Review of Gintama Season 5

“Back then, you started walking forward with no hesitation and I couldn’t stop you because I was the same as you. Nowhere to go back to, the only way was to go forward.” - Abuto, Episode 326 (Gintama. 10) Gintama. is an enjoyable, exciting and, at times, a strange experience; especially for those who came to the overall series for the comedy as it leaves behind the usual short story format in order to tell a longer tale which brings in a couple of fan-favourite characters and gives them their time to shine. Dedicating an entire 12 episode series to this arcallows the key themes and plots present in the Rakuyou Decisive Battle Arc to be explored, although it may leave some longing for the comedy arcs of old.

Much like some of the arcs from early Gintama, the show really knows how to pack emotional and well-written stories into a short timeframe without the story feeling cluttered and confusing. It moves away from the usual ensemble cast to focus on a few key characters and that works really well for the short amount of episodes, not overburdening the narrative. The fight scenes are a mix of emotional, well-paced and well-choreographed when serious and a familiar brand of enjoyably goofy comedy when not.

The characters all continue to shine in their own unique ways; not losing their identities in the more action-based moments and the character development makes sense and is well-paced. The focus on Kagura’s family and Utsuro make for some of the strongest stories in this arc, allowing the audience to begin to understand the varying motivations that each character has without it feeling like a lecture.

The overlapping of the past and present, something captured beautifully in the opening, is well-handled as well with no elements feeling like they have been haphazardly thrown in. Flashbacks in particular can be a tricky thing to handle, but as most of them present new information that is relevant to the story (and often focus on characters we don’t see often) they aren’t overbearing and make the characters more rounded.

This feels like an arc that is focused on exploring the connection between the past, the present, and the future; balancing elements of each while not betraying the other themes which work as an integral part of Gintama’s story as a whole. It is an arc about the bonds made over the series and how strong they can really be without it feeling like the generic 'power of friendship' solution.