Brain dead, head empty.
The episodic nature of Gintama is its blessing, because sometimes even one episode out of context can bring you an immense amount of joy — or, on the contrary, fill you with uncharacteristically somber feelings. These stand-alone episodes can make you cry — either from the hilarity or from the deep sorrow they explore through the regular humor-shaped lenses. We got five of those for you today.
Episode 25, "A Shared Soup Pot Is A Microcosm Of Life"
As the saying goes, you snooze, you lose, and that works not only for real families, but for found ones, too. Winter is the nabe season — it's a hot-pot that is enjoyed by the whole family. Although this activity tends to be wholesome, with the characters of Gintama it turns into a battle of wits and psychological torment as they are trying to determine who is the one who deserves to eat the meat.
Episode 113, “Cleaning the Toilet Cleanses the Soul”
Deep down in our souls most of us still enjoy a nicely timed toilet humor, and Gintama explores this guilty pleasure in a variety of ways. In one of the cases the trusty police force, Shinsengumi, is battling with the toughest enemy of all time: the germs. This episode not only showcases the masterful way of tackling such a delicate theme as hygiene in male-dominated spaces, but also paints the dynamic between the recurring characters, the leaders of Shinsengumi, quite well. Even those who have never watched Gintama may be able to grasp the intricacies of their relationship and how they prefer to deal with various issues. Also, the ending has an epic Gintama-esque homage to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
Episode 153, "Sleep Helps A Child Grow"
Those of you who spent all-nighters binging on some anime series, please raise your hand. Those of you who wished they spent all-nighters binging on some anime series instead of just staring at the ceiling for hours to come, please raise another hand, because this episode is for you. It features Kagura, a teenage alien girl, struggling with insomnia and making it everyone's (mainly Gintoki's) problem. Cue in a piece of advice on how to lure a person to sleep and how to create a strong familial bond through overcoming some issues together. Warning: screamer ahead.
Episode 166, "Two Is Better Than One"
This episode probably should've been titled "Dumb and Dumber". Then again, any episode that is centered around the adventures of Gintoki, the protagonist of the whole series, and Hijikata, one of the leaders of Shinsengumi, is filled with facepalm-inducing idiocy. In this one, they end up handcuffed to each other in the middle of a very important stakeout mission. Hilarity ensues, alongside some important discoveries. And toilet jokes, of course. Fun fact: it's one of the rare anime-only episodes that is not based on a story from manga.
Episode 188, “An Observation Journal Should Be Seen Through to the Very End”
Hasegawa Taizo once was a government official, but fate (in the shape of Yorozuya trio) finished his career, and he ended up on the street, his possessions consisting only of a cardboard box and the nickname Madao. This story is not really about him, but about a boy who treats him like a flower and waits for him to bloom. He documents his research in an observation journal as his summer homework. One of the true rollercoasters, alternating between wholesomeness and hilarity in a genuine Gintama fashion.