Gintama: THE FINAL is the 3rd and final film adaptation of the remainder of the Silver Soul arc and is the series finale.
Gintama anime reaches its end with the movie. And what a finale it was. Gintama is my most favourite anime of all time. Watching the cast again after 8 months and watching the end of it left me in tears. The movie totally exceeded my expectations. So let's talk in depth. Story : So the first 15 mins of the anime is recap with dragon ball style and lots of parody. Damn that was funny. Sorachi sensei is not afraid of copy rights and keeps doing these stuff. Maybe this is the first time recaps were so interesting to watch. After that our main trip directly gets into action in the terminal. They were fighting and fighting for one hour. And the last 20 to 30 mins was the conclusion with funny moments. Usually in a movie things start off slow and reach the climax at the end. But in this movie it was opposite. It started of with heat and ended with calm. Action comedy parody tragedy everything was top notch. One moment I am in tears the next moment I'm laughing my heart off. That's the beauty of gintama. Characters: This movie totally focuses on our main trio Gintoki , Katsura , Takasugi and the villain Utsuro. The other characters didn't get many spotlight. It was a good decision I think bcz they already had enough screentime in previous seasons. So it was the students and teachers time to unravel everything. Gintoki doing things the best like he always does. Katsura was a great support till the end. And i really need to appreciate Takasugi's character development. ~!!~ahh his death teared me. It was so emotional. "Wait for me in the hell, Takasugi" .I wont forget it ever.~!!~But I wished i had some more of shinsengumi as they were just for support in the background. Animation and Soundtracks: Damn the animation was fire. The quality improved a lot than Silver soul arc. Nicely choreographed as well. And and for soundtracks I will give it 10/10. DOES and SPYAIR came up with 3 songs. And they were all bangers. Those songs playing during the action scenes gave me chills. I love these kind of moment. Specially 'Wadachi' by SPYAIR has to be one of my favourites of the entire franchise. Action: What can I say about the action. As I said first hour was literally fighting scenes. All characters gather up at the terminal and fight together to save the world. One surprises after another. Katsura had an awsome fight with the taped guy.(Forgot the name). And the main attraction. Gintoki taking on Utsuro. Damnnnnn!!!! That was epic. Visually stunning and filled with emotion. On every attack we see a flashback of their past. It just blends so good. And at the final blow theres a total silence building tension. Ahh I just cant praise enough of the scene. The writer and the workers left no stones unturned to produce such a masterpiece. I am totally satisfied and feeling empty that I wont see them ever again. Still it be stay right in my heart. Thank you gintama for all these years of entertainment, Thank you Sorachi sensei.
~~~img1000(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/763786289953636383/866070637695991808/done-beginnig.gif) IMG1000(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/763786289953636383/866092477798547466/GREETINGS.png) Welcome to my review of the highly acclaimed movie "gintama: the final" where I will be trying my best to give my thoughts and opinions on the movie and the series as a whole which sadly has to include spoilers to demonstrate my points.~~~ ~~~img1000(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/763786289953636383/866070608889774090/breaker_line.png) IMG1000(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/763786289953636383/866092801242693647/THGOUTHS_AX_SUMAMR.png) The beginning of this movie starts with a summary of the main events that have occurred in this show over it's 15 years of existence in this medium with the use of a dragon ball Z parody. This was done in pure gintama fashion, even in a movie that was supposed to be serious and tie all the loose ends of the show, sorachi hideaki still managed to create humour even in the dark moments that were about to befall upon us which is a skill that only the truly elite have. Over the course of this movie and even early on we constantly see all of the cast of characters like gorilla, otae, kagura, shinpachi, kyuubei, the shinsengumi, sachan and tsukuyo helping the odd jobs fight their way through the terminal. This is one of the many strong points of gintama as a whole and this movie in general, no matter how great the trouble the odd jobs face, their friends always come to their aid which just enamours me to no end. Sorachi strikes again, roughly 1/4 into the movie, sadaharu recovers to his original state and rescues Gintoki from falling to his death after falling of a ledge in the terminal. He then proceeded to eat him (gintama sticks to its roots very well) and after a while two old men with similar silver hair came out of sadaharu's "you know what okay". This scene in particular made me die inside so much, my parents must've had worrying thoughts hearing their 16 year old son laughing with no sign of stopping at a computer screen. I must say, I watched the trailer for this movie many times so when I finally saw those particular scenes in the movie, I was filled with emotion, waiting six months for this is the cruelest thing you can do to a human. Gintoki stated that he would close up the odd jobs if both kagura and shinpachi found what they wanted to do in life and to that statement, both kagura and shinpachi said that they weren't a part of the yorozuya because they were bored but rather to stick with gintoki and the other's. In particular this scene just portrays too much wholesomeness in general, they didn't stick around because they were bored, didn't stick around because they wanted the money but instead they wanted to be a part of gintoki's adventure which conveys the silver light that gintoki permeates, even the shinsengumi and too much characters to name have fallen victim to gintoki's radiating light, and so have we. I mean it when every character no matter how minor of a role they played appeared in this movie, at roughly 40 minutes into this movie, we finally got the appearance of baka ouji, a character who's existence is just too hilarious to me and his specific OST whenever he enters a scene is one that I will never forget for many reasons haha- One thing I noticed was the silence during the fight between utsuro and gintoki instead of using battle OST's/songs to heighten our experience. I thought about it quite a lot and it was simple as to why they done that, Utsuro is an immortal being who's name translates to "emptiness" which is reasonable in the sense that he has lived for many centuries constantly suffering due to the greed of the tendoshou to learn about his immortality, all he wanted was to end his "solitary" life (as said by hitsugi having experienced the pain of being eternal which is a mere fraction of what utsuro had to face). Having lived a solitary life meant he was all alone being eternal while normal beings died like every other day to him which is evident in the way that there was silence during gintoki's fight against utsuro that only lasted roughly 10 minutes at most to us but to him, this silence was there everyday. It really raises the question of whether it is worth being immortal in real life to be honest, I wouldn't like being eternal, would you having known Utsuro's pain and suffering throughout his lifetime? Another thing that I didn't understand completely was how takasugi shinsuke stabbed utsuro in appearance but in reality takasugi stabbed himself and that the body Utsuro saw lying on the ground was himself? I really didn't understand that specific scene but that didn't ruin my experience at all, straight after we were graced with the fated fight between utsuro and gintoki. In this fight every second frame we were brought back to the past where gintoki went head on against the likes of takasugi and shoyo in his childhood, it really just goes to show how much gintoki has evolved as a human. In my opinion, who gintoki killed was not utsuro but rather takasugi (but indeed killed utsuro after all, that's the thing that doesn't make sense to me at all) as portrayed by the reflection which mirrored takasugi's chilling expression that was smiling, did he do this as he knew that gintoki could not end his own teacher? I truly don't know, maybe I'm reading into this way too much but here's an image of takasugi's expression on the sword that was flinged into the sky: ~!img300(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/763786289953636383/866082673579262002/unknown.png)!~ We are then presented with one of the most darkest scenes gintama has created up to now and will ever do so, a dying takasugi being held in gintoki's arms, what ended my heart was how he said "the score was 246-247 to gintoki" and that it was their final duel, all these kids from shoyo's school wanted was to live a normal life, they only wanted to stay with their teacher, it was an innocent thought that just didn't last forever. Gintoki's clearly had a tearful face as his lifelong rival and childhood friend was about to pass away on his arms but takasugi requested that he wanted to see Gintoki's smile as the last thing he ever saw with left eye, takasugi then died in his arms. I will never forget the man that was takasugi shinsuke, man it was too emotional, way too emotional. The only other scene that I can remember that had such an impact on me was the final moments of the shogun assasination arc where sho-chan passed away (also) on her sister's lap. We are then presented with the final scenes where tama is finally revived from her long sleep. She is given the memories that occurred when she was asleep so she would be informed as to what occurred when she was away, in these frames we still see the same yorozuya (and *mostly same* cast of characters) celebrating in otose's snack bar even if edo was transformed into a futuristic city, those moments are something that I will treasure for the rest of my life for sure. During the last scene, gintoki, shinpachi and kagura decide to run towards their "urgent job" just like running away from their rent every month from otose ;)) ending with the words "we're the odd jobs", that was the final straw for my heart which was already ravaged in pain knowing that this is the final ever movie (i mean until gintama 2 becomes a thing of course) haha- ~~~ ~~~img1000(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/763786289953636383/866070608889774090/breaker_line.png) IMG1000(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/763786289953636383/866092470620913725/SOUBDTRACK.png) the soundtrack from the beginning of this series to the end of this movie was simply phenomenal, the use of wadachi which i had listened to **uncontrollably** prior to this movie was a true pleasure to watch. The OST's in particular like madao's OST were phenomenal, I mean imagine telling your "sound director" to create a sad OST and then they create madao's OST, the man who created that song is man among men I tell you. The change in character animation style was amazing aswell, it was deemed necessary as it just comes with a movie in general, no problems with any of the above at all.~~~ ~~~img1000(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/763786289953636383/866070608889774090/breaker_line.png) IMG1000(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/763786289953636383/866092469447950366/FAREWELL.png) with the end of this movie, you think we may have ended our journey with the yorozuya but you are wrong, this is only the beginning, we will continue yorozuya's legacy for as long as we live. Nothing will ever be better than this for the rest of my life, I will forever come back to this show with great memories for as long as I live. The way how they can implement comedy elements within this supposedly serious movie that ties all the loose ends is a wonder to me, gintama is the only series that can do this and executes it phenomenally, laughed every moment of the way even shed tears along the way, people say this series is just a bunch of parodies and comedy but they're wrong, they neglect to see the true side of gintama that flourishes exceptionally and is the reason why we all as a family love gintama. I feel really empty as it truly is finished but rewatching every summer from now on (already did this summer) will heal me slowly. the key word here is "we" and not "I" because no matter who you are the yorozuya will be there for you. this anime has changed my life forever and I can never thank sorachi the creator of gintama enough, to create something that every person is enamoured by along with the idea that the watcher/reader becomes a part of the journey along with the yorozuya is just unfair. I truly truly truly can only wish sorachi hideaki the best from here on out, he deserves the world for creating this. Everywhere I go all the comments when people finish this movie are filled with heartwarming comments that try their utmost best to portray their love for gintama, what you've created sorachi is something that binds us all together for the rest of our lives. I will miss watching this movie for the first time, rewatching it isn't the same but it'll have to suffice haha (PS: Even after this and rewatching gintama once, I still don't know if gintoki has silver or light blue hair lol)~~~ img1000(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/763786289953636383/866092507585445888/done-final.gif) ~~~ ~!created this when I was on adrenaline rush after finishing the movie ;3 - till we meet again fellow friends <3!~ ~~~
___A spoiler-free review on ALL the seasons of the Gintama as a whole~___ ~~~══════⋆✧☆✧⋆══════~~~img(https://wallpapercave.com/wp/wp3719972.jpg)~~~══════⋆✧☆✧⋆══════~~~ ~~~From my personal perspective and presumably plenty of others, once an anime outstrips a particular number of episodes, the prospect of even merely commencing it appears to be insurmountable. Ever and anon, convincing yourself to watch a long anime is a tough nut to crack when you could simply consume numerous other shorter ones in the nearly equivalent time. Nevertheless, once in a while, a series pops up; one that’s so popular and so raved about that despite its whacking number of episodes, it is virtually impossible to pass over. This is precisely why I made up my mind to eventually bite the bullet and ascertain what the Gintama phenomenon was all about. As soon as I was done watching, I got the picture and was also convinced that it merits all the praises which are showered upon it, wholeheartedly and without conditions. Allow me to give my own two cents at what makes Gintama one the jewels in the crown of the anime medium. First of all, Gintama for me was like a pilgrimage. This journey was long, but hot damn! It was absolutely worth every second of the time I’d invested in it. The series bears resemblance to a snowball rolling down the hill. By reason of its starting bunch of episodes being relatively weak to ones that follow, it’s only noticeable (praised) by a whisker; having said that, the next time you turn your gaze in its direction, it will have taken the form of an avalanche, chock-full with everlasting potential that simply blew me away. It's an anime that’s predominantly episodic in nature, with multifarious splendid story arcs woven in-between.~~~ ~~~══════⋆✧☆✧⋆══════~~~img(https://wallpapercave.com/wp/wp3861869.jpg)~~~══════⋆✧☆✧⋆══════~~~ ~~~When it comes down to comedy writing, creativity and variety, Gintama is in a league of its own; growing in ingenuity and imaginativeness with every passing episode, both of which makes it innovative and full of surprises, lively and fascinating. It’s crystal clear that comedy is Gintama’s true forte, not merely in its style and delivery, but also in its content and a comprehensive range of humor; one of the series' numerous stand-out elements. Another exceptional aspect of this series are its characters. Gintama’s cast is the most lovable cast of characters I’ve experienced taking into account all the anime I’ve watched so far. The cast, particularly the main characters are the real driving force behind Gintama, and their destiny is to make you cry with laughter. What I find notably surprising (in a good way) is how Gintama develops the hearts and souls of both its main and its prime supporting cast to a considerable, exemplary degree. Each and every one of them are lovable, unique, memorable, and integral to the main plot in their own right. Gintama is also a concoction of genres and various elements from other genres. Aside from being the usual rib-tickling comedy that it is, it can also switch to bombastic and electrifying action without a hitch, tone down to emotive and relaxing SoL, and last but not the least: provides us with heart-rending and tear-jerking drama. There’s a sublime blend of just about everything; an aspect that only Gintama can pull off quite effortlessly. To put it in a nutshell, Gintama is an anime to write home about. It’s as side-splittingly hilarious as it is deeply heart-rending. It offers a mélange of various genres, lovable cast, amazing music, fresh scenarios, heartfelt emotions, and of course top-tier comedy; all coalesced into one exquisitely written, impeccably executed cracker of a series. As far as my opinion is concerned, Gintama is unequivocally among the utmost best anime has to offer. For fun, apart from the very final movie, my: Top 5 Serious Arcs Farewell Shinsengumi > Shogun Assassination > Four Devas > Silver Soul > Rakuyou Decisive Battle Top 5 Comedy Arcs Dekobokko > Vacation > Soul Switch > Kabukicho Stray Cat > Character Poll Top 5 OPs OP 15 > OP 11 > OP 21 > OP 13 > OP 1 Top 5 EDS ED 31> ED 17 > ED 5 > ED 30 > ED 9~~~ ~~~I'd like to end by saying: Thank you Gintama for this memorable journey; Thank you Hideaki Sorachi for this amazing masterpiece; Be Forever Yorozuya. Farewell until next time (hopefully haha)~~~
"a land whose people possess minds of steel... A land whose people possess souls of silver... We are glad to have you!" ~~~Welcome to my first and probably last Review! Usually after finishing an Anime I only write a small "Review" in the comments of the Anime on my profile and... that's it, so should something seem weird or bad written... excuse me^^ Well then, let's begin! img500(https://media2.giphy.com/media/8jmzft7yfcoJG/giphy.gif?cid=790b7611b2997f9de59aa1abcf60b408454a64a3ea9dc589&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g) What is Gintama? Those who never watched Gintama may only know it as "Parody Anime" since the Parodies are well-known, but it's more than that! Gintama is a suprise bag filled to the brim with a kind of comedy you wouldn't call ordinary, but hides in the deeper parts an even more overwhelming suprise which you will never forget about. Some may think now "What the hell means the comedy isn't ordinary?" Well, while other comedy Anime fire with pistols, Gintama fires with a Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon (Gintama Joke^^'). With each episode the comedy grows in ingenuity, it's full of innovation and suprises in ways you never could think of. (SLIGHT SPOILER!) Ranging from war on a toilet to snowboarding on the Shogun. While reaching further into the bag, you will realize that Gintama is filled with more than it's unique comedy, it's also filled with breathtaking fights, serious arcs and actual plot progression! img500(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b0/eb/f6/b0ebf6578384c8aa3c382e411c0a4515.gif) "What, serious arcs AND plot progression in Gintama?!" Yes! Most of the time we get to see the cast in their crazy daily life doing something stupid we usually would laugh about, we learned about these parts of their personalities. These parts are a great addition to the parts of their personalities being "serious": The moment you see one of the cast slaughtering a bunch of enemies and trying to achieve something in order to help someone else, you also have in mind that this very character is usually some kind of retard (not an insult) of which you wouldn't expect to be serious. The achievements of those add up to the progression of the plot which is remarkable the further you get. That being said, the serious parts of Gintama provide a fantastic drama and most of the times messages teaching us. *Also the fights are fantastic*, they perfectly resemble the fighting styles and personalities of each character. For example has Gintoki, the MC, a wilder style to fight fitting his personality. The comedy arcs and serious arcs complement each other the best way possible. img500(https://media1.tenor.com/images/5c5515fc6a19131a88f3bfde12636ca0/tenor.gif?itemid=8698940) After telling you about the kind of comedy and how serious it can be... What is about the characters? Let's begin with the supporting characters. Over the 300+ episodes Gintama introduces many different characters, literally too many to count. At first most of the supporting characters seem completely irrelevant for the plot, but that's exactly where you are wrong. Each character shares a story with the main cast that helps them to develop their feelings and personalities, which is visible the further you progress in the Anime. The bondings forged between the support and main cast resemble the unshakable cohesion withstanding the greatest crises coming at them. Each main character has an unique personality and traits that makes them lovable on their own way, reaching from a Samurai with PTSD to a Madao, but on the countless adventures witnessed by them they developed shining silver souls making them even more unique and lovable than before. Sure there is one thing they all have in common: They fight to protect their friends and "family" of the Kabuki District. Animations and music? The Animations are great and the music even better! They don't fail to hook and make watching even more exciting. img500(https://64.media.tumblr.com/e617b593a72833ca7d42b38fdb744777/780d953c933feb04-52/s500x750/6b4e1b94ca0aea54f4e3f05c8df3b67a027dfce2.gifv) With Gintama we witnessed a long and wonderful journey we never will forget about. We laughed, got sentimental and were stunned by the happenings. After all, Gintama is a hilarious comedy Anime with some of the best fights I have ever seen. The Final successfully lead this adventure to it's end on a way only Gintama would have been capable of, but within our hearts the soul of the Yorozuya lives on. Yorozuya forever *Thoughts on the movie* (Spoiler-free, sadly) ~!During these two hours I smiled, laughed, was stunned and someone spilled a few times some water on my eyes. I love this movie, full of action with amazing inserts and comedy of another level wrapped up in the best last moments Gintama could have. There is so much to talk about in this movie, but this would just result in spoiling everything :/ but I have to mention the Ending of the movie which combines the OPs and EDs the Anime had, fantastic extra! I certainly can say... I am happy :')!~ I hope I was somehow able to tell you about my journey with Gintama. The first episodes may be rough, but I'm glad to have watched this Anime :)~~~ Byeee^^
~~~__"Welcome to the land of samurai!"__~~~ ~~~__Shinpachi Shimura__~~~ You all remember when Shinpachi said these words in the prologue of Gintama, right? Those fun times when they all used to laugh, telling poop jokes, doing comedy schemes, and many more. But at this moment, the Yorozuya and the whole civilians fought for the sake of the world. And this movie is called, "~~One Piece!!~~ Gintama the Final!" Story: 9/10 The story continues at the end of the semi-final series when the remaining Tendoshou arrives at Earth to complete a mission; to revive Utsuro again and gain his immortal blood to gain immortality, while the 3 Jouin samurais, find a way to bring Shoyo back. The movie was filled with many action fights, as all the characters were saving the world from exploding. The comedy on the recap was amusing since it is the final movie of Gintama. The plot and execution were nice but they cut some contents from the manga. The ending was satisfying, as they bring back the vibe of the first episode of Gintama and the introduction of Yorozuya. Art: 10/10 The animation was improved to the highest level. From the old looks of the characters in the first season of Gintama, the characters looked cool and amazing, as they matured a lot from the first series. Every detail from the looks and the fight scenes was improved a lot. The expressions and moments were memorable, even the scene when the Yorozuya held Shoyo while he destroyed himself from the explosion. I don't know if Gintoki's hair was light blue or silver because, in the movie, his hair was color silver. Sound: 9/10 The sound was already superb and I don't have to say anything. The sound themes in the fight scenes are really solid and it was suitable to every scenes. The part when Wadachi was played while Gintoki was running to Shoyo was heartbreaking, as I knew that those are the last moments that the coolest characters in Gintama universe were together as one to save the world. I loved when the Gintama theme was played at the very final moments of Yorozuya. Wadachi by SpyAir was like the best farewell song for the series. Characters and Enjoyment: 10/10 All the characters in Gintama were some of the best. These characters will be memorable, as they filled my time with many happy and saddest moments throughout the story. I'll miss their comedy schemes and the moments of MADAO (Hasegawa-san). Even the wackiest Elizabeth and cute Sadaharu moments, I will miss that too. There were so much things to miss but I'll make sure that those characters will be so memorable for me, as they accompanied me from the beginning, until the end. There were some things I learned from this show but the characters made the show rowdy than ever. Do you think if Gintama is worth watching? As everybody said, if you invest yourself in this show and the characters, this will be very worth watching. This anime was worth my time and I'm glad I'm a part of the journey of Yorozuya and the Kabuki District. To be honest, I'll miss this series and truly Gintama is really the crowned king of the comedy genre. __Yorozuya Forever!!__
I’ve always been in love with stories. As a kid, I devoured as many books as I could get my hands on. Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, yes, but also Neil Gaiman and Thomas Covenant and countless other authors and novels I’ve long since forgotten. Ditto movies, TV, and animation. I consume stories more ravenously than anyone else I know, perhaps moreso than most people on the face of the earth. The experience of losing myself in fiction, of seeing myself reflected in the struggles and triumphs of imaginary people, has meant more to me than I can ever properly put into words. Heck, the reason I started my blog in the first place is because of how desperate I was to communicate that feeling to others. Stories have helped me understand life, helped me better myself, helped me find friends and community I never would have otherwise. Stories matter to me. Stories will always matter to me. And no story has mattered quite as much to me... as Gintama. Gintama is, without question, the greatest work of fiction I’ve ever experienced. It’s the funniest comedy I’ve ever laughed at. It’s the most exhilarating action romp I’ve ever cheered at. It’s got the single greatest- and largest- cast of characters you’ll ever find, in anime or elsewhere. Its plot effortlessly sets up the longest narrative domino chain ever and brings it all masterfully crashing down. It weaves together countless threads, countless ideas, countless ways of telling a story, all somehow working in lockstep within the same universe. And just as the cherry on top, it’s also the greatest story _about_ stories ever told. Through its jokes and its drama alike, Gintama is a rousing battle cry for the power of storytelling to change the world, a masterful guide to smashing tired tropes apart, a full-throated argument for the importance of letting old, harmful stories go and letting new, brighter tales take their place. It will make you believe in the power of storytelling- and the importance of doing it right- even if you’re the most jaded person on the face of the earth. And it accomplishes all that while still being, itself, the greatest, most entertaining, most moving, most overwhelming, most _beautiful_ story anyone has ever written. Gintama is the standard against which I judge all other media, the impossible bar that can never be reached again but must always be strived for. Even three years after I finished its TV run, it remains the unmatched pinnacle of all the fiction I’ve seen. And now, almost two decades after Hideaki Sorachi wrote that first chapter... it’s finally over. Gintama: the Final is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s the final installment of Gintama’s story. It’s the conclusion to over 360 episodes of buildup and payoff. It’s the final battle for the fate of Edo, the final challenge for Gintoki, Shinpachi, Kagura, Katsura, Takasugi, Sakamoto, Otae, and everyone else in this rowdy, ridiculous city to overcome. Picking up right where the Semi-Final OVA left off, this movie wastes no time jumping straight into the action (well, almost no time; the hilarious recap segment that kicks the whole thing off is the perfect primer for the chaos to come). It’s a nearly movie-long climax, racing from start to finish on pure adrenaline as every single character faces down the remnants of Utsuro’s grand design. Now that the show’s done all the hard legwork of actually setting up the characters and stakes and emotional investment, the movie finale can jump straight into the fire and low the audience away with one staggering action setpiece after another, all building on each other to incomprehensible heights of awe until it finally slows down for a twenty-five minute epilogue at the very end. I’d almost compare it to End of Evangelion on that front; two legendary shows with endings compromised by production issues, finally getting to end things on their own terms with the cinematic scope such grand finales deserve. Yes, I’m comparing this adaptation of a crass, poop-filled Shonen Jump manga to the series that literally defined the face of modern anime. Deal with it. Because Jesus fucking criminy hopscotching Christ on a bagel, this movie is _amazing._ It’s nothing but gobsmacking moment after gobsmacking moment, one jaw-dropping action beat immediately being topped by the next one, a never-ending cascade of sword strikes and punches and explosions and energy blasts all cracking off with the brazen confidence of a series standing at the top of the world, putting on one last spectacular fireworks shower before packing it in for good. To call it epic would be an insult; to call it legendary would be the understatement of the century. And thanks to that big shiny movie budget, it’s all rendered in some of the most stunning animation I’ve seen all year. Every frame is gorgeous, every blow is beautiful, every moment is brought to life not just with polish, but with genuine grace. From the chaos of battle to the moments of love and connection- and yes, even to the batshit absurd comedy- this movie is a visual marvel. Gintoki and Utsuro’s final showdown, in particular, climaxes in a sequence of wordless visual storytelling edited so perfectly, bringing so many of the shows’ most powerful themes and arcs to a close just through the flow of one shot to the next, I almost couldn’t believe it was real. There’s no way human hands could have put something so beautiful together. It just isn’t possible. But that’s always been the beauty of Gintama, isn’t it? Every time you think it’s finally peaked, it somehow keeps rising higher. This show is _defined_ by doing the impossible over and over again, never resting on its laurels, always striving to be that much better, than much bolder, that much more satisfying to watch unfold. So really, it’s only fitting that The Final manages to blow my expectations out of the water once again for the road. This may not be the most complex or challenging arc Gintama’s ever done, but in terms of sheer impact, this may well be the highest peak it’s ever reached. So many characters, big and small, bringing their story to a close. So many thematic ideas all woven into a grand tapestry, finally complete after fifteen years on air. This show started with such humble beginnings, with roughshod animation and a story that was only barely showing signs of the monster it would grow into. And now, it’s reached its end with an veritable atom bomb of a climax, a sprawling epic reaching its end with unparalleled fireworks and a production lavish enough for the gods themselves. If there’s a bigger glow-up in anime history, name is, because I don’t think it exists. And I’ve seen that change in real time. I’ve seen this show grow from its humble beginnings, getting better and better by the episode, until it stood head and shoulders above all its contemporaries. I’ve laughed louder, I’ve cried harder, I’ve fallen deeper and deeper in love with every last character living their ridiculous lives in this ridiculous city. Where so many stories falter as they go, Gintama’s footsteps only grew surer. Where so many stories peak well before they end and gradually lose when made them special in the first place, Gintama never stopped setting new gold standards of quality. And where so many anime’s ending fizzle out in disappointment, Gintama sent us home with one of the greatest finales to any piece of media I’ve ever seen. This scrappy underdog has accomplished something that so few of its shonen contemporaries even come close to: it lasted for hundreds of episodes and never stopped improving for a _second,_ finally ending its run as the best possible version of itself. I thought I couldn’t love Gintama any more than I did at the end of its TV run; I’m happy to say this show proved me wrong one last time. I love Gintama more now than I ever did before. I love every step of the journey it’s taken me on. I. Love. Gintama. But now, it really is over. No more false starts or fake-out endings or unexpected delays for the anime staff to use the characters as mouthpieces to complain about. Gintama is really, truly over. This incredible story I’ve spent god knows how many words gushing over has come to an end at last. And you know what? I couldn’t be happier. That may honestly be the most surprising thing about Gintama: the Final. Going into it, I was so certain that when it was over, I’d feel empty. I’d feel sad knowing that this was all the Gintama I was ever going to get. Now that it IS over, though? All I feel is joy. Joy that it ended as perfectly as I could possibly ask for. Joy for all the good times its given me over the years. Joy that I was given something so unspeakably beautiful to carry with me for the rest of my life. Will I miss it? Fucking absolutely. But as this show itself is well aware of, all things in life must come to an end. We can’t hold back the future forever; times change whether we want them to or not. All we can do is move forward, taking with us the things that truly matter and letting them enrich the paths we have yet to walk. Gintama may be over, but it will always be a part of my life. The feelings it brought out of me, the thoughts it inspired in me... my life will forever be touched by the Odd Jobs crew and all the dumbasses they befriended over the years. I couldn’t be more grateful for the journey it’s taken me on. And I couldn’t be more grateful for being able to share that journey with all of you. Gintama: the Final is a masterpiece. But really, did you need me to tell you that? The final chapter of a story that’s only ever gotten better, a story that’s already re-written the rules of what’s possible in storytelling too many times to count, a story that’s blasted so high into the atmosphere it might as well be in orbit at this point... what else _could_ it be, but a masterpiece? It’s joy and wonder, shock and awe, beauty and bravery in equal measure. It’s the perfect ending to a perfect show, the pinnacle of a tale with far too many pinnacles to count, one last hurrah to celebrate everything it’s been able to accomplish. It’s astonishing. It’s unbelievable. It’s an achievement that shouldn’t be possible. It’s one of the most satisfying endings to any piece of fiction ever. It’s a goodbye fifteen years in the making that somehow leaves you wanting for nothing. It’s the last, greatest achievement of the greatest story ever told. It also features a scene where a tear-jearking reunion is interrupted by Gintoki’s legs detaching from him and becoming sentient old men after being pooped out of Sadaharu’s ass. It is, in other words, nothing more or less than Gintama. And there will never be any higher praise than that.