Skipping The First Episodes Of Gintama Is Wrong

Gintama is a gag anime by its nature, and the funny stuff will follow the viewers up to the very finale. Some people are not instantly hooked on Gintama's brand of storytelling and think about skipping the first 30 episodes and starting the anime from the first serious arc, Memory Loss Arc, which begins in Episode 31. But this is not how you should watch Gintama at all.

These first episodes, which are seemingly lighthearted and filled with dumb jokes, are actually very solid character introductions. The only actual fillers in the anime are the first two episodes: these were created as a celebration of manga finally getting an anime adaptation. But what follows next is important.

Gintama is a character-driven story, not plot-driven. These episodes give the viewers first peeks at the 80% of the cast that would be presented for the whole duration of the show. Despite the seemingly episodic nature of the plot, the overarching serious story is teased in this first bunch of episodes that people think of skipping.

Not only that, these episodes give you a better understanding of the lore, of the world that the characters get into their shenanigans in, and the reasons why they get into these shenanigans. A mix of sci-fi and period drama, the abundance of dirty jokes, carefully intertwined with foreshadowing and important plot points — this eclectic cocktail that is Gintama first tries to trick you into believing that it's nothing more than a gag show with a side of action. So if you skip the first episodes where the main and supporting cast act like total idiots, the serious arc just wouldn't hit as hard as it should. You wouldn't have enough attachment to those who take part in it, wouldn't have your opinions on them, and that means you wouldn't be surprised by whatever happens in the first serious story of the series.

The concentration of facepalm-inducing hilarity in the first episodes may feel too much for a person who's not used to this type of humor, so we advise instead of even thinking about skipping it just watch it slowly. Don't binge it, you'd fry your brain. Go for a few episodes per week, watch it during dinner, and dilute it with other shows. After all, the show was created to be watched weekly.

The payoff would be worth it, we promise.