Review of Gintama Season 5
Gintama. keeps building on the change of pace orchestrated by the end of its predecessor, while taking on a 12 episode season pace rather than the usual 25+ seasons which preceded this one. Gintama. covered a single arc, from start to finish without bothering with things such as slowing down the pace. Sadly, and, explaining the slight dip in score (.06 points is really not a big deal, Gintama fans are still crazy with their ratings), this singular arc was not on the level of the Shogun Assassination arc or the Farewell Shinsengumi arc (I'm so grateful the anime now gives the arc's name). Of course, it's notbecause the story dropped in quality or something like that. This arc is the build-up to something bigger, so that explains the reason why this season isn't rated as high as... the second highest rated show on MAL (for now).
This arc is still a good third place, mainly because it deals with two different stories where most other arcs are a one and done deal with a nice feeling message at the end.
The first story is the main one where the four disciples of Shoyo prepare the fight against this guy who has an eerie resemblance to him, giving us some good insight on someone who may or may not be the final boss, while also making sure he's not as dominant as he was a season ago.
The second one is basically the conclusion of Kagura's character arc where all the family issues are tied up in a satisfying manner (and good lord the mother's hot, just wanted to put that out there). It was a bit too tidy and everything did fit a bit too well, but other than that this arc was pretty solid, and if it's the new standard for build up, I'm expecting a lot from the climax.
Ah yes, there's also that one plot thread with Nobunobu, it existed, yes. Moving on.
This arc also offered some valuable insight on Takasugi and Katsura, making them climb that little bit further into my favorite characters of the show. Kamuy's character also wrapped up in a pretty satisfying way, though I hope to see more of him in the upcoming seasons.
Production is definitely set into the 2010s now, which is rather sad, but I won't blame Bandai Namco Studios, despite it all starting under them. There was definitely a reason why Sunrise didn't keep the show, and I assume it stands within the $ symbol. Although it doesn't compare with last season, I think it is very much the next best thing. Looking forward to the sequel.