In Praise Of Gintama's Character Design

[@FMP346]

I'm starting to understand this Gintama thing just by watching these. Great video once again

[@thefictionbros319]

Go watch it. You shan't regret!

[@iantaran2843]

Welcome to the fam

[@bapple7844]

Shinpachis body is the best prop in the show that complements his glasses perfectly

[@iantaran2843]

Goated comment

[@ariesfaturrahman7982]

The most distinguish and memorable character design in Gintama definitely belong to, Prince Hata.

[@poloy7051]

Gintama fan service for me is seeing any combination of the Joui 4 or all of them together

[@CrownofMischief]

Another thing I like is how they designed someone like Otose, who is one of the few old women in anime that isn't shrunken and simplified like what you'd see with characters like Recovery Girl in My Hero Academia or Pinako from Fullmetal Alchemist. Nor does she look like they took a younger character design and added wrinkles, like Porlyusica from Fairy Tail or Genkai from Yu Yu Hakusho. She's just old. And sometimes they lean into the fact that she isn't exactly a beauty anymore, but she still has a grace that she carries herself with. I'd say one of the few other characters I'd compare her presence to would be Erina Joestar, in that they both have the energy of a grandmother who is totally frail but commands total respect (and hey, they both support a strong protagonist voiced by Tomokazu Sugita)

[@iantaran2843]

The quality of the characters is incredible The ladies constantly surprise me with how well they are written, a lot of Mangaka can write a few good characters But they tend to lack when it comes to the ladies and older folks

[@kendra_t]

I never noticed the contrast between Katsura's design and personality. That's actually hilarious! I wonder if he was designed that way to balance out the outlandish look of Elizabeth since they're attached at the hip for most of his appearances?

[@kennethcastillo9667]

Just a note: Tsukuyo isn't a prositute. She is more akin to a female bouncer as she does not provide service. The only time she did was with Gintoki after defeating Jiraia in which Gin declined as Tsuki is drunk. After that, she is back to being a bouncer again.

[@craig3240]

That was a switch up though from her debut. Originally she wasn’t supposed to become a main cast member. Fans liked her in Yoshiwara in Flames that they wanted to see more of her, so Sorachi made that unnecessary effort to stretch out a story for that “thrown away womanhood” line that took on a whole different meaning than intended. She said it herself when introducing her story to the Yorozuya. She didn’t mind being a courtesan. She was cool at first, and one can say it’s good writing because it’s seen as more serious than others. But overall it was very wonky writing for her because of the changes made. You can chalk it up to her having to be her own person and learn to deal with people but that was all her in Yoshiwara. They took that away and she had to relearn all she was and did for that arc of hers. I wish he never did that just because fans said they wanted more.

[@chrispolo25]

@@craig3240the most important thing is she was not one and only did it once with Gintoki.

[@halnyx7488]

It's funny you mentioned the distinct contrast and choice in style of the Joi 4's attire in the current timeline, because I actually brought this up in one of my own analysis in a forum; specifically comparing the curious change between Gintoki and Takasugi . If you look back to their War Days, Takasugi had a bit more of a modern design in his outfit that was similar to the Shinsengumi's present day uniform and Sakamoto's (minus his geta slippers). But Gintoki's iconic Shiroyasha uniform is almost entirely traditional with very little suggestion of modern style. Fast forward to the present day and they've completely switched styles, where Gintoki is the one who blends both modern and traditional clothes while Takasugi outright rejects it by favoring completely traditional clothing for a good portion of the series. Although it's not exactly a confirmation by Sorachi and what he intended to reveal in their backstories down the line, it really goes to show how the war deeply effected their mindset and how it might have suggested where they were (mentally) during the war before that event took place. ***A bit of a digression to point out how the event that took place also influenced Katsura, as he dresses almost exactly the same as Shouyou (minus a change in color palette) as a way to cope with their loss AND symbolize his will to carry out his teacher's spirit as a guidance; for both the country itself and his fellow Shoka Sonjuku classmates. Again, the choice in designs really adds a certain layer to the series that makes it worth re-watching/analyzing that you probably wouldn't notice the first time. And Gintama just feels like it always has another hidden layer worth diving into every time.

[@stonebud]

I never realised that kagura and shinpachi's costumes colors are split from Gin's. That is so cool!!

[@linabqueen]

even in the anime they mention how the best character are noticeable in a silhouette.

[@TheKnicks2012]

Didn’t know how much I loved Nobume’s design until after I finished. Being that the color blue is my favorite, I didn’t want to be biased. Deep blue hair with brown eyes is already fantastic enough but then I noticed the blue thigh highs, the sweet coat, and that blended with her overall assassin and deadpan attitude is so good.

[@garenthewise5074]

Finally! More Gintama youtube content, and about the character designs no less. Absolutely love the way Sorachi handles his character designs

[@halnyx7488]

Although admittedly it's a bit of a shame we can't see the original manga designs of some kimonos, (such as Takasugi's who was even more elaborate and traditional), you made a sound point that the balance was perfect for the anime; Simplified to be easier to identify for the viewers, yet still intricate enough to distinguish characters from each other.

[@jjjmcz]

What about yamazaki, the demon vice chief jimmy yamazaki and the cybocop yamazaki

[@ruku4224]

I love every gintama character

[@pocketblockhd1620]

Great analysis! I love the points you made about the Joui 4, and it makes so much sense! It makes me wonder if Sorachi thought about these things or just made because he thought they looked nice lol. Two other points I have noticed are about the Shinsengumi and Sadaharu. The shinsengumi, while wearing uniforms. make up for their uniqueness in their hair. It is often joked that Hijikata has V shaped bangs, Okita has a unique color to his hair that isnt seen on anyone other than Mitsuba (his sister), Saito has a whole ass Afro, and Kondo has combed hair that faces upwards. Yamazaki also has very normal bangs (truly to fit being a jimmy) but has long hair at the back that gives him some uniqueness. I also love that Sadaharu is very unique from other dogs in Anime while fitting his character. He has eyebrows that are shaped like magatama that fit his status as an Inugami while giving him a different look to other dogs. He also boasts a different eye style and large size to truly separate him from other dogs.

[@halnyx7488]

And in addition to Sadaharu's distinct style from the usual (and occasionally unusual) pack, Sadaharu is unique to most pets/mascots in anime because he's also given as strong a presence as other characters; and had even undergone his own character growth through the course of the series. Most mascots' sole purpose is to be the "kawaii factor" that's meant to either drawn in the demographics with a pension for cuteness or be that cute/silly character who helps make a small contribution to the defeat of the Big Bad; Which is a trope you often see in Disney. They don't need character development or depth like the rest of the cast. But Sorachi gives Sadaharu so many moments where he shines equally to his cast, and is more than just a big goofy dog that stands on the side.

[@halnyx7488]

Glad to see another video for Gintama analysis. (Although I think I still need to see some that I've missed, but that gives me more to enjoy Gintama discussions. 😆) And I definitely agree, the designs of a series' characters may not be the defining factor in whether the anime/manga is good or not, but they do help in providing a sense of presence and memorability in the series; especially for the long-runners. Something this video reminded me of is the astute comments some non-Gintama fans said while reacting to samples of the series; specifically the full playlists of the openings/endings or just looking at pictures of the characters. One comment that I found quite interesting was after they'd gotten to about 11 or so openings, and one of the reactors took a moment to make a comment of how distinctive the characters look with each sequence despite how big the cast was getting. She felt like she wasn't confused or overwhelmed with the same question of "Have I seen this person before, or is it just another person with the same colored hair?" She felt like everyone had their own distinct look and distinct style that was helping her to remember them (such as Yamazaki and his badminton racket or Tama's mop), as well as giving her the impression that they have certain personalities and quirks that help them stand out from each other in the series despite her not knowing what it's about. And as you said, it can be very easy to forget people, especially if they're in uniforms, which she also brought up in how you need to "put a face" because everyone wears the same thing. Her partner also made similar comments that support her observation on the designs, as he used a series like Fairy Tail (lol ironically) as an example of how it has a habit of "introducing new characters" when they'd literally just brought in some new ones about a week ago, but once their moment was over got tossed to the side; even though they still show up in some openings but did little for their presence afterwards. Another 2 who reacted to character designs remarked how Gintoki had a high score for their grade because just from his design alone one of them had some idea of his character, which he didn't think was possible and that it could only happen because it was a smart design choice. And wether this is done in the most exaggerated way or safest way can only be achieved if the creator has the ability to balance the two to help make their series stand out in a unique way. And Sorachi's Gintama is definitely a series that has, and still does, achieve this with it's blend of exceptional factors.

[@bobo.6288]

I just found your channel, I am a huge fan of Gintama and my friend recommended your channel. Quite surprised you only got 900 subscribers while doing quality videos like this.

[@davidwegescheide3796]

Very good points. I absolutely love the character design in the show, there is a lot to dig into, with overlapping patterns (like the Yoroyuza all reflecting similar color schemes). One thing I've been looking into is if you take the Joui 4 and the four 'central' female characters you can line them up by season and transition from one season to the next and it lines up pretty well with the characters themselves. (Gintoki being a transition from winter to spring, Otae usually wearing spring colors, Kagura having colors that transition from spring to summer, Sakamoto in summer colors, Takasugi having summer to fall, Tsukky having fall, Kyubei transitioning from fall to winter and Katsura having winter colors) It's still a work in progress, but there does seem to be something there. (Which is part of how incredible the show is that there always seems to be more secrets to dig into.)

[@Simiji11]

Never thought about their designs in relation to seasonal shifts; very interesting idea!

[@davidwegescheide3796]

@@Simiji11 It comes to mind because the seasons changing are another major theme in the setting. Even aside from the slew of holiday stories a lot of the big moments have direct relations to seasons, and the seasonal imagery plays a Huge roll in the openings and endings. That's a.. particularly deep rabbit hole though, since a lot of the imagery can be very subtle.

[@mariag.1670]

Great video! I guessed Soyo and Otae in the challenge.

[@arcuslux516]

Wait i feel like they already explained this on the episode about the gorilla mangaka

[@mousambarai7880]

In the end y all played Mega Drive too.

[@seankim1592]

Hmm. Your favorite male character design is Gintoki. Your favorite female character design is Tsukuyo. HMMMM. JK JK. I just found it very coincidental. OR IS IT?

[@yoszen2892]

You just used one of the episodes in the anime to do your video, Gintoki already explained this, on the chapter where Gontoki saves Gintaman

[@BabyFed]

I’m thinking I might try to get into watching Gintama. Where would you recommend I start?

[@Simiji11]

Simply just episode 3 onwards (episodes 1+2 are filler episodes which are aimed at manga readers) Hope you enjoy!