Gintama Review – Spoiler Free 🙂
Why I didn’t walk out of Gintama
In the last year or more, the Event Cinema group have started airing more and more Anime and Live action Japanese films at their cinemas around Australia. So, when the live action adaptation of Gintama arrived here in Brisbane, I of course was going to see it. I am not a big fan of the Anime or Manga, but in order to “vote with my wallet” and show that I want more Japanese films, both Live action and Anime in cinema’s here in Australia.
Despite my noble cause, I almost wish I hadn’t spent the money on the tickets to go see Gintama.
As someone with a passing familiarity with the series and its sense of humor, I knew what I was getting into, or at least I thought I did. The slapstick sense of comedy that is the core of the show, when its story is flagging or non-existent, does not translate well into live action. Especially when they try to recreate the actual effect of the joke.
In saying all that, I did find some of the film to be actually funny. Some jokes are able to transcend the culture gap and also display well in live action cinema. But the handful of actual funny moments do little to make up for the poor attempts at acting and comedy that make up the majority of the film.
If you are a dedicated fan to the series then this film is probably exactly what you are looking for as an adaptation and from that viewpoint I could have probably really enjoyed the two hours I spent in the cinema. Sadly, while I am an anime enthusiast, it is not a blanket license for all anime to entertain me and Gintama has never appealed to my sense of humor.
Overall, the movie was Ok. And that is being generous and lenient because of potential culture differences that put me off the film as a whole. If you want to support that continuation of Japanese films coming to Australia then be sure to buy a ticket, but unless you’re a fan of the series, I don’t recommend actually walking into the cinema to watch it.
