Gintama the Movie: Yoshiwara in Flames (2026) Review
Yesterday, I finally got the chance to watch Gintama the Movie: Yoshiwara in Flames in theater! I watched it together with my cousin, who, while not really a big fan of Gintama, still had the blast watching it together with me.
Before sharing what I experienced before and after watching the movie, I'll go with the review of the movie first just like the title of this post. For Gintama fans, there's not much differences from the original TV series in terms of overall plot, but just to be safe, I'll avoid bringing up the differences here that could be possible spoiler.
Alright, here's my thought about the movie:
Without beating around the bush, the movie is a MUST watch for all Gintama fans. As it was shown in the trailers, this movie was not a simple retelling of the original episodes of the TV series with improved animation quality, there were additional subplot and characters added into the movie that made this familiar yet also a brand new experience. Not only you could watch it on big screen with updated high quality animation, but you'd also amazed by the new contents included into the story.
There's no need to doubt the quality of the animation. Perhaps it wasn't on the same level as Ufotable's Kimetsu no Yaiba animation, but it was still eye-catching and excellent. The most definite improvement, was of course, the action sequences, which was the most evident in the battle between the Yato-awakened Kagura vs Abuto. They really put a lot of efforts into the choreography.
In terms of pacing, in my opinion, the movie properly explored the overall main plot from beginning to the end. While Gintoki and his Odd-Job crew were the main characters of Gintama, the story of this movie centered on the characters introduced in this arc, specifically Seita, Hinowa, and Hosen, the major characters whose story revolved around.
Of course, there's also Tsukuyo, Kamui and Abuto, but in terms of story, theirs were still secondary to Seita, Hinowa, and Hosen, who moved the plot as they were the reasons the majority of the characters got into conflict. If you're a fan of the Gintama-esque drama, then the story between Seita, Hinowa, and Hosen would touched your heart strings, and possibly brought you to tears.
The additional subplots with Katsura and Shinsengumi might've felt forced, used as an excuse to include them into the movie as part of fanservice. However, the subplots were not much of a problem because they were still entertaining to watch thanks to the typical Gintama-esque gold comedy.
I can say with confidence that the moments with Katsura and Kondo were the funniest ones for everyone in the theater. You could tell by how loud and frequent everyone was laughing when watching the moments between those two. LOL
For Gintama fans who already followed the manga and anime TV series, there's no need for concern because we already had prior knowledge for the main characters, we have no need for introduction of them. For newcomers who has zero knowledge about the series, however, it'd be confusing because they'd most likely going to have a hard time to get to know about the main characters.
As for characters like Tsukuyo, Seita, and the antagonists, since they're characters who first got introduced in Yoshiwara in Flames arc, in this movie, so newcomers will have it easier to get to know them as their characters were wonderfully fleshed out.
I recommend watching until the end of credits, there's a post-credit scene that would make you regret not staying until it was over if you leave early. If you're a Gintama fan seeking a great fanservice, then watching until the very end of post-credit scene is absolute.
And now, as how I feel about my experience watching the movie. When I arrived at the theater, I was delighted to find there were several people who cosplayed as Gintama characters, mainly Gintoki, Kagura, and Kamui. There were also Elizabeth, Katsura, and Hijikata, but none of them were as many as the three characters I mentioned before.
And there were even a group of Gintama fans who agreed to watch together, bringing along their merchandises and decorated their desks at the cafe to take photos and exchange gifts while waiting for the movie to start.
I rarely could see Gintama fans gathering together like this, so I was so happy, and asked a few cosplayers for a photo together. The experience watching in theater along with other Gintama fans was truly a fascinating experience.
We cheered together, we laughed together, it was so fun! I'd love to experience this kind of movie viewing again in the future! The last time I felt this was when I watched Kimetsu no Yaiba: Infinity Castle Part I.
