Review of Gintama

Gintama is a very atypical anime. Sorachi Hideaki did an amazing job writing it and the anime crew did the same kind of outstanding job conveying the gags and emotions to little screens of our tv's and other devices. Not to dwell on his genius itself, I'll instead focus on the anime to-be reviewed. Story - though some may think it's a superficial show it actually employs a somewhat stereotypical but a very deep and dark, entwining story. What I'm trying to say is that Gintama could as easily be a 52 episode seinen show and that would still be and enjoyable experience as there areno plot holes and there are many things it can focus on if it wanted to... Saying it's plot is shallow is very crude and misinterpreted. For as funny as it can be (which is actually the most difficult emotion to invoke) it can and was on occasions very deep and serious, and I could watch it all, even separated into two shows, that's how amazing it is and how much interesting and unexplored material it has. Though then I would probably have different attitudes towards the characters (if the shows were separated).

Art - The art is ok, sometimes average, sometimes below the average, but I could never argue the quality of the battles, which was, in my opinion, more than good. Even the jokes about the art and money saving/issues are great. Another thing is - for a series such as these, art is rarely, if ever, the most important information medium, so I never complained, even though I gave it only an 8.

Sound - It's amazing, considering that I liked most of the OP/ED tracks and even loved some, and the BGM and ambiental music throughout the series makes the scenes feel complete and really "adds that punch" making it all more effective. Though I've on occasions noticed a bit of overuse of certain tunes, it never bothered me that much to actually feel annoyed.

Character - I'd give it infinite here, but there's just no way to do so. I've seen many a good series (Cowboy Bebop, Code Geass, Trigun, Berserk...) as my AL states (though not up-to-date, nvm), and even though I connected with most of them on a very deep level and felt and troubled with the thoughts they had, Gintoki is my no.1 man (though that may be biased, as I've seen it last). He can be everything, he has character, and feels extremely alive, human, multi-dimensional, complex, intriguing. Of course, the others don't fall behind too much, though Gintoki is mostly the reason I appreciate this show so much.

Enjoyment - From laughing so hard to almost burst my stomach to letting a few tears go (which I rarely do), I've experienced them both, including all the emotions in between while watching Gintama (even anger sometimes, vicariously, through Gintoki/Okita/Hijikata).

Overall - It's an All-In-One that succeeds in everything. So - if you are human, if you have a hearth and a big enough reservoir for laughter, I heartily recommend this series, for it is one of the best I've ever seen.