Before watching this series, I thought that this would be one of those animes where I didn't get the general hype and acclaim that I've heard from several different people, sites, and forums. But after watching the entire series clocking in at 371 episodes, I can see why.

Gintama has a bizarre setting, an edo-period japan conquered by aliens, but this setting works because of the fact that it makes even the most absurd comedy joke or the most tragic saddest tearjerker feel right and never out of place in terms of atmosphere. It explores countless of opportunities where they can expand upon their gags, jokes, and heart-touching moments in order for them to not get repetitive for a 300+ episode series.

And speaking of gags and jokes, they are great. They make a lot of references and parodies to other popular series but they also create and set their own exclusive gags and jokes such as the famous Katsura phrase and MADAO. It's even more amusing that they even mock their series for their supposed shortcomings and flaws to comedic effect. Sure, there were few I didn't laugh much at or get much at all, but the general execution of their comedy is very good thanks to the charismatic set of characters and their interactions in situations like these.

Plot-wise and whenever it tries to get serious, and without spoiling much for the reader who hasn't watched this series, I guarantee you that it's some drama and action you can buy yourself into thanks to it's compelling narrative, solid characterization, and themes that it tries to employ. Onto the topic of characters, they are one of the main reasons as to why I love this show, even the supporting ones, cause they hold so much entertainment value every time they are seen on my screen and never fail to brighten my day. A lot of them have a solid motive and background in their character and personality, making you care about them even more when they are in danger or in a serious predicament. Even the more major antagonists of the series are pretty much intriguing and likable from a different perspective. Various characters and their set of dynamics exist throughout the series but probably the best of them all is the main trio of Gintoki, Kagura, and Shinpachi.

And while on the subject of the trio...

The main silver-haired samurai, Gintoki Sakata, has a generally lazy and carefree personality but really gets serious whenever something seriously bad happens to people he knows and acquaints to. I really like him because of the fact that he is both funny and badass at the same time, whether he'd be making dirty jokes or slashing up enemies he sees, he never fails to lose sight of what I know and care about the dude, and my opinion still holds up true after 350+ episodes and that's saying something. Not to mention he has great inspirational and serious quotes of wisdom that he shares with the other members of the cast, or certain people in certain arcs, whenever they are generally lost in their current state of mind or say it against their views and beliefs. The alien yato girl, Kagura; is a cute young anime girl who has a lot of tomboyish traits, is freakishly strong physically, and is very gluttonous. She can be hilarious whenever she takes situations in such a haphazard manner to the point where in one episode, she accidentally kills her pet beetle due to her being too excited during a kabuto beetle match. Her unladylike traits gives her more color as an character and overall I think she is a good female mc for the series. The straight glasses man, Shinpachi Shimura, is your usual goody-two shoes boy who has weird quirks and takes up the role of a straight man to retort the many comedic gags and situations his other two comrades and many other supporting characters partake in. He fulfills his role very effectively, and I never found him annoying while he's doing his straight main retorts. But even so, when he plays the funny man, it results in extreme hilarity like in a certain arc where he fell in love with a certain creature thanks to his virgin delusions.

(There's a lot I can say for the supporting cast in detail, but it would probably stretch too long so I'll just leave the main trio's quirks and reasons why I like them there.)

Moving on from the characters, the animation and art style is solid but definitely great whenever it tries to show those badass fight sequences. Not much to comment here, but I will admit that it can feel a bit low-budget like in the first season but honestly I personally got used to it, and didn't mind as long as the general substance of the series that I like about is there. The animation definitely improves as they moved to the transition of 16:9 in the 2nd season and so forth.▶
▶ OST choices are nice, they flow well with the vibe and situation of each and every episode and generally never feel out of place. Though I did feel a bit monotonous with the OST choices later on in the last portions of the 1st season, that feeling went away by the time the 2nd season rolled around with a new set of OSTs for new characters and various serious sequences in serious arcs.▶
▶ OP/ED's are likable for my taste, till this day after like 4 months I still listen to their songs just because of how catchy and addictive they are. SPYAIR and DOES really do a great job especially with this.

As for a bit more flaws that I have personally felt and noticed, I thought that the general feeling and atmosphere of the first 4 seasons dipped by the 5th season, and while still enjoyable and definitely not bad, they didn't match up to the quality and expectation I had with the previous four seasons. Furthermore, animation of fights weren't as good but some definitely were but I won't mention them here cause it'll spoil the experience. I still would recommend you keep on watching as it's more Gintama content.

Overall this anime was a ride I'll never forget, and even with some flaws and nitpicks I mentioned and have personally experienced throughout this review, the general entertainment and vibe I got with this series was so good I can accept those flaws for what they are and not be ashamed of them. Especially because of the fact that a show with 350+ episodes to stay enjoyable and make me feel so immersed that I forget the concept of time throughout it's span is something extraordinary.