On this upcoming Monday, the 43rd issue of Shueisha’s Weekly Shounen JUMP magazine is planning to make an announcement that Hideaki Sorichi’s Gintama manga will be receiving a new anime adaptation. The anime is set to air on TV Tokyo and will feature the climax to the manga’s final story arc. The broadcast schedule for the anime is set to be revealed over time in future editions of Weekly Shounen JUMP.
The manga began serialization in 2004 and has been a best-selling manga for numerous years in Japan. VIZ Media, who holds the license for North American distribution, has the first 23 volumes of Gintama available in English. In Japan, however, there are 65 volumes of the manga available with the latest volume being released in July of this year, in which the manga entered its final story arc.
The manga was adapted into a television anime series in 2006 and ran until 2013 after experiencing several hiatuses. A new anime adaptation began in April of 2015 and recently concluded in March of this year. Crunchyroll has provided streaming of the series as it aired in Japan. The manga also spawned two anime films for Gintama as well as various OVA specials. There is also a live-action movie based on Gintama currently in production and looking to release in Japanese theaters sometime in 2017.
MyAnimeList.net describes the story of Gintama as follows:
During the Edo period, Japan is suddenly invaded by alien creatures known as the “Amanto.” Despite the samurai’s attempts to combat the extraterrestrial menace, the Shogun soon realizes that their efforts are futile and decides to surrender. This marks the beginning of an uneasy agreement between the Shogunate and Amanto, one that results in a countrywide sword ban and the disappearance of the samurai spirit.
However, there exists one eccentric individual who wields a wooden sword and refuses to let his samurai status die. Now that his kind are no longer needed, Gintoki Sakata performs various odd jobs around town in order to make ends meet. Joined by his self-proclaimed disciple Shinpachi Shimura, the fearsome alien Kagura, and a giant dog named Sadaharu, they run the business known as Yorozuya, often getting caught up in all sorts of crazy and hilarious shenanigans.
