Gintama transcends the clichés that are set by the shounen genre. It breaks the stereotypes so aggressively that you like it. At first, it looks and feels like a gag manga with occasional bouts of serious action, but in reality, it's a deep story about people finding solace in each other, learning to live with their mistakes, and making meaningful connections with others despite their ideological (and even biological) differences.
There's one trait that makes Gintama stand out from the majority of the shounen shows, and it's the lack of romantic interest for any of the main cast of characters. Sakata Gintoki, the protagonist of the show, tries to portray himself as a womanizer, has a crush on a weather girl, and is surrounded by badass women, but his interactions with them are almost always devoid of any actual romantic subtext. If anything, it borders on bromance, just aimed at girls.
And that is what makes female characters in Gintama good. Sure, some of them are obsessively pursuing him, and this obsession is used for gags, nearly R18-rated ones. Some of them are slightly infatuated, and we can't judge them, but there is no serious romance brewing out of it. Female characters in Gintama all have their cohesive storylines that are not connected to the male characters. They are not just functions created to be ogled: no, they're persons. With their own beliefs, with their own dignity and code and principles, with their own wishes and aspirations.
The list of the strongest anime women that was published recently included two of Gintama's female characters in the Top 10: Kagura and Otae. And they both are cool. Kagura is a super strong kid who sees Gintoki as either an older brother or a father figure, but she is still her own character. She has her own friends, she has her own activities, she has wonderful story arcs where she grows so much and shows a wonderful mix of compassion, level-headedness, strong, unwavering morals and devotion to those that she cares for. She changes through the story, becoming wiser and stronger, and she's someone to look up to despite being just a 14-year-old kid alongside adults.
Otae, on the other hand, is a hardworking girl who just had to grow up faster because she was entrusted with a dojo and a younger brother at a very young age when her father died. And she had to learn to take responsibility not only for herself but for others earlier than most people usually do. She doesn't tolerate people who mock those she loves, she's always ready to protect what's important to her and to stand up against those who wronged her. She's devoted and a little bit of a martyr, but you clearly don't want to meet the sharp end of her naginata that she operates masterfully.
Despite that, however, other female characters in Gintama sometimes lack the depth that male characters get, and the jokes may seem a bit too harsh. But then again, It's Gintama. It's in the description of the show: if you're in it, you will be mocked. And then you'll be the reason the viewers will cry.
Better than your average shounen.
Gintama transcends the clichés that are set by the shounen genre. It breaks the stereotypes so aggressively that you like it. At first, it looks and feels like a gag manga with occasional bouts of serious action, but in reality, it's a deep story about people finding solace in each other, learning to live with their mistakes, and making meaningful connections with others despite their ideological (and even biological) differences.
There's one trait that makes Gintama stand out from the majority of the shounen shows, and it's the lack of romantic interest for any of the main cast of characters. Sakata Gintoki, the protagonist of the show, tries to portray himself as a womanizer, has a crush on a weather girl, and is surrounded by badass women, but his interactions with them are almost always devoid of any actual romantic subtext. If anything, it borders on bromance, just aimed at girls.
And that is what makes female characters in Gintama good. Sure, some of them are obsessively pursuing him, and this obsession is used for gags, nearly R18-rated ones. Some of them are slightly infatuated, and we can't judge them, but there is no serious romance brewing out of it. Female characters in Gintama all have their cohesive storylines that are not connected to the male characters. They are not just functions created to be ogled: no, they're persons. With their own beliefs, with their own dignity and code and principles, with their own wishes and aspirations.
The list of the strongest anime women that was published recently included two of Gintama's female characters in the Top 10: Kagura and Otae. And they both are cool. Kagura is a super strong kid who sees Gintoki as either an older brother or a father figure, but she is still her own character. She has her own friends, she has her own activities, she has wonderful story arcs where she grows so much and shows a wonderful mix of compassion, level-headedness, strong, unwavering morals and devotion to those that she cares for. She changes through the story, becoming wiser and stronger, and she's someone to look up to despite being just a 14-year-old kid alongside adults.
Otae, on the other hand, is a hardworking girl who just had to grow up faster because she was entrusted with a dojo and a younger brother at a very young age when her father died. And she had to learn to take responsibility not only for herself but for others earlier than most people usually do. She doesn't tolerate people who mock those she loves, she's always ready to protect what's important to her and to stand up against those who wronged her. She's devoted and a little bit of a martyr, but you clearly don't want to meet the sharp end of her naginata that she operates masterfully.
Despite that, however, other female characters in Gintama sometimes lack the depth that male characters get, and the jokes may seem a bit too harsh. But then again, It's Gintama. It's in the description of the show: if you're in it, you will be mocked. And then you'll be the reason the viewers will cry.
