Gin Tama is set in Japan’s history in an alternate universe; instead of the rise of the merchant class heralding the end of the era of samurai, it was the invasion of Earth by aliens! They took over the economy and jobs, as well as all the swords. Gintoki Sakai, an ex-samurai is forced to take all sorts of odd jobs to survive in this new environment; his assistant Shinpachi, Kagura (a young girl alien) and other inhabitants of Japan (along with the Shinsengumi) make their way through their daily, frequently bizarre lives in this hilarious and frequently dry comedy about life in a very different but strangely familiar historical Japan…did I mention that the series is very weird? It is. Gin Tama Vol. 15: The Best Makeup for Women is Their Smiles Ultimate Muscle: Battle 24 picks up where the last volume left off in the battle to rescue Otae from the Yagu family. Gin and Shinpachi have to finish their duels with Kyube the prince (actually a woman) and Binbokusai (actually strong). After that, a series of shorter and varying degrees of strange stories occur.

Highlights

 

Kondo of the Shinsengumi wants to wed Shinpachi’s sister Otae, so why is he getting married to a gorilla? They’re actually just aliens from the planet Kong, but that doesn’t make it much better… Gintoki has been called in to stop this, but can he? For that matter, does he even really care? He probably just wants to read his favorite magazine Shonen Jump some more. This kind of insanity is only routine for Gin. In this volume he runs into a ninja on his motorbike, has to take a driver’s ed test (because he ran into said ninja), learns about the perils of dog walking (particularly when the dog is a giant alien) and has to make the ultimate sacrifice to his manhood when the theme cabaret Otae works at is running short of hostesses. This is quite possibly some of the most disturbing and insane things I’ve seen in an SJ manga yet; More and more of the male cast dresses up as disturbing women, Gin misunderstands what “hostess” means and Kagura’s makeup makes her look like an escapee from a horror film. That’s not even mentioning how Ayame, an assassin who has a crush on Gin shows up in dominatrix gear and the Shogun of Japan himself is forced to play a stripping game… The final story in the volume is a funny, but insightful look into Okita of the Shinsengumi’s past with Hijikata. Okita’s older sister who raised him like a son has a past with Hijikata, one that could all end in tears. Although being Gin Tama, it will likely end in absurdity, or possibly absurdity and tears.

 

Overall

 

Gin Tama is a very difficult manga to describe: Its heroes are infrequently heroic, its morals are frequently vague, and it’s far more subtle than a series that uses dogs getting it on as humor would have you believe. It’s very adult and sly, and frequently uses wordplay and cleverly written back and forth dialogue between the characters to a far greater extent than most comedy manga I’ve read that focus primarily on visuals, such as the bizarre sights of a Bo-bobo/. It’s a good thing though, because although the art of Gin Tama isn’t anything to write home about, I was laughing far too much to care. Sometimes I was even touched, as the dialogue even gets poignant and touching at times when you least expect it; in a manga where everyone is a cynic, moments with heart in them hit you more than the average shonen preaching to the world about love. In a strange way, Gin Tama seems to understand how the world works and what moves people in a second, more adult level that’s unusual in its genre. In one sequence Katsura, one of the last rebels, is getting a driver’s license because his fellow rebels are watching alien soaps and he wants to know what the big deal is, but the video rental place requires ID. It’s this kind of bizarre thinking that characterizes Gin Tama; it’s convoluted, mad and brilliant. Even the author himself admits in a question section (between chapters and appropriately filled with rude and inane questions) that it doesn’t seem to have much of a point, does it? Wait until volume 20 when it might, he says. In the meantime, I’ve figured out for myself what Gin Tama means; Gin Tama means some of the most clever and witty writing to be found in a manga just about anywhere. It’s certainly the only place to learn that within the S-curves of roads, cliché Japanese sitcoms take place under the pavement. No, really. It’s why you shouldn’t drive there, take it from Katsura.

 

ComicsOnline gives Gin Tama Vol. 15: The Best Makeup for Women is Their Smiles 5 out of 5 copies of the latest issue of Shonen Jump.