A Gintama chapter a day keeps the ending away...Lesson 531
MY 10 FAVORITE MOMENTS IN LESSON 531:
1) These three musketeers. I really enjoyed seeing them team up like this. I wouldn’t have minded seeing their solo adventures on the prison island last just a little bit longer.
2) Zura’s hair...the man still manages to look so damn good even when he’s all bloodied up. I especially love that he had his hair up the same way as when he was a child. SO CUTE.
3) Honestly, I wanted to do that to Kozenigata. I do appreciate him more now, but his hard-boiled monologues are still a bit of a bore.
4) I still want a plushie of Elizabeth in her prison garb.
5) I could’ve seen so many more scenes with these two. They are hilarious together.
6) I loved this bloody, haunting scene on the “ghost” ship that approached them. One of the aspects of Gintama that I’ve always loved is Sorachi-sama’s ability to so easily switch between moments of pure comedy, like the one above between Saitou and Elizabeth, to really serious and gritty scenarios like this blood bath, so that we’re almost effectively jerked from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other within a span of just a few frames or less.
7) I also loved the imagery of the Naraku appearing from the smoke as if they some kind of murderous spirits. It really gave them a sense of creepiness.
8) Sougo just being freaking amazing as usual by killing two Narakus with just one move.
9) Shinpachi being totally hard-boiled and making a pretty cool entrance. I also loved this moment because I suddenly realized the Yorozuya was going to join in the fight which also meant we would be getting more GinHiji moments.
10) With Otae’s appearance here, I was actually excited that she might get to FIGHT with them against the enemy...even though it didn’t really end up that way, I still liked this moment because of Kagura.
SHIPS TALLY:
Gintoki x Hijikata: as I mentioned above, I got excited when Shinpachi appeared on the boat because then that means Gintoki would probably soon follow, but boy did I still underestimate what kind of awesome-ass entrance he would make. I mean, look at this! A bonafide GinHiji moment right from the get-go. I almost wept from gratitude.
Saitou x Elizabeth: I could ship ‘em.
Kozenigata x Hijikata: I was actually jealous that Kozenigata got to enjoy an Ai no Kusabi moment with Hijikata. I almost wished that Gintoki smoked.
Disclaimer: Gintama is not only about shipping. Gintama is hilarious, clever, exciting, poignant, heart-breaking, loving, brilliant, and just so freaking amazing. It is only due to Sorachi-sama’s generosity that I can enjoy Gintama on yet another level, the shippy level, and I am forever grateful for that. GINTAMA IS LIFE AND LOVE.
6/21/2018