Gintama

Episode 271

Into every Gintama character's life, a turn at being the tsukkomi shall fall. Episode 271 is one of Gintoki's rare turns at bat. It should be no surprise to long-time viewers that the stoic and lazy boke loses his cool around the gung-ho and shockingly clueless Katsura, and "Zura" has an entire episode to push Gintoki's buttons this week. Brought together for a Joi War heroes' reunion, Gintoki, Katsura and seldom-seen space merchant Sakamoto sit around a traditional Japanese meeting hall to reminisce about their time together during the war.

With the return of the TV series, fourth-wall-demolishing Katsura figures there's no better time to roll out a "past arc" and ratchet up the dramatic tension. As he points out, other iconic Shonen Jump properties like Rurouni Kenshin and One Piece have expanded their audiences and kept themselves relevant by featuring in-depth looks at the principle characters' pasts. With that in mind, will the story scale back the comedy, go into serious mode and showcase a painful memory from Gintoki's war-torn past? Of course not. This is Gintama—and it's all the better for not going down that road.

Instead, the focus of this episode is Kurokono Tasuke, the newly-introduced "phantom fifth member" of the Joi Faction's A-squad. (The character's name is a parody of Kuroko no Basuke/Kuroko's Basketball, as confirmed by the inclusion of basketball-centric flashbacks.) He's the one who organized the reunion and touched the lives of his fellow warriors—mostly by providing Pocari sports drinks at just the right moment. Flashbacks to Kurokono's unwavering support of his comrades also lead Katsura and Sakamoto to reminisce about Yakult, a Japanese probiotic dairy drink, along with who owes who money for various tabs. Of course, there can't be a Joi Faction reunion without Takasugi. The series' number one villain is usually reserved for more serious stories, yet it's no surprise to hear Koyasu Takehito's ominous voice towards the end of the episode. It's just not quite the reunion you're expecting.

The episode provides an interesting opportunity to examine how a series as comedy-focused as Gintama has room for any seriousness at all—and how the tone of a show can manipulate the viewer to feel invested in the drama even after sitting through so much absurdity. Although this episode isn't the serious tale Katsura wanted, it features scenes from other Shonen Jump series (with the characters' eyes blurred, as befitting a Japanese tabloid) that do manage to balance both drama and humor. Neither one approaches the comedic levels of Gintama, but I do have to wonder why Gintama feels the need to be serious at all.

Episode 271 showcases the fourth-wall-breaking, Shonen-Jump-parodying, turn-the-scene-on-its-head humor that makes this series special. One of the few things keeping it from being one of the show's best—besides the fact that other series regulars are missed—is the fact that it continues next week, dragging out the "drama" behind Pocari and Yakult perhaps unnecessarily. After next episode, we'll know if the story manages to maintain its fantastic pacing and top-shelf gags across multiple installments.

Rating: A-

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for two decades.