Gintama Movie 1: Shinyaku Benizakura-hen

Gintoki and his Yorozuya friends (or rather, employees suffering under labor violations), Shinpachi and Kagura, continue to scrape by in the futuristic, alien-infested city of Edo. They take on whatever work they can find while trying not to get involved in anything too dangerous. But when Katsura, the leader of the Joui rebels and Gintoki's long-time acquaintance, disappears after being brutally attacked by an unknown assassin, Shinpachi and Kagura begin an investigation into his whereabouts and the identity of the assailant. Meanwhile, Gintoki takes on a seemingly unrelated job: the blacksmith Tetsuya requests that Gin recover a strange and powerful sword called the Benizakura which was recently stolen.

As the two investigations gradually intersect, the Yorozuya crew find themselves in the midst of a major conspiracy that hinges on the sinister nature of the Benizakura sword. Gintoki resolves to take the fight directly to the enemy headquarters, and together with a few unexpected allies, sets out on one of his most perilous jobs yet.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Sakata, Gintoki Main

Sugita, Tomokazu Japanese

Kagura Main

Kugimiya, Rie Japanese

Katsura, Kotarou Main

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Shimura, Shinpachi Main

Sakaguchi, Daisuke Japanese

Elizabeth Main

Takamatsu, Shinji Japanese

Hijikata, Toushirou Supporting

Nakai, Kazuya Japanese

Okita, Sougo Supporting

Suzumura, Kenichi Japanese

Takasugi, Shinsuke Supporting

Koyasu, Takehito Japanese

Hasegawa, Taizou Supporting

Tachiki, Fumihiko Japanese

Kamui Supporting

Hino, Satoshi Japanese

Hieda, Susumu Producer

Azuma, Fukashi Producer

Higuchi, Hiromitsu Producer

Takamatsu, Shinji Director

Reviews

Dec 17, 2023

CyanCheetah

Recommended

I liked the Benizakura arc. It was good. It was a good mix of the classic Gintama and enough action that it pleased me. Though I wished to see more of the Amanto, it was good.

Story: The story was all around good. Nothing much to say.

The Animation: It was okay, good for episodes meh for a movie.

Music: -

Why you should watch it: Good Action and an amazing arc. If you have already seen the Benizakura arc in the Gintama show then no need to watch it but other than that it was good.

... Final Score: 5/10

Thanks!
-CyanCheetah

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Dec 2, 2025

DanteDemonZ

Mixed Feelings

This movie is a remake of episodes 58-61 of the original show, one of the first serious arcs that expanded the worldbuilding and gave us the best action the series had seen up until that point. And this 2010 big-budget movie, visually, is a stunning recreation that blows the original art from 2006 out of the water.

The animation and fight choreography are given a major upgrade, including smoother, more stylish sword fights, better lighting and colour grading, cinematic framing and more detailed characters. Nizo vs Gintyoki, Gintoki vs Amanto, and all of Katsura’s battles look far more polished and were a joy to watch.

This ... film also tried to embrace a darker, more thriller-like tone. It had a heavier sound design, more dramatic pacing and the combat was bloodier and more intense.

However, for me personally, it lacked the charm it had in the original show. The comedic timing is heavily toned down; this movie, being theatrical, plays things too straight. The seriousness did feel ‘cool’, but removed part of Gintama’s charm. It also doesn’t fully capture Gintama’s “Genre Chaos” fully. The series version of the arc mixes in slapstick, tragedy, action and parody, whereas the movie keeps some comedy but leans heavily on pure action drama, giving a narrower slice of what makes Gintama unique.

This movie is a stylish, concentrated “serious Gintama experience,” whereas the original arc is the balanced, comedic, more “Gintama-like” version. It is up to you which one you prefer more, but for myself, I prefer the original version of the story. That being said, if you have the time, I do think you should watch the film, just to see how good it can look in movie format, and to give you an early tease on how good Gintama can look in the later movies and seasons.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Oct 26, 2025

RagingLight

Not Recommended

This movie is a recap of the Benizakura arc. Not worth the watch if you've already seen the original episodes imo.

Still, it's not worth giving it a bad score either. I'm sure some Gintama fans can appreciate this movie for what it is. Unfortunately I am not the type of person that can enjoy a recap if I already know the story- unless the new version makes some differences or pairs it with gorgeous movie-like animation (which is not the case here).

Personally I enjoyed the anime episode(s) version better. I think the episodical pacing was better, which helped me get into the story more. ... So my recommendation would be to skip this movie entirely.

There is a funny Warner Brothers skit at the end though lmao.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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	Poll: Gintama: Shinyaku Benizakura-hen Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) kurotsuki - Jul 14, 2010	104 replies	by KiroTheAssassin »» Oct 8, 2024 6:53 AM
	Question Nakashii- - Sep 26, 2021	9 replies	by Ginpin »» Sep 27, 2021 7:12 PM
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	English Dub AkatsukiUlquiora - Jul 5, 2012	22 replies	by skrublordFey »» Feb 28, 2018 12:56 AM
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