on Gintama'

[xparrot]

Gintama 211, second ep into the Kabuki-chou arc, and DAMN. I love this series because of, not in spite of, all its crack - but that once a year or so when it drops the comedy and gets its fight shounen on....yowza. The hiatus didn't change that any. And they were clearly saving their budget for this one, too, because it looks gorgeous:



Right after this, Gintoki taking on Jirocho in the graveyard, was one of the two scenes in this arc that I was most looking forward to seeing animated. It did rather the opposite of disappointing.

I love Gintoki and Otose's unique relationship, that he's the pathetic stray she couldn't help but take home, and he skips on the rent and calls her "baba" and she blows smoke in his face and yells and sends Tama after him - but she understands him. Gintoki's very good at understanding people, reading their hearts, but Otose might be the only one who knows him better than he knows her. And she showed him kindness, and she's maybe the first person he dared promise to protect after the war, his first step back to life - and he knows he can never fully repay her, and maybe doesn't realize that being her family is enough.

I also may have a little tiny thing for seeing my heroes completely lose it. Shiroyasha especially, because he's so dangerous, so completely rabid-dog vicious, for all that he's not out of control - I love that Gintoki's not one of those shounen split-personality type fighters; unlike Kenshin or Ginji, or Goku or Kagura, he doesn't lose his mind or his conscience. He just gets really fucking motivated.

And there's just something about seeing this:



become this:



...Yeah.



I love that he doesn't say anything, he just yells (oh Sugita~!) and keeps flinging himself at his enemy. And even for a shounen, the moment that his bokutou is shattered mid-swing and Gintoki grabs the spinning shard out of the air and stabs it into Jirocho's shoulder is about an eleven on the scale of badass battle.



Of course being the first confrontation, no badassery is enough.



Not that Shiroyasha gives a damn.





But it's not a serious arc unless Gintoki is nearly killed, and while he's been hurt worse, he's maybe never been as badly beaten as this, that we've seen:



(you know you're in an anime when the weather cries for you.)



They re-animated the flashback, too, so soft and lovely.



"Baa-san..."



Otose-san...! Gin-saaaan...! *wibble*

Next ep now please? Bring on the aaaaaangst!

Comments

[shayera.livejournal.com]

Awww! The Kabuki-chou arc is fantastic, and it looks like the anime is more than making it justice. ♥

[ro-anshi.livejournal.com]

That looks right up my alley. STOP IT.

[gruskek.livejournal.com]

You really summed up pretty much all that I felt during that episode.

It was really gorgeously animated and the acting was top-notch. Not that it isn't always, but I really love Sugita when he's serious. He has fantastic comic timing but when he does dramatic scenes he's even better. I really loved how there was little for him to say in the last scenes of the episode but he made the most of every word. That "Baa-san" at the end made my heart break...

Also the fighiting in Gintama is way more "raw" than in most shounen titles. Probably due to the characters not having any special attacks, magical weapons etc. Of course they are stronger and faster than average people, and can endure a LOT of injuries, but still we get a lot of realism with them fighting using every possible means and adjusting to particular situations. The part with the broken bokutou was a great example of this, same as the eye-stabbing with Tsukuyo's pipe in Yoshiwara.

And I guess there's no option but to love Gintoki waaay too much for one's own good xD The sneaky bastard somehow managed to become my favourite character of everything ever :D

[gure.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry! I followed you here from your fics! I couldn't help but comment because I just love Gintama so, and you seem to love it also! (And oh- you love One Piece and so do I, so please may I friend you? T_T)

I seriously can't get enough of this series, but to be honest, I'm a larger fan of the anime than the manga. (The seiyuu make it happen! And Sugita~ <3)

But yes, the Kabuki-chou arc is lovely. The relationship between Gintoki and Otose is just so moving--- and ohh-- this anime just makes me cry so much. ToT

[juneaddams.livejournal.com]

Another lurker coming out of the bushes. :P I've been following your fics and adored every single one of them, with special affection for '...Happy Ending', which is incredibly moving, and Resuscitation because I love Ginzura. Also I might have quoted you re: the characterization in Gintama once on a journal post.

Sooo tl;dr: I was wondering if I can add you? I need more Gintafriends and you seem awesome/thoughtful/awesome.

And yeah, the episode's gorgeous. I've actually read through the entire arc (but am not gonna spoiler bomb, don't worry) and it is definitely one of the most emotional ones we've had so far.

[verifyinsanity.livejournal.com]

Whyyy do you like all the same things as meeeeee.

When I read this part in the manga I cried a bit cause I didn't know if Otose would die or not.