Gintama

Episode 337

Following a years-long absence, sharp-tongued pop idol Terakado Otsu finally resurfaces in the Slip Arc's latest storyline. In a season that's given focus to seldom-seen supporting players like Umibōzu, Tetsuko, Ikumatsu, and Musashi, it makes sense to give Otsu a turn in the spotlight as well. What follows is one of the season's outright wackiest episodes, though understanding a fair portion of the jokes will require some familiarity with the Japanese idol scene.

As we learn early in the episode, Otsu's star has fallen since we last saw her. Although she still retains a dedicated fan base and decent album sales, her solo act's popularity has largely been eclipsed by the emergence of idol units. Hoping to rectify this, Otsu's mother/manager proposes that her daughter form a unit of her own with Kagura: Booger Diamonds 48. (The name is Gintoki's idea, naturally.) Despite Otsu-obsessed Shinpachi's protests, Kagura and Gintoki are happy to take full advantage of this arrangement, with Gin acting as the group's slick-talking producer. The silver-haired samurai isn't the only one looking to cash in; Otae, Kyubei, Sacchan, and Tsukuyo use this opportunity to turn Diamond Vacuum, their all-girl band, into the official backup band for Booger Diamonds 48. Strangely, no one even questions Kagura's ability to sing until late in the promotional process, and even then, her lack of talent hardly fazes Gintoki, who's got his eye on the prize. Things inevitably take a turn for the worse, and through a combination of Gin's incompetent management and Kagura's general lack of common sense, Otsu's fans begin to abandon her en masse. Wishing to capitalize on this, the intergalactic idol group Galaxy Kingdom Bitches 48 quickly swoops in to scoop up the wayward fans.

Staying true to the Slip Arc's back-to-basics tone, episode 337 contains a number of allusions to the show's earlier years. Even though Shinpachi's Otsu obsession was initially a large part of his character, it's been a long time since this trait factored prominently into a story. However, as we see this week, he's every bit as crazy about his favorite idol as ever. We also get to see Gintoki at his worst: fully confident in his god-awful ideas, completely self-interested, and absolutely hilarious. The episode also serves up an enormous helping of sophomoric humor, with picked noses, sexual innuendo, and inflated physical comedy all over the place. (Even the name of Otsu's talent agency contains a poop joke.)

With only the tiniest amount of depth, the story itself is largely perfunctory and mainly serves as a backdrop for an expansive range of jokes. While we're clearly supposed to feel invested in Otsu's success, the episode's true focus is its comedy. Even if some of the Japan-centric idol jokes and pop culture references go over your head, you'll still likely to find plenty to laugh at this week. For example, the frequent references to actor/singer Daisuke Shima may be lost on many Western viewers, but Shinpachi's reactions and Gintoki's insistence on running the joke into the ground are amusing enough on their own. One of the episode's stand-out sequences comes towards the end, when Kagura continuously misunderstands her role at a sleazy meet-and-greet organized by Gintoki. Although her violent actions are driven by naiveté, it's a safe bet that many real-life idols have dreamt of inflicting similar punishment on handsy male fans.

With the introduction of Galaxy Kingdom Bitches 48, the story seems to be heading in the direction of a competition between the two groups. Of course, anyone familiar with the world of Gintama knows that this will be anything but a straightforward battle of the bands. While Otsu is certain to come out on top, Booger Diamonds 48's road to victory should prove entertaining.

Rating: A

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is an author who has loved anime for over two decades.