Gintama

Episode 315

Over the course of two lengthy and serious arcs, there have now been two character deaths. Since the show has been hoisting up death flags for Isaburo left and right, his fate isn't a complete surprise—but it is indicative of how much Gintama has changed over the last few months. Although the principal characters are still cartoonishly durable, the fact that death is now an actual possibility has upped the stakes considerably.

After discovering that Kondo ordered his men to tend to the wounded Mimawarigumi officers, Isaburo admits that the charismatic Shinsengumi commander's trusting nature is what inspired him to covertly thwart Sadasada's assassination attempt on the Hitotsubashis. Despite believing that his actions made him an honorable samurai and a good father, Sasaki felt like neither after his well-intentioned insubordination resulted in the grisly murder of his wife and newborn daughter. However, Kondo sees things differently. In his view, Isaburo's ability to inspire his men and the way he raised Nobume make him both of the things he longed to be. The men then hatch a plan to fake their deaths, which causes Oboro to drop his guard long enough to be taken out by Hijikata and the supposedly deceased Kondo. Unfortunately, this victory is short-lived. Soon after Oboro is cut down, a Naraku air fleet under the command of Utsuro opens fire on the skirmish, seriously injuring both Sasaki and Kondo.

Somehow, I doubt this is the last we'll see of Oboro. We've yet to learn how he survived being impaled on a piece of Gintoki's Lake Toya bokuto at the end of the Courtesan of a Nation Arc, and in light of Utsuro/Shoyo's reappearance, I'm willing to bet that the Tenshoin Naraku have access to some sort of resurrection magic or incredibly advanced Amanto medical technology. Plus, Oboro being done in by anyone but Gintoki just doesn't feel right.

While being carried to safety by Nobume, Isaburo reveals that he knows she isn't the one responsible for murdering his wife and child. Upon noticing bloodstains leading away from the scene of the crime, it didn't take Isaburo long to figure out that Nobume/Mukuro attacked the assassins in an effort to protect the Sasakis. Still, the fact that he didn't want to be alone prompted him to use Nobume as a tool for vengeance. Similarly, Nobume's guilt over not successfully stopping the assassination coupled with her desire for companionship inspired her to stay with Sasaki. That Sasaki gave the person who supposedly murdered his family the name of his late daughter shows that he truly cared for Nobume, whose previous name apparently meant “corpse.” Also, Nobume is the only person Isaburo didn't delete from his list of email contacts while preparing to set his master plan into motion. (When it comes to Sasaki, there's no greater sign of devotion.)

Since the bond between Nobume and Sasaki is arguably the most interesting thing about either character, the revelation that Nobume didn't kill Sasaki's family is such a relief. Nobume being responsible for the deaths of her namesake and Sasaki's wife would have been a great vehicle through which to explore the theme of forgiveness, but frankly, this says a lot about Nobume's character. In the past, she's always seemed emotionless (except when donuts are at stake), and she has mean streak that rivals Sogo's. However, the fact that she would go to such lengths to protect the family of someone she had only met once—and spend years claiming responsibility for a truly inhuman act—speaks volumes for what a caring individual she is at heart.

When the group reaches the airship Matsudaira commandeered, Sasaki—who's now being supported by Nobume and his baby-faced brother Tetsunosuke—is the last one to board the vessel. As the trio makes its way onto the entry platform, two Naraku stragglers sneak up behind them, prompting Isaburo to push his companions onto the ship and use his last ounce of strength to dispatch the attackers. In the next instant, Utsuro's gunship blasts the entry platform off the airbound ship, sending a mortally wounded Sasaki plummeting to certain doom. However, Isaburo accepts his fate with quiet resolve, content in the knowledge that Nobume has achieved true strength and is no longer alone.

Even though two supporting characters have now met their maker, I've yet to feel as though the principal cast is at risk. Kondo's death was teased several times throughout this arc, but I never thought they'd actually kill him off, and barring anything unforeseen in next week's finale, I'm probably right. The series wants to demonstrate the true cost of war, but it never reaches Game of Thrones levels, where every character, important or otherwise, felt like they might be on the chopping block. (Of course, this isn't to say I want any more of our beloved Kabuki-cho residents to leave any time soon.) To be fair, the show clearly wanted us to believe that Kondo's death was on the table, but it never quite convinced me.

For the second week in a row, comedy is thrown out the window (I counted two jokes), but the show remains riveting and the Farewell Shinsengumi Arc has outdone even the stellar Shogun Assassination storyline before it. I don't know how many more characters Hideaki Sorachi intends to kill off, but if the lead-in to each death is as emotional as this one, I'm going to have to stock up on tissues before the anime returns from its forthcoming hiatus.

Rating: A

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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