”I am Sakata Gintoki, disciple of Yoshida Shouyou” I’m going to keep this one short for now because I want to keep this spoiler free so that I can pin it on my profile, specially for two reasons. Firstly I want people to able to read this and perhaps start the series solely for this masterpiece, and secondly because I want to give this episode as much praise as I possibly can because it’s nothing short of a masterpiece. Going into the episode and arc I’ve been especially hesitant and excited, because I had no clue how it was going to live up to the hype. I’ll definitely admit that I am not the biggest fan of the first 2 seasons of this show (1-252) but I believe that this arc and especially this episode make it all worth the while, and then some. Truly a masterpiece and one of the best peaks in fiction, the episode quite literally serves as a benchmark of fictional achievement and thinking otherwise is quite literally brain dead. Every single minute and millisecond of this episode is perfect. While the entire arc has been a pretty far cry from the gintama that you grow accustomed to, this episode is quite literally nothing like the show and still doesn’t feel out of place. The pacing, especially with the flashbacks makes the probably 5 minute fight have so much impact and I was utterly shocked at how they brought around the twist for the episode particularly because the build up only started in the last 7-8 minutes of 4x39, but it was executed to a phenomenal degree and despite knowing the twist I was still blown away, and on the verge of crying 3 different times in the last 10 minutes alone. Looking back now my perception of the show has changed slightly, and while I don’t really agree when people say that everything before this is build up and I can definitely see why they think that, as it feels like every little piece from even in the openings in the show, falls perfectly into its place, all just within 20 minutes. As for the heights this episode reaches, don’t even get me started. It’s peak after peak after peak and literally does not stop, just when you think the episode has reached its limit something even more insane happens and I just love it. Definitely in my top 3 for Enjoyability (the episode) and most certainly in my top 5 tv peaks ever, the final sequence of Gintoki vs takasugi is probably the most rewarding, heartbreaking, and beautiful thing ever put to screen. I can kind of empathise with gintama glazers now, and while I’m not fully converted just yet I will say that my feelings for the show have definitely changed with this arc, very much for the better. I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come now, I was a bit nervous coming off of enchousen but I think I’m finally at the point where it’s nothing but up from here and if I wasn’t away right now I’d probably finish the show in a day. Breathtaking, literally jaw dropping, and a blessing, this is far in a way one of my favourite episodes of tv ever, undoubtably in my top 10 and I don’t see it ever leaving. Absolutely cinema 🙌 Some takes: #3-5 tv peak #5/6 (tied) tv/anime episode #1-5 backstory #1 fight #1 voice acting in an episode 6/5