Gintama Has An Episode For Everything, And It's Usually Hilarious

Gintama Has An Episode For Everything, And It's Usually Hilarious

Friday, May 29, 2020 / No Comments

Since late last year, I stumbled upon the Gintama anime on Netflix, and decided to watch it. That was hands down one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.

The first 200 or so episodes of Gintama are mainly comedic, and by comedic, I don’t just mean a nose-exhale type “this is pretty funny”, I mean like rolling on the floor and laughing so hard your mum thinks you’re having a seizure type funny.

The humour in this anime is so wild and crass that it’s hard not to laugh at the stuff they joke about. Even though a lot of the jokes make heavy references to Japanese culture, there’s enough for the series alone to pander to even an international audience.

As I watched more and more episodes of Gintama, I find myself experiencing things in real life and thinking, “Hey, there was a Gintama episode about this.” That’s when I realised that there really is a Gintama episode about almost anything you can think about.

And so, without further ado, I’m going to share with everyone my favourite comedic episodes in Gintama with relatable premises, that can be enjoyed with little or no knowledge of the show itself.

Queueing for Video Games

Episodes:
Play Video Games For Only An Hour A Day (98)
Life And Video Games Are Full Of Bugs (99)

This arc spans across two episodes, the first mainly being about queueing for a brand-new video game console, and the second, about actual video games.

The first episode makes fun of the things people do in queue, and the types of people who queue.

But the truly comedic moment comes when the characters start playing video games. The anime makes fun of Dating Game tropes, like running to school with a sandwich in one’s mouth, and Role-Playing Games like Monster Hunter.

One of my favourite moments was when Hijikata, who started the game with 3HP, immediately died because he accidentally stubbed his toe against a signboard.

There are so many funny moments in this arc other than the ones I’ve posted, so if you’re an avid lover of video games, do consider watching these episodes!

Escaping Prison

People Are All Escapees Of Their Own Inner Prisons (ep 110)

I don’t want to spoil too much of this episode, because there is so much goodness in it and a plot twist that is guaranteed to make you double over in laughter.

Quite basically, one of our main characters, Katsura, has been imprisoned, and foils one of the inmates' plans to escape with his weird sleeping habits.

There are many other funny moments, such as Katsura nonchalantly insulting the scariest inmate’s ripped sleeves, and him actually getting all embarrassed about it.

This episode is one of my favourites, and can be watched without context, so I highly recommend it!

Going to the Barber

Episodes:
A Conversation With A Barber, During A Haircut, Is The Most Pointless Thing In The World (151)
The Heavens Created Chonmage Above Man Instead Of Another Man (152)

This arc is about the Yorozuya gang having to take care of a Barber’s shop while he’s away for a while.

Unfortunately for them, the Shogun and a few other customers arrive for a haircut, and the trio just screws up again and again, until the situation is almost unsalvageable. I’ll let the following images speak for themselves.

Insomnia

Sleep Helps A Child Grow (ep 153)

This episode is so relatable, especially for someone like me, who always has trouble falling asleep at night.

Although annoying, Kagura is adorable in this episode, spiraling into an existential crisis because she simply cannot fall asleep. Because of this, she drags Gintoki down with her, and the two of them try different methods to make Kagura sleep, including eating and running rounds.

Being Stuck With Someone You Hate

Two Is Better Than One. Two People Are Better Than One (ep 166)

It’s no secret that Gintoki and Hijikata hate each other, so when the sadistic Sougo handcuffs them together and abandons them in an alleyway, the two of them have to find a way to go about their day and avoid suspicion while they stalk a suspect that Hijikata was originally following.

Together, they have to overcome major challenges, like discussing how to use a toilet, and driving a motorcycle.

Meeting People in a Bathhouse

Episodes:
We Ended Kind of Early So We're Gonna Start the Next Episode (Take Two) (219B)
The Bathhouse, Where You're Naked in Body and Soul (220)

The Yorozuya boys and the Shinsengumi team up against Hedoro and his family, have innocently come for a bath. Although the Dakini Tribe looks scary, they are actually very friendly, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for them throughout the course of the arc.

Nevertheless, there are countless hilarious moments where the men make mistakes and try to cover up with even more lies, thus making the situation far worse than before. The entire episode escalates into something completely crazy in a matter of minutes, and is extremely entertaining.

Attending a Funeral

When You Go to a Funeral for the First Time, You're Surprised by How Happy the People Are (ep 231)

I don’t even know where to begin talking about this episode.

This might be the most popular comedic Gintama episode, because at no point in time watching this can you ever predict what is going to happen next. The way they made a funeral episode funny will always blow my mind.

Here are some out-of-context pictures that will make you wonder what this episode was even about:

This is a must-watch for anyone who’s interested in starting the anime, or anyone who likes anime at all.

Striking the Lottery

When Compared to Time in the Heavens, Fifty Years of Human Life Resembles Naught but Dreams and Lottery Tickets (ep 273)

In this episode, Hijikata unexpectedly strikes the lottery and becomes insanely paranoid, thinking everyone is a gangster with a mohawk. 

He then gets held hostage at the bank with Gintoki, by a bunch of robbers (with actual mohawks) who don’t know that he’s packing a fortune.

It’s a wild ride, and hilarious from start to end.

In conclusion, Gintama is an insanely funny anime, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good comedy. However, there are excellent serious arcs as well as the anime progresses, and an outstanding cast of brilliant, diverse characters. It’s a great anime all in all, and with COVID-19 still rampaging the streets, I hope that more people give it a chance while stuck at home.

Written by yin

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Virtual Youtubers: Hololive Members Highlight

Virtual Youtubers: Hololive Members Highlight

Thursday, May 28, 2020 / No Comments

こんるし～～ (Konrushi)

That's a greeting routinely used by one of the many Virtual Youtubers (VTubers) in Hololive. As a matter of fact, each VTuber has their own way of greeting their viewers at the start of their fun and eventful streams every time. If you're still confused by the letters at the start, it's basically a form of Good Evening in Japanese, except that they replace some of the letters with part of their name, in this case, Uruha Rushia, in order to greet their audience in a more personal way. But that's not what I'm here today for! Ever since my last post on Virtual Youtubers, I've been itching to introduce more of them in a more personal and close way so that you all can further see the appeal in watching them for entertainment when you're bored with nothing else on your hands.

Hololive Members

So, today, I'll be introducing three VTubers, specifically from the Hololive agency, for you all to pick from in case you are intrigued by them, regardless of their personality or the content that they offer. Before I go on, I'd like to mention again that VTubers are essentially streamers with one main difference being that instead of showing their real appearance, a mascot is often used on the screen to portray their emotions towards their audience.

With that said, let's begin with the first member of this dedicated highlight!

Nekomata Okayu

A portrait of Nekomata Okayu

Also known as a mischievous prankster to her colleagues, you'll always be in for a laugh with her antics. Nekomata Okayu first joined Hololive on 22nd March of 2019, before debuting with her 3D model on stream on 4th of October that same year. I wanted to introduce her first because whether you're looking for a laid-back stream to kick back to or an adventurous and humorous stream, Okayu always has those moments to enjoy.

She's generally known for her relaxed and laid-back attitude, mostly derived from the way she talks. Thanks to this, her streams are always the ones that I open up if I ever want to relax or have background noise while I am doing work. Of course, there's always two sides of a coin. During some of her gameplay, she occasionally gets very emotional, like her Legend of Zelda stream where she needed a moment to recollect her emotions after finishing the game. Or when she got extremely spooked while playing a horror game. These moments showcases her rare side of being emotional, which I do find amusing as well as cute.

Okayu's playthrough of Super Mario RPG

Speaking of streams, her streams are mostly gameplay of various game across different genre, so you don't have to worry about a lack of interesting content as she'll always play many different games. My most memorable streams of hers are when she sings. You'd be surprised at how good of a voice she has, considering how deep her voice is compared to other VTubers. I can't help but get mesmerized by her voice, especially when she sings slow songs, where her voice shines the most.

Okayu's Karaoke Stream

With that said, I always have a great time watching her streams, be it actively or while I'm doing work. Okayu is definitely one of my favourite VTubers to watch due to her personality as well as her voice. If you're interested, I'll be leaving some funny and emotional highlight reels below for you to further pique your interest!

Her cover on Yonezu Kenshi's Lemon

A cute moment of a cat showcasing her pet cat

Moving on, we have someone who's from the first generation of Hololive VTubers, your friendly neighbourhood white fox, Shirakami Fubuki!

Shirakami Fubuki

A portrait of Shirakami Fubuki

When I first started watching this fox, I was surprised. Not by how adorable and funny she could be, but... from how she seems like one of us. What I mean by that is throughout her streams, I always find like-minded habits and personality traits that are within me, which made me feel a lot comfortable. Fubuki's not afraid of showing her full personality, which can be seen from her amusing covers of hit songs such as the infamous "Coffin Dance Song" as well as classics from the Final Fantasy series.

Fubuki "singing" to Astronomia (Coffin Dance)

As you can see, she's a really cheerful and trendy VTuber. That's not all though. She does have her cute and adorable moments, as well as some scary moments. What I do enjoy the most though are her interactions with her viewers. You see, fans of Fubuki occasionally tease her on her identity of a fox, and instead calls her another animal such as a cat. Her adorable retorts to these accusations always end up with the fans admitting defeat. In fact, Fubuki regularly streams herself playing games in the background while actually interacting and reading the chat.

A fox tries to communicate with a ghost

If you're looking for a VTuber for you to indulge while you're bored, her cheerful and entertaining personality will easily lift your spirits, even on a sunny day! Moreover, if that's not appealing to you, she will often set up collaborations with other VTubers for added spice in her streams. Like before, I'll include some clips of her being adorable as well as from her streams!

Fubuki incites jealousy from her viewers

Fubuki taking a step in the fast-food world

And lastly, I'd like to add a personal favourite of mine, someone that recently debuted as a VTuber from Hololive! Let me introduce to you, Watame the Sheep!

Tsunomaki Watame

A portrait of Tsunomaki Watame

As the last pick, I wanted to pick someone that I not only enjoy but also one that I regularly watch. Ever since she debuted on the 29/12/19, I was an avid fan of hers. What captivated at first was her soothing voice, one that was extremely pleasing to hear. Don't get me wrong, it's because most other VTubers in the scene has a certain way of speaking, which only makes it harder to understand. Another aspect of her that I adore is her unpredictability. If you happen to watch some of her videos, you'd notice that she uses her avatar as a medium to express emotions more than any other VTubers. Hence, you could really tell the changes in emotions and moods in her streams just by her expression on her avatar. As I once said in the previous article, VTubers use an anime mascot/avatar to express their emotions. By doing this, they can be at ease and showcase their unique personality to their audience. 

Watame does this on a different level compared to other VTubers. She would often make crazed expressions or just smile at times. Moreover, when she's enjoying herself, she would immediately go on a dancing rave by bobbing her head and swinging her body, especially when she's doing a karaoke stream.

Scary sheep on the loose

Her streams usually are of games, although she often does collaborations with Fubuki and the others. Watame's interactions with the other Hololivers are also something to look forward to as they are filled with jokes and laughs. One such joke is that the others frequently threaten to eat her just because she's a sheep. You would never think that her response would be her shrugging it off with the reassurance that she'll respawn after 8 seconds! All in all, I would definitely recommend her to anyone that's interested in the scene of VTubers as her voice and speech are generally easier to understand. She's also really humourous and entertaining! As always, if you're on the fence on whether to watch her or not, I'll include some clips below!

Cute interactions between a sheep and her senpai (ft Akai Haato)

She's also a really really great singer

And that's all for this highlight! I do hope that some of you decide to start watching and support these VTubers! Hopefully, these VTubers can help you take care of the spare time you have nowadays as well as comfort and entertain you in these turbulent times. Before I end off though, please do look forward to my next article on VTubers, where I'll be showcasing Nijisanji, another VTuber agency, and their talents! 

Written by Kai Yuichi

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