Life's a riot!

Written by dondon80 on April 18, 2011 at 12:08 PM

When I downloaded this anime, I thought it was a period anime, set in old Edo, much like Samurai X.



Never did I know, looks can be so deceiving!



Gintama, which ended in early 2010, is set in Edo, but with a twist. Instead of following history, where foreign countries from the Western world 'invaded' and force Japan to open up, a race of aliens called Amanto takes over Edo, forcing the government to submit, using advance technology.



Just when I though it's heavy, this anime gives me the sucker punch!



There is not a moment where one do not burst into laughter. Packed with toilet humour, parodies, spoofs, adult humour, etc., this is not your usual anime.



First of all, the main character, Sakata Gintoki, is a samurai with a head of curly hair. He has no aim in life, like to goof off and slack, reads Shonen Jump in his 30s, frequents pachinko outlets and bars, has an extreme sweet tooth and loves strawberry parfaits and milk.

He opened up a shop that does everything a client may need help in, Yorozuya (literally, a shop that does a million things). However, because of his poor attitude, bad luck and bumbling attics, he always runs into trouble and cock up the job. Thus, he is also consistently broke and always evading his landlady.

Together with his sidekicks, Shimura Shinpachi, the bespectacled straight character to his jokes, and Kagura, a young female alien, dressed in a China doll outfit with a huge appetite, belonging to the strongest race in the universe. They are a formula for disaster!



I do not think a review will actually do the series any justice, one has to watch it to realise that it is a masterpiece.



I think it is a great example of postmodernism.



Many of the characters have weird habits, much like many people in the real world. Shinpachi is a teenage otaku, obessed with a teen idol. Katsura is an airhead anti-government rebel, who likes mature women and frequently blind to obvious things around him. Otae (Shinpachi's sister), works in a hostess club, frequently using her brute strength to force men to buy expensive drinks, but she is hopeless in cooking. Sa-chan, is an ex-ninja, who is totally blind without her specs and is a masochist, infatuated with Gintoki and constantly hoping for himi to punish and ridicule her. Toshi is a cool, skillful police vice-chief, with an unhealthy obession with mayonaise, while his colleague Sougo is a young sadist always trying to kill Toshi. The list of character goes on. In laughing at them, the audience understands that they are but extreme reflection of our twisted society. We are able to identify what makes our world dysfunctional these days.



This anime, also spoofs and parody other animes, movies and pop culture.From Jackie Chan, Doraemon, Dragonball, Saw, Monster Hunter and Dragon Quest. Nothing is sacred and nothing is spared. Really.





From time to time, the characters also mock their artists, television stations, lifestyles, government and celebrities in the real world. Time to time, they would use wordplay to make adult jokes, or mosaic certain unseeable parts. Just for laughs.



It is much more suited to a mature audience in my opinion, not because of its antics, but because adults would appreciate the humour and the reference behind gags and plots. The main draw is the conversations and dialogues between characters. (credit to the subbers who made it possible for me to enjoy the show)



There is no favourite character, because everyone makes up the dyfunctional family. You can watch the series in whichever order you want, because most of the time, there is no linkage.



Maybe it appeals to people who are sick of the usual fighting, sports, high school girls and robot anime. Maybe it appeals to intellectuals who are sick of watching plots that are predictable. Maybe it appeals to world-weary people who want to laugh their troubles away.



To me, it is the ultimate escapism. Saturday Night Live + Stephen Chow + Little Britain....