Episode 9 - Lesson 9
A guilty favourite. Hijikata Vs. Gintoki. It won’t happen again like this so enjoy the ride.
Notes
The exterior of the Shinsengumi headquarters looks a little different in this panel.
In the meeting some of the named captains are present, both in the anime and manga
Bandana and scar - Todo Bokosuke (8th squad captain)
Glasses - Takeda Kannesai (5th squad captain)
Yamazaki and Harada are there as well as some other captains, which I don’t think get named within the series though Sorachi-sensei did name all the captains outside of the manga.
The meeting room in the manga (also Hijikata’s cigarettes aren’t present in the anime)
Honestly, I don’t think you could sum up Hijikata’s feelings towards Sougo and Kondo more accurately than these two panels
Never trust Sougo, Toshi. Seriously.
*Heavy sigh* - one of many in response to Kondo’s actions!!
In an anime-only scene, Shinsengumi members meet Hijikata in his room (there’s even a shot of the nice sign; 副長 室 - Vice chief’s room) and explain they will go out looking for revenge. Hijikata ponders as they leave that it isn’t so easy, if this silver-haired samurai could beat Kondo then what of them…
Hijikata’s room
Hijikata decides he will kill this silver-haired samurai himself. Okita points out Hijikata really likes to talk of killing and suggests an alternative: find any old white-haired guy and all will be forgotten. He turns up a now-familiar face in my favourite visual gag of this story.
Back in the anime Yamazaki also finds another soundalike much like the ones the other men found earlier. It the wrong thing obviously, and seppuku is prescribed. Yamazaki has been told to die in this episode more times than Okita has tried to kill Hijikata so far. FYI.
Okita mentions “Ladies 4″ will be on soon so they should head home. Later Kagura is seen watching it.
We also get a completely non-canon flashback to Kondo bringing them all together, current hairstyles and everything.
Sougo gives a dog he befriends in the street a pet name - Sadomaru #3
Back to following the manga, Gintoki nearly crushes Hijikata dropping something off a roof he is working on. Hijikata realises who he is (”You from Ikedaya!”) but Gin can’t remember him at all, and ends up calling him 多串君 (Ogushi), apparently an old classmate who had a goldfish, but in my opinion that’s likely just made up (or Sorachi-sensei hadn’t formulated Gin’s past properly by this point). Anyway Okita enjoys also calling Hijikata by this name.
Hijikata is pissed and breaks the 4th wall: “He forgot me after two or three chapters!”, “He forgot me after just three or four episodes!”
For the fight, Hijikata borrows Okita’s sword to give to Gintoki. Here are a couple of shots in both anime and manga showing the guard.
Hijikata lands a blow to Gintoki’s shoulder but Gintoki snaps Hijikata’s swird in half. Okita and Kondo were watching on from a nearby rooftop - Okita expresses the desire to fight Gintoki himself one day (he’ll get it!) but Kondo warns him off.