GINTAMA

DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ActionGintama'
SPECIAL ActionGintama: Jump Festa 2005 Special
SPECIAL ActionGintama: Jump Festa 2008 Special
SPECIAL ActionGintama: Dai Hanseikai
MOVIE ActionGintama: Shinyaku Benizakura-hen
MOVIE ActionGintama: Yorinuki Gintama-san on Theater 2D
MOVIE ActionGintama: Kanketsu-hen - Yorozuya yo Eien Nare
MANGA ActionGintama
ONA ActionGintama: Monster Strike-hen
ANIME ComedySaiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan 2
ANIME Comedy3-nen Z-gumi Ginpachi-sensei

REVIEWS

• 

  biogundam

  66/100
  very mixed bag, but not so bad over all

  Warning this review may contain spoilers.

  First impressions, in my life time I have gone through many challenges and trials,
  Each more difficult than the last.
  But none could prepare me for this mighty challenge that took all my shounen nakama willpower to face,
  And that is watch gintama a shounen I think is over hyped as fuck.
  Quick side note I going to talk about the series as a whole so It includes all ginmata 2014 and 2017 shit because I am pretty sure seen enough to see where it going.

  Story, 6/10

  In a world where 19th century Japan was "visited" by aliens and technology has jumped light years ahead of it time as a result.
  Join Gintoki Sakata a former rouge samurai war veteran who dose odd jobs in order that pay the rent on time which doesn't happen very often.

  If I where describe the story Of gintama as a whole,
  I would probably conpare it to a calm in the storm.
  What I mean of this you ask?

  By calm I mean that 85% of the actual story are mostly focused on episodic comedy that manly relines on shounen manga and Japanese culture references for its jokes.
  Which for the most part I didn't find very funny.
  Like there few episodes that made to laugh,
  For example the one with the turtle assassin and that ep where the one of the cop characters is looking for a place to smoke and my personal favorite so far was the one with the pen friend with the nerdy guy and the nerdy chick.
  I thought those episodes where pretty funny,
  but other than those examples I was bored to tears and nearly wanting to punch my computer screen to try and end my boredom and suffering.

  The storm Which i was referring to earlier is what the other 15% of the story is focused on.
  Which in my opinion made this show more likable for me personality.
  Is the parts where there very serious and shit is going down.
  Which honestly blew me away.
  First for shounen standards these serious arcs are amazing like this took be back to my younger years when I used to watch Action movies a lot with hype and excitement.
  I mean this pretty much had the cream of the crop,
  It had An interesting setting which breeds so much potential, it has the back story's and character relations which helps to care when shit hits the fan, badass fights which mixes samurai with aliens and massive space battle ships, it has the tension and the drama.

  So what could possibly go wrong.

  Well there is the thing where it basically pisses away most of it story telling potential on episodic bull shit,
  And for those asking yes I understand that all series not matter how serious it gets dose need a few cool moments every now and then especially in action shounen like this.
  But in all honesty it also what's really holding it back,
  Like when It actually has a story and it being serious and what not.
  it actually very good.
  For example the Shinsengumi Crisis arc or the Yoshiwara in Flames arc,
  Those arc showed me that when gintama really wants to it can tell a good story.

  If I am being Completely honest That is what makes me feel bad for the story in general because it's not reaching its full potential,
  It has all these ingredients and doesn't even use half of them to its full effect.
  It's a battle shounen when you strip it to its most basic components and it never wants to fully commit to that or build itself up like say for example yu yu hakasho.

  So in conclusion I think mostly the story is mostly bullshit with a few good arcs that more than makes up for the shit you have to sit through.

  Characters, 6/10

  The main character Gintoki I think is quite cool-ish, I mean at lest he not another teenager protagonist.
  I would describe his personality like the story the calm before the storm,
  Generally he very selfish, prevcnted and pretty chill about everything.
  But when shits hits the fan you see more of his more intense nature.
  I like his back story,
  I think it's quite interesting and probably one of the few highlights of this show.

  Side characters,
  They all have a sense of personality and they all there gimmicks.
  Some of them develop but its mostly the core cast.

  But The rest are kind of throw away most of them just stays to there gimmicks,
  Like a fly on dog shit So all freshness dies pretty quickly.

  Also most of the time I forgot most of characters that actually existed.
  I had continue to reminding myself who these people are and what they do,
  But that could be because of the big cast of characters and also the fact that most of these characters I don't give a fuck about.
  I think the character interactions where quite fun to watch.
  It almost like watching a big family interacting or some sort of gang with very close bonds to each over.
  So that quite nice because it give you a reason to care.

  Art, 6/10

  The animtion is fine,
  it gets more detailed and shiney as the shows goes along.
  The fight scenes are quite nice there some very good sword battles.

  It has a usual style for most shounen,
  Like for example naruto and dragon ball Z.
  It has that feel and look similar to those shows.

  The character design look interesting enough,
  I really like the robot chick design because it reminds me of chobitts.

  Some of the alien design could be better though,
  Like with some of these designs I thinking to myself that the person who made this was smoking some high quality shit.
  For example there this one race that looks exactly like Humans but the where duck costumes and eat old Nintendo games with rice.

  Sound, 6/10

  Sense this is a old running shounen it has a lot of op and ending,
  Which for the most part I thought where ok.
  Nothing much really stands out for me much, except for op 5, 10 , 12 which I quite liked.

  The ost was fine as well.
  But nothing really got my interest.
  There is something here that are worth a quick listen.

  Ost was done by some random company which I didn't know about intill writing this review.

  Enjoyment, 5/10

  When it comes to enjoyment, this was a very mixed bag for me.
  Because for the first 100 ep I was pretty much forcing myself to watch it,
  Like I was just so bored.
  There where a few episodes which keeped me entertained like the examples I mentioned earlier.
  But when it's actually serious it's very good and I am very much entertained and even falling for some of the show charm.
  So I hate it lest than I thought I would.

  Overall, 6/10

  I would like to state that This show is way to over hyped.
  if your in your shounen phase then I guess I can recommend this to you,
  But just word to the wise it not as good as the hype makes it out to be.

  If your out of your shounen phase then probably stay away unless you want to try watch a shounen again to change it up.
  so my advice watch the first 30 ep and if you don't like it then probably leave it alone.

  Continue on AniList
• 

  HelpTool

  95/100
  funny, awesome, great and a must watch for every anime fan!

  __`This review of Gintama includes all of the sequels and doesn't contain any spoilers.`__ `Where should I start? Gintama is a must watch for everyone who loves comedy, drama, action.. lets say basically every genre - Why? read this review!` __`5 / 5`__ `What I like about Gintama is how the Story builds up. Gintama has a slow start I have to admit that but do not make the mistake to stop or to skip!! Every episode shows different situations and storys that slowly leads to a "MAIN STORYLINE". I loved every single episode because Gintama mixed every genre in its episodes. The most present ones are comedy and action, good mix and well executed! You can either binge watch Gintama or just watch it whenever you feel like. That's the kind of anime plot Gintama has! Some "short storys" have 2 or 4 episodes some have up to 6+ and there are also daily storys with one episode. When I had to describe Gintamas plot I would say that it is one of the best I ever had but do not expect the Main story to continue fast! Be patient and enjoy each episode because Gintama actually shows the daily life of the characters which will lead to a common ground.` __`5 / 5`__ `At the End of Gintama I'm sure that you'll at least add 2 characters to your favorites. Gintama has so many individual characters but trust me you'll be able to remember every single one of them. I'm in love with each and every character this anime has. There is just nothing more to say, I don't find any words to describe it but I thought in the end there might be characters that are not important, I was wrong.. everyone has a role and that's how an anime should be. You are able to feel in each character oh man I wasted so many tears.. Every character has an individual story you'll get to know. Lets not forget about Sakata Gintoki, the main protagonist, he's one of the main reasons why this anime is on my top 1.` __`4 / 5`__ `Gintama has many sequels where the animations improved with each and every year but it still had a pretty good animation in the first place. Some scenes are awesome and just unbelievable how well they animated it considering the mood and situation the scene has. Animation are well done especially the fight scenes are godly animated and a must watch! Lets continue with the Music.. I loved the openings and the endings there is nothing to discuss, always good to hear. What about music during the story? Well I didn't really remember it but there is no need for music because you'll be already entertained with your eyes and ears. There is still music in some situations that I really enjoyed.` __`5 / 5`__ `Gintama is a must watch for everyone who loves comedy and action, lets basically say who enjoys anime. You'll make a good choice with Gintama and I guarantee you that you'll love it, if not, you're just too naive to see the beauty that Gintama is. I cried and I laughed, I enjoyed this anime and it is my Top 1. Watch Gintama and you'll realize how good it is. It has everything you wish for!` _I hope I could convince you to start watching Gintama. For questions or feedback leave a comment on my profile._
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• 

  WanderingSage

  96/100
  Great Comedy, Action, Characters, Cultural Commentary, One of the greats.

  There are a lot of questionable anime programs that have been released over the years. To some extent, anime tends to pander quite a bit to the fandom these days, and many programs out there are nothing more than advertisements for a light novel or manga that may be shoveled out. Many times, there is a whole lot of style and not much substance at the end of the day after reflecting on the more popular anime. With anime cycles seemingly growing shorter these days, and memes taking over much of the collected consciousness of the fandom, it can be difficult to find shows that stand above the crop and provide something special to the audience other than the latest flavor of the month or best girl argument fuel.

  So, what does all this drunken rambling have to do with a show about samurais, ninjas, aliens, and over the top sight gags?

  Gintama is an anime that is difficult to review. I’ve watched this show off and on for around 10 years now and continue to go back and forth on what my thoughts actually are on it. This show is unforgettable and it’s one of the anime that I have a deep appreciation for and have gotten countless hours of entertainment value out of.

  With regards to the technicals of the show, Gintama is generally well drawn and animated. The update to HD helped immensely and the switch was a noticeable improvement. The show is colorful and the setting allows for some interesting alien concepts and technological wonders mixed in with traditional Japanese ryokans and yukatas. This show has its own brand of style and it grows on you quite well.

  The soundtrack is amazing for this show. So many of the tunes and songs have a great impact and help to change the mood so well that you can actually feel yourself changing emotional states when the music kicks in. Each major character has a leitmotif that generally kicks in when they are introduced or are doing something as well. There are a wide variety of OP and Ending credit songs over the years, and many of them are great tracks as well. Special mention to Yoruzuya Blues, one of my favorites from the show and a great commentary on the main character as well. There are even in universe idol performances and rap tracks and other songs as well that range from amusing to hilarious as well. Music is a high point of this show and it’s hard to hear certain themes from the show without smiling a bit at the nostalgia and meanings. They stick with you.

  Easy stuff out of the way, the actual difficulty in Gintama lies in its depth and breadth of what it’s trying to do, or what it flails around and actually does. As mentioned, I’ve watched the show for ten odd years or so and I struggle to succinctly sum up what the hell Gintama is actually about in a few words. It’s also impossible to figure out if you’re going to like Gintama after only watching a few episodes as things build on each other to such a degree that it can’t be really said to have “started” until 20+ episodes in, and even 50 episodes may be a better milestone. Many folks aren’t going to make that investment, and while I understand the sentiment, I’m glad that I stuck around to enjoy what the show became after being unsure what all the fuss was about after watching 15 or so episodes. So what exactly is it about?

  At a broad stroke, Gintama is a story about an alternate history type of Edo Japan around the Meiji reformation era where instead of the samurai putting away their swords because of a change in domestic priorities (read your history folks), it happens instead because aliens invade Japan (Earth) and subjugate everyone with their advanced tech and what have you. The samurai are to give up their swords and live on, trying to scrape by in a post technological world mixed with 1800s Meiji aesthetics in Japan. On paper, this doesn’t sound like it makes a whole lot of sense. In practice, it really doesn’t either, except that it sets the stage for a wide variety of comedic and historical commentary on Japanese culture that one might not find in a more straight-laced historical show.

  One of the former veteran samurai, Gintoki Sakata, runs a small odd-jobs business struggling to make ends meet in this new world with his “apprentices”. The quest for strawberry milk, scoring big at pachinko to pay off the ouya-san, and getting enough cash together for the latest issue of Shounen Jump and a few drinks turns into one heck of a wild ride. As the story expands and we are introduced to more and more of the post war Edo town, the whole thing sort of takes on a whole life of its own and becomes a running commentary on pop culture in Japan with crazy comedic arcs, unforgettable character interactions, pop idols, video games, celebrity gossip of a type, to the point where it’s almost impossible to keep up with the references unless you have a good guide or have lived in Japan for a while.

  Beyond the comedy, oddly enough, are shounen style battle arcs between the political factions that would not be out of place in any of the major shows in the genre as well. When Gintama wants to get into a serious arc and put on the big boy pants, it can hang with some of the greats in this arena as well.

  There are also arcs and story resolutions that impart some serious wisdom and can even make you shed tears during their resolutions as well. Gintama is a show that has a surprising amount of depth and can turn on a dime, having you laughing hysterically one moment, on the edge of your seat for a battle sequence the next, and then having you choke up a bit at the heartwarming resolution a few scenes later. It’s rare that a show can do this and I struggle to think of any other shows that quite match it in this regard.

  Also, as a barometer of what’s going on in the general cultural mindset in Japan, Gintama is a great show for cultural jokes and pop culture. This is going to be the actual things going on in Japan that makes local news, famous celebrities, songs, trends, etc. While it doesn’t quite require the depth of knowledge about Japan that say, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei requires, Gintama is a great look into what’s going on trend wise in Japan at times. Tongue is fully in cheek for this show and the fourth wall is shattered quite often, many times to hilarious effect.

  Combine the great characters (who almost deserve a separate review), songs, comedy, battle arcs, pop culture references, and emotional moments, and the sum of all the parts add up to something that may be irreplaceable in the anime medium. While there are shows that do many of these things at a higher level than Gintama, Gintama is much greater than the sum of its parts.

  Gintama is one of those rollercoaster rides that once it starts heading downhill is one heck of an adventure. Rightly deserves a place in the upper echelon of comedy shows and a show that deserves everyone’s time. It’s one of the few shows that showed me how great the anime medium can be for its sheer variety and creativity, as well as delivering action, emotional scenes, and great characters by the score.

  Unqualified Recommendation.

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