Gintama

Episode 318

The second installment of The Battle on Rakuyo continues to lay the groundwork for what will likely be one of Gintama's most epic, action-packed story arcs. Although last week's premiere didn't do the best job of balancing copious info-dumping with actual plot advancement, episode 318 offers a much more balanced story. With the stakes of this arc fully laid out and each of the heroes' respective missions made clear, we can probably expect to see plenty of action unfold over the coming weeks.

Rakuyo, a desolate, sparsely-populated planet (which is strongly hinted to be Kagura and Kamui's home planet), is the place to be this week. In the wake of the Harusame's Seventh Fleet purge, Abuto was able to escape to Rakuyo with a still-unconscious Takasugi and a number of his fellow crewmen, and the group is currently laying low at a secluded Kiheitai base. Since this base is where Takasugi's subordinates agreed to rendezvous if they ever became separated, Matako, Takechi, and the remnants of the Kiheitai are now en route with an unexpected guest: Kagura. Knowing her brother survived his run-in with their father, she senses that both men are headed to Rakuyo for their inevitable rematch and is intent on reuniting her scattered family. After learning of Kagura's intentions, the remaining three-fourths of Odd Jobs Gin-chan, with Zura in tow, hitch a ride with Sakamoto's Kaientai, whom we learn rescued Bansai from certain doom during the purge. After quickly fending off a bakufu attack during liftoff and scoring a valuable hostage in Nobunobu, Gintoki and company set off for Rakuyo with the intent of making the Odd Jobs family whole once again. Meanwhile, with the Elders dead, the Harusame's fleet commanders implore Utsuro to become their new leader—a prospect he considers. We also learn that Utsuro has been giving Oboro his immortal blood, which explains how the ice-cold assassin was able to survive his previous deaths.

There's quite a bit to unpack in this episode. For starters, there's the prevalent theme of family—most notably in the case of Kagura. Although her biological family drifted apart following her mother's passing, she came to regard Gintoki and Shinpachi as older brother figures in her family of choice. However, now that her actual brother and father are on the verge of killing one another, she feels obligated to step in, even if doing so means saying a temporary goodbye to the home she's come to know and the people she cares about in Edo. In submitting their own symbolic letters of leave and going after her, Gintoki, Shinpachi, and Sadaharu demonstrate that they view Kagura as family, biological or not. As we've seen many times in the past, despite frequently acting like self-interested cretins and driving each other up the wall, the Odd Jobs crew deeply cares for one another.

Gintoki finds himself in a similar situation with regard to Takasugi and Utsuro. Even though he claims to no longer care about Shinsuke and has been fairly silent on the matter of Shoyo's true identity, it's hard to believe he truly feels nothing for either one of them. Not only was Shoyo the closest thing he had to a father, Takasugi was his best friend, rival, and adoptive brother throughout both his formative and young adult years. While his primary motivation in traveling to Rakuyo may be to bring Kagura home, I'm sure he's curious about Shinsuke's fate (especially since he doesn't know he survived the purge).

On the animation front, this episode isn't much to look at. In addition to frequently off-model characters, the proceedings are jam-packed with choppy movement. Although Gintama has never really been known for stellar visuals, it's strange to see the aesthetic quality take a dip this early in the season. One can't help but wonder if the move to late night was accompanied by a reduction in budget. It's also possible that the staff didn't want to waste their A-team on a fairly action-light episode.

With all of this arc's pertinent information laid bare, episode 318 finishes setting the stage for the titular battle. Animation issues aside, this latest outing is able to hit the right emotional beats and adeptly showcase some interesting new character dynamics. I'm sure the Odd Jobs trio will be reunited before too long, but if the high-energy new opening is any indication, their arrival on Rakuyo is only the beginning of something much larger.

Rating: A-

Gintama is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is an author who has loved anime for over two decades.