Gintama

My Reviews:

Gintama takes place in Japan which have been taken over by Aliens or better known as Amanto since the late Edo period. Due to the "Sword Abolishment Act", there were only a handful of samurai's left. Among them, Sakata Gintoki is depicted as an extremely laid-back samurai who carries a bokuto (wooden sword). Together with Kagura, a seemingly normal girl with an enormous appetite and monstrous strength, and Shinpachi, your typical bespectacled adolescent, they'll take up odd jobs to fill their stomachs and pay their rent?

Gintama can be classified as an action, parody type of anime with a pinch of science fiction. The series is exceedingly funny despite being episodic. There are also several action sequences that would put other series to shame, although in reality, its all about comedy. To be honest, among all the "shounen" animes I have watched, I have never encountered a series who the main protagonist actually lacks the motivation to do anything and has an obsession for sweets. That itself already makes the show unique and intriguing. Alas, it's such a pity that many tend to get put off by the series.

Speaking of which, the characters are actually the ones that make the series incredibly ludicrous with their various personalities. I especially liked how the mangaka (author) managed to maintain the jokes without being repetitive, even after 150 episodes. To exaggerate something so insignificant can be regarded as gintama's second nature. I mean, have you ever seen a character, abruptly ends their long, drawn out fight to just take a dump? Or a character, going to great lengths just to get the latest "Shounen jump"(comic) issue, leading to situations such as amnesia? More or less, most of the characters in the series have one thing in common which is their contradictory statements.

The art in gintama is fairly mediocre, although the animation during the fighting scenes are extremely fluid and top-notch. The opening and ending themes are pretty catchy too. It fits the atmosphere of the show.

It's kinda sad that this series is either disliked or not known to many. No doubt, gintama is not everyone's cup of tea but still, I highly recommend this anime any time and day.