I'm going to the library on Thursday to pick up the first book of the raven cycle series because of you! I'm very excited!
oh my gosh i am honored!!! i am pretty confident about the series itself bc we all wouldn’t have fallen so deep for it if it weren’t but i sure hope it will appeal to your taste just as it had with ours and i don’t know why i sound so formal but aaaAAAHHHH i hope my trash sons don’t let you down <33 happy reading xx
Steven, lion, lapis lazuli, onion (for the su ask thing)
Steven: What makes you starry-eyed?
rewatching/rereading things i really like, listening to good music, playing games, drawing, hiking, dancing, singing!!
Lion: If you had infinite pockets, what would you carry with you at all times?
maybe a backup of my drawings? or files? i dont know man if i had infinite pockets id just pile stuff up on them i guess, like using a backpack or purse lmfao
Lapis Lazuli: Which element would you control?
probs water or space or space-time or light please
Onion: If you could replicate anything 100 times, what would you make copies of?
maybe my art supplies since they cost, like, an entire leg
hi there! it's that one loser who asked you what gintama was about a while ago. what's your favorite arc(s) of gintama and why? thank you, and have a fabulous day (or night)!
WAAHH ur no loser and omg thats a hard question but ill try my best to answer it!! thank you for asking!
(long ass post below cut. like. really, REALLY long)
like. i love many arcs bc they’re all really interesting to me or, if not, have interesting points for me, and that alone makes me like them. i guess some of them, though, resonate better with me (and are also like rlly heart wrenching and that rlly gets me so uhm HHAHHA)
i can’t really choose a favourite, but the ones that stand out for me are usually the ones who have nice insights on characters i like (coughs. gin. haha) OR complex yorozuya moments. spoilers below!!
(at the start there’s more text but then i started getting tired so pls bear with me)
harusame arc
i think that’s when we get one of the first few glimpses about gin’s past. it really stood out to me - the nightmare he had, how zura offered him help… how gin \needed\ to go to shinpachi and kagura, who had been kidnapped, and he couldn’t leave them alone. i think it’s on \this\ arc that they all start realizing how their bond isn’t a common, distanced friendship, but it’s still being shaped. there is already a deep, mutual treasuring, and some kind of one sided-y trust, coming from kagura and shinpachi, who look up to him a lot.
gintoki, that far back, doesn’t seem to quite accept the way he has come to bear the weight of more people yet again, and so, he struggles with that trust. perhaps in some way he has already come in terms with it - but not quite yet, seeing how he is so quick to pretend he doesn’t care (e.g. in the four devas arc and obi hajime arc) when all he wants is to protect them both and trying to spare them the pain he had to go through (and, mistakenly, unwittingly, giving them the pain of not understanding him quite that well.) but on that moment, in the end of the harusame arc, when he offers his back to them, he’s already giving way to this trust.
(in the shogun assassination arc, he says “we’ve protected this much together” or smth like that which leads me to believe he has come in terms with it and doesn’t plan to leave them behind again [unless it will protect them..])
memory loss arc
there isn’t anything that particularly stuck with me on this arc other than their relationships. like. damn. i think it’s what mostly stays with me in most arcs LMFAO anyway. i found it endearing how they all were so worried about gin and how they all gave their best to try and help him regain his memories. how gin, even without his memory, knew that the both of them were dear to him, and tried to spare them the pain/burden of “being with him” or having to take care of him. (he’s got some deep, DEEP guilt complex there. i really hope he’s able to sort it out someday..)
how shinpachi was mad at this, because he always tries his best to keep them together, and how he was quick to turn his back in anger, a very natural reaction to hurt and also very in character for him - in his eyes, gintoki, who they loved so much, simply decided to give up on them, and that was unfair and cruel to him. then kagura kept on struggling with it, and the tree quote REALLY stuck with me… and then after everyone helped him, and they came into the scene, and gin regained his memories and after everything was said and done, he was like, “let’s go home” and i was like, dead
umibozu arc
the same thing happens on this arc. gin pretends he doesn’t care, sends kagura off to her dad, deeply hurting her in the process, and angering shinpachi once more, because “how could he leave her, when we’re all a part of this, when she’s a part of this, when we all love him so much? how can he just fire her?” and again, AGAIN, gintoki was playing the jerkass façade, trying to spare kagura the pain of not having a family present. he really thought it was for the best, because what he truly wanted was a family, a family for \him\ and he assumed it was for the best. shinpachi goes after her and BEGS her to stay - what she truly wanted to do, but was really torn over it. kagura wanted to go travel with her dad, but she didn’t believe she was grown or changed or ready for it already, and planned to stay on earth along with everyone, but gin had hurt her in the process and even fired her. shinpachi tries to make up for it and we end up without knowing how it would end, because the alien thing ends up destroying the airship/terminal they were on lmfao but in this scene i realized how deeply they both care about each other and about gin and how they were already able to go out of their way to support each other. shinpachi is the brother kagura couldn’t have as a kid. im like deeply hurt
as soon as gin sees kagura’s in danger he doesn’t think twice and tries to save her, and he’s the one who’s able to snap her out of it when her ACTUAL DAD couldn’t do it. it struck with me how little umibozu thought of her struggles against herself - a reflection of how he grew up, how \they\ grew up in that hostile yato planet, and how he started changing a little too. AND THEN gin says he doesn’t have a family, and how it was funny that he seemed to understand umibozu’s feelings the best. then kagura’s letter is read, and they are crying and \i\ am crying and shinpachi says “you can think of me as family!!” AND IM SO DEAD I LOVE THEM!! GOD DAMN IT
benizakura arc
ofc it has a special place in my heart bc it’s the first actual action arc in gintama and it was really exciting for me back then. the fights were really nicely paced and it was intersting how they all… like, cheated in fights. fair play doesn’t matter when you’re trying to survive, and this is really something different to me because usually in this type of media it’s always like, you spare your enemies and talk about the power your friends give you and fighting honourably and like damn. they are all samurai and they have their own code of honor but their first and foremost concern is to survive and live they way they want to, true to themselves.
it’s also the first time shouyou is mentioned. we get some really interesting insight in zura’s character and also takasugi’s - and consequently, gin’s. of course, we don’t truly KNOW what made them split apart that much until the shogun assassination arc and it’s like WAY worse than just shouyou dying so like, this arc hurts me like 10 times more now lmfao
also kagura kicks ass in this arc
mitsuba arc
a really interesting insight into sougo’s and hijikata’s character and how deeply they both were connected to mitsuba - and how she, in the end, truly was in control of her own happiness (and KNEW it) despite on how they all were trying to say how she should live her life, and how she didn’t let a disease control her life up until then… how she accepted that despite being connected to all of them she knew she had no control over their lives but she DID know she could be happy.
also how sougo is fond of gintoki even though they pick on each other and everything. its kind of cute. also this arc fucks me up and i cry every damn time. i cant see sougo and hijikata crying i really goddamn cant.
yoshiwara in flames arc
another serious-action-y arc which i really liked mostly because we got a really nice insight into kagura’s and shinpachi’s character yet again. kagura fighting against herself and her blood in order to not turn out like her father and brother. also the debut of kamui, and her FIGHT!! AND SHINPACHI SAVING HER FROM HERSELF and saying he’ll protect the kagura they believe in and im so sad im so sad
also tsukuyo appears for the first time and i loved how she was entirely dedicated to protecting the women in yoshiwara, how deeply she loved all of them and refused to fight back at them…… also hinowa and seita… im cryin
red spider arc
first and foremost it really struck me because gin was REALLY fucking pissed off at the prospect of a teacher abusing and manipulating their student.. how we got his and shouyou’s first meeting. how he was truly fucking pissed and RUTHLESS in the battle against jiraia like he did NOT tolerate that kind of atrocity and he laid down the truth at his face. it was really meaningful for me.
secondly i liked the parallels between tsukuyo and gintoki… i am pretty fond of them so i liked it anyway haha but back then i didnt realize it but YET again it was foreshadowing. i dont know if sorachi had it planned since then but im really fucking mad anyway
four devas arc
ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ok so i really really love this one
otose loves them so much and she did the SAME thing gintoki did, tried to spare them the pain of losing someone and went to the graveyard in some attempt to stop jirochou. mom and son huh
gintoki literally flipping his shit. this is one of the saddest scenes. i kind of cry every time i see it because it’s so quiet and powerful and he loves otose so much and it was so unfair how he vowed to protect her but was unable to do it. (also how he called her “granny” instead of “old bat” before fainting…………………………… and how he probably cried). also how he flipped out afterwards too, pretending to not care, playing the jerkass façade once again, trying to protect them…………..
and then kagura and shinpachi confront him. shinpachi SNAPS at him and he YELLS and he’s so hurt and it hurts me too because this is soothing, reliable shinpachi who tries his best to bring them together and he’s yelling this right to his face, and how they all ask him to trust them like they trust him………… oh my god
the plot of this arc also rlly interests me. i absolutely loved the ending and i cried a lot as u can probably realize
baragaki arc
another interesting insight into hijikata’s character… i was rlly sad over his brother and over everything that happened and isaburo’s and nobume’s introductions (and i cant rlly NOT cry at that now bc like. they were father and daughter…………………………………) and the fights and how gin literally acknowledges himself as the shiroyasha for literally the first time ever and i wanted to kick him bc hes so COCKY
kintama arc
this is like? full of yorozuya moments so of course its one of my fav arcs too. its so explicit how much gin CARES about them, how much he loves them, the things he will do for them, how far he will go to be with them again; and also how quick he will disregard his own life in consideration of others…………. im so sad
courtesan of a nation arc
first of all: insight about shouyou and shouyou’s death, foreshadowing, me crying, shouyou’s face, I KNEW NOBUME WAS SHOUYOU’S STUDENT!! I KNEW IT but uhm
i liked how devoted tsukuyo is to yoshiwara. i love how she loves her work and her duty to protect what the women of yoshiwara hold dear!! also how they stormed the shogun’s palace like it was no big deal. more interesting insight into sho-chan’s character and how he truly loved his people and would give up his place HIGH up to help others… the fights were super nice and oboro really rubbed salt on gintoki’s wound. oboro is a fucking asshole
obi hajime arc
MORE INSIGHT INTO SHINPACHI’S and also tae’s characters!!! i was so glad that their foster brother was alive and shinpachi was so happy but then I Was Not, because, of course, its gintama
gintoki once again plays out the jerkass façade. i hate when he does it. he pisses shinpachi off, kagura doesnt know what to do and tae knows what he’s doing but refuses to acknowledge it because she doesnt want hajime to die. me crying because of gin’s and shinpachi’s relationship. gintoki risking his life to bring hajime back to them, THE NEVER STOP SMILING QUOTE, shinpachi fighting, shinpachi asking gin to be with them and leave things to them for once, me crying in pain and gasoline and tears
kagura’s boyfriend arc
KAGURA HAS THREE DADS WHAT MORE COULD I ASK FOR ITS LIKE ONE OF MY ACTUAL FAV ARCS its so full of dad gin moments and shinpachi always knows what to say and we get some more insight into her character and how she was lonely as a kid………… and how she truly doesnt care about romance and will dump a guy if hes being a jerk
shogun assassination arc
well honestly in terms of script and plot building its not exactly my FAVE because it was a little rushed and kind of lots of things piled into one thing BUT
sacchan and zenzou’s past with sho-chan
serious sacchan = love
kagura’s fight against kamui and her quote about being born on earth
i cant believe sorachi actually killed a character off and made consequences out of it and like hasnt stopped yet im so TIRED IM SO EXHAUSTED
chapter 519 and 520 aka the most cruel chapters i have ever read in the history of all the things ive ever read and i still havent forgot about them and i didnt forget about how this changes everything in the plot and how. gintoki was crying. and how. takasugi. is like. more multifaceted than i expected and i ended up loving him
im in pain
well uh basically i think i like most arcs where gin’s character gains some insight or when theres interesting amounts of insights and relationships haha
oh my god I love your style so much! as someone who hasn't found her own style yet, it honestly inspires me. have a fantastic day (or night)! <3
Woooo thank you!!! I’ve spent years changing from manga style to this disneylike-non-defined one haha. It wasn’t until this year that I felt happy with it, it’s been a looooooong way, so I’m sure you’ll find the style that fits you better if you keep working ` v´)9
what is gintama about? I realize I could just look it up on google but you seem to love it so much I figured I'd get a better explanation from you. all your reblogs about it have gotten me really interested!
mmm MM MM M MMM IM SORRY.. THIS IS VERY LONG but omg thanks for asking.. i get really excited about it laughs
a thing beforehand: im rlly glad i got u interested on it because WOW i just.. idk man i love gintama so much and im really glad every time ppl start watching/reading it. its very important to me and has helped me through hard times and every time im feeling empty or tired or unmotivated i watch a random episode and i manage to get myself on my feet.
(ok, i might be biased here bc i totally project myself into their struggles and stuff but in my defense its justified ok. i guess. ANYWAY LAUGHS)
from the bigger picture, gintama is mostly comedy-action, kind of a slow-paced, daily life story which revolves around a silver haired samurai and his (many) friends and their shenanigans in a modern edo. there are lots of dirty jokes and references to other media, but it gets serious sometimes and when you’re not expecting it, it gets heartwrenching.
this is a good summary in general, but it means something else for me. metaphorically speaking, from the bigger picture you see a lame samurai and his kind-of-adopted-children picking their noses but maybe if you look closely, you can see their picture is actually a mosaic made of tiny, important people and important memories and important feelings. (that wasnt a good metaphor LMFAO anyway)
i think i can say that mostly, gintama is about love.
it’s about sharing your happiness and your pain, about family, about overcoming traumas and hardships - and sometimes, letting them be - and keep fighting, keep struggling, about not forgetting what’s important for you. [breathes] about knowing when you should fight back and when you should let things run their own course. about knowing your limits. about being honest with yourself. about letting yourself just be.
that it’s ok if you just want to live life as it comes instead of not really having dreams or lifelong goals or big aspirations.
its this kind of thing i have been needing before i read it, tbh. there is family, there are parents and children and siblings and teachers and leaders and villains and people who have lost everything and keep on living, people who \lose\ everything and choose what to do with themselves after that.
every character has something they have struggled with. all of them. they suffered, and they still suffer, and they move on and carry that weight. they all have lots of flaws. the villains aren’t there to mess with the protagonists and antagonize their story (at least, most of them. LMFAO) they have a purpose, a goal, their own ambitions, and they follow them. there is a backstory that explains how things came to be, but i won’t go on details to avoid spoiling you (if you have been seeing my reblogs then you. were probably spoiled and im sorry about that LMFAO)
it’s not perfect, of course. there are numerous flaws, and depending on what you usually watch/read, it may not be your cup of tea, but i hope you give it a chance!!
