To get something straight right off the bat, you will find flaws with the artwork. In the same way that you will flind flaws with works like Kaiji, Shingeki no Kyojin, and Hunter x Hunter, you will have to move past these to appreciate the rest of it.

That being said, this manga is probably my favorite of all time.

The characters and the world they live in is colorful, over-the-top, and downright cartoonish, while at the same time being relatable, sympathetic, and strangely unforgettable. Gintama is a sort of subversion of the "steampunk" archetype in that it places samurai era Japan amongst high-tech modern and futuristic settings. You may even find yourself learning a bit of Japanese history while watching aliens shoot each other with laser pistols.

The story is segmented into "serious arcs" and episodes that you could call "filler" although they do set up and develop characters and their motivations which are referenced many times at later points in the series. Eventually the series does wrap up all of the loose plot points into one major and final arc that resolves questions that have existed since the beginning of the series.

We've all probably experienced the joys of watching light-hearted comedy animes turn gradually towards a more serious and action-oriented approach, and this one is no exception to that rule. It's a long long long run but it really has something for everyone as a satisfying payoff.

Gintama is a highly advanced series for Western English-speaking people because the jokes are very quick and usually have multiple layers of Japanese wordplay and pop-culture references that are likely to leave you feeling confused.

At the same time Gintama is basically full of "toilet humor" so if subtlety is more your speed you will not find much of that here. If you're looking for a shonen manga where nothing is sacred including (or especially) the shonen genre itself, then you have to give Gintama a read!