Gintama

Episode 275

If an anime comedy continues long enough, a gender-swap story is likely to spring up. To the production's credit, gender-fluid Yagyu Kyubei is the perfect character to headline this misadventure. Throughout the series, the one-eyed swordswoman has struggled with gender identity, and although her situation is generally played for laughs, it's clear that she's grappling with some serious emotional issues.

When Kyubei encounters a mysterious street psychic who thinks she should explore what it is to be a man in a man's body, she inadvertently sets a strange plot into motion, thanks to a fanatical cult of intergalactic hermaphrodites known as the Dekobokkoites. These uniform beings have a limited perspective on gender roles and can't stand to see men acting too docile or women being overbearing. When Kyubei points out Dekobokkoism's inherent flaws, it prompts the religion's mouthpiece to take drastic action. A flash of purplish light envelops Kabuki-cho and nearly all of its inhabitants have their genders reversed. To return to normal, they must strictly adhere to feminine or masculine stereotypes. This will, according to the Dekobokkoites, help the citizens better appreciate their original genders (apparently).

Whereas most shows would change characters into virtual clones of themselves, plus or minus breasts, Gintama only starts out that way. Kyubei (who now wants to go by "Jyubei," to make her historical figure allusion all the more clear) becomes a bishonen version of herself and Gintoki (now "Ginko," although he has a crasser name in mind) is a lazy bishojo sporting a page cut. After that though, you'll have no idea what's coming and whose mind lurks behind the gorgeous, handsome and oftentimes absurd facades. It's hard to decide whose genderbent form is most hilarious: Kagura's, Shinpachi's, Kondo's or Hijikata's.

Like every good Gintama story, episode 275 is full of laughs derived from over-the-top situations and well-developed characters. Some of the jokes centered on gender stereotypes are liable to make viewers cringe, but they're at least balanced with Kyubei's rejection of such stereotypes. The running gag about Tae's insecurities about her small chest size takes on a whole new dimension when she finds herself surrounded by her generously endowed gender-swapped friends. The joke gets old, but in true Gintama fashion, it goes a step further than the typical breast-fondling. Tae inflicts some serious pain and those squeezed-to-a-pulp breasts aren't bouncing in an erotic fashion. Suffice to say, the phrase "You're ripping my boob off!" is shrieked more than once.

As the start of a new story arc, this episode doesn't have sufficient run time to show off all of the principal characters in their new forms. Nevertheless, it's a testament to Sorachi's comic abilities that we discover the talented voice cast is only partly responsible for keeping the audience rolling in the aisles. A number of them have been replaced with voices more suited to their characters' new genders, and everyone's favorite Kabuki-cho regulars are still as funny as ever. Although the Dekobokkoites' reason for attacking the city is somewhat murky, it isn't as important as the execution of the comedy. If this episode is any indication of how events will unfold, this looks to be one of the most promising twists on a tired formula yet.

Rating: B+

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for two decades.