#ginshin

2) Pachi-kun really has the best expressions.

3) Kagura and the Hyakka ladies would be good runner ups to Shinpachi in the facial response department.

4) Gin-chan’s line was much less cringey and flirtatious in the manga. 

5) Tsukuyo obviously had a soft spot for Gintoki right from the start.

6) I really liked this nameless Hyakka member who totally threw Gintoki under the bus. She was so adorable.

7) The signs of Tsukky being a future contender for Gintoki’s affections really were pretty obvious right from the start. He complimented her SO MUCH, and she really was VERY nice to him.

8) Gin-chan’s death face is the true tragedy here.

9) Baby Tsukuyo breaks my heart. She is a bundle of sadness.

10) Hinowa is really so awesome. I know Tsukky turned out to be the more important character as a result of this arc, but a part of me still wishes Hinowa had been the one only because so many things were against her as a heroine and future love interest for Gintoki. She was a prostitute, she is handicapped and she can’t fight, and yet she is one of the most beautiful, strong and brave characters in the series.

11) I mean, at least he looked less ragged in the anime. This is definitely a case of his personality eventually winning me over because I actually think he’s handsome now, but when he first appeared, I might’ve winced.

12) I appreciated that all Abuto needed to do to show how strong he was was bite down and crush a metal kunai. This is where my “holy shits” probably started.

13) One of my favorite scenes in the entire series and it STILL gives me chills every time I see it even though I’ve seen it many times already. I especially love how Kagura was so shocked that her pupils diminished to the size of pinheads (that’s why I chose that moment for the title image this time).

14) That’s ALL she got to say...

15)...before her crazy-ass big bro just smashed her to death. I really should have hated Kamui more for being so abusive right from the get-go, but I just couldn’t. 

16) Not that I like Housen, but I should point out that the anime kinda downgraded him because in the manga, he was said to be ABOVE Umibouzu in power, which actually makes more sense because as strong as baldy is, it’s hard to imagine him being as brutally powerful as Housen. I sometimes wonder how Housen would’ve fared against Utsuro.

17) This fucking cutie. How was I ever supposed to hate that adorable face? And to make matters worse, they also gave him a totally soft-spoken, cute uke-ish voice as well. I was completely defeated right from the start.

SHIPS TALLY:

Gintoki x Tsukuyo: yeah, Sorachi-sama laid it on pretty thick for them in the beginning. 

Gintoki x Shinpachi: really just because Pachi-kun looked so damn grateful Gintoki came just in time to save him and Seita. Like he was close to tears.

Tsukuyo x Hinowa: the love and affection was there between them early on, I would’ve been willing to board the ship for them as they are now, with Tsukky all grown up since they obviously still share a strong bond.

Shinpachi’s cold anger is mostly due to the fact that he is angry at himself. He feels like the whole “moping” (or, y’know, grieving)  and not coping well with Gintoki’s disappearance would disappoint Gintoki, and that he is not strong enough without him. 

Shinpachi and Gintoki never told anybody that they were dating. Basically everyone knew it anyway, but Shinpachi thinks that its his secret and feels twice as alone, as he has no one to fully share his grief with. And of course everyone is very considerate and stuff and they don’t let Shinpachi know that they knew about the two of them, so Shinpachi suffers alone. 

When Gintoki comes to future and sees Shinpachi he feels so guilty - because this is more or less everything he feared when they started their relationship. Shinpachi is a mess, and there is seemingly very little left of this warm, optimistic Shinpachi, who wore his heart on his sleeve, he’s alone and that’s Gintoki’s fault. (He ignores of course  the fact that even if they weren’t in a relationship, his disappearance would take its toll on Shinpachi) 

On the other hand Gintoki felt strange, completly inappropriate pang of joy at Shinpachi’s misery - for him  it meant Shinpachi really loved him. Gintoki always doubted that it was real love on Shinpachi’s side; not that he ever doubted that Shinpachi thought it was love, but it could have been a crush, admiration etc. and one day Shinpachi would meet someone and realize that THIS was his real love, not Gintoki. But Gintoki was long gone from the picture and Shinpachi was still heartbroken. So, not a crush. In other news, Gintoki hates himself now even more than before.