Gintama

Episode 293

He steals from the rich and gives to the poor—but not before transforming the stolen goods into bananas. Thus goes the legend of Ape Boy: an aging, simian-like thief of the night who's been targeting unscrupulous loan sharks throughout the greater Edo area. When the banana bandit spots gorilla-esque Shinsengumi captain Kondo Isao skulking around the Shimura residence, he mistakes him for a kindred spirit. Although Kondo was indeed committing a crime by stalking the lady of the house, burglary was the last thing on his mind. Too embarrassed to admit his true intentions, Kondo timidly accepts Ape Boy's invitation to become his protégé.

After agreeing to study under Ape Boy, Kondo has to walk a dangerous tightrope. In addition to concealing his Shinsengumi credentials from his new mentor, he has to hide his association with a wanted criminal from Hijikata and his subordinates, who are all too eager to put Ape Boy behind bars. Following a physical humor-fraught confrontation with his mayo-obsessed vice-captain, Kondo uncovers a connection between Ape Boy and the monkey-god-patron temple school he attended as a boy. When some of his fellow students were kidnapped by loan sharks that the school's headmaster was indebted to, young Isao learned that his rash actions can have devastating consequences. Despite successfully storming the crooks' hideout and rescuing his friends, Kondo was severely injured, and the loan sharks retaliated by torching the school. Although he had the best of intentions, Kondo was subsequently blamed for the destruction and barred from returning to the temple. However, Kondo gained a sense of purpose from the incident. He vowed to become stronger, and that strength enables him to make short work of bad guys in his capacity as a police officer.

It's difficult for any work of fiction to straddle the line between comedy and drama with as much finesse as this week's installment does. Even within the same episode, the rules of death are surprisingly elastic. A grenade exploding in Hijikata's face results in no more than a cartoonish Looney Tunes-esque injury, yet a man passes away from old age and sickness at the end of the episode. If you love Gintama for the zany humor, this episode falls a little short in that department, instead focusing on the emotional connection between Ape Boy and his protégé. Still, there are a number of laugh-out-loud moments, like the random revelation that the current "granny" in charge of the temple school is the same age as Kondo. (Roughly 30.)

Kondo's a complicated character, and this episode gives a little insight into why. He's never been ashamed of his lecherous behavior, and to say he's creepy at times is an understatement. At the same time, he's also one of the series' strongest fighters, and he'll go to great lengths to protect the innocent. (Unless the "innocent" refers to his stalking victim, who needs protection from him.) This storyline demonstrates how he can somehow balance these two aspects of his character, making his stubbornness a part of his strength.

This week's Gintama manages to get along just fine without its semi-titular protagonist, by shining a welcome spotlight on Edo's resident gorilla-stalker. (Though incredibly brief, Gintoki's sole appearance is very amusing. As it turns out, he's as befuddled by Ape Boy's modus operandi as the audience.) While not quite as madcap and laden with gross-out gags as other recent installments, episode 293 is a Gintama dramedy done right.

Rating: B

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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