Gintama

Episode 300

Lest you forget that episode 300 begins the much-hyped Shogun Assassination Arc, the series' revamped title card and partially-updated opening credits sequence are here to remind you. True to its name, the Shogun Assassination Arc opens on a failed attempt to assassinate Shigeshige with a poison-laced tea bowl. After Sadasada's grisly murder at the hands of Takasugi, the young ruler's retainers and political allies have been abandoning him left and right. (The fact that he's fallen out of favor with the Tendoshu doesn't really help matters.) This has also opened the door for attempts on Shigeshige's life, prompting Katakuriko Matsudaira, Edo's director of police and Shigeshige's cool uncle/father figure, to task the Oniwaban with guarding the socially awkward shogun. Although Sarutobi "Sa-chan" Ayame is unflinchingly on board with this plan, hemorrhoid-stricken shinobi Hattori Zenzo isn't interested. As it turns out, the Oniwaban protected the royal family for generations before Sadasada ordered them disbanded, and it's suggested that Sa-chan and Zenzo grew up guarding Shigeshige. Frankly, it's odd seeing either of these characters, particularly Sa-chan, appear in one the show's rare serious arcs. Sure, Zenzo played a supporting role in the Red Spider Arc, but he primarily functioned as comic relief.

We soon learn that Hitotsubashi Nobunobu (who we met in last summer's Reaper Arc) was behind the tea bowl debacle. Since the ruling class suspects as much, Takasugi sends Kagura's murderous (but perpetually pleasant) brother Kamui to beat the young upstart to a pulp. The series' seldom-seen master villain believes this will help take the heat off his "pawn in the game of country-taking," as it will appear that Nobunobu's life was targeted as well. Even at this point in the series, I'm unclear on Takasugi's endgame. Based on what little we've seen of him, he craves total destruction of the country that took his master, so I'm not sure how making Nobunobu the next shogun helps advance this goal. Of course, this problem would be subverted if the one-eyed antagonist could be troubled to appear more than once every 50-ish episodes.

Realizing that the assassination attempts aren't going to cease, Matsudaira hatches a plan to transport Shigeshige to Kyo, the one place he still has a concentration of allies. To ensure Shigeshige's safe passage, Matsudaira recruits the combined forces of the Shinsengumi, the Oniwaban, Odd Jobs Gin-chan, and an array of Shigeshige body doubles. One body double will remain in Edo and act as shogun. To distract any assassins who discover the plan, another body double will head north by sea, yet another will head west by land, and finally, the real Shigeshige will be transported to Kyo via airship. Despite looking nothing like his ruler, Gintoki assumes the role of a body double, since it entails doing very little work. As Matsudaira explains, this group is meant to draw out the enemy, which is why it's being headlined by the Odd Jobs crew, the Oniwaban, Hijikata, and Kondo.

With all three convoys headed to their respective destinations, everything appears to be going according to plan. However, while admiring the scenery from the deck of their airship, Shigeshige and Rotten Maizo are approached by Zenzo, who informs them that the Oniwaban's duty isn't to protect the shogun—but to “protect shogun's duty.” Shortly after smiling in agreement and telling Zenzo that he “leaves the rest in his hands,” Shigeshige is decapitated by his old acquaintance's kunai. The closing image of Zenzo (a character who's only been used for comedy until this point) committing a graphic murder is chilling, to say the least.

A lot of story gets crammed into this episode. Every time an important plot point is introduced, the audience barely has a chance to process it before the next crucial development is rolled out. We barely have a chance to remember who Nobunobu is and why he wants Shigeshige dead before his plan appears to have succeeded. We don't really get a chance to become reacquainted with Takasugi and Kamui, who are regular fixtures in the show's opening credits but almost never appear in the actual series. We barely have time to process why Shigeshige needs to leave the palace and why Zenzo (who is a good-natured slacker by all accounts) would slice off the shogun's head before the end credits.

Thankfully, Gintama hasn't abandoned its comedy just yet, although the bit with the pixelated penis costumes that the shogun and his decoys wear goes on far too long and doesn't make a lot of sense. There are other laugh-out-loud moments, like when Matsudaira shouts top secret information, and Kondo and Hijikata scramble to downplay the leak. As was the case with previous arcs, I'm glad the show opts to ease the audience into the seriousness with plenty of humor.

The first episode of this long-awaited arc isn't bad by any means, but it has yet to live up to the full month of hype that preceded it. Fortunately, the ending saves this from being a by-the-books "set up" episode. Delivering this kind of twist so early on opens the door for a host of intriguing prospects. If all the efforts to protect Shigeshige have failed this quickly, where will the characters (and the story) go from here?

Rating: B

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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