I started watching Gintama on a whim. I'd come to love SPYAIR, I wanted to know what anime features so much of their amazing music, and the reviews seemed good. 316 episodes later, I can confidently say that Gintama is one of not only the best anime, but the best shows, I have ever watched. I'll try to avoid major/specific spoilers (if you know, you know), but I'll touch on overall character moments and themes, as well as spoiling the arc names -- if you want to go in completely blind, this review will still contain vague/hinted spoilers.

Standalone Episodes As always, Gintama's comedy does not miss very often. Whether it's Yamazaki falling in love with a robot and then getting wingmanned by the worst possible candidate for the job, the Odd Jobs turning the tables on Gintoki's longtime stalker, or Hijikata and Gintoki (possibly accidentally) robbing a bank, this season is filled with wacky and hilarious episodes that showcase the comedic absurdity of Gintama at its finest. What else is there to say? 316 episodes, 4 seasons and 1 movie in, I'm still amazed at how vibrant and detailed these episodic stories are, a feat I haven't seen very many shows come close to matching.Comedic Arcs The longer comedic arcs were also absolutely on point this season. The Confessional arc was absolutely hilarious and watching Gintoki continuously panic as the situation grows worse and worse is hilarious. (Although, the recurrence of a long-running joke in this arc does, retrospectively, scream of foreshadowing.) The appearance of Kurukono Tasuke in the Joi Reunion arc was hilarious and the Afro arc was simply delightfully silly, showcasing our favourite circus (the Shinsengumi) in action. Some of the standout arcs for me were the Soul Switch arc, showcasing the absolute comedy gold of Hijikata and Gintoki's dynamic at its finest, and the Dekobokko arc, which concluded in a surprisingly heartfelt and genuine way that I genuinely feel not only resonates well with my own lived experiences and relationship with gender, but brings another long-running gag about Kyubei to a satisfying conclusion. I also want to give a shoutout to the character designs in the Dekobokko arc, especially Kondou and Kagura, because that had me practically rolling on the floor laughing. And of course, the Feigned Illness arc is absolutely, devastatingly hilarious, featuring Kagura as the straight man and Okita as an actual Terrible Person. I can't defend you on this one, man.Shinigami Arc To keep it brief, I really, really enjoyed this arc and I do feel like it is genuinely in contention for my top arcs in Gintama. I thought it provided a really interesting perspective on executioners that I hadn't seen done before, as well as delving a bit more into the moralities of the Shinsengumi, which is a major theme this season. In addition, we get another look into Gintoki's past, which is always appreciated and continues to exemplify how tragic his past truly is, how much of it even his closest friends don't know, laying the groundwork for what's still to come.

Of course, all of this is good. Really good, even. But when people think of this season of Gintama, I'm sure what they're really thinking about are the Shogun Assassination and Farewell, Shinsengumi arcs.

~~~
Shogun Assassination Arc
This is where it gets serious. (Minus the half episode where Gintoki breaks the fourth wall and retcons a plot hole because, you know, it's Gintama.) The Shogun Assassination arc is incredible. It brings together almost the entire cast, weaving all of their stories from the 260 prior episodes, into one cohesive tale. Characters who maybe had borderline annoying gags suddenly drop those gags and become developed, complex and sympathetic characters in their own right -- Zenzou is a particular standout here. The Shogun becomes an incredibly mature and respectable character, and through his past and present relationships with other characters, becomes more compelling than some main characters I've seen in other shows. It makes me understand why people fight for him. It makes me root for him, a character who'd been used as nothing more than comic relief for probably the first 200 or so episodes, further expanding upon what we saw of him in the Courtesan of a Nation arc.
The political intrigue that formed the latter parts of the Courtesan of a Nation arc pay off, creating a very richly woven world that doesn't feel too far off from the conflicts of history in the best possible way. It's precisely because of the political groundwork that many characters who tread the line of morality still come across as sympathetic, because of the complexity of this ever-evolving world. This arc delves into the meanings of duty, honour and motivations in a way that is so very Gintama, leaving me conflicted, hopeful and heartbroken.
There are some incredibly well done fights, both from an animation/production/choreography perspective and a storytelling perspective, taking those 260 episodes of set-up and beginning to pay them off. The character revelations in this arc are absolutely staggering (with the relationship with Gintoki and Takasugi being amazingly written). Characters' motivations are revealed, and it perfectly explains their actions in a way that so many backstories that I've seen in other shows simply don't -- every single flashback has purpose, changing the way we understand characters and their relationships between each other. The major reveal in this arc is absolutely worth the long, long wait. (I'm actually glad that they made us wait so long for it to be revealed, because I feel like it is exactly the 260 episodes of mystery and not knowing that are a big part of why the reveal is so, so compelling.) It really puts Gintoki's actions throughout the show in a new light, making him seem even more respectable, inspiring, and strong than before. And of course...the ending of the arc is beautiful, completely in line with regards to characterizations and manages to be both heartwarming and utterly heartwrenching at the same time.

Farewell, Shinsengumi Arc~~~ My favourite characters, from the very beginning, have been Hijikata and Okita. My favourite character relationships have, from the very beginning, been Hijikata, Okita and Kondou's. I think you can see where I'm going here, if you've seen this arc. I had high expectations for this arc, being a fan of the Shinsengumi and as always, Gintama does not disappoint. The first few episodes are rather bleak, but I loved how Gintama took the time to fully explore the aftermath of the previous arc. We see how the events of the previous arc affect each individual character. We get time to breathe, time to process what just happened alongside the characters, and it is heartbreaking. We get to see characters make hard decisions, pondering what they value, what they fight for, and what they can still do. We see characters encouraging each other, sharing their ideologies, and it's incredible, because they feel oh so human. They feel depression, they go through difficult times, but together, they move through it, showcasing the strength of the collective human spirit that is so prevalent throughout the show. And then the action starts. And then, we never look back. Delicately woven throughout the political intrigue and the battle sequences are hints of character development for characters who had previously been one note, flat characters that weren't particularly sympathetic. As the arc goes on, the relationship between the two of them and the events that brought them together weave an incredibly touching story of a found family, with each flashback having a definitive (and tragic) purpose within the story. There are callbacks to older arcs, including the Thorny arc, and we get to see a lot of characters seriously interact that we haven't really seen outside of a comedic context. All of the political work done in the previous arcs pays off, creating a very layered conflict, and a lot of either temporary or reluctant alliances that wouldn't have seemed plausible 200 episodes ago. The fight scenes are amazing, as always, and the animation is absolutely a step up compared to previous seasons. The fights are electric and hype-worthy, and don't feel dragged out at all. As an aside, since my favourite character is Okita Sougo, I was also very pleasantly surprised to see him be quite influential in this arc, despite the focus on Hijikata and Kondou's relationship as just the two of them. I actually did manage to guess the major plot twist about 5 minutes before it was revealed, but the sheer astonishment of it still managed to leave my jaw on the floor. I do want to avoid spoiling anything further, but I think this twist has the potential to have incredible ramifications on both the characters and the way we as the audience view the entire story. If done right, it could, quite literally, change everything, which is precisely the hallmark of a great plot twist. Special shoutout to Gintoki's voice actor in this scene, he was incredible. Finally, the conclusion was very well done, giving us satisfying endings for all of the major characters in play. We get to see the absolute loyalty of the Shinsengumi to each other, the love and respect they have for their leader and the ending only emphasizes what we've already seen throughout the arc. The emotional scenes were poignant, with brilliant directing and some very beautiful shots (those two stills of Kagura and Okita in the river were so creative), showcasing the brilliant character writing that this arc had to offer. Everything made sense, everything felt like a satisfying ending that fell in line with not only this arc, but all of the serious and comedy arcs that came before, and I could not think of anything I could have done better, had I been the one to write it.

Know Know Know by DOES was also an absolute banger, and probably in my top 5 OPs of Gintama so far, as a side note.
I absolutely adore how this season managed to pay off both the previous serious and comedy arcs, and I feel like the character writing throughout the final two arcs of the season are the best in Gintama thus far. Perseverance, friendship, the shared human experience, trauma, searching for a greater purpose in our lives, grieving, tragedy, euphoria -- it's all there. Even if I haven't lived through a war, even if I've never had to confront my own fragile mortality, the character writing is so vibrant and nuanced that I can see parts of my story reflected in the emotional impact the characters experience. It's raw, it's cathartic, it's tragic and it's beautiful.
It's not a perfect season, technically. There was the occasional episode where I didn't particularly feel like the comedy hit or I felt rather indifferent to, but honestly? When one season has two of the best arcs I've ever seen in shounen anime, what other choice do I have, when it comes to the final rating?