Fans often say that Gintama “gets better later,” but it’s hard to understand what exactly that means.
The Benizakura Arc is often referred to as the point where the anime gets good.
That’s not true: if you don’t enjoy the comedy, you probably won’t enjoy the anime overall.
Gintama is often considered one of the best anime out there. Praised equally for its comedy and action, it has a lot of fans around the world. That said, it might seem like a hard franchise to get into with its hundreds of episodes — especially because fans often say that it only “gets better later.”
The question that is often raised is: just how much later it gets better, and how much of it are newcomers supposed to watch before forming a full opinion on the anime? The answer is actually pretty tricky.
The common consensus is that the anime gets better in its first serious arc
The most infamous part about the start of Gintama is its first 2 episodes. While they are technically filler, being filler isn’t that much of a problem in a long-running comedy series like Gintama.
The issue with them, however, is that they rely on the viewer already knowing the gags and the relationships between the characters. If you start with them, you will probably be very confused.
In general, the first serious arc of Gintama is the Benizakura Arc, which starts at Episode 58. This, to many, means that the anime only gets good after over 50 episodes, which is more than fans can endure before getting to the good part.
But outside of the first 2 episodes, you can’t even skip them, as they introduce the characters and get the viewer to know them.
That’s not exactly true
The reality is even more complicated than that. The first 57 episodes being mostly comedic isn’t actually an issue: the anime is still a mix of comedy and action, and by dismissing them as “not good,” you are essentially dismissing half of the anime.
When fans give viewers the idea of the anime getting better “after 50 episodes or so,” they paint a wrong picture of Gintama to those unfamiliar with it. Essentially, they are saying that only the plot parts are worth watching, which is not entirely true.
Yes, the first 10-20 episodes have weaker comedy than the rest of the anime, but it’s still solid after that point. If you are only there for the serious arcs, this might not be the anime for you.
If you don’t like the comedy of Gintama, it probably won’t get better for you
Overall, Gintama does not “get better from the Benizakura Arc.” If you dislike the comedy in the series, you might have issues with the anime later on, and not even the serious arcs will save it for you.
That said, you should probably give it a try anyway — you might prefer one aspect of the anime over the other.
No, it’s not after 50 episodes.
Summary:
Fans often say that Gintama “gets better later,” but it’s hard to understand what exactly that means.
The Benizakura Arc is often referred to as the point where the anime gets good.
That’s not true: if you don’t enjoy the comedy, you probably won’t enjoy the anime overall.
Gintama is often considered one of the best anime out there. Praised equally for its comedy and action, it has a lot of fans around the world. That said, it might seem like a hard franchise to get into with its hundreds of episodes — especially because fans often say that it only “gets better later.”
The question that is often raised is: just how much later it gets better, and how much of it are newcomers supposed to watch before forming a full opinion on the anime? The answer is actually pretty tricky.
The common consensus is that the anime gets better in its first serious arc
The most infamous part about the start of Gintama is its first 2 episodes. While they are technically filler, being filler isn’t that much of a problem in a long-running comedy series like Gintama.
The issue with them, however, is that they rely on the viewer already knowing the gags and the relationships between the characters. If you start with them, you will probably be very confused.
In general, the first serious arc of Gintama is the Benizakura Arc, which starts at Episode 58. This, to many, means that the anime only gets good after over 50 episodes, which is more than fans can endure before getting to the good part.
But outside of the first 2 episodes, you can’t even skip them, as they introduce the characters and get the viewer to know them.
That’s not exactly true
The reality is even more complicated than that. The first 57 episodes being mostly comedic isn’t actually an issue: the anime is still a mix of comedy and action, and by dismissing them as “not good,” you are essentially dismissing half of the anime.
When fans give viewers the idea of the anime getting better “after 50 episodes or so,” they paint a wrong picture of Gintama to those unfamiliar with it. Essentially, they are saying that only the plot parts are worth watching, which is not entirely true.
Yes, the first 10-20 episodes have weaker comedy than the rest of the anime, but it’s still solid after that point. If you are only there for the serious arcs, this might not be the anime for you.
If you don’t like the comedy of Gintama, it probably won’t get better for you
Overall, Gintama does not “get better from the Benizakura Arc.” If you dislike the comedy in the series, you might have issues with the anime later on, and not even the serious arcs will save it for you.
That said, you should probably give it a try anyway — you might prefer one aspect of the anime over the other.
