GINTAMA

Manga Adaptation is Rude, Crude and Balls to the Wall

Venue(s): Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills
From July 14, 2017
Language: Japanese only
Official website: goo.gl/ABAoxc
Theater website: hlo.tohotheater.jp/net/schedule/009/TNPI2000J01.do
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQBUQmfuMlU


Title: 銀魂 (Gintama)
Director: Yuichi Fukuda (福田雄一 )
Duration: 130 min

If you’re a fan of gag manga series Gintama — either via the translated comics from Viz Media, Crunchyroll’s streaming of the TV anime or Sentai Filmworks’ DVD releases — then you’re already primed to enjoy the supreme silliness of the new live-action film from Warner Bros.

We’re grateful that WB always screens its new Japanese releases with English subs at the Toho Theaters in Roppongi Hills.

But if you're already familiar with the “science fiction super samurai spectacular” of the beloved series, you probably won't mind the breakneck speed of the onscreen action, as well as the non-stop rapid-fire exchanges of puns, in-jokes and 4^th-wall-breaking meta-commentary. Sure, you'd like English subs ... but you can get by.

This first live-action adaptation of Hideaki Sorachi’s long-running series in Weekly Shonen Jump (which has sold upwards of 50 million copies in Japan) has a handful of can’t-lose attributes, starting with its creative team and cast. Gintama is directed by Yuichi Fukuda, the comic-action genius behind the Hentai Kamen films, as well as such popular TV fare as Super Salaryman Mr. Saenai and The Brave Yoshihiko and the Seven Driven People. He obviously worships at the Sorachi altar, and has retained so much of the original’s essence, fans will find no bone to pick (nor will Sorachi’s own dog, even though he makes no appearance here).

To recreate the stylized dynamism of the manga, Fukuda employs liberal use of bullet time, slomo, stop-motion and split-second editing. He hired action director Chang Jae Wook (Lupin the Third) for the over-the-top action sequences, and Chang pioneered a new style of choreography that mixes kenka sappo (brawl skills) with traditional Japanese swordplay for the film. Production designer Noriyoshi Ikeya (Typhoon Club) outdoes himself with the mish-mash of past-and-future Tokyo, especially with the ginormous aerial battleships on which the final scenes are staged.

The casting is spot-on, from the trio of stars who anchor the film, to the parade of colorful supporting characters. Shun Oguri (Reminiscence, Museum) is the silver-maned, nose-picking layabout samurai hero Gintoki Sakata, who fought in the wars of resistance when the aliens invaded Edo-era Japan, but now pays the rent by running the Odd Jobs yorozuya agency; Masaki Suda (Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High) is Shinpachi Shimura, who’s pretty handy with a sword and always cleans up after his boss, as well as offering a tsukkomi (rebuke) for every boke (slip or stupid remark) made by his comrades; and Kanna Hashimoto (Haruta and Chika) is the kickass young alien Kagura, from the strongest clan of warriors in the universe. She’s tiny, but she’s definitely got an eating disorder.

Rounding out the main cast are Masami Nagasawa (Our Little Sister) as Shinpachi’s bolder-than-she-looks sister, Tae Shimura, who does an unforgettable reading of Dragon Ball at Gintoki’s bedside; Masaki Okada (The Top Secret: Murder in Mind) as Kotaro Katsura, Gintoki’s childhood friend and a leader of the resistance; his sidekick Elizabeth, a big white blob who resembles Fujiko Fujio’s Q-taro character and speaks only through punchline-sign language; Nanao (The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio) as the tough, pig-tailed Matako Kijima, who can shoot multiple weapons at once; Tsuyoshi Domoto as Shinsuke Takasugi, Hirofumi Arai (100 Yen Love) as the blind, sword-possessed Nizo “The Butcher” Okada; Ken Yasuda (The Actor) as bullhorn-voiced blacksmith Tetsuya Murata; Akari Hayami (A Loving Husband) as his more talented younger sister, Tetsuko Murata; and Yuya Yagira (Destruction Babies) as Demon Vice-Chief Toshiro Hijikata of the Shinsengumi. (Personal favorite: TV-and-stage star Jiro Sato as the “feminist” pervert Henpeitai Takechi, who hilariously leads the Kiheitai gang against Gintoki.)

If you still need more reasons to go, there’s always the story, which will be familiar to series followers: Gintama is set in an alternate universe, where aliens have taken charge of Edo (old Tokyo) — as in, taken all the good jobs and the samurai swords. The Odd Jobs trio are lolling around the office one day when word arrives, via the silent Elizabeth, that Katsura has possibly been slain by the serial killer Nizo the Butcher. While trying to discover what became of him, Gintoki is hired by swordsmith Tetsuya Murata to find his greatest creation, the Benizakura sword, which has AI features and can merge with those who wield it. It seems it’s been stolen by Nizo, who is fast becoming unbeatable. As the trio race around fighting a zillion bad guys and defusing time bombs, at one point, the battle-scarred Gintoki laments, “I'm way too young to be getting too old for this stuff.” But we know he’ll save the day — and be back for a lot more. Can anyone say franchise?

Photos: ©空知英秋／集英社 ©2017「銀魂」製作委員会