Gintama

Episode 285

Even though he's put through more hardships than many of the show's central characters, it's difficult to feel bad for Shisengumi Captain Kondo Isao. While on the job, he's a model lawman who leads Edo's most prominent police force with grace and dignity. Conversely, when he appears in any other capacity, his entire shtick revolves around three things: stalking a woman who's said "no" to him more times than he can count, unintentionally insulting said woman, and resembling a gorilla. In many respects, Kondo is the most three-dimensional of the series' stalker characters. Whereas Sa-chan and Tojo largely serve as caricatures of obsessive creepers, Kondo has a life outside of stalking Shimura Otae, albeit one he would give up in a heartbeat if his beloved so willed it.

This week's episode finds the usually chipper Kondo in a terrible mood. Despite buying her a brand new yukata, Otae refuses to accompany her "gorilla stalker" to a local summer festival. (Telling her the garment complements "washboard" chests proved to be the final nail in his coffin.) Sogo and Hijikata find him terrorizing happy couples at the festival, but driven by fear and pity, neither can bring themselves to step in. After donning a sentai cockroach mask, Kondo runs into Otae and Kagura, but neither seems to recognize the familiar face lurking beneath the mask. When Kagura runs off, Kondo gets what he wanted all along: a festival date with Otae.

Of course, it wouldn't be Gintama without a seemingly straightforward setup—in this case, the "festival date" trope—devolving into a comically overblown affair. The ever-resourceful Odd Jobs proprietor is running a booth of crooked carnival games, and he insists that Kondo and Otae stick around and try their luck. Accompanied by Hasegawa, the Odd Jobs Trio exploits Kondo's desire to please Otae by charging him a special "cockroach" price for their games and making the games outright impossible and in some instances, even life-threatening. Taken on their own, each activity—from the shooting range game a rooftop away from the prize, to the impossibly detailed die-cut candy—is uproarious, especially when paired with Gintoki and company's abject selfishness. However, the episode's final reveal offers little surprise. As it turns out, wearing a mask wasn't enough to hide Kondo's true identity, which makes the entire exercise less a means to exploit a stranger and more a way to torment an object of scorn. Although Kagura claims that this was all done to teach him a lesson, it's unlikely that Kondo will mend his ways.

This isn't the first time that Otae has shown a slight softness in her attitude toward Kondo, and it's always come across as strange. Most Gintama episodes aren't meant to be taken seriously, and established character traits are often thrown out the window to make certain jokes work. Still, Otae's usual revulsion is a realistic response to Kondo's behavior. It's made for many humorous set-ups, but it's repugnant when you stop and think about it, and it's also repetitive. Kondo appears out of nowhere to profess his love, says something unintentionally insulting, and gets the snot beaten out of him.

Having Otae at least pretend not to recognize Kondo allowed them to have a relatively normal interaction for once, which was refreshing. However, the occasional hints that these two may be a couple someday are a little unsettling. At the end of the Yagyu Arc, Hijikata outright stated that Otae was in love with his best friend. The accuracy of his statement is debatable, but it's not debatable that Otae more than tolerates Kondo—she even likes him a little. It's a comedy, and Kondo isn't the only stalker in the cast, but there's something disquieting about the idea of the two of them having a happily ever after. (I mean, the guy regularly camps out in her garbage can.)

Gintama episode 285 is funny in segments, but it fails to surprise when it comes to the overall plot. It tries to be moving at times, but the relationship between the two characters at its core isn't the type that should lead to genuine affection. Still, the episode's twisted take on Japanese festival games is well worth the price of admission.

Rating: B

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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