German distributor KSM Anime has picked up a pretty big license with the Gintama anime TV series as well as the theatrical movies. Though no plans are yet set, we’re expecting a 2016 debut for their home video release of it. The expansion of the property is a good one as it gets it in front of more people and raises its overall awareness but it also continues to be good to see some strong growth in the German market for a lot more diversity of material in the last couple of years, making it a good area that’s not contracting.
The series comes from the manga by Hideaki Sorachi and began its animated life back in 2006, first with a 201 episode series and then with a new 64 episode series a couple of years ago. Add in numerous specials and a pair of theatrical movies and there is a lot of material for the property and plenty more to adapt as the manga has been ongoing since 2003. There are currently 57 published volumes in Japan as well as five light novels.
Plot concept: Life isn’t easy in feudal Japan… especially since the aliens landed and conquered everything! Oh sure, the new health care is great, but the public ban on the use of swords has left a lot of defeated samurai with a difficult decision to make concerning their future career paths! This is especially true if, as in the case of Gintoki Sakata, they’re not particularly inclined towards holding a day job, which is why Gintoki’s opted for the freelance route, taking any job that’s offered to him as long as the financial remuneration sounds right. Unfortunately, in a brave new world filled with stray bug-eyed monsters, upwardly mobile Yakuza and overly ambitious E.T. entrepreneurs, those jobs usually don’t pay as well as they should for the pain, suffering and indignities endured!
[Source: Gintama]
