Good day, my dear readers! Did you miss me? Well, I guess you didn’t have time to, as I’m back with a new article already, hehe! Today, I’ll be reviewing Hideaki Sorachi’s Gintama, a manga I read just this year. Those of you already acquainted with the manga/anime world have probably heard about Gintama, as it’s quite famous. So without further ado, let’s dive right into the review!
Gintama ran
for around sixteen years—2003-2019 [I was only two years old when it began
serialization]! I think the title is really cool, as it literally translates to
“Silver Soul;” the protagonist, Gintoki Sakata, has permed silver hair which
forms a large part of his characterization. It wasn’t around in the 90s, but I
really dig the early 2000s vibe it brings [I just love older manga]. Gintama
is widely known as a parody of the most overplayed shounen tropes
[over-powered protags, unbeatable villains, power of friendship etc.], but it’s
so much more than that! Trying to shoehorn it into a single genre is
practically impossible. It includes historical, supernatural, and sci-fi
elements, and represents the amalgamation of the past and the future.
Gintama is
set in a ‘modernized’ version of 1860s Japan, during the reign of the Tokugawa
Shogunate; aliens have invaded and occupied Earth, bringing with them many
modern conveniences such as cars, airships, robots etc. Most of the story takes
place in Edo, the ancient name for Tokyo. I find this really interesting and
creative—this fictional world is as crazy as it gets. The plot follows a
27-year-old war vet [the aforementioned Gintoki], who’s practically struggling
to make ends meet [because he’s absolutely useless as a civilian]. He does all
sorts of odd jobs for people [initially all by himself], and is quickly joined
by two youngsters, a 16-year-old samurai named Shinpachi and a powerful
14-year-old alien called Kagura.
The trio names themselves
the Yorozuya [‘Odd Jobs Company’]. ‘Odd jobs’ sounds really simple, but
it’s not— they’re not simply walking someone’s pet dog, they’re also somehow
ending up protecting the friggin’ Shogun [really. I’m not kidding]. Somehow,
nothing in Gintama is ever simple; trust me, reading it is literally an enlightening
experience. [Did I mention these three also have a huge dog who acts as
their mascot? No? Oh well].
Gintama doesn’t
have a super connected plot as such. Most of the earlier chapters are episodic,
but the arcs begin to get longer and longer as we move ahead. Many people say
it ‘gets good’ after the first 20 chapters or so, but I was quite intrigued by
the first chapter itself. That’s why I stuck with it till the end [it has 704
chapters, it’s awfully long]. It is most well-known for its brand of humour, so
let’s discuss that here.
Gintama thrives
on a very loud, over-the-top, absolutely ridiculous kind of humour; everyone
always has really exaggerated reactions, and almost no one seems to talk in a
normal voice. Each character has some defining quirk, such as loving mayonnaise
or constantly drinking Yakult. The characters also break the fourth wall very
often, and are very aware of their position as fictional. There’s a lot
of ‘straight man’ stuff too [as in manzai], and I credit Shinpachi for that, because he is a
surprisingly excellent straight man! I’ve heard several folks say that the
humour is cringey and/or crude. Well—to an extent, I agree, but that’s sort of
Sorachi’s defining trait. Besides, Gintama is supposed to be
cringey, so if you feel a little embarrassed after reading it, Sorachi has
achieved his goal!
Besides the humour, Gintama’s
biggest selling point is the colourful cast of characters. A thorough analysis
of Gintoki’s character would require at least three pages, but let me just
mention this here—he’s quite an intriguing protagonist. At first, he seems like
a complete jerk [plus, he’s an alcoholic and quite lazy], but he has his heart
in the right place and is surprisingly charismatic. He really grew on me, and I
[grudgingly] like him a lot now. Also, he’s literally a tired single dad taking
care of two bratty kids—how is that not adorable?
Kagura and Shinpachi
expertly pull their weight as well. Especially Kagura—she’s the cutest ball of
sunshine ever, and a great heroine overall. She’s also one of the strongest
characters—not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally [basically, I
really admire her]. Shinpachi is very endearing, and very ‘normal’ compared to
the other two, but there is far more to him than meets the eye. The supporting
characters [especially the women] are solid, and get a lot of development in
the later arcs. I also love the fact that many of them are actually based on
historical figures!
However, the two main
antagonists, Shinsuke Takasugi and Utsuro, could’ve been done better. Takasugi
is kinda cool [he has purple hair and wears a floral kimono], but I’ve
seen his ‘type’ in many other manga. As for Utsuro… he’s beautiful, but quite
boring and empty [‘Utsuro’ means hollow]. I don’t generally mind cliché
villains, but as Sorachi tries so hard to set Gintama apart from other
manga, it’s a little disappointing.
Gintama spends
most of its time deconstructing stereotypes [and doing it quite well too], but
when it becomes serious, the arcs are almost awe-inspiring [the artwork is
consistently pretty good as well]. The darkest, grittiest arcs are definitely
the best part of the series [they’re always my faves] and Sorachi manages tonal
shifts very impressively, for the most part.
My biggest critique
regarding Gintama is that it eventually ends up becoming what it
was satirizing all this time—it becomes much more ‘mainstream’ than before, and
loses a lot of its charm. Then, towards the veryyy end, Sorachi suddenly seems
to remember what Gintama was originally supposed to be, and tries to
include the old humour again… but this time, it’s just the same rehashed jokes
over and over, and while it’s still sort of funny, it gets exhausting to deal
with. I just wish Sorachi maintained some consistency in the final parts.
Whew… that pretty much
wraps up everything I wanted to say about Gintama. So would I recommend
this manga? Well, that depends on what you like. It’s obviously not a “one size
fits all” case; I enjoyed it, and I know many people who do, but if you don’t like
it, that’s absolutely fine. However, let me just say this—give it a shot if
you’re fond of logic-defying stories that manage to make you happy and sad at
the same time.
That’s all for today! See
you next time!
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