Review of Gintama: Jump Festa 2008 Special

Sunrise recognised the demand for a Gintama movie and so took the concept of a teaser, expanded it a little and made Shiroyasha Koutan for the 2008 Jump Anime Tour event. With only a little information and the runtime to go on, many fans assumed the special would be ten full minutes of action - perhaps a full sequence - set during the Joui war, possibly covering sections of main character Gintoki's past. The end result was completely unexpected, but so in Gintama's nature and an absolute treat for fans. In essence, Shiroyasha Koutan is simply a build up; a supporting act before the main event.The first four minutes are beautifully re-animated backstory sequences from the main series, spliced with additional footage here and there, that have been pieced together to create a trailer for a fictional Gintama movie. Once the trailer is over, we find ourselves in the movie threatre with the main trio, who begin to eliminate the fourth wall in true Gintama fashion by commenting on their own trailer. Before long the supporting cast show up and havoc ensues, then - time's up! It's over. As the characters bid farewell, they reveal the true purpose of the special; to build up the momentum for the One Piece special that follows!

Shiroyasha Koutan is a completely unpredictable, absolutely frantic ten minutes, as funny and entertaining as Gintama ever was; positively up to standard. The animation is crisp and feature-worthy and all of the main characters and every member of the prime supporting cast are utulised; not one character is underplayed. It's pure entertainment in true Gintama form; if you're new to the series, it'll most likely go over your head, but if you're already a fan, it'll go straight to your heart.