Gintama

Episode 284

When oblivious Joi rebel leader Katsura "Zura" Kotaro takes the amnesia-stricken shogun Tokugawa Shigeshige under his wing, the result is a delightfully twisted buddy comedy. The low-level Joi rebels under Katsura's command are on tsukkomi duty this week, as they almost immediately realize that their leader's new confidante is the man their organization is working to overthrow. Despite Shigeshige's face being plastered all over the news, Katsura fails to put the pieces together. After learning that Gintoki was arrested in connection with the shogun's disappearance, Katsura assumes his old friend reawakened the White Yaksha and assassinated the country's most prominent political figure.

Katsura senses that "Sho-chan" is a natural leader and decides to groom him for a leadership position in his group. According to Katsura's twisted logic, this somehow involves playing Jenga while being bombarded by volleyballs, as well as playing heated Othello and Uno matches. At every turn, Shigeshige impresses the Joi rebels with his boundless humility and natural talents. Even though he technically loses some of the battles, he triumphs in the hearts of the Joi rebels—who adore him despite being fully aware of his true identity. Katsura finds his losses so aggravating that the usually good-natured terrorist loses his cool more than once.

This episode is a little different from the typical Sho-chan-centric story. Although the scenario still revolves around a central character not recognizing him, Shigeshige comes across as surprisingly suave and amicable instead of socially awkward and friendless. It helps that the Joi rebels who fall under his spell aren't as quick to anger compared to many of the show's regulars. It's nice to be reminded that some Edo residents aren't entirely lacking in kindness and sanity.

Although it's not a laugh-a-second affair, the episode is peppered with genuinely funny character moments. Both Sho-chan and Katsura are overly serious and perpetually oblivious, which makes this week's tsukkomi retorts even more effective than usual. When Sho-chan leads a rescue mission to bust Gintoki out of the dungeon in his own castle, the silver-haired samurai takes over as "Mr. Obvious," but the inherent irony of the situation continues to be lost on Sho-chan and Katsura.

It's a wonder that Katsura inspires people to follow him at all. Even if his underlings agree with his desire to overthrow the bakufu, he's clearly two bricks short of a load. Although "Zura" was a little more serious and subdued in his earliest appearances, he's always been out of touch with his compatriots and reality at large. Even if Takasugi Shinsuke's Kiheitai is too extreme for these men, surely there are more effective rebel leaders they can get behind. At long last, this episode demonstrates how tenuous Katsura's hold over his followers actually is.

The surprise ending isn't difficult to see coming, but it says something about how similar Shigeshige and Katsura are, despite being on opposite sides of a divided nation. They're both kinder and more innocent than the majority of the show's cast—even if the realization of Katsura's goal involves a great deal of violence (which says a lot about how wicked the other characters are). Seeing these two play off one another and work side-by-side, even if only for an episode, is sure to please loyal fans.

While it's technically the latter part of a two-episode arc, episode 284 is only a loose continuation of last week's story. It's a nice companion piece to the previous episode, and it doesn't draw out the plot for too long. Although less funny than the previous installment, this week's Gintama expertly utilizes two of the series' most interesting characters to great comic effect.

Rating: B

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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