#joui3

The pupils of the Shouka Sonjuku school once again come together. Will Gintoki and the others be able to save their master? Will the Z Fighters be able to grasp their future?

Find out next time on...

Gintoki: why do you say this?

Spoiler Alert!!!!!

So this is what I've been waiting for....like for months? OKAY. I HATE THIS! (I STILL LOVE YOU SORACHI) BUT SERIOUSLY?! I was actually hoping for a Gintoki/Shoyou moment!!! and yeah we got a Takasugi/Shoyou interaction but it was not satisfying at all! (Knowing that Takasugi will die!!!)

I still cant get over the fact that its gonna be takasugi/gintoki fight endgame even though its utsuro but in Takasugi's body. Its like Gintoki is destined to kill his master and save his counterpart childhood friend BY KILLING HIM!!! I REALLY HATE SORACHI FOR PUTTING THIS ON GINTOKI'S SHOULDER RIGHT NOW. I JUST WANT A LOVING MOMENT BETWEEN THE JOUI3 AND THEIR BELOVED SENSEI.

I started rereading Gintama around the time chapter 698 came out (announcing the shift in platforms for the continuation of it.)

The other day I was reading the Courtesan of a Nation arc, and some parts of it were too good for me to not make a post.

Particularly the fact that this is the first time we were intimated of the details of what happened to Shouyou, the involvement of the Naraku and of course, more about Gintoki's past.

Basically, what we had until now was this much--

-Shouyou taught Gintoki, Katsura and Takasugi

-The three of them fought in the Joui War (but we didn't know that there was actually a specific reason.)

-Shouyou died when they were still young (but again, we didn't exactly know in what way)

This arc hit us with a wave of information. Sure, the Tendoshuu were mentioned a couple of times in earlier chapters, but we had no clue they had anything to do with this.

Remember when Oboro immobilised Gintoki with his poisoned needles? And then we had this:

Gintoki, watching the carnage around him, as his friends, his comrades, his children, fight and protect each other, including him.

And he remembers feeling this helpless. He remembers not being able to do a single thing to protect what mattered to him the most.

Shouyou sensei.

You can literally see the desperation on his face. In his eyes. His will just forcing his body to go, do something, help them, don't let this be like a repetition of what happened so many years ago. Move, Gintoki.

And later on:

The very first time we see Shouyou's entire face. And god, how gorgeous it is indeed. No wonder Sorachi kept us waiting for this long.

More importantly, look at what he's saying. Entrusting Gintoki to protect what is dear to the both of them. And how is it any different from what's happening in real time? By fighting for him, with him, aren't the people he's with in the Castle also like this? These are people who would trust Gintoki with their lives, and Gin has the same trust in them as well.

"I'll be back with you all very soon."

But Gin already knows. He knows Shouyou won't be back that easily. That's precisely why he can't- wont watch as his comrades throw themselves into battle with him not being able to do anything. He can't lose those bonds. Not again.

A promise.

The very last panel is what really broke me. Past Gintoki and present Gintoki- both tied back by this promise- this failure to keep a promise.

At this point we don't actually know how Shouyou died, like I said before. We don't know that Gintoki was the one who beheaded him. We weren't fully able to comprehend the amount of pain he must've been going through, watching the people he loved hurt themselves for him. It was physically and mentally too much for him to have to go through that again. You can see the sheer pain on his face.

He had been forced kill his teacher, his mentor, his father figure-- and he's burdened by it, he always has been. Gintoki tries so hard to move on from the past, but he just cannot. There's too much pain to not acknowledge. There's too much suffering behind his cool façade. There's too much.

Because while he managed to stay afloat beside his brothers in arms, Takasugi and Katsura, he couldn't save the one person who mattered to them the most. Nay, he blames himself for sensei dying. He blames himself for being a helpless child who couldn't move to action when he should've. And that's heartbreaking.

At this point we don't even know the full story of what this man has been through. Sure, we love our protagonist. But we don't know.

It really just made me think a lot about what Gintoki carries on his shoulders-- the loss, the sadness, the fright. The absolute fright of losing his family again. Of making the same mistakes again. How much more of this pain is even humanly possible to endure?

“There’s no time for worrying, ’Cause there’s a suprise hidden somewhere, and I wanna find it!”