Early Gintama (until first movie): a thread about my impressions of it and why I am loving the show so much.

#Gintama

I started Gintama without very high expectations because I am a bit peculiar with comedy and humor, so I was reluctant to it. In fact, at first I only wanted to watch the show from time to time, when I felt like it or had some free time.

That changed when I finished Umineko and I needed something to occupy the void that it left. And, man, I am so happy that I decided to choose Gintama as a remedy for it. It's 100% what I was looking for to make me feel better and happy. The comedy is gold, I truly love it.

Gintama starts as a lighthearted show and it remains like this until now, but it also tackles a lot of topics and themes subtly, with little comments and bits of information, even the character development works like this. I absolutely adore how the series uses comedy to do it.

The show starts with Gintoki alone, but by coincidences of life he ends up meeting Shinpachi and Kagura. Fated meetings that will change their lonely lives into a way more colorful ones.
The main trio has one of my favourite dynamics ever and that's what I wanted from Gintama.

Found family is my absolute favourite trope, I am a sucker for it and it makes me unbelievable happy. And Gintama aces this part. Not only with the main trio but also with other dynamics like the Shinsengumi, of which I am not gonna talk since it would make this too long.

At this point I am pretty sure that Gintama is about (or at least have it as main themes) connections, love, bonds and family. How all these people face their problems by having someone by their side who supports them inconditionally is very inspiring and heartwarming.

Going back to the main trio, Gintama does a really good job at characterizing them as individuals and as a group. The three of them have different upbringing and circumstances but they have in common this feeling of solitude (and the fact that they lost their parents, 1 or 2).

Shinpachi grew up with his sister as his main influence and in a poor environment. He had to mature at a young age to not be only dependant of Otae and to be able to support her.

This is what he does with Kagura and Gintoki too. He is the glue who holds them together.

And that's because he works as the conscience of the group, he tries to understand people as much as he can, being extremely supportive and caring.

Kagura and Gintoki like to pick on him, but they don't doubt on trusting him with their lives.

(Top 3. I love him.)

Kagura is chaotic, noisy and often selfish, but she is also very loyal and lovable. Due to the circumstances she grew up in, she never had a proper family who supported her or showed care and love. So when she meets Gintoki and Shinpachi, she finds a place she can call home.

A place where she finds peace and creates happy memories, where she is accepted despite her quirks and where she can be a normal girl.

This doesn't mean she rejects her blood or family, but at this point she needs Yorozuya to grow up in the person she wants to be.

(Top 2)

In Gintoki's case, at first we saw him being more distant and not wanting to involve himself with others beyond his duty.

After the events of his youth, he falls in a state of depression and detachment from the world. He is afraid of creating bonds.

He hides his real feelings behind a smiling face, his dead fish eyes and a laid-back attitude. Like Kagura, he doesn't really show his weaknesses or wants other people to notice them.

This changes though, when he meets Kagura and Shinpachi and warms up to them.

Despite keeping his attitude and his feelings hidden, there is a change in his behaviour and actions. He starts interacting with people more actively and having more initiative. This can be subtle and be overshawoded by the comedy, but it's also noticeable.

Before moving to the last point, I want to highlight episode 50, in which the characters are considering how they can improve the show. All of them have bizarre ideas, but when is Gintoki's turn to talk, opening 3 starts to play, showing that he is happy with how things are now.

To end this thread I wanted to say that I loved Benizakura movie. Gintoki's past is one of the most intriguint parts of the show, so getting to know more info got me really excited.

I can't really say that much about the plot because it's just the start of something bigger.

But the character work was fantastic. I really liked how they showed Gintoki and Katsura's development in contrast with Takasugi's. They're growing free of the shackles of their past thanks to the people they have met, while Sugi is falling even deeper in his despair.

I am gonna leave here screenshots of my thoughts about the dynamics between some characters, because it's too long to write it in the thread.

My final score of the movie is a 8-8.5/10. Really good visuals and the score was on point.

And that's all. I am enjoying Gintama way more than I thought. Everything is of my liking: comedy, characters, world-building and plot. Sorachi and the team behind the anime have done a really good job so far, you can feel that they love this story.