If I may add, one more thing that sets apart Gintama's character quirks from the rest is that they also ironically increase the drama of specific scenes and instances. -We get to understand Sougo's sadism towards Hijikata in the Mitsuba arc. -Kondo's stalker tendencies suddenly became very missed in the FS arc. -Gintoki's horrible excuse of a plethora of bad habits actually makes you feel for him the moment his backstory is revealed. -Katsura's iconic idiocy line (Zura ja nai, Katsura da) managed to hype up one of the best battles throughout the series -"SHOGUN KAYOOOOOO" will either be the funniest line or the most emotional one, depending on where you are in the series. It's like their quirks are not just quirks for comedic value. They actually sometimes tie in with the characters themselves and makes us appreciate them even more.
I'm currently rewatching Gintama and when I saw the first appearance of "Shogun kayo~", I laughed my arse off and then got depressed. There's no more "Shogun kayo~". I never imagined that the character who made me teared up from laughing will make me ugly crying. Really, I miss Shigeshige. 😢
Putting into context the idea of other anime attempting this feat is almost impossible. One Piece certainly comes very close, however it's not as "free" as Gintama is since it still has to fit the content within the rules of their world (i.e. Not breaking the 4th wall). Plus Gintama was, more or less, a work of improvisation and experimenting since the first chapter. It didn't have a precise framework to follow towards an existing conclusion, which is why it's so brilliant. Any series that would attempt what Gorilla did in this generation is next to impossible at this point because they'd ultimately get cancelled. But the Mangaka and creation kept sticking to their guns, and in the end continue to be legends.
This vid did a really good job explaining the greatness of gintama. I actually started tearing up when ittou's threads were shown, it just goes to show how much of a literary genius Sorachi is.
Ok I just found out this channel randomly and wow, you're pretty darn underrated. Really liked your approach in your Gintama analysis video though, subbed
