#gintama is very good yes yes

[allboutheyaoi]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....

This is interesting, I must answer this ask.

They are in no particular order.

Miyauchi Ichirou from Kashikomarimashita, Destiny (this is very obvious right from the start)

Sanji from One Piece (*sweats* yes, I am a very avid OP fan)

Jiang Cheng from Mo Dao Zhu Shi / Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (my favourite depressed anger management grape uncle)

Hua Cheng & Xie Lian ~ Hualian from Tian Guan Ci Fu / Heaven Official's Blessing (nah I don't care they come as ONE)

Xiao Ce'an & Shen Lanzhou ~ Cezhou from Qiang Jin Jiu (separating them is just infeasible)

Hijikata Toushirou from Gintama (I was SO goddamn crazy over him for a good period of time)

Ueda Tomoharu & Gotouda Aki from Honto Yajuu (how can I not include my forever OG BL couple)

He Tian & Mo Guan Shan from 19 Days (they're my empire)

Kwon Haebeom from Our Sunny Days (LISTEN THIS SERIES JUST CAME OUT IN 2023 BUT THIS MAN RIGHT HERE I WANT HIM SO BAD)

Dimitri from Anastasia (my childhood crush, always)

Honorable Mentions (because it was REALLY hard to choose):

Song Qinglan (Mist)

Ginko (Mushishi)

Benimaru Shinmon (Fire Force)

Oh dear, this was actually ALOT harder than I thought. I MIGHT have cheated a little (just abit), but it was literally impossible to choose ONE!!! Thank you for such an interesting ask!!! <3

[ryuichirou]

Replies

A lot of replies! A bunch about a Florid Prison Warden AU comic from yesterday, a couple about other fandoms, one about antis, a bunch of shippy stuff (Falena/Leona, Lilia/Silver), some spicy stuff etc.

Anonymous asked:

Prison Warden au is back!

Yes!! After almost a year... I am amazed that so many people remember this AU. Thank you...

Anonymous asked:

How long can Floyd possibly hide Riddle in his cell? Also, how did he knock him out to begin with?

Riddle is currently far away from the prison, he was knocked out pretty much for the entirety of Floyd’s escape and has no idea where he is. He is technically in a cell right now... but in a different kind of cell.

Knocking him out wasn’t that difficult, Floyd just went ahead and squeezed him very tightly~ Until Goldfishie fell asleep...

Anonymous asked:

So what will they do to Riddle now?

Anonymous asked:

So Riddle got kidnapped after Floyd escape? Now I wonder what happened.

Well, for now Riddle will stay at an undisclosed location in the middle of nowhere in some dark room, and Floyd will have to take care of him. How the turns have tabled, eh? Now Goldfishie is the one being locked up <3 These two will have a lot of fun during Riddle’s stay! And Riddle is going to end up being traumatised for sure...

But they probably won’t be able to keep him there forever, so who knows what will happen next?

Anonymous asked:

You have made Sukufushi art before??? Omg why was I not aware of this

Hehe yes!! It was ages ago, but I used to draw these two a lot. We didn’t post the majority of my jjk sketches though because we didn’t really post very often back then + didn’t think anyone really wanted to see them, which was kind of true lol

Anonymous asked:

I'm the one who asked about Bobobo.  It's a very silly, nonsensical, random show.  An evil empire is trying to make everyone bald and a man fights them with his armpit and nose hair.  There's also a guy who fights with farts.  It's been awhile since I watched it but I think there were a few serious, dark moments, though most of it's a lead up to a joke.  I wondered if you and Katsu would like it cause the reason I watched Gintama was cause it reminded me of it and iirc you've Gintama

Oh god, so it’s this kind of show (in a good way)!

Dark and heavy moments that are a lead up to a joke is honestly one of my favourite ways to treat comedy+drama, this is why we love Gintama so much (and also Osomatsu-san and also South Park lol). Bobobo really does sound like it has this same vibe.

I don’t know if we’ll watch it anytime soon, but I’ll definitely keep it in mind. Thank you, Anon!

Anonymous asked:

Regarding the sneezing HCs, do you think Malleus will spit fire and roast everything in front of him when he sneezes? Bro has pretty bad control over his magic after all LMAO

YES. THIS IS SUCH A GOOD POINT AND I DIDN’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

Hoo boy, just imagine Malleus feeling like he is about to sneeze and Lilia running from the other side of the dorm to grab his nose because he knows it never ends well.

Anonymous asked:

About the response talking about antis, yeah it's hard for me to look for fics and fanart because I'll often run into antis...

I feel like part of it might be that they don't look at who a game is for or what genre it is apart from RPG/visual novel/ect, I don't think they know what joseimuke is (and I'm a still lil confused on the target audience of those as well, but I think it's mainly women with a disposable income?) and they think the target audience's age = casts' age, so since the cast is teens, then it's for teens by their logic...even though shows like South Park exist and I ain't showing that to a young kid.

I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt that they genuinely think they're helping people/doing good things/ect since a lot of them aren't adults, but I can't.  I just can't get that impression from them at all.  The "nicest" I can be towards them is that they're young and dumb and will hopefully grow out of it or they need therapy but can't get it for some reason and this a kind of cry for help

Let’s be honest: if they weren’t dicks about it, no one would even care. We all understand that people don’t like some things, and all of us don’t like certain categories of people in our own fandoms, this is just a human experience. Minding your own business is what matters, and this is what they can’t do.

The majority of them are young and dumb, and a lot of them will grow out of it (or switch their aggression elsewhere because they’ll lost interest in fandom stuff) though. Some won’t, but there always are immature people that are much older... this is where they’re coming from lol

Maybe some of them really do believe that they’re doing the right thing and genuinely don’t know better, but I think for a lot of them finding a convincing enough reason to shit on others is the entire point of fandom experience. So even knowing what joseimuke is won’t stop them, only them losing interest and moving away from these spaces will.

All we can do is shrug and wait... and block people left and right lol

Anonymous asked:

What kind of hentais does Idia read or know of? Does he play eroges? If so what kind?

I think Idia knows every single hentai there is, even if he hadn’t read/watched/played all of them. Alright, maybe not every single one, but quite a lot lol But at the same time, he strikes me as someone who would be into it art-wise and would legit watch porn for the plot. So his favourite eroges are the ones with engaging stories and good character writing... I guess asking for that from a hentai game is a tall order, but Idia would argue and rant about some of his favourite titles if he was told “it’s just porn”. It’s not just porn, it’s an entire experience, the buildup that makes the porn good!

I know a part of me wants to say that he would play “oniichan” kinds of games, but I think he would ironically stay away from those... it feels weird to him somehow... too embarrassing.

He also doesn’t mind really fucked up tropes and scenarios. He could look at a tentacle hypnosis scene or a scene where someone is pushing out an alien egg and say “heh classic”. Truly, the greatest enjoyer of art.

Anonymous asked:

Hello! So I’ve been wondering of all the TWST tops, who’s winning the girth-and-length off?

Personally it could go either for Jack, Rook or Sebek. the Octatrio kind of cheats tho? their merform could pull these off easily.

anyway very curious to hear your thoughts!

Anon, this is such a good answer and I agree with you, even though I did write a post about peen sizes at some point, and I had a bit of a different top3 lol

To us, the winner is Lilia both because we are very committed to this joke + apparently for bats dick-to-body proportions are insane, so I guess there is some meat (heh) to this joke after all.

The second one was Floyd, and I still think the Tweels are one of the hugest, but... Jack and Sebek are absolutely up there, and I think they’ll grow bigger and girthier. They’ll become the biggest ones in a year or two.

I agree that Rook is big, but I think Trey is longer than Rook while still being quite girthy.

I am also 100% sure Yana has a list for this that we will never see...

Anonymous asked:

Firstly, I’m new to your blog and I LOVE YOUR ART AND HCS SO MUCH! They’re beautiful and amazing and it’s incredible seeing a blog being so unabashedly problematic with no shame!

That aside, I’m not sure if you ever talked about him before, but what do you think about Falena. Specifically for Falena/Leona?

I’ve seen some works (all super incredible, of course) of Faleleo stuff in Leona’s perspective, so I was wondering how do you think Falena would be like in the situation he’s loving his little brother a bit too much? We all know Leona’s gonna be a tsun about it but what about niisan?

Anon! First of all, welcome and I hope you enjoy your stay. Second of all, thank you so much for appreciating our stuff and being supportive of our self-indulgent selves! lol

We love Falena/Leona in theory; we haven’t dived into them because we haven’t seen much of Falena + don’t care much for Leona. Still, we are 100% supportive of this ship! Every time we rewatch The Lion King, I get more and more into Mufasa/Scar...

Regarding your question, it’s interesting because I think the default really is to think that it’s Leona who is obsessive over Falena, and Falena might not even have a clue about it (or have a clue but still choose to be a proper future king instead of fooling around with Leona). But it’s entirely possible for him to also be very into Leona, it could even be more fun this way.

I feel like Falena has always been an adoring brother and Leona greatly underestimates just how much Falena loves him. Not only he worries about his future and cares about him (that’s a given), he also is genuinely impressed by his wit and intelligence; I wouldn’t be surprised if Falena talks about Leona all the time lol Maybe he gets as excited as Cheka sometimes, which is endearing at first, but then feels like Falena is um... a bit too much into him...

Falena also feels like someone who would rationalise his feeling by thinking that him being a king and having a wife and a son is one thing, but being with Leona is another thing, their private special thing that could actually still improve things for the entire Kingdom: if Leona is by his side and works together with him, they will be unstoppable. This is something that Falena wants the most... even if it’s just a way to justify his desire to have access to Leona (and his body) all the time. He needs to give Leona some attention, right? He wasn’t able to do it lately, right? This has to change.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if they had a bunch of “iffy” moments when they were younger. A sudden closeness during sparring, a hug that lasted longer than anticipated, a bite that was meant to be playfully teasing but ended up being too sensual and dominating. That tension existed for a very long time, and it only gets stronger with time.

Anonymous asked:

God... I am enraptured by Them. Completely obsessed with those first days Lilia started playing with Silver. You think he went slow with touches and inappropriate kisses, or just one day told him they're doing something new and put his whole dick inside him at once??? Silver couldn't have gotten so good at handling anything without trial and error... Have there been times Lilia overestimated him and left him overwhelmed and SOBBING sobbing, like he had to stop immediately or his kid wouldn't be the same person again kind of overwhelmed. Ughhhh I'm obsessed with them and their awful history

Anon, I am so happy you like these two this much. I feel like this awful history is such an obvious but tasty and amazingly working trope for them, it just works.

I guess it’s fair to say that Lilia went slow with his inappropriate behaviour, I honestly think that Silver didn’t even notice the switch, as if it was never there. He’s always been his father’s cute boy. Of course it’s just the way he remembers things... But he does remember the first time he had Lilia’s whole dick inside him!

But also yes, of course there had been a bunch of times when Lilia got too excited and overdid it with Silver. Even though Lilia did try to pace himself, I think he completely broke Silver all over like 10 times; and sometimes he is amazed that he turned out okay with what he went through. But he got better very fast! A miracle of true love <3

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

Summary: It's a fine day in Edo, and Gintoki would very much appreciate it if everyone could get off his case. Also, Hijikata really ought to dress for the occasion.

Author: @imagineeringcrow

[fourtyfourcatss]

୨⎯ "for @immagirlfailure " ⎯୧

✑ from what i’ve read from you, you seem like the type who wants to fit in for your securities but you also have the want to be out of the ordinary — so you show this in more inconspicuous ways. i can tell you want to make good impressions on people too. in no way am i judging you of course! this helps with my matchups. alongside all of that, and the information you have sent me, these are who I have picked for you!

GINTAMA ✑ TATSUMA SAKAMOTO

✑ this man right here will make you feel so special, and so right to yourself. he’s the type of person who sees you at your worst and most vulnerable — and the first thing he does is wind his arms around you and whispering tenderly into your ear, “are you ok, love?” and he rubs your arms and embraces you whole for who you are truly. he’s compassionate, extremely so, even though its hidden behind many of his other words and actions. thats why, i think he will be able to nestle deep into your heart and let you release your laughs <3

✑ tatsuma is very goofy and silly yes, he wants to enjoy life and what it has to offer with you by his side, the air around the two of you light but affectionate. but he is also he thinks you are truly someone endearing, someone worth the endearments. if you choose to stay on earth, it would sadden him greatly to not have you be at his side, but like the gentleman he is, he sees you off with a brave face and kisses at your hands and temple (and lips but sometimes hes so clingy with you that mutsu has to drag him before kiss 😞)

✑ he dresses up as a fucking penguin for halloween

✑ slowdancing at night with your voice as the music. it feels idyllic as he grasps your waist and the two of you sway to the music. sometimes it would be traditional western ballroom dancing for romanticism, and diluted movements so he can look at you. his gaze is very intense and tender during this time, his hold heavy, and you really start to think, “is he really not in condition to hold a sword?” from how he grasps your waist. he is one of the joui four. he’ll sweep you away with his words and expressions on his every action.

✑ as a trading company, politics and mingling is very important! he will be counting on your assistance, since you seem well versed with banquets and the like.

✑ if you do go with him, you share a large bedroom with him and your own private study for reading. he’ll stock you with all you need and more ❤︎₊ ⊹

TWST ✑ JADE LEECH

✑ eccentric? jade is a man well abled dealing with whatever ails you; be it physical or whatnot. he is very intrigued by your tastes and attitude, making a point to tap you on the shoulder and peering down at you. he’s too fucking tall compared to you, and delights in lightly teasing you regarding it since you made a point to bring it up. you trying to make this happen constantly or something? 😭 floyd talks enough with that constant reminder of shrimpy! almost nobody believes you when you tell them this courteous man likes to poke fun of you sometimes. he’s a very observant man you see; he sees right through you many times before you get a word in. he’s going to play dumb subtly and take advantage of your denseness at first, playing you off as a lady who has been raised in a well off family with a refined culture yet with a naivety that comes with being dense itself. ah, he finds it very interesting indeed! but as he warms up to you, the more tangled he is without even noticing. the definition of stepping onto your own trap, what a doofus he is sometimes

✑ penguins are very cute creatures yes, but did you know….moray eels are cooler?

✑ he gives you food when you visit the mostro lounge - discounted. even later on in your relationship he still makes you pay, though a very small amount. money needs to be earned and you are a customer all the same if you go to the lounge! however if you go to his dorm, that is another story. and then he brings you gifts and the like visiting your dorm, every date with a fresh banquet of flowers in his hands, and some tuna for grimm! despite that, he really, really isnt that good with animals. its the one thing he’s never been good at. is it because his hands are too rough when petting? or his eyes are too much like a predators? you’ll have to show him the right way to go about animal care

✑ procrastination? we cannot have this here. jade will show you The Way of efficiency while you can feel like you are flourishing - he’ll convince and give you the motivation that is needed to complete whatever matter you must. if help is needed, he would be of assistance!

ONMYOJI ✑ KIDOUMARU

✑ you are normal compared to this fucker right here. kidoumaru demonstrates to you how romantic genetics apparently passes down from father to son with how he acts around you. not a single day of rest comes by with this guy around, suddenly appearing from the shadows behind you and talking directly into your ears. life will never be boring with him around you for sure - your blend of optimism and realism is something that isnt easy to see in humans, and it fascinates him greatly.

✑ you can fix this man in particular. your relationship does not start off romantic in any sense at all - he probably kidnapped you whilst looking for something to entertain himself with and chose the human who had the most interesting gaze at the moment. thats you. he has this sadistic feeling knowing he’s stealing you away from your family, but at the same time, he can see that you are a person who seeks happiness - chasing it with a fervent that makes him smile. wait, smile?

✑ kidoumaru cannot see himself around someone gloomy or silently pained all the time — thats why someone vibrant like you is perfect for his company. many times he will internally fall into some solemn mood, and he lets himself rely on you for feeling more upbeat.

✑ he has a growing interest in zoology after learning your likes for it — more likely he digs fun facts out of you for them. especially if they are grotesque or weird or vulgar in some way, he particularly enjoys those. he never held much interest in worldly things, but you are the start of his further deepening interest in them.

✑ it will be hard being in a relationship with him. i do not think he would his deny adoration for you, no, quite the opposite. he falls into it headfirst out of curiosity, and is prepared to accept the consequences whatever it may be. hes not like other demons.

✑ picnics, lots and lots of them. just sitting under a tree in the evening, spring wind brushing the trees and sitting together.

[a/n]: i hope you enjoyed these matchups!! ive given you a lot of sadistic men, i hope youre fine with that. even read the descriptions and asks over and over while writing to get better ideas lol. i appreciate this exchange and i cant wait for mine!

[reductionisms]

gintama and the powerscale: looking at 4devas bitchslap

today i attempt to answer a question that's been in the back of my mind for over 3 years: is gintama actually about losers?

i'm certain we all know this line:

rough. what about the following page?

in the manga about losing?

i think the bitchslap is very provocative. here, shinpachi-- the narrative-- punches gin for saying, in effect, "please stay alive". he justifies it by arguing that no one's going to die, that they're not going to lose-- but gin, who would normally respond, says nothing.

well, what can he say? gintama is, after all, full of losers; gintoki's job, then, is to tell the losers that yes, they'll keep losing, yes, everyone might die, but, despite it all, they still have to live. against this, the bitchslap declares the opposite: no one's going to lose, no one's going to die. mystifyingly, gintoki does not refute it.

unsurprisingly, the bitchslap's actual context is the narrative parallel between gintoki and jirocho. jirocho's arc process is: make a promise->fulfill promise alone->fail because alone->learn to get help from others->fulfill the promise with help from others.

but since sorachi is sorachi, jirocho's development within 4devas must be clarified by gintoki-as-thematic-mirror. gintoki thereby becomes jirocho's other self. preceding "life doesn't have to be fun" is:

following the shinpachi bitchslap is:

so gintoki is: promises to protect otose->protects otose by himself->fails to protect her->the present conversation. considering that kagura and shinpachi ask to go with gin to fight jirocho, that gintoki is punished by the narrative (literally punched across the room) for saying no to this, and, finally, that shinpachi tells gintoki he's wrong because "no one will die since we'll protect you!/us three have protected so much all this time!", i think we can say that the "development" 4devas demands from gintoki is: promise to protect otose->protects otose by himself->fails to protect her because he's by himself->learns to get help from others->protects otose.

so, what's the issue? within arc, gintoki's subplot holds. but while the message may hold for 4devas, it doesn't necessarily hold for gintama prior. pre4devas gintama, which is (supposedly) about living as a loser, doesn't seem to focus on present outcomes. it says: "you've lost in the past, and the important thing is that you keep fighting". it does not say, "if you keep fighting, you will win". certainly, sometimes gintama situations work out, but gintama doesn't really come out and say that this is a guaranteed or logical outcome. 

yet according to 4devas, if you work together with others, you will win. in fact, shinpachi punishes gin for assuming they won't win (⇔that anyone will die). that is, in the manga which, until this point, should have been about not-winning, no matter how good you are, no matter how hard you try, we get a message that guarantees winning.

I actually think this gets at a (the) deeper intra-gintama tension. we consider: is gintama about how to live in a world where no matter what you do, nothing ever works out, or is gintama about shounen-overcoming to concretely change the world because things do work out? similarly, does gin, as a character, change? (⇔according to gintama's "thematic unity", should he change?) and, finally, if we take that some things are unchangeable and some things aren't, how the hell do you tell the difference? is there an actual difference, i.e., is it so that you can take the correct set of actions to affect change, and therefore unchangeability is innately your fault?

(is 4 devas just sloppy writing?)

alright. here we go.

1.Is gintama about how to live in a world where no matter what you do, nothing ever works out, or is gintama about shounen-overcoming to concretely change the world so that things do work out?

we have thus far identified two strands of thought: in the first, that the world is changeable, in the second, that it is not. ultimately, though, we are dealing with a question of justification. if the bitchslap is justified, gintama is about shounen-overcoming; conversely, if “life isn’t fun/i just want you to live” is justified, then it deviates from shounen. the latter is justified in the world where linear change (that is, linear progress) is impossible; this is equally the world where you keep on losing, where surviving is loss itself and to die is to win. 

take gintama's favorite, seppuku. seppuku is a way to “win” your death. it allows you to defeat your circumstances by virtue of escaping them, alternatively, and less metaphorically, to preserve the honor of yourself and your loved ones through your death. 

yet you only commit seppuku is when there is no other option. in other words, suicide becomes a win only if there is nothing you can do to change your circumstances, that is, in a world where linear change is impossible. 

in a world where linear change is impossible, to die is to win. killing yourself proclaims a last mastery over the oppressive unchangeable. further, by dying, you are finally able to do something for your self, and this is what makes it a victory, because dying is actually the only thing you can do– it is the only victory available to you. 

then to stay alive in a world where linear change is impossible is to lose. more exactly, it is to continue losing for all of eternity. life is not fun, and survivorship is humiliating; living is to be a loser, in all senses of the word. you've lost your fight and you've lost everything precious to you. in such a world, if you’re not suicidal, it’s because you haven’t realized your situation yet. again, living is not the desirable outcome.

i’m not going to go through all of pre 4devas gintama, so i’ll make a general claim: gintama’s world pre4devas trends towards one without linear change. certainly, there are sometimes victories, but these are better called losses. for instance, the festival arc. gengai wants to win against (change) the world that took his son from him. this world is oppressive and unavoidable. there is an acute sense of the heaviness of fate; it is a sneaking suspicion that things would work out this way no matter anything anyone did, that they would be the same no matter even if gengai’s son was the strongest being in the universe. against this, gintoki stops gengai’s macrocosmic ritual suicide because it is also futile. gengai cannot change anything meaningful by killing the shogun, even in the present; in fact, as if a metaphor, the shogun has already left. in the end, gengai can only bow his head to cry about the futility of life. what is it that you want me to do?/how can you expect me to go on living?

following arcs repeat this pattern. gintoki defeats villains who are trying to kill themselves. when they yell at him, he doesn’t give them some guarantee of future success or happiness, just condemns them to live. hasegawa embodies this perfectly– he makes the decision himself to not win (not kill himself) and thereby lives on as an ontological loser. gintama recognizes the causality.

one might make the point that life doesn’t work out only for people who are not gintoki. gintoki, after all, seems to win his arcs pretty often, and he’s never trying to kill himself. to that, i raise 1. the decisive moment, where gintoki loses, 2. gintoki doesn’t really seem certain he’ll "win"– moreso, he responds to events straight off, with little apparent regard to odds of success, 3. we have one arc where gintoki does "lose"-- the guardian dog arc (gin loses because kyoujirou dies in spite of gin's calls to life), and 4. gintoki is a depressed loser himself (either he’s still actively suicidal or he already chose life in the non-changeable world– that is, to be an ontological loser). the optional 5. is that gintoki is a shounen protagonist, so he has to win semi-frequently to keep getting serialized. this is the probably the best answer. i would still argue that there’s a lack of givenness, a lack of training, a lack of assuredness, a lack of linearity about these wins. gintoki is not naruto; he does not progress through stronger and stronger villains, growing reciprocally more powerful with each one, and he does not make friends for the purpose of growing stronger together.

in any case, the world of gintama prior to 4devas looks like a world where linear change is impossible. if it was not, the world would not be crawling with so many losers. 

equivalently, the pre4devas message seems to be: life is losing, but you still have to live. when gengai asks “what do you want me to do/how can you expect me to go on living?” gintoki says, “beats me, just live a long life”. obviously this is shounen-atypical. our suicidal villains are all suicidal because they recognize there is no way to change anything; in short, there is no training arc, no powerscaling, no naruto. what do you do when the world is like this? gintoki denies you your suicide, so you are left being a loser. in other words, you are left figuring out how to live as a loser. is this not, “life doesn’t have to be fun, i just want you to live”?

into this comes the bitchslap.

the stakes are clear. the bitchslap acts against “life doesn’t have to be fun, i just want you to live” to declare, no one is going to die! i hope i have done a good enough job to convince you that this actually means, life is not losing. in any case, it is fundamentally opposed to [life doesn’t have to be fun/just live] ⇔ [life is losing, to live is to be an (ontological, in every sense) loser]. shinpachi, spokesperson of the “living is not losing” ideology, literally punches gin, the loser, through two rooms. 

so sorachi presents two opposite philosophies and chooses only one of them. fine. the problem now becomes, is this choice justified?

in a world without linear change, this choice is not justified. logically: the existence of the world itself declares that living is to be a loser. this is essentially what gin says. anything that is therefore not “life is losing” is unjustified. since “life is not losing” is not only not “life is losing”, but its actual opposite, “life is not losing” is the wrongest you can ever hope to possibly be about life in such a world. 

i made the general claim that gintama pre-4devas hesitantly takes the form of the nonlinear world. we've never had to directly consider this yet, simply because the narrative has never opened itself up to such a discussion. but, as I have tried to argue, I feel like the world itself trends this way, and gintoki’s continual calls to loserhood (living) therefore make implicit sense.

following this thread, that is, following the assumed thematic thread of the 300+ chapters before 4devas, gintoki is right to say “life doesn’t have to be fun/i just want you to live”, and the bitchslap is unjustified.

yet the bitchslap is justified, and its justification lands us in a world where living is not losing, no one is going to die (because we all work together!). this raises several important questions about feasibility, because the bitchslap is a direct, no, opposite departure from gintama’s prior loserhood. in no particular order: given our 300 chapter background of unchangeable loserhood, how do we justify and/or explain that living is not losing?, [related to the results of the former question] how do you define when things are changeable and when they aren’t?, and, assuming gintoki is wrong, does that mean he undergoes character development? 

anyways: how can we justify that life is not losing?

option a) powerscaling

this is straightforward: apply powerscaling logic to gintama. shinpachi actually does this himself; he says no one is going to die because gintoki has fought and defeated much stronger villains prior. further, he claims gintoki has managed to do so by working together with his friends (callback to the theme of 4devas). so shounen.

nevertheless, taking a cursory glance at pre 4devas gintama, we find that gintoki has defeated villains much stronger than jirocho. there is housen (equal in strength to umibozu, strongest in the universe after utsuro), jiraya (equal to the combined oniwabanshu), nizou the butcher (with the individual power of a battleship), et cetera. if we posthumously apply this logic, then yes, gintoki has defeated stronger, which implies either that 1. he was always stronger than all these villains or 2. that he has grown in strength through the enemies and now is stronger than them. here, whichever implication is truthful really doesn’t matter. what matters is that rationally, gintoki should be able to defeat jirocho, and it is ridiculous that he thinks he will not (the “life doesn’t have to be fun”). 

this method presupposes that pre4devas gintama actually cared about the power scale, or, in other words, that the power scale had meaning for pre4devas gintama, that it applied to pre4devas gintama. i think that there are enough perfectly strong people always absurdly losing to prove that it doesn’t. put another way, the power scale can’t apply in the world with no linear change (because strength doesn't matter in such a world). equally, there is also no amount of camaraderie that will enact change. from a bird’s eye standpoint, the power scale rationale holds, but a deeper understanding of pre4devas gintama calls it into question. 

so the powerscaling rationale applies itself to gintama after the fact, to times and places where it never applied previously. obviously we can allow for posthumous revelations that change our interpretation of prior events. but, selfishly, i would say that this is not one of them. there is simply not enough buildup for it. 

option b) genre

this is essentially gintama's meta-textuality, including its tendency to parody/subvert itself and its genre.

gintama is broadly shounen. if we read for genre, we can divide it into past (that is, everything established in-canon as having happened before the first chapter) and present (the current timeline, as is within first chapter and onward). gintama past is a war-hero tragedy, complete with genre-typical archetyping, structure, and hallmark events. gintama present is a satirical comedy that parodies and subverts anything it can get its hands on, including its author.

obviously, in tragedy, souls die. nothing works out, even if you do everything you can, even if it's enough, even if it should. likewise, in true comedy, souls don't die. if people die, they come back to life, or it's not that serious (⇔they needed to die⇔their soul lives on). everything is for the joke: you die for the joke, and it resurrects you in the end. et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

gintama, again, is self-referential, metatextual, etc etc etc. while each member of the cast does their own legwork, by far the most frequent meta-textual commentary vehicle is shinpachi. (that arc where otae comments on him not fulfilling his duty as a straightman because he's distracted by his crush on his penpal...?) shinpachi, as the straightman, has to tell gin he's not acting enough like a shounen protag so that comedic absurdity lands as a joke. essentially, we need a point of reference to come back to for anything in gintama to work; and it is shinpachi who, quite literally, holds up the narrative in this regard.

prior to 4devas, shinpachi straightmans largely for comedic storylines. that is in line with gintama's internal logic; there are a couple gags in serious arcs, but things that would be typically gagged (say, stabbing someone with a sword) instead have more realistic consequences to demonstrate that the arc is going to be serious. since shinpachi (or another straightman) is essential to land most gintama gags, it makes sense that he would drop the straightman-get back into your genre!-act to be serious when the narrative turns serious itself. that is, of course, if we read gintama genre as simply a feature of gintama's comedy, and not anything else.

conversely, what if gintama genre is significant for the story beyond comedy?

gintama's past is tragedy, but gintama's present is comedy. the story even moves settings to signify the change: the past takes place in the rural, idyllic south, while the present is in the red-light district of a booming metropolis. in fact, this red-light district is essential to gintama's comedy; its very existence is absurd. kabukicho residents are the outcasts of society, who don't fit into their genres, who aren't conforming to the tragedy of their era, who instead are laughing at it. kabukicho itself is comedic on purpose, in a very serious way. and 4 devas is the arc about kabukicho.

what does it mean, then, for shinpachi to punch gintoki and scream, no one's gonna die? if kabukicho is the present, the present is comedic, and kabukicho is comedic; while shinpachi is a resident of kabukicho, shinpachi is also the straightman who holds together all of gintama's comedy, and shinpachi punches gin because gin assumes they'll lose and people will die. essentially, the punch is a metatextual wakeup call. shinpachi the straightman says to gin, get ahold of yourself, you're thinking in the wrong genre. it's not the past anymore (gin's past, the tragedy, where people die), because we're in kabukicho, and this is comedy, so even things which would realistically end in tragedy, here, will not.

this argument is better than the power scale. unfortunately, it has some continuity issues. that is, how do you have a serious arc in a comedy? in this comedic present, lots of actions don’t work out simply for comedic effect (hasegawa). but actions have to start working out--that is, having consequences-- for any serious plot to move along. when does this begin? how valid are such developments? what is the limit to their working out? if we assume actions start working out in a serious arc in a comedic present, doesn’t that also imply that the comedic limit (which prevents actions from having consequences) on the power scale is gone? if the serious arc does not take place in a realistic world, does not take place in a tragedy, doesn’t that mean there are effectively no negative consequences? if this is all true, then why do people “lose” in serious arcs pre4devas? (what counts as a happy ending?)

i will pick up these thoughts another time.

onto the final option. 

option c) gintoki character development

option c assumes the thematic pivot. now, all the disjoint between pre and post4devas can be explained away if we assume gintoki undergoes character development throughout gintama present. i will discuss the specifics of that idea in the next section. suffice to say, we just take the pre4devas living-is-losing philosophy, which has been previously unchallenged, and say, well, it worked up until a point because there was no challenge strong enough to make gintoki question himself, and now, here is the challenge that is strong enough to make gintoki question himself. weirdly enough, the challenge is jirocho, who is a complete one-off villain. it does make more sense if we consider that gintoki is struggling with losing a parent figure again. but, then, why not shouy… yeah, that's for later.

so gintoki’s previously unchallenged living-is-losing is finally challenged in 4devas. he is proven wrong, and he must learn from it, and this course of development was always intended, from the very conception of his character and from the very beginning of gintama, so now the rest of gintama is going to be about gintoki growing as a character. 

taken another way, if we reverse-mirror from jirocho onto gintoki, jirocho learns that he can’t do anything alone, that he needs to pass on his duties to his successors in order to achieve success. equivalently, gintoki, who is not a loser, as in, who will not lose anyone else to the oppressive world, needs to learn to pass on his duties to his successors (the yorozuya, kabukicho). promises, promises! handing down promises and trying to fulfill them. (you need your friends to help you fulfill them!) sound familiar?

along these lines, i mean, the pivot makes sense. 

it just raises even more questions. well, perhaps i’m raising them. nevertheless.

if gintoki needs to learn that he will not lose, that he can fulfill his promises (⇔win the scenario) if he passes them onto/works for them with his friends, then why did nothing work out in the past? what makes kagura and shinpachi any better, any stronger, any more capable of winning than katsura, takasugi, and sakamoto? (bookmark this for later). further, has gin actually gotten stronger and/or more capable of defeating various enemies than he was as a war hero ten years ago? on what basis can we say that he can win now, when he couldn’t win back then? 

continuing, if gintoki needs to grow as a character by realizing that he won’t lose because he has people who will help him win, then gintoki and friends are "morally" convicted for failing shouyou. the possibility of character development (⇔linear change) implies that gintoki could have done something, anything, to prevent, well, the final result, and he didn’t. it implies that it wasn’t a truly impossible scenario, that it wasn’t a situation where both choices were wrong and you still had to choose; that there was a way out, if only he had been better about it, better about it earlier. so gintama turns powerscaling shounen; the struggle against the impossibly oppressive world (c.f. zura’s final lines to takasugi in benizakura) is done away with; there is no reason for takasugi to revolt for the sake of gintoki’s crying face. 

finally, and most importantly,

why did the hell did this only happen halfway through the goddamn manga?

2. Does gin change?

okay. i accept that i’m pretty bad at representing my opposition. i think, however, that i have the right to complain, if only because my opinion is certainly the exegetical minority.

in any case, i, not we, because this is probably just a me problem, am now forced to consider: does gin change during gintama present?

to answer this, i must return to some events pre-bitchslap. let’s go back to the graveyard.

it takes a full gintama reread to recall, so i’ll spare you: this is the first time we’ve seen gintoki freak out to this extent. the last time we saw anything even comparable was in our direct predecessor arc, red spider. there, after zenzou reveals jiraya's career history, gintoki does not react; zenzou and yoroyuza implore him not to go after jiraya because he’s too dangerous, and still gintoki does not reply; we see only his back. gradually, we notice that his hand is trembling on his bokuto. then we realize that it is trembling in silent anger, over shouyou. the pivot to his face reveals that his face is shaded. and when gintoki confronts jiraya, we get a lesson about becoming human. 

the comparison. when gintoki arrives and sees otose, presumably dead, we are only given his back. it rains. the rain trembles. jirocho addresses gintoki, calls him immortal. we see gintoki’s front, but not his face, which remains shaded. jirocho finishes speaking and the panels immediately cut to gintoki, who attacks without a word in advance. his face is mostly covered in shadow. the veins in his eye are popping. he looks crazed, insane, completely apart from his usual self, almost inhuman, silent throughout. he only hacks and hacks, with no reason, none of his usual logic or continuity, no real skill, and is thereby easily put down by jirocho. 

jirocho pierces gintoki’s forearm into a family plaque. gintoki’s eye stays popped out, not looking at jirocho, nor really anything at all. we get the sense he is almost not hearing or seeing anything jirocho says. so jirocho stands there and calls gintoki an attack dog, a guard dog, shiroyasha, with no reply. he does not address gintoki by gintoki’s human name. he only calls gintoki “gintoki” once, in the very beginning, before they fight. gintoki remains there, in the graveyard, silent and unseeing. when jirocho leaves he drags himself towards otose’s body and lays down like death.

the parallels, i hope, are pretty strong. red spider pivots on the revelation of shouyou: the flashback metatextually confirms that the child in the corpse field is a demon, but that shouyou’s love and care for it makes him human. to gintama, these are essential ontological positions. gintama’s ideal self is human; its villains are all struggling to be human themselves, and become human by encountering gintoki, a human. thus, gintama character development is presumably that of becoming human. i agree with this. i’m not that heretical. 

anyways, enough of the anthropology. here i'm going to focus on the non-human, the demonic, the ghostly. red spider gives us a set up. we have a glimpse of a never-before-seen anger, triggered by a perceived disrespect to shouyou. this anger is signified to us in that gintoki suddenly becomes entirely unintelligible. usually, we see his face, even if he never truly tells us what he’s thinking. now we suddenly lose access to even the face; we only see his back, the trembling hand. this is gintoki’s true anger. further, while this anger and human-ness are not related to each other within red spider, they show up in the same arc process. to me, that’s enough to think that sorachi’s subconscious is associating them thematically. 

4devas takes this setup and progresses it. the anger is developed, expounded upon. we know it is the same anger because it is triggered by disrespect to gintoki’s “new” shouyou (at least in parental capacity), otose. the signifiers are the same: we completely lose access to gintoki as a something knowable. this time, he does not even respond to jirocho’s provocations. so, yes. it is the same anger, but raised a few powers above the glance we had in red spider. 

before gintoki freaks out, jirocho calls him gintoki, once. then he calls him an immortal. then gintoki attacks. after this, jirocho calls him a dog, calls him shiroyasha, that is, a demon. he pins him to a headstone. metatextually, we find that gintoki is a ghost in a graveyard. explicitly, jirocho calls him demonic, beastly. here, in his incredible anger, gintoki loses his humanity. 

let’s skip forward from 4devas. in courtesan of a nation, we get a panel pretty much the same as that first attack panel in the graveyard. it, again, directly follows a provocation about shouyou (predictable much)? gintoki’s explosive strength is insane– he bites through a sword– but, as tsukuyo will note for us, he isn’t acting his usual self; he’s acting irrationally and actually hindering their fight. tellingly, he gets put in timeout by poisoned darts and is forced to calm down. i won’t go through it, but rest assured: the silence, the insane look, the back, are all present. gintoki becomes unreadable. 

flashing way, way, forward, into the utsuro era, whenever utsuro shows up, gintoki immediately goes mad dog and attacks him with no prior explanation. (the shouyou provocation). everyone comments on this. they say, you act crazy when you see him, you completely lose your head. you lose the ability to fight properly.

so, this offers us some insight into the 4devas situation. gintoki’s anger degrades him into something other than human. in this ontological state, he loses the ability to fight. in other words, he lost to jirocho not because jirocho is stronger than him, which he is not, but because gintoki himself lost it, and lost his ability to fight along with it. after all, per shouyou, only a sword that cuts to protect your soul can protect anything, and a sword that cuts to protect your soul is the sword of the ontological human. when we degrade from humanity, we therefore lose the ability to protect entirely. i think this was probably obvious to most of you (thought it was not to me).

this actually makes a lot of sense for the bitchslap. in this light, that is, of an inhuman gintoki who must return to his own humanity, shinpachi tells him he won’t lose to jirocho because he never was supposed to lose in the first place. “you won’t lose because we’ll be there with you” actually means that those who love gintoki make him human, thereby allowing him to fight properly. and, you know what, yeah, there’s nothing wrong with this. the bitchslap is here justified.

and yet, is it really?

firstly, just to get it out of the way, this justification of the bitchslap only works if we isolate “life doesn’t need to be fun”/the bitchslap from context. if we put them back into context, we realize that gintoki is refusing to let kagura and shinpachi accompany him to fight jirocho, which is why he says “life doesn’t need to be fun” in the first place. assuming the obvious rebuttal against perceived suicidality, shinpachi also punches gin because he and kagura want to come along; his justification is that gintoki won’t lose. if we assume character development, then, yeah, gintoki won’t lose. but that doesn’t let us escape from gintama’s overarching sense of unassuredness in victory, from its general stance against child soldiers (in the end of 4devas we have a callback to the bitchslap: gintoki won’t let kagura and shin come with him to fight hada, asks them to trust him instead). in any case, kagura and shinpachi explicitly asking to come along seems a little ridiculous. gintoki refuses seita in yoshiwara, kagura and shin in red spider, et cetera and et cetera… there is a precedent set that makes their request sound out of theme. whichever way we look at it, for or against, i think we can say something’s a little off with the writing.  

on the theme of bad writing, we come to my second major complaint: bad writing. 4 devas is the first time we truly see the demon (gintoki). that is equivalent to saying, this is the first time we see anything in gin that needs to change, and, that this is when gin's "character development" is introduced. but, this is nearly halfway through the work. introduce character development at 1/4, 1/3, 2/3, or 3/4 instead.

yeah, yeah, sorachi is killing himself writing on a weekly schedule, he doesn’t plan his arcs, wsj is evil. i want to clarify that i don't really care about that here-- sorachi's actually heinous crimes aren't poor thematic execution. but i still can call it bad writing.

alright. let’s continue to assume that this is character development. if it’s character development, then gintoki must have had this issue before 4devas. how come we never see it? were the enemies just not strong enough to provoke it? (but, housen?) were the fights just not personal enough to bring out the beast? (maybe–but i don’t think that’s strongly supported either). if it’s character development, then gintoki must have had this issue in the past; but in his definitive past moment, that is, that which is revealed to us in the shogun assassination flashback, he doesn’t. gintoki loses, and thereby saves all of time. if he had been anything less than human this would not have been possible. from our bird’s eye view of gintama chronology, gintoki has been human since the very moment he met shouyou. 

well, let me grant that his ontological status could oscillate. we then trace a history of gintoki’s humanity. he is inhuman prior to shouyou; shouyou makes him human; he is human at the decisive moment on the cliff. just because he is human in that moment doesn’t mean he stays human after. maybe– just maybe– the moment broke and degraded him into the demon. in that case, we should see him turning into the demon from the very beginning of gintama. yet he does not do this. our earliest post-moment memory of him is when he sacrifices himself, with no sign of anger, for the child asaemon. that, alone, should have enough provocation to the memory of shouyou to make him go absolutely insane. i allow that the yaemon calls him a demon here, so maybe he is. but, where are sorachi’s beloved signifiers?

further, gintama pre4devas is premised on the idea that gintoki doesn’t turn into the demon, that he doesn’t change (c.f. katsura introduction). gintoki is the human mirror, the human self, the human model that each empty, inhuman, suicidal villain is chasing after. he is the one who they can measure themselves against and realize their wrong. how many times, over and over again, does this happen? if gintoki was anything less than human throughout pre4devas, its already episodic plot would fall to complete pieces. 

but 4devas asks us to believe that he is. how? 

maybe, again, gintoki had just not met an enemy strong enough to provoke him into it before 4devas. maybe gintoki had just not been sufficiently provoked into memory; otose’s death, after all, is no small thing. or maybe gintoki has been secretly oscillating between human and inhuman offscreen, in his own unknowable heart. i think that much is true. it’s more his outward actions i’m unsure of. 

i think there are 2 options. either sorachi should introduce the demon earlier, to successfully make it a fundamental part of gin's character, or we should remove the need for him to change at all. returning to my original qualification, yes, i understand that gintama is not planned and poorly written. sorachi inserts an important plot development far later than he should; in his situation, that is not inherently his fault. whatever.

my final complaint about character development centers around other people. shinpachi claims gintoki won’t lose because they (yorozuya) will protect him. in a reading for character development, “gintoki losing” is equivalent to gintoki being the demon. the yorozuya, therefore, turns gintoki human so that he can win. this is very sweet. but, zura and takasugi couldn’t help gin at all in the decisive moment, and he still did what was 'right' (⇔stayed human). what guarantee is there that the yorozuya will do any better than the joui 3? 

gintoki needed someone to save him in order to become human (shouyou). that is the same for every other villain in all of gintama. can a person who you protect make you human? gintama says yes, and i agree with it. ethically, too, i agree with this. i think my scandal with 4devas, and specifically, my scandal with 4devas’ suggestion of gintoki’s character development, then, is shinpachi’s assertion that the yorozuya will develop gintoki, will make him human. because,

well, what about his friends from the past? they couldn’t save him, they couldn’t make him human. in fact, he had to save them. and if there is anything that destroyed his humanity, it is his saving of them. so for shinpachi to claim such a thing, when he has not lived through gintoki’s past (when he was not there for the decisive moment, when he can do nothing (in 4devas) to protect gin from the world), seems like it lacks a bit of logic. after all, how is he different from takasugi, from katsura? how can he protect and make human when they could not? how is he any different from anyone else?

but, maybe, shinpachi doesn’t have to understand gin or his sufferings to claim that he will save him. maybe we sometimes have to say things that sound ridiculous and shounen and make no sense, just to declare them and set a standard somewhere, to get them out into action. maybe this is a lesson about friendship, about trying again, because, well, shinpachi has a point, that i’m not even sure he’s making. it’s this. if you refuse even to pretend to believe, then what is left at all?

my very final thought. perhaps i can accept that gin starts getting character development halfway through the work. even accepting such, what does it do to the significance of his past?

which leads me into a question that has been haunting the last 8000 words: if some things are unchangeable and some things aren’t, that is, if there is a difference between shinpachi/kagura and takasugi/katsura, or, alternatively, if there once was no linear change and suddenly now there is, then how the hell do you tell the difference?

3. If some things are unchangeable and some things aren’t, how do you tell the difference?

we are now at a place of thematic departure. our analysis of the bitchslap has collapsed into a central point: the bitchslap is justified if the world is changeable, and it is unjustified if the world is not.

the difficult thing is that gintama is not clear cut about the ontological status of its world. i have conjectured, repeatedly, that things prior seem largely unchangeable, yet into this comes the bitchslap. retrospectively, things start looking a little murky, and we are forced to reevaluate– perhaps sometimes things are unchangeable, and sometimes, maybe, not. 

so, what can change, and what doesn't, and when, and why? 

i want to emphasize the thematic importance of this question. to do so, i am going to say something ridiculous. here it is: gintama is fundamentally moralistic. okay. what the hell? the dick and balls manga? well, it is a shounen, and shounens all carry messages about friendship, hard work, etc., etc., to inspire their young readers. more pressingly, though, gintama is weirdly moralistic, and by this i mean both that it’s strange for gintama to have morals and that its morals are shounen atypical. rather than honor and victory, gintama tries to align itself with losers and victims. rather than the good self as one who grows continually stronger (to protect, or for whatever purpose), gintama tries to tell us it’s okay to lose, et cetera, et cetera. the point is, gintama positions itself as a story about how to become a good person. any question that leads us to "moral" consequences is therefore important to gintama itself.

as i have touched upon previously, supposing that the world is changeable, there is a certain level of wrongness to loss. obviously, this is a huge generalization, but stay with me. there are so many things can render the world personally unchangeable (disability, circumstance, exhaustion, absurdity, personal will); it is only if you can confidently and definitively say, it was possible for me to do more, it was possible for me to enact change, but i failed to do so, that losing becomes morally wrong. in the sense i'm considering, it’s akin having extra food on hand and ignoring someone starving right in front of you.

now the "moral" undertones of the question start to take shape. assuming gintama’s world is linearly changeable, then the joui 3– in particular, gintoki– are wrong for failing shouyou. why? because there remained something they could have done to bring about the “happy ending”. similarly, we realize that hasegawa is wrong for not managing to get a job, that gengai is wrong for letting his son die at all, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. in any case, we can agree that the question of which things, and where, and why, holds "moral" and thematic consequences for gintama as a whole. 

so the most obvious solution to things seeming sometimes changeable and sometimes not is, well, that sometimes they are, and sometimes they aren’t. for instance: maybe the joui war was nonlinear (unchangeable), but the present is linear (changeable). this fits into several contexts as neatly as i could ask for. it satisfies our conviction that gintoki is right for losing in the definitive moment. it also allows for the bitchslap to be justified in 4devas. finally, and most convincingly to me, it follows the lines of our genre justification: past is tragedy, so of course it is nonlinear, and it thereby makes sense for our present comedy to be linear. 

still, there are issues with this argument. as i’ve stressed before, we have several instances of nonlinearity (linear change being impossible) in gintama present. we could argue that these nonlinear scenarios have no personal impact for gintoki, which is why they are nonlinear. perhaps. as counterproof i have really only gintoki failing to save kyoujirou in the guardian dog arc. besides, i guess it makes some sort of convoluted sense that things are different for your protagonist in order to teach him to hope in life again. so rather than a clear past-nonlinear/present-linear divide, we might assume linear change applies only in the present, only to gintoki. why not?

counter argument: if linear change is possible for gintoki in the present, why doesn’t he have a training arc or a noticeable powerup? counter-counter argument: perhaps gintoki’s linear change is his becoming human, which is achieved through forming new bonds. counter^3 argument: if gintoki is supposed to stand in for the “self” (which, in this context, he certainly must, if he needs to “develop and grow”) then why don’t the same rules (namely, nonlinearity-unchangeability) that apply to all the other “selves” in gintama not apply to gin?

therefore the most interesting explanation actually involves gintama time. sorachi gives time about just as much treatment as genre– sazae-san format, the characters always joke, while they defeat a roster of suicidal villains in the same cyclical way, superimposed– but i’ll be biased and say that i think it might carry the more eminent thematic importance. that is, [the past] is something that weighs so heavily on, and within, each person, each arc, and even the settings themselves. a couple theme songs comment on this. “face over there, then over here, come, let’s grab hold of the era!”? 

then the cycles of gintama present are clearly nonlinear. what about the past? i think the past is also nonlinear, simply because the joui failed against an undefeatable enemy. the world where linear change is possible must have it always possible; if you can only achieve linear change up to a certain point, then this world is not properly linear in the first place. takasugi’s obsession seems to justify me here. 

but shinpachi calls gintoki to trust in linear change as possible and achievable, in the present. is he suggesting a destruction of cyclical time? (is cyclical time not just eternity?)

where is time not cyclical in gintama? that is, where does it flow? 

time is cyclical, eternal, both in present and past. even the end of 4devas is just the end of another cycle: gin inevitably rises, and tells jirocho not to kill himself fighting alone, so shinpachi’s call to linear change– that is, the destruction of eternity– which is so fumbled in its setup, falls upon deaf ears. yet shinpachi must be calling to something within gintama if his call is to have any sort of (misguided) grounding. what on earth could he be calling to?

the investigation is remarkably simple: there are really only two events that alter the course of gintama permanently. the first is pre-canon, the definitive moment. the second is takasugi’s “salvation” in shoass. we should be clued into their identicality by that they are presented together, in fact, superimposed upon each other; and, well, these moments truly do break eternity. the decisive moment ends the suicidal cycle of the joui war, while takasugi’s "salvation" reconciles, finally, gintoki to his past, takasugi to his self, and time to its natural flow. time immediately starts moving after both of these moments are revealed to it. eternity is shattered; gintama actually breaks out of the sazae-san format. 

so, maybe, the shattering of eternity allows for linear change, allows for character development in that the I can momentarily complete its humanity. truly, stubborn and hateful as i am, even i can accept the bitchslap in all its cliche shounen-ity if i take it as a call to escape eternity. that does not mean i can accept the writing around it, but, the main scandal is dealt with, and i can sleep with peace in my heart, knowing that the rest i can chalk down to bad writing. 

as a final note. i, personally, cannot trust in linear change. i think it is suspicious, perhaps too similar to the subjectivity of modern philosophy, or else to what people love to tell you when you’re feeling down and out and just want to lie in the hole and complain for a bit (it gets better!). so while here i have equated the shattering of eternity with linear change for sake of convenience, i want to be clear that time is far more nuanced than my equivalence makes it seem. in fact, i think that the sort of time which shatters eternity is a different type of time from our linear/nonlinear conception altogether. 

yet the call to time, i think, is gintama in its purest. it is what gintoki tells his suicidal other selves– that killing yourself only continues your fetid, empty eternity, that winning is to remain complacent in your self. that it is only the complete and utter loss of staying alive which can break you out of your self and into time again.

in that way, our beloved, bitchslapping shinpachi takes on the soul of gin to tell gin, who, in the moment, seems suicidal, to shatter his own eternity. it is simply bad luck that every single part of this set up is fumbled almost to the level of kishimoto writing political discourse. shinpachi, i’m sorry for doubting you. (i still do). i’ll start believing in the power of hard work and friendship. i promise i’ll never shittalk shounen ever again.

anyways.

conclusions

so, to my question: is gintama about losers?

i have no idea. i don’t think sorachi knows either. he probably felt like a loser in his early 20s, and then the taste of success destroyed his resolution to continue living in a world where nothing works out and he introduced the powerscale. 

but, again, is gintama about losers? the justified bitchslap tells us that gintoki is wrong for assuming he will lose. the problem is, no matter how much i think about it, no matter how much i analyze and justify and write myself into circles, i just can’t convince myself that gintoki deserved it. why? i just can't bring myself to think that he was wrong, that he was wrong for being a loser. 

because gintoki, when his enemies are shocked at his resilience, when they question how he returns to life, how he gets up, how he keeps fighting, when he’s so clearly a loser, always says, it’s no big deal, only that i haven’t fulfilled my promise yet and i won’t die until i do. he is eternally confident in only these words– i will keep standing up– almost like they are his very being. gintoki fights with no regard to his life, but not suicidally. the suicidal kill themselves because it is the only way to achieve victory in their oppressive world. conversely, gintoki knows he will win, no matter if he lives or dies, even as he loses, if only he stands up again. 

even in death, even in absolute loss, even in living. 

gintoki calls on antagonists to lose because their suicidal victories ignore their duty to the world of the living. suicide, in the sense that they commit it, is entirely self absorbed. gengai is avenging his son only for his self (would your son really have wanted this?); once saved, he starts making toys for children. if gintoki had killed takasugi and zura, it would be for his self. instead, he chose to lose, completely and utterly, and it saves the world.

so just like shinpachi calls gintama to a time beyond the linear and nonlinear, gintoki’s victory, that is, the winning in losing, is a winning beyond the self. the victory that shounen assures is, after all, ultimately for one’s self– whether that is growing stronger or protecting your important people. when the self discovers that it cannot win, it loses its reason for existence. it is emptied, it eats itself alive. “revenge achieves nothing”, et cetera, whatever. it is a nothingness that becomes literal.

gintoki tells those who are tortured by their inability to win that they must lose. why? because it is only when embracing the freedom which ontological loserhood offers that they can become human. equivalently, it is only as a loser that they can receive time, fulfill their promises, that is, fulfill their responsibilities to the world, that is, make change, that is, win. 

and this winning is not a winning for your self; it is a winning in losing.

so, yes. gintama is about the righteousness of being a loser, even if shinpachi might say it is not (though, in a very roundabout way, he is saying that it is). losers know they cannot win for themselves, but that they just might be able to win for the rest of the world. perhaps the bitchslap is actually declaring that nobody’s going to die, only because gintoki is not fighting for his self; that nobody’s going to die, that gintoki’s not going to lose, because gintoki is already, well, a loser. and, well, i think i can actually live with that. 

more likely, though, we can mark it down to this:

thank you for reading.

[shysheeperz]

love ur blog!! I check it out before starting an anime/manga 💞

just wondering do u have any recommendations for complete anime/mangas?

thank u either way!!!

Completed??????

Manga:

Fullmetal Alchemist- the gold standard

Silver Spoon- by the same person who did FMA. Agricultural school stuff. Cute.

Agravity Boys- space sci-fi gag comedy, a wild ride to say the least, I miss my stupid boys

Magu-chan: God of Destruction- cute digimon/pokemon-shaped gods get woken up and mingle with a bunch of middle schoolers. Cute fluff mostly, will occasionally pull at your heartstrings (including the ending)

High School Family: Kokosei Kazoku- comedy/ slice of life, about an entire family attending high school. Has a volleyball arc that rivals the likes in haikyuu!!

Haikyuu!!-sports manga, if you want to cry over boys and their love for the game then this is for you, Boys x Volleyball is the tru otp of the show

Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku- dark historical fantasy, so very, very good. Don't get attached.

Dr. STONE- sci fi, technically the main story is complete. We still have been getting the occasional side chapter or three that continue where the main story left off tho. A very solid shonen jump series. includes one of the best shonen jump dads in the history of ever. Will make u emotional over lightbulbs and stuff. hard not to root for the main cast.

Dr. STONE Reboot: Byakuya- a non-canon little one volume spin-off about byakuya and mainly about a funky lil robot that will make you sob uncontrollably I'd personally say to read up to the end of the Treasure Island arc in the main story first before tackling this one (about ch 140ish)

Dr. STONE 4D Science- a continuation of the main story, only a couple chapters, the ending is a really cruel tease imo and if Inagaki/Boichi don't give us more may they be cursed to lose all their left shoes forever

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Sanji- spin-off of sanji side stories by the duo who did food Wars. ONE PIECE related ofc. Tasty looking food. Sanji too cool for school. One volume.

Astra Lost in Space- space sci fi survival, solid story that deserves more appreciation, the ending is just a tad lackluster in actually showing what a lot of readers would have liked to physically see. By no means ruins the story tho.

Blue Flag (Ao no Flag)- high school, romance, slice of life, boys and gals just trying to figure out life and relationships. Solid.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles- gag comedy that leans a little too much into the shonen battle-esque stuff towards the end imo, but a decently enjoyable time. A mash up of Harry Potter and other various manga like mob, opm, etc.

Mitama Security: Spirit Busters- comedy, axed but I enjoyed it. Goofy fun. nothing spectacular but reading it won't hurt anyone.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes- spin-off of mha obviously, average joe Koichi >>> deku FIGHT ME, the goodest of boys, world building u don't get in the main series, Aizawa's backstory, Knuckleduster is the man the myth the legend.

Chihayafuru- screaming crying throwing up, it's niche it's technically a sports manga, romance, female MC, growth™, love triangle but at the end of the day that's not what's important

My Love Mix-Up!- comedy romance, big big mix-up on who loves who and lots of shenanigans ensue.

Noragami- TECHNICALLY not complete until like 2 days from now when the final chapter releases. my emotions! MY EMOTIONS!!!! 😭

Gintama- comedy/gag with dashes of really good drama

I have no idea what your tastes are, anon, so here's a mix that I've personally enjoyed. Some of them were axed, but technically that makes them complete so I included them :P yes I cheated.

Anime:

There's a lot less of them bc I haven't actually watched a lot of completed series.

Run with the Wind- more boys x sports but this time it's about running. Also the boys are in college. Will trick u into wanting to run.

91 days- ol timey story about VENGEANCE. Set during the prohibition.

Tengan Toppa Gurren Lagann- makes you emotional and feel all fuzzy inside, sci fi, mecha

Cowboy Bebop- a classic

Samurai Champloo- also a classic and I actually prefer this one over cowboy bebop tbh, god tier baseball episode

Astra Lost in Space-the anime version, if you'd prefer watching over reading, but I always prefer manga > anime just cause.

FMA 03/FMA BROTHERHOOD- the gold standard. I appreciate both versions. 03 goes the anime original ending root bc obviously the manga wasn't completed yet no biggie.

Mob Psycho 100- MOB!MOB!MOB! and tumblr sexy man reigen arataka

Gintama- animated version alternative lol. The voice actors bring the characters to life.

Obv there are the old school classics like Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Gundam and all that jazz if you haven't already checked out some of those. Oldies but goodies.

[pomodoko]

Do you have any manga recommendations?

Oh yes! Yes I do! I have a lot of recommendations, actually! I'll put it in keep reading because this post is gonna be loooooong.

Slice of life/Seinen manga:

Hirayasumi: story about a young ex-actor who inherited a little house from one of his only friends, an old lady he met by random.

Skip to Loafer: country bumpkin meets city guy, but this time it's a deep exploration about teenagehood, what it means to work towards your dream, and the complex social situations teenagers have to deal with besides just romance.

Shiori Experience: bumbling English teacher Shiori gets haunted by the ghost of Jimi Hendrix. Because of that, she needs to rise to stardom before she's fully 27 as that will be when she dies. (Fantastic art work, amazing paneling, highly recommend!)

Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan: cute, relaxing 4koma about a smart and competent little cat and his easygoing owner.

Embrace Your Size: autobiography about the artist growing up in a very fatphobic Japan. A short, sweet read. CW: eating disorders, fatshaming.

Yotsubato!: a true slice-of-life manga about a single father and his adopted daughter and their day-to-day escapades.

Sweetness and Lightning: another manga about a single father and his daughter, but this time centers around the dad learning how to cook for his kid now that his wife passed away.

Hakumei to Mikochi: story about a race of little people living in the woods among anthropomorphic animals. Amazing worldbuilding and attention to details.

Romance manga:

A Bouquet for an Ugly Girl: sweet but self-deprecating "ugly" girl meets sunshine puppy dog guy. A story less about changing ones' appearance and more about gaining self-confidence.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy At All: cute story about a preppy girl having a meet cute and developing a crush on the nerdy girl in class, but she thought she was a cool emo guy at first.

Fantasy Bishoujo Juniku Ojisan to: genderbend isekai, but it's actually very gay and very good! Can't say much else, but the comedy is on point and the two leads are super closeted it's insane.

Majo-Senpai Nichijou: in a modern fantasy setting, a businessman falls in love with the witch in his department. A very sweet romance.

Ajin-chan wa Kataritai: another modern fantasy setting where a school teacher finds out that his school has several fantasy creatures as students. Has a really nice romantic build up (not with the students) and cool worldbuilding.

Beware of the Villainess!: actually a manhwa about a woman who got reincarnated into a villainess of some pretty sketchy romance novels. Sick of all the horrible male leads, she sets off on her own to make a life for herself.

Action/Adventure manga:

Kuutei Dragons: a massive, expansive world that has a culture in dragon hunting. Fantastic worldbuilding, creature art, and character writing.

Dungeon Meshi: an adventure party has to travel deeper into the dungeon to rescue the male lead's sister who was eaten by a dragon. Another manga with amazing worldbuilding and character/creature art.

Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi: normal guy gets isekai'd, but he's not a hero at all. He's just a dude whose skill is grocery shopping online and he gets roped into cooking for mythical creatures somehow.

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun: human boy gets adopted by devils and gets sent to devil school. Actually really sweet!

Natsume Yuujinchou: human boy who can see spirits receives a book of names from his late grandmother. Names have power, and those names belong to spirits who would do anything to get them back.

One Piece: top best selling manga of all time that's been going since 1997. It's still good, believe it or not.

Gintama: another old classic. One of the funniest gag manga I've ever read, though sometimes the jokes get too rambly but that depends on your taste. Aliens have invaded Edo Japan and almost all samurai have been wiped off the face of the Earth!

I have so many others I'd like to recommend, but for now I hope you'll find something good among all I've listed.

[rorronoa]

Hope you're having a good day/night! Can you tell me your top #5 most relatable characters? And why. You don't have to answer!

Yes I am, thank you! Hope you’re having a good day/night too 😊

This is kinda hard but okay

1. Takashi Natsume (natsume yuujincho) because he’s me as an anime character, he’s quiet, shy, kind and an overthinker there are other things but that’s it for now

2. Bojji (ousama ranking) because he has a disability like me and got bullied by others but he was so strong and didn’t give up

3. Hanamichi (slam dunk) he’s literally a clown idk what else to say 😂

4. Seishuu (barakamon) because he’s socially awkward and even though he can be really good at what he does, but he’s easily distracted and discouraged not going to say anything you have to watch it to understand tbh

5. I have to choose one from one piece and I can only think of chopper i think because he was bullied too and he didn’t have friends until he met the strawhats, he’s also very childish

Honourable mention: gintoki (gintama) because he’s super lazy and sarcastic lol

[daistea]

Hiya hey hey!

Not a request! Just wondering and wandering about, any other pieces of media you are into?

HIII!

ye, Gintama shaped who I am as a person today, it’s been my favorite anime since I was like 15. I adore it and it’s very dear to my heart!

I really like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Legend of Zelda, Fallen London and everything related to it, and Shadow of the Colossus. I used to be really into Genshin Impact but not so much anymore.

Ummm I like the Once Upon A Broken Heart series, The Cruel Prince, and I write books about faeries and elves often. It’s like my brand lol

OH I also have a love/hate relationship with Overwatch, D.va main. I usually only play when I’m drunk tho

I play Smash Bros a lot, mainly Ultimate. Peach main ofc. I’m not like good enough to play in legit tournaments but I can beat my friends at least

I listen to The Crane Wives a lot! And musicals, I actually just went to see Mamma Mia on stage and yes I wore a feather boa and sang along the entire time. My favorite musical is Heathers!

I also play bass. Badly. I have a dream of starting a band specializing in funky disco beats.

Umm Im really into liquor, I like making drinks and trying new wines!

I embroider and cross stitch stupid things often. And I cook a lot! I adore cooking

That’s not rly media though that’s more just my hobbies. Tbh I don’t really watch tv except for dunmeshi, and despite being a writer I don’t read a ton of books. I haven’t played video games in a while because I’ve been writing so much lately.

🤷‍♀️ basically my current fandoms are loz, dunmeshi, and fallout lol

[8aylee8]

absolutely love your gintama and spy x family comic!! it's sooo good ugh I wish the gintama fandom was still alive, there are a lot of parallels I want to talk about with spy x family and gintama war sentiments

ANYWAY thanks for your art !!!!!!

Oh,thank you so much for your kind words, glad you liked it. Yes, the Gintama fandom pretty much dead, unfortunately. Happens when a manga/anime ends.😔 I would be very happy if Sorachi sensei would give us a new season of pure comedy but I guess its highly unlikely. 💔

[0fps]

zzz chapter 1 cunning hares spoilers/review under cut

NEKOMATAAAAA 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

actually caught me by surprise how much i liked this story chapter. was it predictable? yes. cliche? yes. but damn did it get me, largely in part to the cast of characters and overall artistic direction and delivery. the comic-book styled narration alone has me more invested in the story than any hyv game has ever made me, and i think a lot of is has to do with being able to actually see a scene dynamically unfold as opposed to a bunch of characters just standing around and talking until you get to the one or two token animated cutscenes.

character-wise, sure i can agree that most of them are pretty one-dimensional but the way they play off each other is genuinely so fun and the banter and dialogue feels very natural. helps that the english dub has been fantastic so far. i genuinely did not expect to like all these characters as much as i do, and i really can't wait to meet all the other factions now. even fairy, the mis-countdown bit actually gave me a good laugh.

i will say that zzz's approach to its story definitely feels much more "slice of life" and although there are hints of a larger overarching plot in the background its not really a focus especially in such early chapters. so i think big plot and lore-enthusiasts aren't going to find much satisfaction in the story, and just more generally i can understand why people would find it boring.

part of it actually reminds me a lot of gintama which is just plain idiocy 80% of the time and then you have the serious arcs which really really hit. but it's definitely one of those "you love it or you don't" type of shows (for the record i'm in the "love it" camp), and i can see zzz doing something quite similar.

the main thing i don't like is the tv exploration gameplay. it feels tedious for the most part and you're just trying to get through it quick to get to the next combat section. it's not even that visually appealing to look at. i kind of hope they find ways to optimize or limit it or do SOMETHING to make it more fun. the "dungeons" in general also feel pretty repetitive already. the combat also feel ridiculously easy right now but its kind of still the tutorial chapters, so i'm hoping for harder stuff later. i'm still having fun with it either way so whatever lol.

[h0estar]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....

Hi! Yes absolutely! I am so sorry it took so long. I haven't opened Tumblr in forever. I'm not sure if I can list down 2 characters from the same media platform once but just in case I'm not, I'll just list down one. This is based on the order I remember them by since I have really shit memory and there might've been a few fave characters I missed 🥲

I'll list down what comes to mind first haha

1. Yukine (Noragami)

-I love him SO MUCH. The first time I watched Noragami back in 2016, I knew I would love this boy with all my heart. Something about troubled and misunderstood anime kids with fucked up backstories just make me want to take care of them man. He's my adopted baby period. His character development is also very beautiful.

He's a very complex character. Idk why people shit on him for acting like a child when he is quite literally a child 😭 let him be a kid man, let him be immature, I was also immature at 14 and I'm happy for him bc he's got someone understanding by his side at all times.

I wish the ending would do justice to his character fr.

2. Kagura (Gintama)

She's funny asf. Also, strong asf. I love good female rep in anime and Kagura takes the cake for me. She has no filter, she's really cool, really funny, and just a fun and enjoyable character overall. (You should watch Gintama btw, it's my favorite anime).

3. Usopp (One Piece)

People shit on him a lot and I'm sick of it. I love him because he is SO REAL. He represents ordinary human beings in the One Piece world and I admire his bravery so much. His goal isn't even something grand, he just wants to be the bravest man who crossed the sea and I love that for him. He's a coward fr but seeing him break out of his shell and take courage to face his fears make me so emotional and proud. He inspires me to face my fears too :')

4. Izaya (Durarara!!)

He was lowkey the reason why I majored in Psychology. I love this cunning man. Watching everything go into flames bc of the shit he pulls excites me so much. I love watching him work. Totally not bc of his VA.

5. Newt (The Maze Runner Series)

Okay, this person was also real as shit. The way he's depicted in the books? Perfection. He's just so kind and caring and gentle to the gladers and to people they met during the scorch trials and ugh he deserved sm better :(

the way i have a whole 'nother blog dedicated to the maze runner series and it's always just abt him 💀 i was obsessed w him man. something abt broken/complex characters who are just so kind and tragic always have my heart.

6. Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs)

After I read stormbringer, I was never the same again. He is actually super sweet and super down to earth. I love him so much because he is so genuine with his intentions? Also, the shit has been through man... Yet, he still chose to live and fight. I admire that so much from him.

he is also a very complex and tragic character. i love him sm bc of that... i'm sensing a pattern here.

7. Armin (Attack on Titan)

His smartass made me fall in love with him. My boy just wanted to see the sea man. I admire his bravery so much and he gets shit ton of hate too for not kissing Eren's ass but I love him so much for standing his ground and having faith in his best friend. He was lowkey psycho too tbh. Smart men>>

8. Yuuta (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Okay, something about timid guys who are lowkey psychotic always get me going. He's a cool character and he's sexy. Period.

9. Killua (Hunter x Hunter)

ALSO MY BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!! He deserves the world 😭 He went through so much at 12 bro and I just want to take care of him so much bc he deserves to be a kid!!!!! Big brother Killua also has my heart. He's so sweet and caring and kind and genuine and UGH I LOVE HIM.

the way he just wanted a friend 😭 i'd gladly be his friend man if i were in the hxh universe. he's too sweet 😔 and he deserves sm better!!!

10. Jo March (Little Women)

I SEE MYSELF IN HER SO MUCH. The way she just wanted everything to stay the same even when change was inevitable and the people in her life ended up growing up. I love how as I watched her grow up, the traits that she had as a kid were still there yet she was slowly opening to change. I just relate to her so much and we are so alike in so many ways.

---

That's it, I think! Those were the only characters I could think of. I am so sorry if I didn't word it correctly. I suck at writing and english isn't my first language but I hope you got a gist of why I love the characters 😭 Most of the times I don't really have a deep reason for liking a certain character, they just appeal to me and I get that gut feeling that oh I think I will obsess over this little shit for the rest of my life and it's usually always correct lmao. This was fun! Thank you!

[lilac-5ky]

So, I decided to jump on the AI anime craze and for some reason I decided to make the Gintama characters (yes, Shinsuke and co) more anime because why not. The results were… interesting and I wanted to share them with the world. Using only official images because I don’t want artists to hunt me down like an angry mob.

Exhibit A: For some reason Gin is now a girl from a frozen land while Shinsuke is the kind prince carrying her around. Confirmation that Takagin is real?

Exhibit B: The winter theme continues with Tatsuma/Shinsuke and Gintoki/Katsura fusing into wolf Christmas girls. Confirmation that Joui 4 are furies?

Exhibit C: Ignoring the flower girl that appeared out of thin air, I feel like this turned pretty good! They both look amazing in this style!

Exhibit D: I love how the AI replaced his headband with a ponytail. The look he has is more snobbish but it’s still feels like Shinsuke!

Exhibit E: I really love this one but Bansai was hard robbed 😂 Shinsuke stole his headphones and his glasses evaporated. They have this sort of aristocracy vibe and Matako is adorable, looks like their daughter or something. (Ban taka also confirmed?)

Exhibit F: For some reason the AI really loves the winter genderbent vibe. They all look so cute though!

Exhibit G: I like how his chest was censored into more clothing 😂 Undress the anime character? More like dress them 😂 I really like how Shinsuke looks like royalty in most of those though, the vibe suits him.

Exhibit H: *COUGH COUGH* THIS PIC WAS FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES AND I USED IT WITH GREAT RESPECT (looks good but can’t beat Shinsuke’s OG drip 💧)

Exhibit I: More chest censoring 😂 But I feel like the hair here is closest? And the flowers are a solid butterfly replacement, can’t even be mad.

Exhibit J: Finally, we have some otome style Prince Shinsuke. Cute , but once again, can’t beat the og.

Disclaimer: I wanted to do more pictures but the AI didn’t register them all .-. I might try again sometime because this was very funny and got me laughing a lot.

[orifumioshi]

I swear I'm alive, just very lazy to go on sns :3c I kinda miss tumblr tbh so, aside the queue I've put in my art blog, I might want to interact more but also I'm very lazy to scroll down my dashboard (sorry).

Been binge watching SAND LAND, began Sasakoi anime, rewatching Gintama eps to have a good laugh and of course, replaying Digi Survive and Digi Next Order in which I choose digitamas with good boost status rather than getting my oshis and end up working hard to get my ikemen idiots combi (by their names, guess what digis I'm aiming hehe)

Their evo lines were Gomamon→Seadramon→Gigadramon→Justimon and ToyAgumon→Growlmon(Orange)→BlackMegaloGrowlmon→Beelzebumon so yes, it wasn't planned until I reached Perfect XDDD

Also I swear I'm drawing, just that I'm doing a quite big illust that I must finish asap or I will regret so end up not doing other things.

[hijitae]

Hijikata/Tae & Loid/Yor

Yes, another random couple comparison meta post from yours truly. This time, we will be noting the similarities of Hijikata x Tae with Loid x Yor from Spy x Family. This is something I have discussed with @arirna​ (who I thank for early feedback on this post) a few times over the last couple of years, and then most recently with @suchine-toki​, so this meta post is dedicated to both of them!

SPOILERS AHEAD for Gintama and Spy x Family if you are unfamiliar with one or both of the series.

HijiTae is one of the earliest ships I became utterly devoted to, resulting in comparisons to similar ships ever since then. I can’t help it; I used to do the same with Bulma and Vegeta of Dragon Ball Z, who were my first ever OTP.

I started reading Spy x Family early in 2019, pretty much when it began serialization – much thanks to @arirna​ for his manga recommendations! I immediately liked it, and as the story progressed, we both realized something about Loid and Yor: they had That Dynamic. The HijiTae Dynamic. Now, we’re very biased toward HijiTae, but then @suchine-toki​ mentioned also seeing a strong HijiTae similarity in Loid and Yor, as well, so that confirmed the dynamic from a more objective viewpoint. We don’t just have HijiTae permanently engraved on our brains – there IS a certain dynamic to be found in other ships. It’s almost challenging to narrow it down to a handful of tropes. Suffice to say, you just know it when you see it, when it all feels familiar.

Now, let us unpack the similarities:

Note: I’ve fallen behind on the SxF manga, and I just recently caught up with the anime, so I’m using various SxF character bios for information. This is not an in-depth analysis, but rather a general one to generate ideas and discussion. 

HIJIKATA and LOID Fans may instinctively connect Loid and Gintoki instead because of their main character status, but Loid actually has more in common with Hijikata than he does with anyone else in Gintama, and vice versa. This doesn’t mean you can’t envision Gintoki as Loid, or another favourite MC in Loid’s shoes. By all means, go for it. Fanfic and fanart open up the possibilities. I’m simply saying that in terms of basic commonalities, Loid and Hijikata can shake hands more confidently than any other two characters within their respective series. Hijikata may be rougher around the edges and Loid can be more charming as part of his work, but they have many things in common:

They’ve both had a traumatic childhood, losing both of their parents and other important family figures (I don’t know too much about Loid’s past yet other than the part concerning his mother).

They take their jobs seriously and work hard to ensure complete success.

They are strict on subordinates or others under their tutelage for good reason.

They serve under a higher authority figure (Kondou and Handler).

They both have nicknames – Demon and Twilight – with reputations for being not only skilled but also austere and dangerous.

They are capable of undercover missions. Loid, obviously more so, but Hijikata has done some undercover work, too.

They both have a colleague obsessed with them in different ways: Sougo and Fiona.

They both have a colleague who also serves as a friend, foil, and comedic relief: Kondou and Franky.

They both have an enemy in the brother of their love interests: Sougo again, with Mitsuba, and then potentially Shinpachi with Tae in the fanon realm (except I don’t believe Shinpachi would be as extreme as Sougo); for Loid, it’s Yuri with Yor.

They have been left speechless by Tae and Yor for different reasons, usually as part of comedy scenes.

They both smoke or have smoked before, as @suchine-toki​ reminded me here (thanks again!).

They are frequently the Straight Man in comedy scenes, questioning the bizarre events happening around them, although Hijikata is likelier to participate in the weirdness now and then compared to Loid, whose weirdness – to people around him – is more grounded in how impressed people are by his mind. Not that people aren’t impressed with Hijikata’s mind, lol, but Gintama fans will understand best what I’m getting at here (because sometimes even Kondou is embarrassed by Hijikata, and that says a lot!).

TAE and YOR Yor has quickly become iconic with an instantly recognizable outfit that has inspired many a crossover/AU fanart for other series. Since there aren’t nearly as many Tae fans in comparison to Yor’s, you might be wondering what on earth could they possibly have in common? The answer is: a lot more than you initially thought, I’d bet!

They both lost their parents at a young age and had to raise their little brothers by themselves.

They both can’t cook and are notorious for creating toxic meals by chance.

They both have brothers who are very attached and protective of their older sisters. Shinpachi isn’t as extreme as Yuri, though, lol.

They both had shoulder-length hair as children (a very basic similarity, but you’ll see why I mention it in the pics below).

They both work ordinary jobs (hostess, office worker), but have other jobs/lives (Deva, assassin).

They have similar personalities: kind, smiling, polite…

…But they also have explosive tempers when provoked, making them frightening figures in their own right. Tae is also more cunning than Yor, I’d say.

They are both known for being physically very strong, especially at moments where they need to protect others or themselves.

They both have nicknames, such as Boss Lady and Queen of Kabukicho (Tae) and Thorn Princess (Yor).

They’re both skilled in their chosen weapons of choice (naginata, knives/ice picks).

Others look up to them as mother/older sister figures, such as Kagura and Anya.

They both have a colleague/friend that is occasionally antagonistic toward them depending on the context. For Tae, Sacchan tends to play that role, as well as Ane at Snack Smile. In Yor’s case, we have Camilla. Yet, we have seen them cooperate with Tae and Yor when it counts.  

HIJI/TAE & LOID/YOR Now we come to the heart of this post: the similarities between Hijikata x Tae and Loid x Yor. Given that one ship is considered more canon and widely accepted than the other, what is it that unites them in terms of dynamic and possibility? Let’s take a look:

Personality Contrast: It’s clear they each differ in personality except for when it comes to those that are important to them. We see how Loid and Yor have the same goals concerning Anya. Hijikata is utterly devoted to Kondou, and Tae stood up for Kondou before a corrupt Shogun, so Kondou is like Anya’s equivalent in this context. Tae and Yor are viewed as bright, cheerful people in contrast to Hijikata and Loid’s seemingly cold, stoic natures – yet we’ve also seen both men display passion for subjects that interest or provoke them.

Frightening Figures: This goes without saying. Individually, all of them are scary in their own right, but together? Yikes! Okay, that was cheesy, but you get my point. Loid and Yor are feared for different reasons, but put them together, and they become extremely fearsome, especially when it comes to protecting Anya. Same with Hijikata and Tae, who are already feared by many people, and together, they would be a fearful power couple. (Incidentally and ironically, both Tae and Hijikata fear ghosts.) It’s also worth noting that Hijikata and Loid are often left stunned by Tae and Yor’s feats of strength, and are sometimes on the receiving end, lol.

Relationship of Convenience: This is obvious with Loid and Yor; they have entered a marriage of convenience for both of them in order to carry on with their covert operations. For Hijikata and Tae, a more comedic example is in the Time Skip arc when it was revealed that Hijikata was actually the father of Tae’s baby (if you don’t know Gintama, it’s too much to explain this arc right now, lol). Despite the circumstances, Hijikata was willing to take on the responsibility of raising the child, with or without Tae. If this arc was serious and something like that actually happened, I can imagine both Hijikata and Tae entering a similar relationship of convenience in order to raise their child together. They were both willing to give up what they had in order to give their fake baby a future (again, non-Gintama fans, if this all sounds bizarre, well, it’s supposed to be).

Now, in SxF, Loid and Yor’s relationship of convenience is central to the main plot, and I’m sure they will inevitably move toward a real, genuine love behind that relationship before the series’ end. In Gintama, it’s too late for anything really, and Sorachi didn’t handle his romance all that well (too complicated a subject to get into) by the end, but given the significance of the moments Hijikata and Tae did have, and their devotion to tradition, I imagine they would’ve made a good couple who can stand on equal footing with each other.

Cooking Skills: Loid appears to do most of the cooking than Yor, and I can imagine Hijikata sharing in the responsibility to make up for Tae’s notorious “skills.” Also, Hijikata’s mayonnaise obsession might be all that steels his stomach against Tae’s meals. Currently, Loid still passes out from consuming Yor’s meals, but there is a possibility of him building an immunity and being able to handle her cooking in the future. Yor takes steps to improve her cooking knowledge, and Tae has done the same with a cooking class in the past. Anyway, the point of this section is that the cooking dynamic is virtually the same for each ship.

Conversations: Both have had more in-depth conversations with each other than surface-level interactions. Think Loid and a tipsy Yor in the park, and Hijikata and Tae at Snack Smile in the Yagyuu arc. When the comedy and the rarity of their interactions pass, these two ships can actually have good conversations with one another, confiding when necessary and influencing the other in a positive way.

--

Anyway, that’s all I have to say about Hijikata/Tae and Loid/Yor for now. I’ll be glad to hear of more similarities that I probably missed. Like I said, I’m not up-to-date on the SxF manga, so I don’t know it as well as I know Gintama, but I think I managed to cover most of the basics. Still, I’m always up for friendly discussion concerning these two ships and their similar dynamic. 

[rattle-em-spooky-jones]

Complete List of All My WIPs

You know when you’re bored and simultaneously procrastinating. Yeah.

Anyway, here’s a comprehensive list of my WIPs which are sorted by fandom. In order, it’s Gintama, DC, Jujutsu Kaisen, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and then some misc. fandoms. It’ll be updated as I get more WIPs. Few have playlists that I made for the fic specifically, or for the general ship/ characters.

(Edit: adding a Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure section because I started it like a week back and already know I Will be having WIPs)

If any of you guys want to know more about any of the fics, just send me an ask. I’d be happy to answer. (*´▽`*)

Gintama:

1. The Misadventures of Mutsu and Sakamoto

Self explanatory, just a little comedic thing.

2. Everyone’s crazy about a sharply dressed man, or in this case… an idiotic merchant?

The only thing I've written for this is 'Essentially the story of different people realizing that Sakamoto is actually really hot.' I can't even say anything to defend myself, Chief.

3.Copper veins, Hands clenched tight

Kouka on Kounan fic. Follows different epithets she has throughout her life [The Blessed, The Cursed, The Lonely, The Master of Kounan, Kouka]

4. Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep 

Premise has huge spoilers so I’ll just give a sparknotes version - Takasugi fakes his death, manages to piss off Sakamoto, Zura, and the entirety of Kabukicho.

5. Digging too Deep 

Sakamoto thinks about his childhood, realizes its more messed up than he thought.

6. As Winds Pass By 

Also has huge spoilers in its premise. Sparknotes version is that this takes place in a world where the canon ending of Gintama happened, and then the second movie's premise of the epidemic happens. Somehow, in the midst of all of this, Sakamoto realizes that he's now immortal.

7. For all the stars in the universe (I was entranced into orbiting you) 

 Atmospheric 2nd person fic following Sakamoto and his unrequited love towards Gintoki. Lots of space metaphors.

8. A person by any other name would still be just as stupid 

Absolutely no clue what's it about, I have written a page though.

9. You know you have cool friends when you guys would be considered an invasive species

My Hero Academia crossover where the Joi 4 get dropped into the MHA universe, get annoyed at the league of villains and decide they're gonna create a better one. A very crack-y fic.

10. Star Eater 

Sakamoto isn't quite human. follows his life from birth to just after the end of the war. I have been half-jokingly calling it my magnum opus.

11. Kakashi’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Posted, will update)

Naruto crossover where Kakashi gets dropped into the Gintama universe. No I have not abandoned it, yes it has been like 3 years since I last updated.

DC:

Gen:

12. Unfridged (Reforged)

Alexandra DeWitt’s journey as a ghost through Greek lands, with Nyx (?) wanting to her to be their presence in the real world, but she has to go through trials before she can do so.

13.  Mirror Mirror On the Wall

A Hal Jordan angst fic grappling with identity. Written in second person and has the style of ‘Bluets’ but focuses on green.

14.  It Will Come Back

In the 25th century, the wards around Gotham keep out creatures that for some reason only Booster's family can see. The 21st century doesn't have those kind of wards.

TimKon:

15. Fingers Entwined, Hearts in Beat

An Orpheus and Eurydice TimKon au. Angst is at full throttle.

16. Top Gun Superboy (working title) Top gun AU with Kon as Maverick and Tim as Iceman. 

Boostle:

17. And I’d Make A Deal With God

Booster Gold grieves over Ted in their shared apartment.

JayKyle:

18. Fire of Unknown Origin

A Bioshock au. Jason and Kyle are trapped down in Rapture. Separately, they both figure out that someone is acting as 'Atlas', a freedom fighter who is supposed to be long dead. After a chance meeting, they decide to work together to figure out what the hell is going on.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3rWWOrT7LDGM0wggI9Zl9D?si=43ce8e0a98a8463e

19.  New Wave Starhunters

A Cowboy Bebop AU. Both Jason and Kyle were cryogenically frozen after two separate accidents years apart. Kyle loses all his memories when he wakes up. Jason remembers, but it has been long enough that everyone he's ever known and loved is dead. They both end up as bounty hunters, and this is their story.

HalBarry:

20. Fleeting Touch 

Hal's a ghost stuck in the apartment he used to live in. Barry moved into his new apartment two weeks ago. Can I make it anymore obvious?

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6kM0uBYmqeVAEW7VCQwsHO?si=edb27b2977a14853

21. It's Gettin Hard, this Holdin' back

Just a fluff piece where Barry notices how often Hal touches him, and starts to become hyperware of it because he has a crush on Hal.

22. In the Cracks Beneath Our Feet 

 A Pacific Rim au set in the early days where Jagars where piloted by one pilot. Hal witnesses the destruction of Coast City by Cyborg Superman, but the whole thing is covered up by the board of directors. Hal lashes out at the, and as a result he is put on increasing dangerous missions to get rid of him. They also get Barry (who figured out the one person system is severely harming pilots but isn’t allowed to go public with the findings) to monitor his health and to attempt to ‘spy’ on him. They both ending up slowly realizing the other also hates the Shatterdome and try to fight the corruption of the place. 

23. Wasted Sunset, Forlorn Sunrise [Complete!] A 'the summer hikaru died' au. Hal as Yoshiki, and Barry as Hikaru. Worked on this for the HalBarry Big Bang 2023 in collaboration with @chocolateteapotsvis ! You can see the accompanying art here.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1pB2LnhyaO6bAYAIloLVVr?si=0723f6ab9caa4741

Bonus [Complete]: And One Day Closer to Death Fic I worked on for the Superboy Superzine. It's late at night. Kon contemplates.

Jujutsu Kaisen:

24. AFTER HOURS

Museum au - gojo is a new museum curator (for art pieces) and geto is the ghost that haunts it (with no memories of the past).

25. At the Tip of Your Tongue, In the Back of Your Lungs

Second person Gojo POV, following the timeline from when Gojo and Geto meet for the first time till the end of the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie.

26. An Endless Sea

A SatoSugu Pacific Rim Au. Also set in a time before the two pilot drift technology was developed. They’re the greatest pilots in the world until Riko and tengen’s mission where they had to protect Riko goes wrong. Gojo becomes even more stronger with his Jager after the mission, but Geto seems to find his limit and has to have a specific number of missions he can go per day. Geto centric.

27. Jujutsu Textin’ (Posted, but still updating)

A modern day twitter fic where most of the characters are in college.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure:

28. La Ciruela

It’s late at night, yet both Caesar and Joseph are here on this balcony outside. Joseph hides his heart well. Caesar pines.

29. You Gonna Do Something Killer?

....this is so embarrassing I can’t believe I’m adding it in. Caejose smut fic based on that tequila joseph tiktok and art. Joseph bets that he can seduce Caesar. Caesar- very stupidly, and already in love with Jojo - agrees to it.

30. Distant Dreams, Distant Hearts

Kujo family dynamics (Holly-Jotaro, Jotaro-Jolyne) centric fic with a focus on cards.

31.  Before My Body Is Dry (working title)

A Spiderverse au with a twist, with Jolyne as Miles and Jotaro as Jefferson Davis. 

Miscellaneous: 

32. Red Heaven, White Hell

A Daredevil exploration fic based on colours: red blood, red fights, red justice – white hospital, white crimes, white grief.

33. Time Wounds All the Heals (working title)

An Alex Rider (show) fic. A timeloop story where Alex keeps returning back in time, usually after he finds out Ian dies. Card games will be definitely used as some sort of metaphor.

34. The Oddball Blues

A comedy/ romance Giant Killing fic centered around Tsubaki and Kubota’s spare time in Abu Dhabi.

35. Biohazards, Ballistics, and Global Political Tension: An investigation into the impact of bio-organic weapons on modern society (Posted, but still updating)

Collab with @fangirl-on-fire3 ! A collection of accounts about different events in the resident evil universe in the format of a draft of a PhD report.