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Episode 7: Responsible Owners Should Clean Up After Their Pets

I’m honestly starting to tire of this. But my tiredness has not overwhelmed my unending urge to never shut the fuck up so I’m continuing this.

Madao—Hasegawa’s first appearance and subsequently fall from grace is documented in this episode. It feels good to see Hasegawa gainfully employed, though stuck in a corrupt system. We get some worldbuilding in the form of the relationship between the Amanto and the Bafuku. There was already implied to be a power imbalance, but this episode makes it (along with the colonization metaphor) very explicit.

Note: Gintoki kicking Hasegawa in the face… real meet cute.

We see Baka Ouji—excuse me, Hata Ouji appearing in this episode as well, with his slimy hobby of collecting exotics.

This episode, in classic Gintama fashion, was loads of fun. We get a repeat of the Trashcan Hijinks, this time in the form of Jar Hijinks.

Here comes the core of this episode, the philosophy that led to the ruination of Hasegawa’s career.

It is funny though, how after Hasegawa decided to follow in Ginsan’s philosophy, he immediately loses his job lmao. It actually reminds me of how Gintoki decked Nobunobu in the face in Farewell Shinsengumi.

P.S. I think this is the first time I’ve seen the post-credits for this episode. It’s interesting how they incorporate Sorachi’s author notes imto the post-credits. God bless Kagura and her giant Pesu-Takoyaki.

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Episode 6: Keep Your Promise Even If It Kills You

I will keep this brief because I already wrote this out but I accidentally deleted it like a stupid idiot <3

Yay, it’s the Otsuu episode-election fraud! I’m not her biggest fan, but I think she’s an extremely entertaining character and I have grown very fond of her. Obviously Your Father’s a ***** ***** is a banger as always.

It was extremely funny watching Shinpachi go nuts during the interrogation as well.

It’s extremely telling of Gintoki and Kagura’s “morals” in how they tried to help a random dude get out of prison for no reason (though part of it is that he hates the police lmao) and I love them for that. Gintoki’s melancholy little “I just wanted to see what you would break out of prison for…” immediately uppercutted by the idol concert is pure comedy.

The reveal that he was Otsuu’s father was executed very well, along with Gintoki’s speech about holding on to the kid inside you.

The ending was very heartwarming yet bittersweet. Despite Otsuu’s shame and grief over her father being a criminal, its clear that she still loves him as he does her and treasures the promise they made. (Though you could also read her sadness as also being sad that her dad won’t be there for her first concert.)

I wonder if the dandelions he gave to her has any symbolic meaning (other than being handpicked in a 10 second timeframe by Ginsan). Maybe it’s about a dandelion bursting through the concrete as a metaphor for surviving and thriving despite its absurd and inhospitable conditions. See: Otsuu and her success. In this way it’s actually more meaningful than the roses.

P.S. Gintaman debuts this episode as well in the post-credits lmfao

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Episode 5: Make Friends You Can Call By Their Nicknames, Even When You’re an Old Fart

This was a much bigger episode that I remembered it to be. Not only were there many debuts of extremely important characters like Katsura and the Shinsengumi, but we gained much more insight into Edo’s current political state.

The opening plot of the bombing was dare I say, iconic. The comedy in this episode, again, much better than the last.

And Katsura debuts! It’s very strange to see him all serious and extremist knowing the shit he gets up to later on. The Shinsegumi also debuts this episode (notably Sougo and Hijikata) though their quirks are more in display ccmpared to Katsura’s.

We get a huge lore bomb in the form of hints at Gintoki’s past of being the Shiroyasha, (The subs translated it as White Knight, but I’ll pretend I never saw that.) one of the heroes of the Amanto war, fighting alongside Katsura.

“If you've got time to fantasize about a beautiful death, why not live beautifully until the end?”

To tell the truth, I was getting misty eyed when this came on. No matter the amount of times this scene was parodied, it’s still so special to me. Its simplicity and beauty genuinely changed my life. Obviously Gintoki is going against the Bushido code of honor here, but it reflects his philosophy well. Protecting who he wants to protect, and living life beautifully until the end. This is the first glimpse of the Joui war that we’ve been shown so far, and it really adds to the intrigue of Gintoki’s character.

Obviously this is war propaganda talk that Zura is spouting, but you can’t help but think what he actually means is “You worry about this country, and are angry with the Bafuku and the Amanto for taking Shoyo-sensei away from you.”

“Inside, you’re still fighting, Gintoki.” becomes “You must be suffering more than everyone else.”

Real meet-cute here. Hijikata’s eyes are so blue in this it made me realize that Gintoki and Hijikata are built to be the complete opposites of each other in terms of visuals. Gintoki with his silver hair and red eyes, Hijikata with his dark hair and blue eyes. Sougo trying to blow Hijikata up was classic Sougo.

I’m also quite fond of the early soap opera gags too, to be honest.

Now, we see the conflict and contrast between Gintoki and Katsura. We’ve already gotten a glimpse of this from the Joui War flashback, with Katsura giving up but Gintoki facing forward. In this case, Katsura is the one stuck in the past and refusing to move on. Gintoki is the opposite of that.

Again, Gintoki restates his principles while proving that his eyes truly shine in closeups.

The hot potato bomb segment was super funny, and the episode ended on sort of a bittersweet note. Perhaps that smile means he’s been affected by his words. If the person who should be the most furious towards the world is living life beautifully, then… (Also Zura is extremely pretty here)

Again, big episode. Ginpachi sensei and 3Z debuts, along with his iconic Lollipop.

This was the best episode by far. I love this show.

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Episode 4: Watch Out! Weekly Shonen JUMP Sometimes Comes Out on Saturdays!

And we reach Kagura’s debut! This was also a very interesting episode that established new characters (obviously Kagura, but also Otose and her relationship with Gintoki) and even some additional worldbuilding with the Yato warrior race, and the Terminal.

Despite Otose acting like a grumpy landlord, with insight (and if you really think about it), her kindness really shows through with essentially letting Gintoki freeload and Kagura eat out of her rice cooker.

And of course, the fateful moped crash. It is very sweet though that ithe prediction was correct and this weekend was indeed very lucky for him.

The time machine is still hilarious. Sugita’s trembling voice really sells it.

Kagura explains that the reason she came to earth was because her family was poor. Knowing the actual circumstances, it was probably an excuse. She left because her dad was never around, her mom died, and her big brother went berserk and joined the biggest gang in the universe. Or maybe it was a Sorachi retcon. Who knows. But Umibozu’s appearance is pretty early on, so the excuse could be true. However, the mental image of Umibozu, Kamui, and Kagura sitting together at a little round table eating furikake is very entertaining.

Excuse or not, she was definitely not living a good life, seeing how she was bribed so easily by a basic dish.

Gintoki abandoning them for JUMP is again, so Gintoki. We love an irresponsible adult that leaves little children to fend for their lives. He’s a bastard still, but he probably thought they could handle themselves.

Kagura’s monologue about the indifferent nature of the people of Edo was actually very sad. The underlying message of people being cold towards her could hint towards xenophobia, but it moreso reflects the current mindset of a lot of people; they work for themselves. Obviously, it’s a smart way to live, especially in this world. Those who care and who try and help others are just idiots, she says. “But I’d rather be an idiot.” It’s such a poignant Gintama moment, a philosophy in its own way. I think what makes Gintama not preachy is that the characters’ way of living is not because it’s the right way, but it’s because they chose it.

Even when the show seems to let off a “อาชีพสุจริตแล้วไม่มีเงินยังมีความสุขกว่า corruption with money” type of ideal, it’s not ultimately about right and wrong. It tastes bad to her because she does not want to hurt people. It’s because she knew she was being manipulated.

In my opinion, the comedy was significantly better this episode compared to the last. The trash can hijinks and that gag where Kagura suddenly spoke perfect Japanese just to insult Shinpachi was hilarious.

In the end, Gintoki saves them, proving that he really does care. Even if their lives aren’t worth 230 yen.

“Deep down you thirst for blood. That’s your true nature, Kagura.”

This part is where in my opinion, the emotional core of the episode rests. She can’t possibly be exploited because she was born to fight, and “she enjoyed it”. That has concerning implications that I won’t explore because I forget that I’m not analyzing Utena.

But she flips it on them; yes, she likes to fight. Yes, she was born with a fighting instinct. But she came here to change herself. From now on, she will choose her own battles, and fight against that instinct itself. This is especially poignant considering violence is what tore her family apart.

Overall, a great introductory episode to Kagura. The comedy feels like it’s starting to take its own form, and I love it.

Also this iconic Sorachi quote. I too want to be a cheese bun.

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Episode 3: Nobody with Naturally Wavy Hair Can Be That Bad

I often forget that the first “real” episode of Gintama starts with forced prostitution.

But honestly I still love this episode and think that it’s a great opening episode for Gintama. It establishes the setting of the Amanto-infested Edo and the series’ overlooming Samurai philosophy (and Gintoki’s) very well. It’s very unapologetically itself and full of character and heart. The comedy was fun too, and defines their characters very well. Shinpachi the straight man, Gintoki the selfish lazy diabetic bastard with a heart of gold, and the strong willed Otae. Gintoki framing Shinpachi for the assault is so him snksdsds

I keep forgetting how good Gintama’s premise is, even just as a premise. Alien invasion as a metaphor for colonization is nothing new, but it’s so interesting how the show integrates that into real historical events (Amanto influence replacing the westernization of Japan) with the characters being bastardized historical and mythical figures.

God. I love this show.

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I’m returning to my roots. Let’s go