What Makes Gintama So Special?

 It has recently been announced through Twitter that the Gintama series is about to conclude as the film title, Gintama The Final, is all set to release in 2021 in Japan. Since Gintama has been able to sustain its popularity and entertain its fans for such a long time, it will be intriguing to see what makes the series so unique. The 15-year-old series is hard to resist, and since it makes its exit in less than a year; this is a perfect time to remember its long legacy.

The most crucial factor that sets Gintama apart from all the other Shonen anime is the comedy that it has been able to use to flexibly for over 15 years, even if it was not the first Shonen to use humour to entertain its fans since Dragon Ball had done it a long time ago as well. But the crucial difference is most shows that even employed comedy in the start, eventually lost it with time, that was not the case with Gintama. The show’s originality shines through and for that some credit must go to the comic delivery. The humour is able to have the desired connection with the fans only because of the brilliant characterization of the show’s cast, who have almost the same depth as the humour.

A lot like the regular Shonen anime, Gintama too has a very vast and varied cast of characters. Still, the critical difference between them is the fact that the series is masterfully able to bring back characters to keep them relevant. The show stands toe to toe with the likes of One Piece in this regard. The characters can come back stronger and make a contribution to the main plot anytime, just like One Piece. An excellent example of this is Hedro, who had minor comebacks for the most part of the show but still managed to stay relevant even in the final arc of the anime. But even all of these things that go so well for it are not its most vital point. The show is in a league of its own because of its main characters. 

When it comes to the characters of Gintama, the uniqueness can be seen from its protagonist itself. Gintoki, the main character of the series, is the very embodiment of the show. With his humour and masterful characterization, he is able to lift the show on his shoulders. Although most prominent characters of the Shonen anime have some underlying similarity with each other, that is not the case with Gintoki. It is not uncommon to witness him making jokes here and there and cutting people into pieces in the same episode. Still, even these radically different sides to him surprisingly do not contradict his character in any way.

The disputing sides of this character are shown to be the two sides of the same coin from the start of the plot. As we get to know more about Gintoki, it becomes even more evident that his personality is split between his present and past selves. This duality of his nature comes back to haunt him later on when he is confronted with his past. Even though as complex as Gintoki is, he still manages to be kind and compassionate. It is this compassion and humanity that makes the series such a great success.

Even though Gintama’s uniqueness comes from its humour, the show does not step back from making its fans cry. But it’s not just about the laughs and tears; the show is able to entertain with great action as well, which is expected from a Shonen anime. One of the best examples of the masterful execution of action on the show is the fight between Shinsuke and Gintoki. The fight is violent, intense and somehow manages to make the viewers cry. The passion with which they fight makes it seem very realistic, and even though at one point they both have dropped their weapons, they continue fighting with their bare hands. But the most impressive scene is when Shinsuke keeps punching Gintoki who is already knocked to the ground, the emotions portrayed in that particular moment are chilling and disturbing. The fights are, therefore, not just some regular action scenes and the emotional turmoil of the characters make them unforgettable.

Gintama has been able to make a brand for itself over the years and has successfully been able not to be limited to any genre. The show, with all its action, drama and humour manages to strike a unique balance that is very rare to see. With all of its intricacies, the series manages to remain popular and relevant even though it is running for more than 15 years, which is in itself a considerable achievement.

David Root is a self-professed security expert; he has been making the people aware of the security threats. His passion is to write about Cyber security, cryptography, malware, social engineering, internet and new media. He writes for Norton security products at norton.com/setup .

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