Gintama is referred to as gag manga. I mean, I'm all for a great comedy, but to read all 500+ chapters? How long until the gags get old? Until I get bored? Is it really worth all that time just for a GAG manga?
Yes. Holy mother of god YES. Not only have I caught up, but I'm currently finishing up the anime (which is pretty damn faithful to the manga). Gintama ended up being way more than just a few laughs. You will cry. You will feel distressed. And impressed. And just...you will get incredibly emotional. Right after feeling incredibly awkward. Because this is Gintama after all. Penis and poop jokes are abundant. Along with tears.
Man, it's hard to describe.
First off, Gintama is comedy. I've seen it called Japan's version of South Park or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It tackles every form of humor including word play (which sometimes gets lost in translation), tongue in cheek humor, toilet humor, parodies, breaking the forth wall (and it does it soooo well) and so forth and just plain absurdity (There is an arc where Gintama's penis is turned into a screwdriver. Everyone is turning into screwdrivers. Those damn aliens). If you're looking for humor, Gintama will serve you more than enough. There is a downfall to this though. If you're not familiar with Japanese culture or even some popular figures, some gags will fly right over your head. But fortunately, this doesn't occur often (and usually translators try there best to give explanations!).
The world Gintama takes place in is pretty silly and insanely genius. The cross of historical and futuristic. Fantasy and science fiction--literally anything is possible in Gintama. There is space travel and demons. Historical figures use bazookas instead of katanas. Gintoki rides a scooter while searching for a fan while carrying a wooden sword and passing citizens dressed in kimonos and yukatas. This pseudo historical fantasy science fiction is the foundation of Gintama and it would be nothing without it.
But here's the thing: Gintama is a comedy with a black heart and a silver soul. As raunchy it may be, deep down there is a something warm and fulfilling. It took about 100 chapters for me to really get and feel the characters. Roughly around 200 chapters I became a blubbering mess (couldn't contain my laughter or my sobs). Through the humor and madness, Gintama is a masterful narrative that flows backwards. Our shounen hero never develops. Ever. But as an audience we change out view of our hero with each bit of information we learn from his past. Bit by bit, piece by piece, we see what our hero has suffered. You look back at things he's said or actions he's done with new understanding of his character, personality and values. Gintoki is a fully developed character from the start. It's you as a reader who develops as the manga progresses.
The vast secondary characters work in similar ways. But unlike Gintoki, occasionally they will get a spot light that allows them to grow a bit. Some of these arcs are just as absurd and hilarious as others, but they carry a soft moral core. In the end, Gintama will always be about making connections and living a content life, even if it includes lying around all day reading manga or having weird sexual kinks or being a female and living your life as a man. As long as your soul is clear and your thoughts happy, you live however the hell you want.
So many dick jokes and so many tears. That's Gintama.
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