The main motto of the cyberpunk genre is "high tech, low life", and if you think about it, Gintama fits it pretty well. Its seemingly light-hearted, comedic nature covers the deep problems that are hinted at in the lore, ones that are worthy of the cyberpunk title.
It's a dystopian genre, one where the world features futuristic achievements that are paired with societal challenges. The majority of the cyberpunk works feature a distinct dark color palette with extremely gaudy neon and holographic advertisements on the streets of the never-sleeping cities. We all watched Blade Runner and Psycho-pass, probably, we know the staples of the genre and the distinct look it has. So how does Gintama fit in?
Throughout the whole run of the show, the viewers are fed little bits of lore. First, we learn that there was an alien invasion and humans learned how to live sufficiently alongside the creatures from other planets who brought with them new technologies that allowed the industry to advance much faster than it did in our timeline and surpass the industrial progress that we have now. So, in a way, it's a dystopian society, one that marries the traditional period drama with sci-fi elements. Exactly what you can see in the best examples of cyberpunk anime like Akira, or Ghost in the Shell, though not covered in a murky color palette.
As the story progresses, the lore gets more and more detailed, and the societal collapse becomes more prominent. There are war veterans who battled the alien invasion and who are not happy with the alliance; there are people who live on the streets and have to deal with extreme poverty; the government is corrupt, broken, and controlled by those who are not interested in the livelihood of the ordinary people; the entertainment industry is filled with drugs and fast pleasures; the technologies creep into people's homes and become a huge part of their lives.
But the colorful design and comedic vibe cover up this deeply disturbing part of the story quite well, doing a great job of masking it behind the laughs and sunny backgrounds. This dystopian not-really-future with advanced technology that has a huge impact on the lives of those living in this world references a lot of modern questions about humanity and its relationship with progress — it just does it in a way that's easy to digest due to the gags and the slow advancement of the plot that doesn't cram the whole backstory into one episode.
The only distinct feature of cyberpunk that Gintama is lacking (aside from the general gloomy vibe) is the reign of megacorporations. Otherwise, it fits the criteria pretty well.
It's not just a gag show.
The main motto of the cyberpunk genre is "high tech, low life", and if you think about it, Gintama fits it pretty well. Its seemingly light-hearted, comedic nature covers the deep problems that are hinted at in the lore, ones that are worthy of the cyberpunk title.
It's a dystopian genre, one where the world features futuristic achievements that are paired with societal challenges. The majority of the cyberpunk works feature a distinct dark color palette with extremely gaudy neon and holographic advertisements on the streets of the never-sleeping cities. We all watched Blade Runner and Psycho-pass, probably, we know the staples of the genre and the distinct look it has. So how does Gintama fit in?
Throughout the whole run of the show, the viewers are fed little bits of lore. First, we learn that there was an alien invasion and humans learned how to live sufficiently alongside the creatures from other planets who brought with them new technologies that allowed the industry to advance much faster than it did in our timeline and surpass the industrial progress that we have now. So, in a way, it's a dystopian society, one that marries the traditional period drama with sci-fi elements. Exactly what you can see in the best examples of cyberpunk anime like Akira, or Ghost in the Shell, though not covered in a murky color palette.
As the story progresses, the lore gets more and more detailed, and the societal collapse becomes more prominent. There are war veterans who battled the alien invasion and who are not happy with the alliance; there are people who live on the streets and have to deal with extreme poverty; the government is corrupt, broken, and controlled by those who are not interested in the livelihood of the ordinary people; the entertainment industry is filled with drugs and fast pleasures; the technologies creep into people's homes and become a huge part of their lives.
But the colorful design and comedic vibe cover up this deeply disturbing part of the story quite well, doing a great job of masking it behind the laughs and sunny backgrounds. This dystopian not-really-future with advanced technology that has a huge impact on the lives of those living in this world references a lot of modern questions about humanity and its relationship with progress — it just does it in a way that's easy to digest due to the gags and the slow advancement of the plot that doesn't cram the whole backstory into one episode.
The only distinct feature of cyberpunk that Gintama is lacking (aside from the general gloomy vibe) is the reign of megacorporations. Otherwise, it fits the criteria pretty well.
