#she's uncertain whether she's actually immortal or just has a long lifespan

[razberryyum]

Gintama manga chap 704 (spoilers)

Part 2 of 3

~

Dear Gintama gods and Sorachi-sama,

Continued from part 1...

Which brings me to my third wish, which was just that: that Gintama would be allowed to continue on in one form or another. With the new anime project already announced, in making that wish, I had been hoping for the announcement of a new live action movie in the near future and then perhaps somewhere in the farther future, after you’ve had a long, much needed rest, you would be re-inspired to create more Gintama once again. But in order for that to happen, Gintama would have had to end in a way that would easily allow you to do that. In other words, it couldn’t have a definitive ending leaving no room for any sort of continuation. And boy was that NOT a definitive ending in any way. I am absolutely so thankful that you truly left things wide open. If we want to believe that the Yorozuya and everyone else had perished in the blast, we can; if we want to believe that they survived and carried on for the rest of their natural mortal lifespan, we can; if we want to believe they were somehow immortalized by the Altana blast and survived all the way until the Tokyo era, we can; if we want to believe all of it is just Tama’s digital imagination and she can write or rewrite everyone’s fates in her database, we can. I feel like by the end, Tama ended up being your stand-in, with the ability to rewrite everyone’s fates as you choose since you are the god of the Gintaverse.  

And then there’s always the possibility that none of those are right, that you just didn’t know how to end the series so you decided to avoid commitment and make everything as uncertain as possible so that the responsibility of finding a denouement to the story falls on us. Some folks might consider that a cop-out, I consider it you being true to your nature and Gintama’s as well. I think those of us who appreciated and loved Gintama for its irrelevance should not at all be surprised at this ending. In fact, if I think about it, if you had ended Gintama in any other way, I would probably wonder if you’ve been abducted by screwdriver aliens and replaced with a clone. The hope of a future has always meant more to me than having all the plot elements fully and logically explained because at the end of the day, while you have created an amazing series with enthralling story arcs and exciting adventures which I love, I love the characters you have blessed us with even more. And that is why I am especially grateful that you did well by our characters. You didn’t force them into final fantasy scenarios that made little sense, nor did you betray any of their inherent nature.

Which brings me to your fulfillment of my second wish, the one I was honestly most worried about, because the shonen series I’ve been invested in in the past have had a bad track record of the final fantasy trope. I know I should have been somewhat reassured when you actually made fun of the trope, but I guess I just like to worry all the time. And even though none of my three most beloved pairings ended up being canonized, the fact that really no other pairing was either was frankly good enough for me. That has always been what I’ve hoped for, to leave the door open on the possibility of my OTPs getting together so that I can continue to dream beyond the ending of the series. This was especially my hope when it came to the OTP love of my life, Gintoki and Hijikata, because I know I was facing almost insurmountable odds with them becoming truly canon. In fact, before the release of this chapter, I had been thinking if you would just show them in one frame together before the end and then have both of them remain unattached, that would be enough for me. That’s all I can ever ask for. The same goes for Kondou and Otae, and Okita and Kagura. But then once again you blessed me with so much more. Gintoki and Hijikata not only remained a viable possibility because they stayed unattached at the end, but they also shared close to 10 panels together, half of which consisted of them actually interacting in the most adorable way possible! And then there’s Kondou and Otae…I actually screamed a little in excitement when their hands touched. I know in the end you tried to play it off as a blackmail, but the fact that Tae-chan didn’t grab that hand to slam him onto the nearest hard surface was progress enough for me.  She even smiled at him! That literally brought tears to my eyes. And again, since that entire sequence is open for interpretation as whether or not we should take it seriously, that still provided me with enough hope that I can continue dreaming for their final fantasy to be a reality.  

Now, I can’t say that I didn’t wish that Okita and Kagura actually got to interact as well, but at the same time, since they’re still young, they still have time. Again, you have given us hope in that regard as well since at least they’re still within each others’ orbits. Perhaps Kagura can make some guest appearances in the “Shinsengumi Sword-wind Notebook” series (I WANT THAT SERIES SORACHI-SAMA!) to further the development of their relationship. Yes, I would’ve loved seeing them insult and fight each other at least one more time, but if I am to believe that there is still a future for Gintama, then I should also believe that there is still a future for them as well.

Continued in Part 3 (posted)....

#Gintama #Gintama manga chap 704 #manga spoilers #GinHiji #KonTae #OkiKagu #Gintama forever #Yorozuya forever #Life and Love #THANK YOU Sorachi-sama #Hideaki Sorachi-sama