Thank you for buying volume 56 of Gintama! This may be my own business, but my dog, who was kept at my parents’ house, has died. Rather than being mine, let’s just say that I used to pet him, but since I moved to Tokyo he’s forgotten I exist. So whenever I came back from my hometown, he would growl and show me his fangs. Our relationship was like that between Vegeta and Kakarot. When I was storyboarding Gintama at my parents’ house before the serialization of the manga began, he would sleep next to me tormenting myself with a dumb expression and snoring. So a simple dog like him seemed strangely serene, and I envied him because he didn’t have to find work. That time I managed to make the storyboard out of anger. In that sense, without him, Gintama might not have seen the light of day. 90% of it came about through my own efforts, but I thank you anyway, Chappy! Thanks to you, a freaky old guy like me, who was stuck in his father’s house without working, managed to find a job and lasted ten years at that. I pray that you will continue to rest in peace in the future next to a weird old man like me, even if you grit your teeth or growl. And I pray that you will urge me to earn more money from royalties so that you can at least buy a piece of bone. You’ll always be an important partner.
CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 176
QUESTION FROM MR “EVEN AS AN ADULT, WHEN IT SNOWS I GET EXCITED”.
I have a question. Jiraia, Tsukuyo’s master, skillfully used ninja wires, but Tsukuyo only uses kunai. Tell me why! Didn’t Jiraia teach her how to use them? Or does Tsukuyo just not want to? Let me know, I’m really curious about this.
ANSWER:
The main objective of ninja techniques is to catch the enemy by surprise without anyone noticing, such as the art of escape and camouflage. But the techniques mastered by the Hyakka, including Tsukuyo, are specifically for combat, developed personally by Jiraia based on the martial arts of the ninja. That’s why she didn’t learn “illusionistic” techniques like the ones you mention.
CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 177
QUESTION FROM MR. TIMNI, OITA PROVINCE
Good morning, Sorachi sensei! Sarutobi, the real surname of Ayame called “Sacchan”, comes from Sasuke Sarutobi*, right? So, even though she’s always reminded me of a flower, could it be that she’s an assassin and comes from ayameru (to kill)? Let me know!
ANSWER:
It comes from ayame, meaning iris, a flower. I called her that because her hair is purple like the iris. Rather than saying that it was simply assigned to her, the Gorilla forcibly attributed this meaning to her name.
*Ninja character from Japanese fiction.
CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 178
QUESTION FROM MR. ULTRA (DIAMOND) PERFUME WITH K (KAGURA) WITH H, FROM SHIZUOKA PROVINCE
Why does Kagura always kneel on her heels with her upper body erect when she sits down?
ANSWER:
Perhaps it’s because she was given the wrong information before she came to earth illegally.
CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 179
QUESTION FROM MISS “ONE WHO SUFFERS FROM THE ILLNESS OF KATSURA LOVER” OF KANAGAWA PROVINCE
Does Katsura live in a house? Or does he spend the night in the open air?
ANSWER:
As a wanted fugitive, he has no fixed abode anywhere. He’s always changing hiding places and wandering around in various places. Even though he is a bad person, Zura is still a revolutionary, so he finds people everywhere who are sympathetic to his ambition, willing to shelter him and support him.
CONTACT WITH THE READERS: QUESTION CORNER 180
QUESTION FROM THE SIDE OF MISS “ONE OF THOSE WHO PREFERS MAYONNAISE TO KETCHUP” FROM FUKUOKA PROVINCE
Good morning, Sorachi sensei! I’ll come straight to the point. My name is Momoka, but I have no adana, i.e. no nickname. Could you come up with a good nickname for me?
ANSWER:
“An adana, i.e. a nickname, is not chosen, but given by a third party without any prior calculation. It is like another name given to us by our friends. First of all, it is not normal to ask an elderly stranger like me. I don’t know anything about you, Momoka! I don’t even know the length of your chin, which could greatly influence your nickname, like ‘Antonio Momoka’. The nickname is like a mirror that reflects the character of the person in question. The fact that you don’t have one yet means that your friends haven’t fully grasped your personality and chin. So I think it’s time to highlight them without fear, right?”
Summing it all up, how about “Anus”?
That said, the “I’ll never say goodbye to Chappy” special in volume 56 ends here.
Well, when the time comes, I’ll change my name from Hideaki Sorachi to “Hideaki 🐾 Sorachi”. I think about it often, but other times I don’t think about it at all. See you in the next volume! 🐾
New topic: “Why is it that the last memory I have of him is of almost getting bitten while trying to hug him?”
Yorozuya Shinigami 