Gintama: Shinyaku Benizakura-hen Review

 

This movie is basically a remake of the Benizakura story arc (episodes 58-61) of the series Gintama. For those who are unfamiliar with it, Gintama is a comedy series set in an alternate universe, where Japan is taken over by aliens. It follows the adventures of Sakata Gintoki - former samurai, who is always broke. He works as a “yorozuya” (something like a mercenary) together with two teenagers and does various tasks to make a living. The series are more like a parody of popular anime series and characters. The whole concept of mixing samurai, space technology, aliens and comedy may sound strange, but Gintama is really funny and original. However, the Benizakura arc is probably the most action-packed in the whole series. So even those, who don’t like comedy with sci-fi elements, will enjoy the spectacular sword fights.

The Benizakura story itself is kept unchanged. Katsura, leader of anti-government faction, has disappeared. Some believe he has fallen victim to a murderer, who targets samurai on the streets of Edo. Gintoki wants to look for his missing friend, but is given a job. He has to find a stolen sword, the Benizakura. While he is searching for it, Kagura and Shinpachi are looking for Katsura. They all face some dangerous enemies and eventually discover a conspiracy aiming to overthrow the government.

The differences with the TV episodes are not that great. They have re-used about 85% of the existing material. Most of the scenes, the fights and the dialogue are identical. In the movie, they have improved some small animation details, like sword reflections and effects. Some pieces of the background music and some camera angles have also been changed. There are also about 10 minutes of original footage in the movie, with some additional scenes (and some new jokes).

The overall enjoyment for Gintama fans would be 10/10… even though it is just the old episodes pasted together with some minor cosmetic changes. The Benizakura arc is awesome and watching it again never gets old. Those, who haven’t seen the series, can still watch the movie and enjoy it. The story is easy to follow and the action is good. Some may notice that the characters’ background and motivation need more explanation (which is covered in the TV episodes). Also some things (like Elizabeth) in the crazy Gintama world might seem confusing. Anyways, the movie is good, but “newcomers” would probably rate it around 8/10.