'Gintama: Porori-hen' Anime Spoilers: Gintoki and Crew to Visit the Hokuto Shinken Ramen Shop in Upcoming Episode
The silver-haired samurai, Gintoki Sakata is back in a more comedic form on the Japanese action-comedy series, "Gintama: Porori-hen (Gintama: Silp Arc)." And now that Kagura is all grown up, what sorts of new trouble will she be bringing to the crew?
The fourth season of the returning anime series will reportedly be featuring adaptations of the previously skipped arcs in the source manga series written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. One such arc concerned Kagura getting together with her first boyfriend, Dai-chan, who happened to be the gigantic prince of the Planet Titan.
The said arc was covered in this season's first two episodes, which ended in Dai's eventual attempt to kidnap Kagura being foiled by the intervention of Kagura's father, Umibozu, and her guardian, Gintoki.
They may have been able to keep Kagura from trouble this one time and was even able to influence Dai-chan to turn a new leaf with rather questionable results, but more eager suitors will most likely follow in the future, and it will be interesting to see how Umibozu and Gintoki will gradually adapt to the fact that their little girl is all grown up.
On the other hand, the preview for the next episode, titled "A Bowl of Ramen" teases the appearance of Ikumatsu, the widowed owner of the Hokuto Shinken ramen shop, who has apparently not been seen in the series for 10 long years.
Ikumatsu's previous appearance was in Episode 39, which aired in 2007. In this episode, titled "Ramen Shops with Long Menus Never Do Well," the fugitive Katsura Kotaru, who was on the run from the Shinsengumi, had to work undercover in Ikumatsu's ramen shop while recuperating from his injuries.
What role will Ikumatsu be playing on her upcoming second appearance?
"Gintama: Porori-hen" airs on Sundays late night at 1:35 a.m. on TV Tokyo, TV Hokkaido, TV Aichi, TV Setouchi, and TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting. Information on other broadcast schedules and online resources can be found on the series' official site. Episodes will also be simulcast in selected regions outside Japan via Crunchyroll.