Gintama
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Gintama
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Gintama is a comedic anime series based on the Gin Tama manga series created by Hideaki Sorachi. The series centers around Gintoki, a samurai who runs an odd jobs business with his friends. Expect some occasional fantasy violence (physical altercations, weapons, explosions, dead bodies, blood). Characters are sometimes forced to fight and kill in more serious episodes. Some of the gags in Gintama are centered around sex and some characters are shown nude, however any frontal nudity is always censored. Language includes "idiot," "hell," "damn" "bastard," "bitch," "s--t," and "f--k." Characters are also shown smoking and drinking. One scene shows characters drinking too much and vomiting.
What's the Story?
GINTAMA is a shonen comedy anime about samurai Gintoki Sakata (voiced by Michael Daingerfield). Gintoki is a freelancer who runs an odd-jobs business with his friends Shinpachi (Cole Howard) and Kagura (Jocelyne Loewen). Together the trio takes on random odd jobs where they encounter a strange cast of various friends and foes alike. The series is episodic without much of a consistent storyline. Sometimes the trio get into seemingly harmless quests, like capturing a lost cat. Other times, the show can be more serious and has Gintoki facing off against the Yakuza or ruthless assassins.
Is It Any Good?
This comedy anime focuses on gags but can sometimes have surprisingly serious, deep and emotional moments. Gintama is an interesting show; most of the time it's an innocuous comedy. Characters get into all sorts of goofy situations and there's a lot of humor that entails. There really isn't a central plot to follow, the series is mostly episodic with each episode consisting of a new random storyline. Characters are dynamic -- they have understandable motivations and sometimes surprisingly deep backstories for a comedy series. This can be jarring as the series is so lighthearted and goofy that the more serious and dangerous moments can feel like a complete shift in tone. The humor can sometimes seem very strange -- it's hard to say if the show is just trying to be very random, or if jokes are lost in translation due to the cultural differences between Japan and the West. The art and animation are well done, and the alternate feudal Japan setting is interesting. Overall, the series is good with an interesting mix of comedy and some drama, but not a great starter anime.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Why do you think the story choose to have futuristic aliens occupy a feudal Japan? Is there any social commentary or are there any social issues between the aliens and humans that the series is trying to speak to?
Some historic figures are depicted in this series, how do these figures compare to their real-life counterparts? Why do you think these figures were included in the story?
TV Details
- Premiere date: April 4, 2006
- Cast: Michael Daingerfield, Jocelyne Loewen, Cole Howard
- Network: Hulu
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Space and Aliens
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: December 15, 2022
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