#this is also why pray gintama op is the best op

[khepiari]

I am back to give my two cents on the ONE PIECE FILM: RED!

Shanks might just be an adoptive dad to Uta and nothing more!

First of all, I am praying that it is not a fake memories story. I trust Odachii but this trope has been done too many times, Bleach executed it terribly. I think I liked how Gintama pulled this trope well, but most fake memories stories are extremely dicey to execute. And this is One Piece so obviously by rabid mean fangirl nature wants the story to be the best ever version of the trope, if it is used. But also there is a fear that because it has been done so many times, we might get disappointed, and I don’t want to get disappointed. So far I have never been disappointed with any One Piece Films, because they have had amazing villain backstory and solid world building that fits in OP universe naturally.

But current idea in my head is slightly different, it is not out of the blue, I think others have found similar idea by now, but do indulge with me.

I feel Shanks either found Uta like he did with Luffy. Maybe he rescued her when something tragic happened in the island of Elegia, as Uta seems to be shook by the events, how do I know? See her vlog on U-tube. Another thing may have happened since people are calling Uta a Hime, he might have provided temporary escort and protective services to Uta when Elegia was hit with their tragedy either as a favour or against certain payment from the king or queen of her country. We did see a glimpse of crying Uta being hugged/held back by woman with white hair in 1st teaser.

Whatever the circumstances of their meeting, if Uta traveled with Shanks, the easiest means to hide a princess’ identity is to keep her under a disguise, what better disguise than being Shank’s daughter. We have the examples of Momo and Kin’emon, pretending to be father and son, until they reached Zou.

Pirates have for ages provided refuge to people both historically and in one piece universe, both in manga and filler episodes Strawhats have done it multiple times! From giving ride to Apis in Warship Island Arc later to Vivi and Caru, then Robin, then Caime and Papaug later Momo and Kin’emon,! So did Whitebeard and Roger crews who have given ride to Oden, Crocos and more!

Shanks who definitely was against taking a child onboard, had his reasons to bring Uta along and Luffy may have met her during her fake identity year. Since Shanks is fond of children and cares for younger people, he most probably grew warm to her in that one year they spent as parent and child, he just decided that yeah Uta having been in his care makes her eligible to be my daughter. We know he loves betting on next generation! So maybe his parting words to Uta were: Remember you are my daughter!

Adopted parent-child relationship is not uncommon in One Piece! We have Zeff and Sanji, Corazon and Law, Bellemere and Nami and Nojiko, Dadan and the three idiots. So why can’t Shanks be an adoptive father figure to Uta? A dad doesn’t necessarily have to be a biological dad!

Okay I am fuelled by Shanks cannot be a deadbeat dad, but I know One Piece is full of deadbeat dads too! I just wanted to share my initial thoughts on the One Piece Film Red because, it looks adorable and I want to be successful!

Here is my other theory in case Shanks is the biological dad of Uta!

#one piece reaction #one+piece #one piece theory #one piece #one piece manga #one piece film 2022 #one piece film red #op filmred #film red #uta #one piece uta #shanks #one piece shanks #deadbeat dad #one piece movie #one piece theories #onepiecelove #onepiecefans

[animebw]

Ranking the Gintama OPs

21 OPs is a lot of OPs. And if there’s one thing the internet has taught me, it’s that when there are a lot of things, the best possible course of action is to rank them. So that’s what this is: my very biased thoughts on each of the Gintama OPs, and how they stack up against each other. I might do another one of these for the EDs at some point, although probably not tonight; my hand’s cramping enough as it is. Here we go!

21: Katte ni My Soul (OP 20)

The Silver Soul arc was the true beginning of the end for Gintama, the final chapter that’s currently extending into its extended epilogue. It’s the grand finale for one of the biggest, most sprawling stories ever written... so why did its first OP end up feeling so limited? While I do like the song, there’s almost no sense of the grandeur or excitement such an important finale would entail. No big battle scenes, no real sense of scope, no indication of the massive, electrifying war for Edo encompassing the entirety of this show’s massive cast that this OP is supposed to get us hyped for. This should have been a slam-dunk explosion of badassery; instead, it was just kinda meh and uninspired. What a damn shame.

20: VS (OP 19)

In all honesty, it’s not entirely the OP’s fault that it ended up so low on the list. The Slip Arc was an intentional return to the classic, low-stakes, pre-Shogun-Assassination Gintama that defined it for so many years, and the OP reflected that breather mentality by being a deliberate throwback to the looser, lighter style of assorted comedic hijinks that makes up the “classic” Gintama OP style. It’s enjoyable enough, and the colorful comic strip styling is pretty neat. But compared to the competition, it just doesn’t do enough new with its concepts to fully justify the return to form. Gintama’s done everything in this OP before, and it’s done it all better.

19: Silver Sky (OP 3)

I really wanted this one to be higher on the list, just on the strength of its song. Giniro no Sora is a really beautiful mellow rock jam that captures the blissful, pleasant side of Gintama really well, and the op reflects it beautifully with its low-key visuals and relaxing tableaus of the Odd Jobs crew just hanging around and living their lives. In the end, though, there isn’t that much cohesion in the visuals, no real story being told or overarching emotion being expressed. I still enjoy it a lot, there’s just not much going on on a deeper level.

18: Pray (OP 1)

It’s a pretty good sign that Gintama’s first OP ended up so low down on the list. This is a show that’s constantly improving on itself, after all, and its OPs have only gotten better to reflect that. That said, while Pray is a little bare-bones as a result of being the first time a lot of these images and themes were first used, it still uses them very well, conveying the excitement of the start of this new adventure with its snappy, attitude-driven character introductions, while still finding room to hint at the narrative’s more dramatic undertones as Gintoki faces down a horde of zombie soldiers representing the fears and regrets of everything he’s left behind. It’s a simple start, but every journey begins with a single step.

17: Tooi Nioi (OP 2)

This essentially does the same thing that Silver Sky does, focusing on the Odd Jobs family’s daily life and the assorted randomness of the world they live in. What makes this one better, in my opinion, is that there’s a far more defined edge to the aspects we’re exploring I remember so many individual moments from this OP, from Gintoki’s strawberry ice cream to Kagura’s hopscotch game to Takasugi’s sinister ascension from a cloud of flames. You get a sense of just how comfortable this world is, but also how wild and unpredictable it can be. Overall, it definitely feels the most alive out of the first crop of Gintama OPs.

16: Beautiful Days (OP 16)

This OP was saddled with a particularly unfair burden in that it needed to act more like a relaxed, inconsequential ED, to contrast the pulse-pounding intensity of its actual sister ED Glorious Days. Thankfully, it managed to step up to the plate and be the best possible version of itself it could, painting an appealing pop-art vision of the Gintama universe that makes it look just as colorful and bouncy as it feels. I adore the playfulness of the animation, especially during the counting leading up to the chorus, and the song itself is goofy enough to match. It’s got plenty of attitude to spare for such a small package, and that’s more than enough for me.

15: Donten (OP 5)

The first time a show like Gintama goes full badass is a moment that sticks in your mind forever. That’s true of the story itself and its OPs, and while Donten has been surpassed by future endeavors, it still packs one hell of a punch. With its moody, rain-soaked atmosphere, pulse-pounding hard rock jam, and intense cinematography, this was the perfect OP to foreshadow the equally blood-racing Shinsengumi Crisis arc, and just overall a really riveting watch. I especially love the moment in the middle of the verse where the editing matches the beat of the music, cutting between various players with perfect timing. And the final, extended shot of Gintoki and his family shaking off the horrors they’ve been through by staring at the brilliant sun up above? Goddamn, that’s powerful stuff.

14: Day x Day (OP 14)

Where this OP excels is selling the magnitude of Gintama’s world. The framing device of the motorcycle ride through Edo, inadvertently sweeping the entire cast up in its wake, before transitioning into the chorus as a city’s worth of supporting players big and small alike cascade through the sky, makes this universe feel as massive and interconnected as it has every right to be. Add to that a fantastic song and some killer moments of comedic timing (Zenzo’s poor ass), and Gintama’s third season started off on one hell of a high note.

13: Let’s Go Out (OP 12)

Goddamn, this OP deserved so much better than a single play. Once Kintoki’s face was knocked off the frame, taking his uncomfortably-pleasant presence with him, this OP became a really stellar example of the classic Gintama OP. The fantastic character intros (I live for Kagura cuddling Sadaharu), the image of the oak seed pods making for a strikingly original visual motif, Gintoki running across the fields of his past and into the future, that final, goofy shot, one of my favorite songs of the bunch... yeah, this one’s a real winner. Now if only it actually played in front of a single episode.

12: Anata Magic (OP 6)

This OP is proof positive of just how much difference the details can make. While the visuals are all pretty standard Gintama OP fare, the fantastic character animation and whipcrack-tight editing make it feel like an adventure. From dropping in on the Odd Jobs house to the chillingly striking villain poses and everything in between, this OP is bursting with personality and verve, aided by a rollicking song that makes every image pop with life. It might not match the immensity of the arc it’s building towards, but I never regret getting pulled along its journey.

11: Light Infection (OP 8)

I’ll admit, it took me a while to warm toward this one because I didn’t really like the song initially. But the more I sat with it, the more its moody, driving echo really struck a chord with me. This OP is dripping with the weight of the characters’ pasts, the regrets they carry with them, the hopes they leave behind. And there are so many singularly striking shots: the opening dive following the crows down to pick the battlefield clean, watching everyone’s past transition into their future, Gintoki running through the scarred fields of battle as time catches up to him, the blazing red of the sunset... this OP isn’t just intense, it’s stirring, and it makes you feel the darkness driving its character so fucking perfectly.

10: Kasanaru Kage (OP 4)

This is the moment where the Gintama OPs really came into their own, remixing their established symbols and techniques into something that really struck a chord with me. The opening shots of everyone lost in the moments of their past transitioning into them rushing across the sunlit fields of their new life as the song kicks up is a perfect moment of character establishment, and Kyubei’s haunting introductory flurry of blades sets them up beautifully. But it’s the song that really makes this one, powerful and resonant in a way that’s hard to pin down with words, but sticks with you all the same. This was the first OP that really got me into these characters’ headspaces, and it’s stuck with me ever since.

9: Pride Kakumei (OP 15)

Part of me wonders if I’m being a little too kind to this OP. The editing isn’t particularly inspired, and there aren’t that many setpiece moments. But goddamn, does it makes me happy every single time I watch it. The soaring ballad of the song is the perfect accompaniment to this cavalcade of all the warmth Gintama has to offer, from the fantastically fuzzy festival scene at the beginning to Sachan’s melancholy rooftop fireworks viewing to that killer montage of Gintoki’s past flashing by his mind in snapshots as he breaks into a run, reaching for the chaotic explosion of life that takes over the song’s final stretch. This OP captures how happy Gintama makes me feel, and I’ll always love it for that.

8: Stairway Generation (OP 7)

I still don’t know how this show wrangled such a spectacular OP out of its loosest, least focused stretch of episodes, but goddamn if they didn’t pull it off. It captures Gintama’s freewheeling spirit better than any OP, all the chaos and wonder and irreverent nonsense that you can’t help falling in love with. The massive character scroll as the chorus picks up and Gintoki’s run through the streets of Edo are better versions of Day x Day’s similar techniques, making you feel the vastness of this world without losing itself in the magnitude. Everyone gets a moment to shine, everyone feels important, and you come away ready to have fun with each and every idiot who showed their face.

7: Know Know Know (OP 17)

DOES, the band behind Donten, finally makes their grand return to the Gintama OP scene, and the result is the best version of everything they’ve done before. The intense rainy atmosphere is even more crushing and heavy, the song is even more striking and sinister, the action is even more explosive and brutal, and the weight of the collapsing world hangs over every single shot. This is an anthem for a world on fire, the perfect lead-in to the world of this show turning upside-down in the Farewell Shinsengumi arc. Like the song says, good time is now to break free of the past and carve out a future worth fighting for.

6: Sakura Mitsutsuki (OP 13)

Fucking hell, I really wish this one was higher. Spyair as a band captures the soul of Gintama better than anyone else; this song might legitimately be the best of them all, rousing and beautiful and blazing with hope and courage in the face of impossible odds. And the shining cherry blossoms against the almost green-tinged night sky make every single shot feel massive, befitting the upheaval of the Pinky Promise arc. Plus, that one shot of GIntoki running as the chorus kicks up? Might legitimately be the best version of *that* shot in any anime OP ever. But when you get this high in the rankings, you’re really going up against the best of the best, and five entries managed to even top this one.

5: Wonderland (OP 11)

This is by far the best of the “classic” Gintama OPs, using all its tried and true imagery to its best possible effect. The character intros are all resonant as hell, the animation is killer across the board, the intensity of the Shinsengumi’s focus is palpable (especially that one shot of Hijikata stumbling through the thorns in his path as he grows up, gradually growing strong enough to leave them behind), and god damn is the song powerful. This is everything great about Gintama in a single, soulful package.

4: Kagerou (OP 18)

The Battle at Rakuyo is still far and away my favorite arc of the bunch, so thank god it had an equally smashing OP to match. This is by far the most explosive of the bunch; it’s nothing but sakuga upon sakuga, the editing and camerawork taking you through every stage of this immense battle with the energy or a firecracker. It soars and spins through battles and chaos, with the past and present overlapping and feeding into each other using the brilliant device of smoke plumes crossing the screen to bridge the temporal gap. That one device leans itself to so many fucking stellar sequences: the opening bit where the good old days of the past are contrasted with the terrifying, empty days of the present, Gintoki and his old friends fighting together side by side once more, Nobume’s gaze firmly set of the people who drive her forward... yeah, this one’s really stunning. And the song’s chaotic enough to match. Not to mention literally every scene with Kagura, racing forward into the fray to face her demons, grasping for the family just outside her reach. God, this arc was fucking amazing.

3: Dilemma (OP 10)

It’s kind of funny to look back on this OP and realize that the dark, brooding atmosphere it proported was nothing but a cover for some of the series’ goofiest, stupidest arcs of all time. But that doesn’t take away from what a majestic experience it remains all on its own. Soaked in noir atmosphere and backed by a haunting rock ballad, there’s a grandeur to this OP that makes you feel like you’re watching the entire world erupt in flames far below you, a mosaic pattern of beautiful chaos. And that one sequence where the shades of the women in Gintoki’s life all flash by him, flickers of people he can’t seem to shake... wow. Even knowing the true purpose behind that moment now, it’s goddamn riveting. Just count this OP is the single best lie Gintama has ever told (and that’s saying something).

2: Tougenkyou Alien (OP 9)

While there’s obviously one more OP that’s got this one beat for me, this is by far the best representative of what Gintama is. It captures its madcap, frenetic energy better than any other OP, the racing, driving, chaotic, ridiculous heartbeat of the entire damn show. The song is an utter banger, the editing makes every punchline stick the landing, everyone gets their moment in the sun (Kyubei riding a horse with their princess was a particularly inspired touch), and it just gets you pumped up as hell for the wacky ride you’re about to embark upon. Were I to introduce Gintama to a friend, this is the OP I would use to do it. God damn, is it a kicker. Also, that one time they screwed it up? Perfect.

1: I Wanna Be (OP 21)

I tried to think of an alternative, but in the end, I couldn’t justifying putting anything else in the top spot than the (as of now) final OP. It brings this story to a close and makes you feel the weight of every single moment you’ve spent with it, with little more than character panning shots and evocative, watercolor animation. The sun rising over the horizon in the opening shot sets the tone perfectly for an experience that feels like rebirth, like we’re finally shaking the dust off the old days and stepping into the new world we’ve been fighting for. And good fucking god, Spyair’s song here is a goddamn masterpiece of operatic emotionality. This is the end of a very long journey that makes every single step of the way feel like the most important step of your life, and I can’t think of a more deserving winner than something that so perfectly encapsulates why this show is so goddamn powerful.

#anime #the anime binge-watcher #tabw #gintama #sakata gintoki #gintoki sakata #shimura shinpachi #shinpachi shimura #kagura