A stage greeting event, "What's Your Name? Festival," for the new theatrical anime film "Gintama: Yoshiwara on Fire," based on Hideaki Sorachi's popular manga "Gintama," was held on April 19th at Shinjuku Wald 9 (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo). Susumu Chiba, who plays Susumu Kondo, Kazuya Nakai, who plays Toshiro Hijikata, Tetsuji Ota, who plays Sagaru Yamazaki, and Akira Ishida, who plays Kotaro Katsura, appeared on stage. This was Ishida's first appearance at an event for the new theatrical film, and he made the audience laugh by saying, "Katsura is a character that doesn't even appear in the original manga, so I thought it would be presumptuous of me to appear on stage for a greeting, but to be invited about two months after the film's release..." He then expressed his gratitude, saying, "But it's amazing that the seats are still so full after two months. Thank you all so much."
Chiba, delighted by the Shinsengumi & Katsura combination for the stage greeting, said, "I've participated in stage greetings multiple times, but to have this many people come after doing this so many times... it must be Ishida's first time, and he's really looking forward to it...! So I'm excited too." Nakai also got excited about Ishida's first appearance on stage, saying, "Hey, hey! What are you all talking about!? Everyone be quiet! Ishida is talking!" to which Ishida himself exclaimed, "This is annoying!"
Regarding the production of "Yoshiwara Dai Enjou" as the new theatrical film for the anime "Gintama," Ishida made a scathing remark, saying, "When I heard about it, I thought, 'Are you kidding me?' I thought there wouldn't be a role for me since Katsura doesn't appear in the original manga, but they made one for me... I sensed the wicked scheme of adults who were tempted by the smell of money." Ota tried to defend him by saying, "That's not true! We don't intend to extort money from our fans!" but Nakai scolded him, saying, "Don't say anything worse!"
While the Shinsengumi and Katsura's faction are usually enemies, in the new movie, Kondo and Katsura embark on a romantic elopement without knowing each other's true identities. Ishida praised the film, saying, "I was reminded that Katsura and Kondo are characters who come alive even when they're dressed differently than usual. The way Kondo projects his innocent feelings from middle school onto Katsura, precisely because he was wearing those glasses, is very much in line with the world of 'Gintama,' and I think it's great. Katsura pretends to be serious, but it's interesting that he also has that kind of youthful side. I thought the way the Shinsengumi and Katsura fit together so well was brilliant." Nakai also commented, "I had a sense of security with these two (Ishida and Chiba), so I was confident that the scenes with Kondo and Katsura would be interesting."
In a segment where each of them spoke about the appeal of "Gintama" and their expectations and concerns for the future of "Gintama," Ishida commented, "My concern is that now that this film has been a hit, there might be people who have gotten a taste for it and are thinking about which episode to use for the next movie... I have both concerns and expectations." Nakai also said, "I'm worried that the 'it's ending, it's ending' hoax will no longer be a hoax!" He added, "I hope that people will get a taste for it and try to do the same thing. Why did we bring out Ishida, our ultimate weapon, today? To give it a boost, gradually build up the numbers, create a track record, and then move on to the next film. I hope that will work out well." Ota also stated, "The charm of 'Gintama' is that we keep creating opportunities like this for stage greetings so that the work can spread to everyone and be enjoyed."
It has also been decided that the 4DX version will be screened starting May 29th. Finally, Ishida appealed to the audience, saying, "Now that the 4DX screenings have been decided, I think the seats will shake with a bang when Kondo charges at Katsura, so please come to the movie theater to experience it." Ota also called out, "With the 4DX screenings continuing for a while longer, I think it will gain momentum and become an even bigger sensation. I hope you will watch it a lot and enjoy it a lot."
Nakai said with deep emotion, "Thank you for coming to the Akira Ishida today. I am very happy to think that this festival will continue as long as 'Gintama' is being screened in theaters somewhere in the country." Chiba also sent a message saying, "Even we don't know what will happen next in 'Gintama.' That uncertainty is what makes it fun, so I hope you will all continue to watch it with excitement."
The new theatrical film is a completely new anime adaptation of the "Yoshiwara on Fire Arc," considered one of the most passionate and iconic episodes in the original manga's history. Gintoki, Shinpachi, and Kagura of the Yorozuya venture into Yoshiwara, an underground red-light district ruled by the "Night King" Hosen, which has lost all light. Directed by Naoya Ando and produced by BN Pictures, it was released on February 13th.
"Gintama" is a story set in a fictional Edo period, where Sakata Gintoki, along with his friends Shinpachi and Kagura, solves various incidents brought to their odd-jobs business (Yorozuya). The manga began serialization in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) in December 2003 and concluded in June 2019. The first season of the TV anime aired from 2006 to 2010, the second from 2011 to 2013, the third from 2015 to 2016, and the fourth from 2017 to 2018. The theatrical anime films "Gintama: The Movie - The Final Chapter: Be Forever Yorozuya" were released in 2010, and "Gintama: The Movie - The Final Chapter: Be Forever Yorozuya" was released in 2013. The theatrical film "Gintama THE FINAL" was released in 2021.
