The past can be full of emotion
After making time from watching new anime and completing other series, I finally get round to the Shogun Assassination Arc, and I can say right now that it was amazing. There was a bit of everything in it, from the characters we all know and love, a strong and exciting plot, battles between people we've wanted to see, to experiencing so many feels about halfway through the Arc.
And let's not forget the added bonus of learning more about Gintoki's past which reveals things we've thought about, but I shall not mentioned here to avoid spoiling the Arc for those who have yet to watch it. What I will say is, it did not disappoint after getting round to it a year after the Arc initially aired.
Does not disappoint one bit.
To enlighten you all on the plot, there's a plan to overthrow our beloved Shogun, Lord Shigeshige. Sarutobi manages to stop the first attempt we see on his life, and tells the Shogun and his sister about the assassination attempt. As a result, the Shinsengumi and Odd Jobs are summoned to help protect the Shogun from those responsible and stop them before anything happens to him. This is the hilarious part as they're initially used as Shogun doubles by Matsudaira in some rather questionable disguises which looked even worse when blurred out. But then the plan to save Shogun from the assassins comes into play and we get to see and know things we've either never thought about or have been longing to know/see. Like, we get to know more about the Oniwaban and their relationship with the Shogun, and more which I will mention momentarily.
We get some more moments before things get serious and we learn that Takasugi and co are the ones behind the assassination attempt on the Shogun's life. Not much of a spoiler as Gintama does have a limited number of villains, but they're featured differently each time and either continue to be villains or are eventually on good terms with Odd Jobs.
Anyway, Takasugi has also gotten the help of the Yato Clan, namely Kamui, his Vice Captain I forget the name of, and their army. Turns out they've already infiltrated the teams involved in protecting the Shogun, and initially it looked like they managed to get someone to also turn against him. Or did they?
As a result, everyone gets into battle, no matter their location. We finally get to see Okita and Kamui in battle for the first time; could there have been better battle participants? Not when you have two psychos battling it out for first blood and first kill. I won't announce the victor, just that it was a really good battle.
There's a short break during which everyone tries to recover and plan their next move, and we get to learn some more stuff about the Oniwaban that I mentioned earlier, and why they're joining in the battle to save the Shogun. Turns out they're pretty close to him, and have known each other since they were kids. The Oniwaban serve the Shogun, but with this Shogun, it goes much deeper than that.
This then leads to other good battle lineups, including Kagura v Kamui who continue their sibling rivalry, and Takasugi v Gintoki. It's during this battle we learn about something we've thought about but haven't known much about til now: Gintoki's past. It's such a deep and emotional past that those who commented on the episodes were wishing they didn't know something as dark as his past, which includes Takasugi and Katsura. The past explains a lot of stuff, like how they met, and why things are as they are in the present between them, though it doesn't really affect Katsura. He doesn't show up in this at all apart from the flashbacks. But this battle has a lot more meaning to it once we find out about the two's past, and ends with a surprise entrance from someone who's from their past too. Talk about the past coming back to haunt you.
Once all the fighting ends, everyone tries to figure out what to do next when Lord Nobunobu shows up. I can't remember the first time he shows up, but apparently he and his army have other ideas in relation to the Shogun. It was put in a bit suddenly in my opinion, but I'll overlook it because it has an impact on the events which occur on the end, and what happens in between comes as a shock which marks the end of the Arc.
This Arc was the most serious yet deep one in Gintama. It reveals so much that if you want closure in wanting to know about some characters, it's a must watch on so many levels. I think it also has the biggest character count to date in a Gintama Arc, and you won't see some characters in the same way again after finding out about their past. I loved each episode as they got deeper and darker, with a lot of action to boot, apart from the confusing short moment I mentioned earlier. Nevertheless, this is a huge turning point in the anime, and Gintama never fails to amaze. Even when it moves into genres you wouldn't associate with Gintama, it definitely knows how to make those moments perfect. Your heartstrings are tugged on at the right times, and your feels are triggered when they're needed. You don't expect that from Gintama!
I have yet to finish Season 3, and now the new Season of Gintama has released! I'm not that far from it yet; I think I just have the Farewell Shinsengumi Arc to go and then I can get to the 2017 episodes.
What are your guys' thoughts on the Shogun Assassination Arc? Share them in the comments!
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