Gintama

Episode 312

With the all key players in place, the Farewell Shinsengumi Arc ratchets up the action this week. Unfortunately, the animation can't really keep pace with the amount of combat that occurs in episode 312. Like any long-running anime, Gintama occasionally suffers from inconsistent animation quality, and on that particular front, this week's installment falls flat. Still, despite its aesthetic shortcomings, this latest offering manages to briskly move the story along and set the stage for what's sure to be an epic conclusion.

Hoping to take out Gintoki and company before they can reach Kokujo, the Mimawarigumi opens fire on the group's ships as they approach the island. However, unbeknownst to Sasaki, these ships have been abandoned and filled with gunpowder, causing them to go up in flames. As Katsura explains to his fellow escapees, this was a decoy strategy that Gintoki often used during the Joi War. Since the explosions occurred at the front of the island, Zura correctly reasons that the Odd Jobs crew, the Joi rebels, and the Shinsengumi want to rendezvous at the tail end of the isle. Although entering the island from the rear entails climbing an intimidating cliff, Gintoki and the gang approach the challenge head-on after some darkly humorous trial and error. Before beginning the climb, Shinpachi promises his sister that the group will rescue Kondo—and that everyone will return to Edo together. Interestingly, during the Shimura siblings' heartfelt conversation, physical comedy-fraught arguments between Gintoki, Hijikata, Kagura, and Sogo are treated like mere background noise. I love how such insanity has become mundane for the inhabitants of the Gintama-verse.

Otae's obvious concern for Kondo's wellbeing is perhaps the most definitive sign that she actually cares about the big lug. When she wonders if the gang can ever return to their carefree days, she's almost acting as a proxy for the audience. With the announcement that the parent manga will soon be entering its final arc, it's a safe bet that Gintama will remain in end game mode right up until the end, so the answer to her question is likely “no.” Like many animated comedies, Gintama generally starts from square one with each new story, but circumstances have finally facilitated the need for these characters to break out of their “Sazae-san timeline” and fight to protect the things they care about. Prior to episode 300, references to the series' overarching plot were few and far between, but said plot has finally taken center stage, and it's not about to give up its long-awaited time in the limelight.

When Gintoki's group reaches the top of the cliff, they're greeted by Oboro, Nobume, and scores of Naraku assassins and Mimawarigumi officers. Undeterred by Oboro's ominous threats, Gintoki and company plow their way through a battalion of bad guys before formulating a plan of action: Sogo will stay behind to fight Nobume, Gintoki will take Oboro, and Hijikata will set off in search of Kondo, Katsura, and Matsudaira. Before the men can commence their respective missions, Hijikata adds a 47th article to the Shinsengumi Code: “SURVIVE!”

While en route to meet up with their friends, the escapees are intercepted by a group of Naraku. After having Matsudaira go ahead of them, Zura and Kondo make short work of their attackers. Unfortunately, their victory is short-lived, as Sasaki quickly locates the duo and shoots Katsura—who takes the bullet for Kondo—in the stomach. Even though character deaths are now on the table, I'm not really worried about Zura joining Shigeshige in the afterlife. If he's anywhere near as resilient as his comrades in arms, this gunshot wound shouldn't prove fatal—or even put him out of commission for very long.

In keeping with this arc's theme of opposing factions coming together, episode 312 features a number of warm moments between Kondo and Katsura. In light of all the help he's received from his former adversary, Kondo now views Zura as “another friend to share a drink with.” As evidenced by his willingness to take a bullet for him, Katsura is clearly fond of Kondo as well. Similarly, Sogo continues to show a grudging respect for Hijikata, going so far as to address him as “Vice Chief.”

Throughout the episode, we're shown brief flashbacks of the Shinsengumi's early days. Set an indeterminate period of time before the events of the series, these trips to the past showcase a young Sasaki Isaburo's efforts to form the Roshigumi, a peace-keeping group composed of masterless samurai. With the Joi War over and the samurai class in decline, Sasaki (under the supervision of Matsudaira) wanted to use hot-headed ronin to stamp out the remaining Joi rebels. His ultimate goal, however, was to have both groups obliterate one another. Unfortunately, the ronin Matsudaira recruited are anything but cooperative. After the group is tasked with working out their own internal power structure, things are thrown into total disarray. Instead of talking things out, the men engage in a days-long brawl to determine their leader. Despite the rampant chaos, a young Kondo Isao, Hijikata Toshiro, and Okita Sogo simply stand on the sidelines practicing their swings. However, when a young, yanki-ized Yamazaki (who refers to himself as “Mountain Zaki”) tries to pick a fight with the kind-hearted country samurai, Kondo's true strength becomes apparent. Not only does he possess abundant physical prowess, his kindness and compassion make him a natural leader.

The only real complaint I have about this week's episode is the animation. Outside of the action sequences, it's serviceable, but the combat scenes are plagued by stilted movement. When Gintoki uses his Lake Toya bokuto to deflect a barrage of arrows, the motion is choppy to the point of being comical. I know Gintama has never been renowned for superb visuals or animation, but after the feature film-caliber masterpiece that was the Gintoki/Takasugi faceoff, I've come to expect more from the series' action-oriented episodes. Also, while I enjoyed gaining some insight into how the Shinsengumi came into being, the interspersed flashbacks broke up the high-stakes tension.

The characters may not cover much ground in this week's Gintama—the bulk of the heroes spend a lot of the episode scaling a cliff—but Gintama is clearly gearing up for another epic bloodbath. The Kiheitai may be out of commission, but Oboro and Sasaki aren't about to go down without a fight. With plenty of action, comedy, and character insight, this week's Gintama is another well-earned notch in the belt of a consistently stellar season.

Rating: A

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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