You are probably wondering why a gaming site talk about Anime. It is simple, because Gintama (銀魂) should be on every gamer’s must-watch list. Gintama the anime is based on the serialized manga illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi, and its awesomeness is displayed by these 2 qualities, it’s ability to parody so many things in life, especially itself, and its versatility in being ultra hilarious and extremely serious, and how well it works switching in between those two. Appreciation of Gintama is recognition of the masterful conglomeration of seriousness and funkiness, preeminent juxtaposition of intelligent gags and low-class jokes , it is Japanese comedy at its finest.
If I had to explain Gintama in a sentence I would have to say it is Kenshin (known as Samurai X in the US) meets Dr. Slump. If you didn’t quite get that I would give you a little background story.
Gintama takes place in alternate history Edo Japan (1700-1800s), end of the Samurai Regime when the Shogunate and the Feudal Era is near its demise. Instead of being occupied by the US fleet like in real history, the Japan in Gintama was invaded by an alien armada from the far universe, and became occupied by different alien nations resulting in the Shogunate becoming a puppet of the extraterrestrials. The modernization of Japan in Gintama makes it a parallel to our current world technology-wise (as explained by the influx of alien technology), as the denizens have cars to drive and video games to play, it is in essence a setting that displays the constant conflict between Western and Eastern culture, clash of tradition vs modernization. The story is about Gintoki who used to be a Samurai, but since the abolishment of the sword and the alien occupation, he started a “do anything” business that resembled a detective agency but took on handyman jobs. Gintoki appears to be a very unmotivated lazy bum most of the time but in his heart his samurai code lives on. In the serious arcs of the show, Gin displays his strength and fighting skills and his undying resolve similar to Kenshin of Samurai X. The supporting characters are especially well designed, including the Chinese-looking-but-in-fact-an-ultra-strong-alien-gluttonous-teenage girl Kagura, the ordinary looking glasses wearing apprentice samurai Shinpachi, the giant fluffy dog Sadaharu, and the colorful Shinshengumi with a gorilla-looking stalker as leader, an oblivious revolutionist swordsman who keeps a giant bird pet at his side who is most likely cos-played by an old man, …etc.
The Parodies. Gintama makes fun of anything that it comes across, and often times it makes fun of itself. The characters from the show often would acknowledge that they are indeed inside a show and they joke about its declining popularity and its impending demise. It often shows a still screen of the agency with characters talking admitting that the producers had run of budget and their purpose is just to waste a few minutes, and the fact that they still don’t broadcast in HD. It pokes fun of popular shows like One Piece (calling it One Park), Naruto, Bleach, and how they show too many minutes of flashbacks. It shamelessly borrow sequences and make references to all things Jump Shounen and make fun of them. Just with a few screens of gags it could enlighten you how anime and manga diverges from one another when one needs to catch up and leads to cancellation.
Gintama makes many parodies of video games, like in the popular Monster Hunter arc (which they called Monkey Hunter- aka Mon Hun) , Gin and co. must enter the MMO space to search for the aliens which made physical alteration on their bodies in real life, and every cliche of MMO gaming become a gag that amuses the audience. There are also many references to old Famicom and Mega Drive games (NES and Genesis), Dating Sims, Dragon Quest, and the Wii, countless goodies that if I discussed them at length I would spoil the fun.
The Saw Parody episodes which I recently saw was the most memorable, when 2 of the ShinShenGumi were caught and trapped and the masked Jigsaw appeared to make his horrifying speech, then from the background came the voice of a mom yelling to her son that dinner is ready made me laugh so hard that I think I woke the neighbours.
Still not convinced? Take a gaming break and get Gintama today. Listen to it in Japanese, for the voice-acting really excels, even if you didn’t understand a word. Get the Fansub versions and read the detailed footnotes which will help you understand the culture. Chances are you may not find every joke funny to you (because some you will just never get, for you will be too stupid to get it, or too white-washed to get it, or too stupid for you to get) but those you find hilarious will stay with you in the long days to come and when you are bored, your mind will start triggering scenes from Gintama, and you will giggle with delight and glee in public as others raise their eyebrows and study the lunatic before them. You will not mind because from Gintama you have learned the simple joy of life.
