In an era where aliens have invaded and taken over feudal Tokyo, an unemployed samurai finds work however he can. In the early 17th century, Japan adopted strict isolation policies and severed almost all ties with foreign countries. In 1853, the US fleet commanded by Admiral Perry forced the doors open, leading to a modernization of the nation's sociopolitical systems and the eventual fall of the Shogunate. The samurai regime ended its life with the imperial restoration in 1868. That's what history tells, but in Gintama, that's not what happens. Instead of the US fleet, the country is stormed by spaceships coming from four corners of the universe and soon we see it occupied by extraterrestrials. The Shogunate has become a puppet of alien occupation armies. All samurais have been disarmed and reduced to temp workers with no skills who just try to make ends meet. Gintama is a story of a handyman named Gintoki, a samurai with no respect for rules set by the invaders, who's ready to take any job to survive. He and his gang, however, are also among the very few who have not forgotten the morale of a swordsman. Wherever they go, all they do is to create troubles. Troubles that they of course try to solve, but in reality… So here goes, this is my first movie/anime review ever, but I shall try and be as unbiased as possible (which will be hard).<br/><br/>"Gintama" revolves around a man named Gintoki, a samurai. In always dire need of money, together with his associates Shinpachi and Kagura, they do all kinds of tasks: menial or noble. <br/><br/>The story is set in a futuristic Japan, called Edo. Controlled by powerful alien Amanto; leaving only a small vestige of power to the human shogun, trying his best to scramble the pieces of a war-torn country. There are several factions involved, inspired and drawing many references from feudal Japan. We meet Gintoki as an owner of a not so prosperous establishment, which deals in so-called "odd Jobs".<br/><br/>Driven by a rather ambiguous moral compass, Gintoki tends to find himself in rather wacky situations. The show is hilarious to say the least, though on the other end of the specter, tear-invoking and/or bloody serious. There is a loose red thread, mainly focusing on Gintoki's past as a samurai, but the general theme of the show is episodic comedy. <br/><br/>Gintama has a lot of pop- and cultural references, which might leave many non-Japanese clueless about what they are actually laughing about. Which brings me to the magic of this show: you don't have to get it, you simply don't. First things first though, pop-references aside, Gintama might deliver the very finest comedy on this planet. Slap-stick, smart jokes, dark jokes, one- liners, facial expressions, awkward silence, body language, embarrassing sexual tension, this show plays all the right strings. Though slightly inconsistent, enhanced by an good display of animation, Gintama brings comedy, action and drama on screen like no other anime. <br/><br/>The animation is usually done in a manner befitting the current state of the show. When there is no overlaying story-arc involved, the animation may even be down right non- existent. This is intended though, as a running gag through the series play on the "fact" that the producer of the show is actually a gorilla. Needless to say, the show do tend to break the fourth wall, leaving some rather hilarious interactions with it's audience. On the other hand, when the story moves from episodic silliness to the more story-driven arcs, you will notice a clear shift in the animation style. The combat scenes are especially delightful, full of gritty swordsmanship and martial arts. The movements are sharp and visual, though it might get a bit gory, as one might expect when dealing with samurai and aliens.<br/><br/>On a personal note, I've watched Gintama since the beginning, and I must say it has given me tremendous joy. I take a general assumption that many who watch anime usually read the manga first. As an avid manga reader I'm always rather skeptical about watching an anime before I read the manga. Thrilled to say, I'm glad I did the opposite in this case. The impact Gintama's wacky universe landed on me was immense, and I'm more than happy to say this one last thing: if you should ever watch and anime, watch Gintama, it's one of those very rare. Every anime has it's funny, even hilarious moments. But not many are built around these moments. Gintama, for the most part definitely is.<br/><br/>This anime is completely insane. It's full of random hilarity and antics, while still maintaining a storyline (per episode and arcs). You don't even have to worry about fillers, because you won't know when they hit you, as there is no general plot. Plus, the fillers are just as funny and awesome as the other episodes, if not more. There are tons of references to anime and Japanese culture, which is kind of a down side for a person who isn't familiar with either or both. This reason also makes this anime almost impossible to dub and very hard to even sub! However, if you do get the jokes (and not all of them are reference related), you'll be in tears. It's not all just laughter though. There are definitely some heart touching, throat lump forming, beautiful moments in the anime too (though not as much).<br/><br/>All I can say is, if you're an anime fan and haven't watched it, you're doing yourself a big crime by missing this one. As the title says, I not only class this as one of the greatest anime, or even one of the greatest TV shows, but one of the most brilliant pieces of entertainment mankind has ever created.
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354 weeks ago