

Let’s summarize the gag masterpiece Gintama, which is a modern deconstruction of the samurai spirit, into five keywords.

Gintama’s core keywords

The Duality of Serious Comedy

표면 : Exaggerated humor including parodies of famous anime such as Dragon Ball and One Piece, erotic gags, and 4D characters (e.g. Elizabeth).
내면 : All gags are satires of modern society. Ex) – Pressure from Jump Manga serialization: An episode where the main character Gintoki is chased by an editor.

– Otaku Culture: Hasegawa’s NEET Life Projects the Public’s Apathy.

* Feature: Behind laughter, there is always a hidden truth about human relationships.

A reinterpretation of “Samurai”

Traditional Samurai: A noble image like Rurouni Kenshin.
Gintama samurai:

– Gintoki: An incompetent troubleshooter who likes alcohol, pachinko, and jumping, but only draws his true sword “when protecting something precious.”
– Shinpachi: He’s an “idol nerd”, but he’s also the most normal descendant of samurai.

* Message: “The samurai spirit is not a class, it’s an attitude.”

The clash of science fiction and period drama

Worldview: Edo period + coexistence of aliens.
Spaceships fly, but people still eat sushi.

* Meaning: Symbolizes “coexistence of tradition and innovation.”

예)
– Mechanical Okita vs. Traditional Swordsman Katsura.
-Gintoki’s wooden sword that does not rely on alien technology.

Yorozuya as a “family”

Members: An incompetent person (Gintoki), a NEET (Shinpachi), and a person who only eats rice (Kagura). An atypical pseudo-family structure.
Relationship chart:

Gintoki-Kagura: “Father and daughter” bond, labor-management relationship.
Gintoki-Shinpachi: pseudo-father-son relationship, master-student relationship, labor-management relationship
Shinpachi-Kagura: “Rivals and friends, family-like bond.”

Theme: “Comrades who are not blood related but together/Solidarity as comrades in arms, community of shared destiny, quasi-family”.

The Shadow of “War Trauma”

Gintoki’s past: The scars of war revealed in the Byakuyo-hen.
Takasugi Shinsuke: A vengeful demon stained with hatred → Gintoki’s mirror image.

* Interpretation: A narrative warning of the “cycle of violence.”

Gintama’s features

Storytelling beyond genres

It starts off as a gag, the next episode is a touching drama, and another episode turns into a mystery.

Example) The main flow of the movie version of “Hong Aeng-pyeon” changes from comedy → war drama → reversal narrative.

The “perfect imperfection” of the character

All characters have flaws, but those flaws are what make them charming.

example)

Kagura: A woman with incredible strength, but weak to hunger and loneliness.
Hijikata: A brother complex that loves mayonnaise, and a silly temperament.

Master of metafiction

Self-deprecating gag: “The animation collapsed due to lack of budget” is confessed in the subtitles.
Fan service: Creating episodes with character combinations that readers want.

Reasons for Recommendation for “First-time Gintama Users”

“No barriers to entry”

Complete structure per episode → You can start from any episode.

“It reflects your reality”

A metaphorical expression of office workers’ stress and difficulties in interpersonal relationships.

“Crying and laughing, 180 degree emotional change”

A development that was making people laugh out loud 5 minutes ago, but suddenly made them cry.

“Communication with the fandom”

“Gintama nerds” are addicted to the fun of finding parodies within the work.

Example) Discovery of homages to various works such as “Gundam” and “Dragon Quest”.

Closing remarks

“Gintama is more than you think”

Gintama is not just a simple gag manga.
It is a human drama that packages the honor of the samurai, the scars of war, and the alienation of modern people into “space monsters and wooden swords.”

The absurdity felt in the first episode is a trap, just endure until episode 3!!!

Before you know it, you will find yourself pondering the question “What is a real samurai?” with the Yorozuya party.

<Beginner’s Tips>

“Get a feel for the atmosphere with the first season opening of the anime, “Pray” → Start with a comical episode”.

> “As you watch Gintama, there will come a day when you will be surprised by the author’s message hidden behind the laughter.”

<Note>

1. Sudden genre change :There are frequent instances where a gag unfolds one moment and then turns into a serious drama in the next scene.
2. Exaggerated expressions and Japanese gags of the characters :It takes time to get used to it.
3. Understanding Cultural Codes

Parody: A wide range of homages, from famous works such as “Dragon Ball” and “Samurai Champloo” to Japanese entertainment and historical events.
> You can skip over the parodies you don’t know and continue without affecting your understanding of the story.

Slang usage: Local memes frequently appear, such as “Jump Two-Balls” (a parody of Weekly Jump) and “Anime-koku” (a Japanese broadcasting regulatory body).

<Memory Story>

Among my former coworkers, there was a self-proclaimed Japanese anime otaku who strongly recommended Gintama to me through him.
Believe in yourself and endure the beginning unconditionally…
However, after two failures, I forgot about it, and one day, three years later,
I started watching it without thinking about it…
I got hooked… I laughed like crazy and cried a lot.