adminHideaki Soachi’s Gintama is one such anime-manga series that instantly commands fans’ attention, and evokes a wide range of emotions, from respect to endless laughter. Even those who are unfamiliar with the anime must have come across some sort of hilarious compilation of iconic parody scenes featuring Gintoki. Such is the charm and prominence of Sorachi’s magnum opus.
Gintoki and Kagura after opening Shinpachi’s present in Gintama anime | Credits: Studio Sunrise
And if that isn’t enough, the anime has maintained high rankings on MyAnimeList for years. While newer fans often wonder about the appeal of Gintama, nobody would have expected the animation director to underestimate its charm. But, that’s exactly what happened when Chizuru Miyawaki initially started working on the anime. The director shared his experiences during an interview, and his words highlight what makes Gintama so special.
Director Chizuru Miyawaki’s experience with Gintama
Chizuru Miyawaki has been an integral part of the anime industry, and has worked on renowned anime titles like Hunter x Hunter, Inuyasha, and even Shin Chan. Miyawaki initially started his journey with Gintama as an animation director and was later promoted to the main director in the later part of the series.
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While working on the original anime initially, Miyawaki greatly underestimated Hideaki Sorachi’s masterpiece and even admitted to it during an interview. He said:
Gintama is really difficult, “It’s a gag anime, so it can be drawn quickly” is what I was subtly feeling as I started to work on it.
Miyawaki shared that while working on episode 34, titled ‘Love doesn’t require a manual’, he believed that being a gag anime, drawing Gintama would be easy. However, he was proven wrong when he saw everyone putting their best effort into their performances, especially Daisuke Sakaguchi as Shinpachi.
An angered Shinpachi on the subway | Credits: Studio Sunrise
Shinpachi was undoubtedly the highlight of that episode as he struggled with the idea of betraying Otsu-Chan, but ended up going on a date with Eromes anyway. The episode was hilarious and contextualizes Miyawaki’s statement about everyone in the production team doing their best.
Gintama is a gold mine of gags, and the best one at that
Miyawaki stated that the efforts put into the anime by the entire team laid a strong foundation for the anime. Those familiar with the hundreds of episodes of the series would understand how this foundation improved gradually and solidified into something memorable. Gintama, as a series, is extremely self-aware, whether it’s about avoiding inappropriate scenes to fit the broadcast time slot or making a joke out of stereotypical shonen tropes.
Kagura and Otae get jealous of Eromes’ cuteness | Credits: Studio Sunrise
While the humor is the striking aspect of the anime, the plot progression has its fair share of serious moments as well. Gintoki is a wonderful character and his character arc makes his personality extremely endearing. Even though there’s a tinge of comedy in everything, the characters get explored extremely well and keep fans hooked to the episodic progression. While Gintama is a gold mine of best gags, that’s not all there is to it!
Gintama is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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