The hugely popular manga series "Gintama". The anime ended its run with great success, and the live-action movie directed by Fukuda has also become a hot topic, so it's a work that everyone knows about. It's a comedy set in Edo, a unique world where aliens and earthlings live together, with Yorozuya and the Shinsengumi running around. It's both funny and serious, and continues to capture the hearts of readers. When talking about "Gintama", the parody elements in the comedy parts are essential. Gintama has an image of being full of parodies that are quite borderline risqué, and some of them have even been officially scolded (!). In this article, we will introduce some of the parodies in Gintama, focusing on Ghibli. There are quite a few Ghibli references in "Gintama", so keep an eye out!
Ghibli story #1 Episode 113 "Polishing the toilet is the same as polishing the heart"
"Gintama" is not only full of parodies, but also some pretty extreme dirty jokes. This episode, episode 113, "Polishing the toilet is the same as polishing the heart," is also a dirty joke episode. However, this episode was a big hit because it was full of Nausicaa jokes.
What is the story?
The story is that a bacteria called "Tama bacteria" suddenly starts to grow in the Shinsengumi's toilet. At this point, you can tell that it's a pretty dirty story. In fact, the Shinsengumi is quite dirty, probably because it is an all-male household, and only the vice-commander, Hijikata Toshiro, washes his hands after going to the toilet! Of course, it's strange regardless of gender, but because of this, the "Tama Bacteria" begins to grow, engulfing the barracks and eventually affecting the entire Oedo, leading to a terrible situation. Kondo, the head of the bureau, is possessed by the "Tama Bacteria", and his cells divide into a "ball-like insect" shape and begin to run wild.
Nausicaa Parade
From here on, it was a parade of Nausicaa jokes. In addition to Hijikata, who desperately tries to stop Kondo, there is Kumanashi Seizo and Matsudaira Katakuritora, who are dressed as "Great Old Lady" and "Kushana", and Okita Sougo, the descendant of the world's most evil family, and more... In addition, the Giant God Warrior and Meve also appeared, making this an irresistible episode for Nausicaa fans. But it's typical of Gintama to parody Ghibli in such a vulgar episode.
Ghibli joke #2 Episode 161 "No matter how many times I watch it, Laputa is good"
At this point, it's obvious that this is a joke about "Castle in the Sky". This episode was also pretty vulgar. The story is about the "Teramon Doh Imperial Guard" and the "Tsusen-gumi" competing for the position of Teramon Doh's official fan club. The second match, the "Charm Showdown", begins. In this match, the team that takes Otsu to a calm love hotel will win. Here, the "Tsusen-gumi" challenges her to a bar in a luxury hotel. However, when they were supposed to be wooing her, the other members started talking about Ghibli, and Hijikata and Ottsu couldn't keep up. The two of them somehow managed to get along despite the danger, and checked into a love hotel called "Hotel in the Sky" while saying, "Laputa really exists!" By the way, the background music at this time was "Kimi wo Nosete".
There was also a joke about "Kiki's Delivery Service"
By the way, there were various jokes scattered throughout the Ghibli talk that everyone was having. The members who were there talked about their favorite Ghibli heroines. The answer Okita Sougo gave at this time was (if he had to choose) Kiki from "Kiki's Delivery Service". However, his reasoning was that "characters with strong egos like that are easier to train"! It makes you wonder how he views Kiki, but his unwavering opinion is impressive. Kondo also said that he likes Satsuki from "My Neighbor Totoro", but he insists that he is definitely not a lolicon. Incidentally, Hijikata says that in terms of Ghibli films, he prefers "Porco Rosso". It just seems like that somehow.
Ghibli story 3 Episode 218 "Crab's scissors are scissors that cut bonds"
Once again, this is a story from "Castle in the Sky". This is a story that mainly focuses on Yorozuya, and when Otose gives them a crab, the three of them start fighting over it. During this fierce fight, the image of the castles "Crab Soup Castle" and "Crab Rice Castle" was born. In addition, with the background music "Kimi wo Nosete" playing, Kagura begins to say "Kanizosui, descendant of Laputa", and words such as the curse of destruction "Itadakibarus" and "Get ready in 40 seconds" are also flying around. It is clear that the original author, Hideaki Sorachi, loves Laputa. If you look closely, you will see that other "Castle in the Sky" references appear frequently.
Ghibli reference #4 The Gintama Final Movie...
And here are the most talked about Ghibli references. It's a bit obvious from the image, but it's a parody of the Ghibli movie "The Wind Rises" called "That's Not Hard". By the way, if you look closely at the text, it says "No matter what I do, it won't get hard... Even when it's time to pull it out." and "It must get hard." In the original "The Wind Rises," it says "With respect to Jiro Horikoshi and Tatsuo Hori." and "It must live." (The original "The Wind Rises" is a novel by Tatsuo Hori) It's dangerous that they made it look a little similar. The posters are also so similar that there's no way to excuse anything. What's even more scary is that the screening period of the movie version of Gintama and "The Wind Rises" overlapped, so they were aired at the same time. At this point, it was really dangerous, and there were concerns that "Gintama will finally be eliminated...". However...
Wow! ! Permission was obtained from Ghibli
This is the most surprising thing, but it seems that permission was obtained from Studio Ghibli for this "Erect"! As expected, this caused a great stir among fans. "Ghibli gave permission!?" "Is this okay!?" It became a big topic, and many people may have changed their image of Ghibli (?). There are no dirty jokes in Ghibli itself. By the way, the original author Sorachi-sensei also mentioned this in the end comments of Weekly Shonen Jump, saying, "I can't sleep with Ghibli at my feet." However, this is not just a playful parody, and the film given as a bonus to moviegoers of "Are Erect" is an important item in this story.
Ghibli Topic #5 Even in a Live-Action Movie!?
Gintama, a live-action movie directed by Director Fukuda. It was very exciting with the popular actor Shun Oguri in the lead role. There were many parodies and characters in this movie, but the most famous of them all was "Nausicaa". Although her scene was short, Nausicaa clearly appears in the movie. When the movie was released, there was a lot of talk about who was playing the role of Nausicaa. It was later revealed that she was actress Yuko Nagata. She has also appeared in the film "The Anthem of the Heart".
【Gintama】A summary of Ghibli jokes and parodies!
That's all for the summary of the various Ghibli jokes that appear in "Gintama". What did you think? As expected of Gintama, we can see that it is full of parody elements. Especially when it comes to Ghibli, there are many things that are not even trying to hide, and it is noteworthy that most of them are vulgar jokes. Even so, I am surprised that Studio Ghibli gave permission for the "That's not erect". In addition to Ghibli, "Gintama" also has various parodies. Some of them are so over the top that they receive a flood of complaints, and sometimes even scolding from the original source of the parody... However, parody material is one of the charms of Gintama. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of parody material we'll see in the anime movie version aired in 2021.
