Why Gintama is Far More Complex Than One Piece
First, I should say this: I adore One Piece. Went as Luffy for Halloween at work 4 years ago, then went as Wano arc Zoro last year. It’s fantastic.
BUT… One Piece can be boiled down to 3 things: it’s entirely saving someone, saving an island, or saving a country. Thats literally it. Minus the fillers, that’s all One Piece is at its core. Saving someone, saving an island, or saving a country. Maybe that will change as time moves on, but good lord, we’re well over 1000 episodes in now.
Gintama is very different. Because of its “Sazae-San” format, it can explore so many possibilities. It’s a slice of life, it’s just ridiculous, and yes, it’s also protecting the people you want to protect like any shonen is, but those two former things are things I haven’t seen in any other anime.
The depth in Gintama, whether it’s sadness, goofiness, laziness, seriousness, etc. is unmatched.
It does everything so well, even from the get-go, though it does take a bit of getting used to for many because of this difference.
I have yet to see any other anime distill a single side character’s problem so eloquently as EP. 188.
I have yet to see goofiness so finely packed like that in EP. 79.
And out of all the rival fights, Gin vs. Takasugi is simply unmatched because of the flashbacks and the raw voice acting between the two.
If anyone can direct me to something as well done, please do so!
TL;DR: Gintama’s single episode, “Samar-San” format isn’t a hindrance to it as a shonen but rather an asset. It builds depth, breaks repetition, and delivers something amazing when the show gets serious.