Thank you for purchasing the 51st volume of Gintama!
Thanks to your support, the film version of the final chapter of Gintama was better received than the previous work. Thank you very much. Yet despite the results, I feel a deep sense of defeat caused by the private screening for insiders that preceded the film’s theatrical release. Although it is the completion of the Benizakura saga, it was not a success. The insiders already know the story, but above all they see the film merely as the outcome of their work, being petty people who only work for money and have no interest in the work itself. That’s why the flop was announced.In fact, it seemed that not only the film, but Sorachi sensei himself had failed completely. I was afraid I would have to endure this tension again, but in front of me sat SPYAIR, who sang the theme song of the last film, which gave me a glimmer of hope. Unlike those bloody old men, their sensibilities are still fresh, and above all they didn’t have much to do with the production of the film. So they were able to enjoy it as neutral viewers and make up for that heavy atmosphere. Their leader, in particular, could have cried black tears from the black makeup covering his eyes… I would have hated to see the leader in a broken mood, but I expected such a reaction, so I watched from behind. Instead, they didn’t even blink an eye for the duration of the screening. They stared at the screen with an expression similar to No* theatre masks and an icy secret-agent stare. As he stared blankly into the distance, the leader’s eyes were completely black, as if he had a strip of Nori seaweed on his eyelids and could not see a thing, other than wax melted from tears. The only thing that was destroyed, therefore, was Sorachi sensei’s heart.
*Form of 14th-century Japanese theatre in which the use of masks does not allow the use of facial expressions.
CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 155
QUESTION FROM MR. “I’M COMPULSIVELY WATCHING RENTED ANIME DVDS”, FROM THE TOKYO METROPOLITAN AREA
How old is Kamui?
ANSWER:
Kagura is fourteen.
Kamui is eighteen.
Umibozu is ninety-three…
I’m referring to the age of his hair roots.
CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 156
QUESTION FROM MS. CHITOSE OF WAKAYAMA PROVINCE
I have a question. Famous people often appear in Gintama and I find that they look very similar to real people. How do you draw portraits not only of famous people but also of ordinary people? Tell me your secret!
ANSWER:
The secret to drawing a portrait is first of all to exaggerate the somatic features of the person in question. You have to highlight the particularities: thin eyes, big nose, etc., exaggerating them with a certain malice. Everything starts here. After that, the malice must be dosed according to the use you want to make of it. If you don’t want to indignate the portrayed subject, you have to tone it down as long as their particular signs are barely noticeable. Portraits are not drawn with a pen, but with malice.
CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 157
QUESTION FROM MISS “PISTOL GIRL”
Good morning, Sorachi sensei! Gin-san, Kyubei, and the others have changed sexes several times. So if Hasegawa became a woman, what would he be like? I don’t think you have time to waste, but I’m asking you to draw her.
ANSWER:
He will be like this.
CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 158
QUESTION FROM MR. “BLACK FOX” OF KANAGAWA PROVINCE
Good morning Sorachi sensei! I’ve been wanting to get something off my chest for a long time. What does the word “necromancer” used by Otsu mean? Let me know, kibi unko!
ANSWER:
She’ referring to the video game Jaseiken Necromancer.
CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 159
QUESTION FROM MR. “THE GINTAMA MOVIE WAS AWESOME!”
I have a question for you, sensei! The other day my mother, upon hearing about the great success of the Gintama movie, said that if it’s such a popular work, the author definitely lives in Roppongi Hills*. Is that true?
ANSWER:
The harsh reality is that no matter how much the film attracts hordes of viewers and makes big money, the author doesn’t pocket anything. He only gets paid so-called royalties at the beginning. Practically a pittance, compared to the total takings of the film. Most of the money goes to companies like Shueisha, Sunrise, etc., those bloody profiteers. I make much more money from the manga volumes. The reason I collaborated on the film, despite having traces of blood in my urine, is that there are nicer places than flats in Roppongi Hills. I’m talking about your heart, dear lady! If Gintama can get to everyone’s heart, I’ll settle for living in Homeless Hills too. This is the true intent of an author when creating a work. So, ma’am, if you have an ounce of compassion, in addition to seeing the movie, buy the manga and send me to live off royalties in Roppongi Hills!
*Huge urban complex in the Minato district of Tokyo.
Well, anyway, SPYAIR, my only hope, looked like this. So I wanted to say, “Are you really SPYAIR? If you’re spies, you would have understood the situation. Haven’t you noticed that Sorachi sensei is sitting behind you? Even secret agents can’t sense my presence? You’re not going to start shooting at the movie without noticing me? That’s not going to happen, right?” This way I was only thinking about SPYAIR and looking at their heads instead of the film. During the second half, when I was about to be overcome with emotion, I held back my tears by looking at the high shade of their hair. However, in the parts where their songs were included, I could not hold back, and also by virtue of the gap between their appearance and the songs they composed, my tear glands had a ‘sonic collapse’. I thought that, beyond their No theatre mask faces and high shades, they fully captured the spirit of the opera!
I was the only one excited in the room and the only one moved by my own opera, in short, I was in an awkward position. Their artistic talent completely overwhelmed me. Thank you for composing such wonderful pieces, dear SPYAIR!
New topic: “So, what does that black stripe mean?”
Yorozuya Shinigami 