It took me 9 months to get through the entirety of Gintama, but I've finally finished it. So... As per usual, this is me ranking stuff and telling my thoughts on the entire series. Minor spoilers ahead, but will warn in advance. (Thread)

Gintama is everything. Comedy, parody, slice of life, battle shounen, horror, harem, video game, sports show, border line pornography. Sorachi tackles whatever genre he wants to, and adds his own twist to it.

Gintama has done it all. It is however, most of the time, whatever genre it might tackle, primarily a comedy, and that is where my love for it primarily comes from. It is without a doubt, the funniest anime I've ever seen.

It's a very special show, cause it is almost always very entertaining, even the recap episodes. It's very witty, and cleverly written, so the jokes almost always work, even one note characters are used sparingly and cleverly. However, Gintama is not all comedy.

It has its serious arcs, that are almost always good. Doesn't clash with the tone at all and works perfectly because of the premise. Gintama is not perfect however, it's probably the most flawed favourite series of mine.

The first couple of serious arcs have some minor storytelling issues, but, since it is for the most part, a comedy. Around 300 episodes of comedy, it's not always a hit. There is definitely a hit or miss humour, especially the first episodes, it has a VERY slow start.

It's a pity, but it can be inconsistent, but it does get a lot better and more consistent over time, and when you've seen enough peaks, the valleys no longer matter that much. Most of the time, it hits. And, it hits hard. It is, for the most part, hilarious.

The magic of Gintama, however, is its ability to create that extreme emotional investment in the characters, mostly through the comedy, but it does this by also sprinkling in character stuff in episodes.

Some episodes are completely wholesome and dedicated to character work (mostly Kagura are in the center of these episodes; her first phone, radio exercises etc.). Coupled with the dramatic arcs, makes us really care for the characters in dangerous situations.

This duality between is the thematic core of the series, and it is integrated into the very story structure of Gintama, and its main character, the masterfully crafted Gintoki, who I wrote an entire thread on recently.

This theme integration, is some of the most impressive I've ever seen, tbh, in a work, since it pours in int every single part of the show. It's honestly incredible how organically it earned my investment, and it slowly became one of the best binges I've ever had.

Now, on to ranking stuff, before I conclude this thread.

Ranking my favourite OPs:

1. I Wanna Be/Genjou Destruction
2. Sakuramitsutsuki
4. Beautiful Days
5. Togenkyo Alien
6. Pride Kakumei
7. Know Know Know
8. Kagerou
9. Dilemma
10. Katte ni MY SOUL
11. Anata MAGIC

Ranking my favourite EDs:

1. Moonwalk
2. Hana Ichi Monme
3. Samurai Heart
4. Balance Doll
5. Wo Ai Ni
6. Acchi Muite
7. I Ai Ai
8. Hankou Seimei
9. Saigou Made II
10. Wonderful Days
11. Candy Line

Ranking my favourite comedy arcs:

1. Feigned Ilness
2. Vacation
3. Confessional
4. Scandal
5. Soul Switch
6. Afro
7. Host Club
8. Timeskip
9. Character Poll
10. Owee
11. Santa

Ranking my favourite series arcs:

14) Shinsengumi Crisis: By far my least favourite serious arc. Drags and isn't very funny. Itou was decent, but not too interesting. It has its moments, but overall I just found it boring and lackluster. Still mostly fun. Score: 7/10