I just realized. One of the huge perks of watching episodic shows like Gintama is you don’t really have to remember the last episode to continue with the next. You don’t have to worry about forgetting key plot points every time you start a watch session. Each Gintama arc is around 3-5eps long. I usually watch them in one go. Because of this, I haven’t had to think about continuation in a while. Compared to back when I was watching more, sane, shows. You have a single story spread throughout 12-24 eps. Factor in how many watch sessions you split it into. That’s a lot of things to remember extended throughout quite a number of days.
I actually started Gintama because there was a time when my watch times fell off of a cliff. I was not watching like 1-3 episodes per week. I wondered why. Then I figured I needed a good refreshment. So I went all in. Now, I’m watching more than I ever have. Period. I’m so glad I started this. It rekindled my love for anime and good storytelling.
There are rare times when I feel tired of watching Gintama. When I feel like I need to spice myself up a bit more. To break free from the same everyday.
Then, in the evening after I’ve finished everything for the day, I sit in front of my lap to watch my daily dose of Gintama. After I’ve finished, there’s only one thing I feel…
I hope this never ends
Thinking about it. There’s something seriously different about this season. It transformed Gintama from an anime that had comedy beats other shows could only dream of to an anime that had a tragedy that other shows could only dream of too. Even I didn’t expect Gintama to head in this direction so well and be absurdly good at it too. I always knew Gintama would do great in a totally serious setting but I was not prepared for this. The buildup spans more than 200 episodes. The characters who I’ve gotten used to for more than 3 months. Everything led to where the story is now. God am I not impressed.
Even from the beginning. Gintama was a master of tone shifts. Bridging serious arcs and fluffy comedy episodes so cleanly. Now that there are consecutive serious arcs back to back. The show doesn’t seem to be struggling at all. Its acing everything.