Gintama

Episodes 266-267

It's been almost two years since our last visit to Hideaki Sorachi's delightfully twisted version of Kabuki-cho, and thankfully, the place is every bit as crazy as we left it. Paying homage to disgraced politician Ryutaro Nonomura's viral public apology—despite political satire being largely taboo in Japanese media—Gintoki begins the new season by screeching, sobbing and pounding his fists through a press conference in which he attempts to explain why he was "forced" to resume his show. True to form, the three-minute sequence makes the viewer feel every uncomfortable, excruciating moment.

The new season is produced by BN Pictures, a subsidiary of Sunrise, and is helmed by a new series director (Chizuru Miyawaki, who previously worked on the show in key animation and sometimes functioned as an assistant and episode director). Fortunately, nothing has been lost in the transition. Ripping a story straight out of The Twilight Zone for these first two episodes of the season, Gintoki, Shinpachi and Kagura discover that they're the only ones who can still move in a world filled with people frozen mid-activity.

Naturally, it turns out Gintoki was the cause of the problem. A flashback reveals the sullen silver-haired former samurai stumbled across a crashed alien spaceship after a night of imbibing and made no effort to understand the dying alien's warning to hide a time-stopping clock for the good of humanity. (Gintama is set in an alternate universe 19th-century Japan where aliens roam the streets of Edo alongside ronin and the Shinsengumi. Just roll with it. The aliens aren't even that important.)

After some darkly humorous trial and error, the Odd Jobs trio discover they have the power to go forward and backward through stilled time, at least back to the start of this mess. This prompts them to try and take advantage of the technological know-how of Gengai, Kabuki-cho's resident Mr. Fix-It. Although their best efforts fail, Gintoki finally notices the huge "low battery" display and they're off to secure an alien battery with which to replace it. No matter what they do, body-maiming and other grave consequences await their friends. The story eventually resolves itself in a way no one saw coming—but that's just par for the course in the world of Gintama.

Gintama has always been at its best during its humorous episodes, which thankfully make up the majority of the series. It's a screwball comedy, where nothing is too sacred to parody, characters break the fourth wall with wild abandon, and boogers and bodily functions often serve as crude punch lines. Nevertheless, it's not a little kids' anime. The series manages to make poop jokes appealing to the teen and adult crowds, largely thanks to Shinpachi's perpetual shrieking about how shamelessly sophomoric these gags are.

Shinpachi is the tsukkomi to end all tsukkomi in a huge cast of boke. You do have to appreciate him and his screeching voice to enjoy the show. You also have to be open to jokes about record-sized boogers and the like, so your mileage may vary. Still, if you have a soft spot for humorous anime, give the first few episodes a try. I wouldn't have thought I was a fan of toilet humor until discovering this series.

While the new season isn't the most ideal place to jump in, the series' continuity-lite nature ensures that new viewers won't feel totally left out. Of course, it's best to start at the beginning and get to know each character as they're introduced, along with their individual quirks. There are a few overarching plot points that manifest themselves in more serious fare from time to time, but even the occasional foray into seriousness is couched in humor. You have to be an irreverent comedy fan first and a shonen action fan second to truly enjoy Gintama, and if you enter the series with that mindset, you're sure to walk away entertained.

Rating: A

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for two decades.