Gintama

Episode 364

Even with the series' Big Bad purportedly vanquished several episodes ago, all is far from well in the Gintama-verse. With the Tendoshu rumored to be making a comeback and terrorist attacks occurring on planets with nationalized Altana, a brand new battle appears to be in store for our heroes. Although Gintoki is able to track down Takasugi (and inadvertently meet up with Matako and Takechi in the process), the two are soon set upon by a battalion of plain-clothes assassins who bear the mark of the Naraku. Through several ham-fisted attempts at teamwork, the duo is able to defeat the assassins before setting sail on a ship Takasugi prepared. As it turns out, the attackers were after Shoyo's heart, which Gintoki is currently in possession of.

Meanwhile, back in Edo, Sogo and “Kanna” continue to duke it out. During their skirmish, Sogo reveals that although the Shinsengumi are rumored to have disbanded, many of its former members are currently working in the shadows to eliminate threats to the country. He also claims that having Mutsu deliver Kanna was part of a larger plan to bring Gintoki, whose help is needed in combating a larger threat, out of hiding. When Sogo begins directing his attacks at Shinpachi, Kanna alters her age and size and reveals herself to be Kagura. Having somehow learned the technique used by the Yato elder from earlier in the season, Kagura opines that despite two years of searching, she hasn't found a way to awaken Sadaharu.

Three episodes into Silver Soul's third act, the action has already been turned up to eleven—even if the majority of it is humorous in nature. Gintoki and Takasugi's bickering and Gin's newly revealed (One Piece-esque) inability to swim set the stage for lots of humorous banter and creative fight sequences. It's always fun to see the perpetually stoic Takasugi brought down to Gintoki's level, and the duo's various methods of fending off their attackers while fighting one another make for some of this week's funniest gags. Matako and Takechi aren't given much to do this week, but now that they've confirmed their fearless leader's survival, they'll probably be able to rest a little easier. Their presence also facilitates what is arguably the best “Takechi impersonates Takasugi” gag the show has ever given us.

The revelation that Kanna is, in fact, Kagura isn't terribly surprising, but it probably wasn't meant to be. Although one of the main characters having a surprise daughter (after only two years) is an effective parody of other flash-forward epilogues, Kanna's presence stood to make Kagura redundant if the latter was indeed her mother. (Plus, Tamako already has the whole “miniaturized version of a regular character” schtick covered.) It's disappointing to learn that no progress has been made on the Sadaharu front, but the pup's eventual awakening will likely serve as an important plot point moving forward.

Each week, the proceedings feel less and less like an epilogue and more like an entirely new arc. If approached with this mindset, we may be looking at the beginning of one of Gintama's most promising storylines yet. In the past, the characters acknowledged that the show utilized a floating timeline, thus preventing the characters from aging, and taking the story into the future represents a bold move for any comedy. (The future presented in the second movie was a “bad end” scenario instead of the genuine article.) At present, there are too many plot threads and character arcs that need to be resolved before the series can reach a satisfactory conclusion. With the recent announcement that the parent manga failed to conclude as planned and will publish its real final chapters in Giga Jump, it's become clear that Gintama isn't going away any time soon.

Rating: A-

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is an author who has loved anime for over two decades.