Gintama

Episode 276

As long-time viewers know, Gintama is not a series that takes a mature or realistic approach to romance. There's Gintoki's casual crush on local weather lady Ketsuno Ana, Kondo's position as Otae's "gorilla" stalker, Sa-chan's unhealthy obsession with making Gintoki her groom, and Shinpachi's commitment to being idol Otsuu-chan's superfan. All these relationships are perpetually one-sided, and in the case of Kondo and Sa-chan, outright stalking is involved. Tonally, there isn't room for much serious romantic fare. (To the show's credit, flashbacks into Gintoki's war-torn past have yet to reveal a refrigerated girlfriend or some torrid romance.)

The relationship between Kyubei and Otae has always been rather complicated and much deeper than the series' other unrequited romances. Ever since they were children, Kyubei has been madly in love with Otae, and while Otae clearly cares for Kyubei, there's no getting around the fact that she's straight. However, now that Kyubei has become "Jyubei," a bishonen version of herself, the tension between the two is much more palpable—to the point where the viewer wonders if maybe, just for these few episodes, Otae might give in to the butterflies in her stomach and succumb to her handsome genderbent friend's advances. Predictably, sister-complex-sufferer Shinpachi and drop-dead-gorgeous female Kondo step in right before things get too spicy, but it's still one of the most effective romantic scenes the show has ever featured.

As more gender-swapped characters get their time to shine, Hijikata reveals the "science" behind the arc's mystery without fanfare. It's clear that this over-the-top premise is more about making viewers laugh at the absurdity of the gender-swapping than about making us feel any real tension over the Dekobokkoites' attack. Since the series excels at comedy, that wouldn't be a big deal if the majority of the episode's jokes were more inspired. As the generally clueless men-turned-women do their best to "act feminine," they get into cat fights over diets and who's more attractive. The women-turned-men are all business, and it's funny to watch them make short work of a squadron of Dekobokkoites while oozing action hero machismo. As Gintoki points out, these women were fairly "macho" to begin with, so they're not particularly acting out of character. Still, this doesn't stop the male characters from feeling inadequate by comparison.

This three-episode arc shows so much promise and could have gone in a number of humorous directions. Unfortunately, the funniest moments thus far have been the reveals of each gender-swapped character, and now that we've seen everyone, there isn't as much to laugh at. While it's fine to poke fun at gender stereotypes in a comedy known for being over the top, episode 276 doesn't feature many original jokes—which is a shame because Gintama is usually very good at surprising viewers. When a semi-serious romantic moment serves as the highlight of the episode, you know things aren't quite right in Kabuki-cho.

Rating: B

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for two decades.