Gintama

Episode 366

Following last week's somber installment, Gintama once again ratchets up the wackiness and slips back into full-on irreverence. After arriving in Edo, Takasugi informs Gintoki that although the Cult of the Phoenix has spread its influence across the universe, it doesn't have a physical HQ on any planet. Instead, the Mobile Cathedral Kuyo, a massive warship that can't be seen by the naked eye or detected via radar, serves as the cult's only base of operations—and it's currently in Terran skies. Claiming that he has some business to attend to, Takasugi temporarily takes his leave and encourages a reluctant Gintoki to meet up with his old friends. Little does the silver-haired samurai realize that he's being tailed by Hijikata and Mobcop/Yamazaki, both of whom pose as mannequins to avoid detection. However, before long, Gintoki also attempts to pass himself off as a mannequin in order to elude Otae, kicking off a bizarre (but perfectly Gintama-ish) series of events.

While in mannequin form, Gin discovers that Otae has taken over the Kodokan Dojo and turned it into Taezap, a parody of Japan's popular Rizap fitness chain. In the two years Gin's been gone, Binbokusai has stepped down as head of the Yagyu School and become a wandering junk collector. After dropping the mannequin act, Gintoki disguises himself as Takasugi, only to be immediately apprehended by Sacchan, who's taken over the Oniwaban in Zenzo's absence. Hoping to ascertain her beloved's whereabouts, she poisons the disguised Gin with a powerful laxative and teases him with the antidote. After thoroughly crapping himself, Gin manages to give his captor the slip in a clothing store. However, through a series of cringe-worthy events, he soon finds himself wearing Kyubei's underwear on his face and surrounded by Kyubei, Otae, Tsukuyo, and Sacchan.

While not the only humor-focused installment of Silver Soul's third act, episode 366 arguably bears the strongest resemblance to the Gintama of old. The story takes a stock sitcom set-up (i.e., a character wishing to elude his friends) and subverts it by being as chaotically over-the-top as possible. For the central conceit to work, certain characters have to be unbelievably stupid—e.g. Otae and Binbokusai not recognizing the “mannequins,” Gintoki not recognizing Hijikata and Yamazaki, and Sacchan falling for Gin's increasingly desperate ruses. In true Gintama fashion, the situation becomes progressively crazier the longer it continues, and all signs point to this comedic powder keg exploding next week. This provides a stark contrast to the previous episode's dead-serious tone and helps remind the audience that first and foremost, madcap humor will always be this franchise's modus operandi.

Although delivering laughs is this episode's primary focus, it also helps further the narrative by revealing the fates of several more Edo residents. Binbokusai's death fake-out and Kyubei's false claim of being over her fear of men are easy to see coming, but both are reasonably effective gags nonetheless. Otae turning the Kodokan Dojo into an ineffectual fitness club for overweight women and keeping her clientele fat by providing them with free ice cream is both darkly humorous and perfectly in line with her devious nature. Tsukuyo's post-time skip fate has yet to be revealed, but if the other Gintama girls are any indication, we're in store for more hilarity.

This marks my one hundredth Gintama episode reviewed. In the three years I've been writing up this show, a lot has changed in Sorachi's world. When my reviews started, Gintama was still a continuity-lite, fourth wall-shirking comedy that gleefully lampooned all forms of popular culture and all aspects of human society. However, the overarching plot that had simmered in the background for the better part of a decade eventually emerged to take center stage, altering the show's tone and narrative structure in ways few fans guessed possible. Excluding last year's Slip Arc, Gintama hasn't felt so much like Gintama since the quadrilogy of endgame arcs began. With the proceedings becoming more ridiculous by the second, Gintoki engages in his time-honored tradition of digging his holes as deep as possible, and outside of the first couple minutes, there isn't a moment of genuine seriousness. As we creep closer and closer toward curtain call, we should savor episodes like this while we still can.

Rating: A

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is an author who has loved anime for over two decades.