What even IS Gintama?!

[Guest]

Okay so from the urging of friends, I decided to check out Gintama. And I had my husband along for the ride too. We are looking for some Anime to get into while we wait for Blue Exorcist to pop back up with new episodes in December. I said Gintama was suggested by friends, so we started watching it via Crunchy Roll.

 

And oh god. What... IS. THIS? It got a chuckle or two out of me in like the first few minutes but then, everything went downhill.

I am barely past the first episode and I have absolutely no idea what is going on. The whole thing is just jarring. You only know sort of what's going on if you read the Synopsis. If you didn't, you have no idea what they are talking about. The first episode feels like it's supposed to be the fourth at least.  I would have had no IDEA about the whole Aliens invaded thing, and now there's old and new Japan sort of mixed together. I would have had no clue at all, it's not even explained, nor hinted at, or...well anything.
NO background is given to you, and you have such a jarring and stark contrast between old style Edo period Japan and then futuristic Japan...and so many characters are thrown at you so fast, and so often that it's hard to keep up with. I feel like I'm trying to learn about a weird event in history, while running down a street at full tilt with hurtles, changing scenery and the information about this weird history is on over-sized flash cards that I have to try and read as they run past me going the opposite direction.

I can't at all get invested in any of these characters so far because absolutely no one is really likable. It just seems over the top for no reason, and while the Animation is good, the story even as little as I've gotten has got the both of us so confused because it makes absolutely no sense, I mean, I'm usually down with the 'first three episodes rule', but I got such a headache before even finishing part two of episode one that I don't even want to go back.

What even IS THIS Anime? Is it Satire? Because I know much better represented satire in Anime than this. Not to mention it is over 330 episodes in counting now. ALREADY SO FAR BEHIND?! Is this even worth investing my time in?! Help, please!

Edited November 6, 2017 by Guest

[User 781]

Gintama is based on Feudal Japanese history with many characters based on historical Japanese figures, some right down to the name (such as Hijikata Toushirou.) The plot is loosely based on the Westernisation of Japan (with aliens instead of westerners, and accelerated tech boost in the Samurai era.) The overall plot is amazing, but to enjoy an anime like Gintama, you need to just go with the flow and not look for it. Though it does have action and drama (a good 1/3rd of the series,) most of it is episodic comedy with bold humour and parodies.

There is a plot and, no, it is not only comedy. The first 57 episodes (except 1 and 2, I'd say they were filler) are character intros and world building. It is true that the first 57ish episodes are slow-paced/boring, but the payoff is well worth it. Some might say the first 50 is just as good as the rest of the series. It's always subjective. From episode 58 on, the series picks up and continues to get better with every passing episode (even until 300+).

You can break it down to roughly 70% comedy, 20% action, and 10% feels. There are usually four types of episodes. Normal episodic ones, serious arcs, semi-serious arcs (usually featuring character development,) and comedic arcs. They vary from 2 to 9 episodes, which are exceptionally shorter than your typical shounen, so it can be easy to binge.

Episodes 58-61 is the first "serious" arc with actual plot. The main story arcs are scattered throughout the anime. Most of the series is an episodic comedy, however. This is what makes Gintama rather different. It's regarded as the anime with the best comedy to drama transition. One episode you'll be laughing your ass off, the next you're going to be crying from the unexpected romance/drama/tragedy. It's because the comedy makes you think that nothing bad can never happen. Then, suddenly, an arc kills off a beloved main character.

Though the serious arcs are spread out, they all tie into the overarching plot of the entire series. Seeds of the end-game of Gintama (which is happening right now) start from the very first episode. You will not catch the subtle hints/foreshadowing without rewatching the series. Gintama at this point is in its final arc. The series right now is full of betrayal, death, violence, and tragedy. Treasure the happy comedy that is present at the beginning of the series.

Edited November 6, 2017 by Wedgy

[CheesyTrees]

Unfortunately, you definitely need to give Gintama at least 3-5 episodes before making a judgment (and even then, as Wedgy said, it'd be a pretty incomplete judgment due to how spread apart Gintama's more serious arcs are). I agree that the first two episodes kind of throw too much at you, but after that the series goes back in time and starts re-introducing the characters a lot more slowly, so they're more like actual characters and less like a blur of names and faces with random catchphrases and tropes

Also, agreeing with what Wedgy said that "you need to just go with the flow and not look for [the plot]." Gintama DOES eventually feed you background info and resolution, but it takes a VERY long time ...

However, if you didn't even marginally enjoy the pilot, that's probably still a pretty bad sign for your compatibility with the show :3 Gintama does have a sense of humor that isn't everyone's cup of tea, so if you don't enjoy the humor much then it would be pretty hard to enjoy the majority of the show.

 

Edited November 6, 2017 by CheesyTrees

[Guest]

I am willing to go back and do the '3 episode' rule at the very least, but  I just wanted to post about how utterly confused I was. Like... to ask if someone else was as confused as I was and that I needed some intense help here.