The 'Peak Comedy' Gintama Episode That Explained How Anime Studios Waste Airtime Exposed Toei's One Piece Strategy (2024)

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SUMMARY

• Gintama is known for poking fun at the anime industry, particularly beloved Shonen series.
• In episode 92, Gintoki explained how anime studios usually waste the runtime for a particular episode when they need to catch up to the manga.
• Major anime series like One Piece are notorious for using such tricks to prolong the content.

If there’s one thing Gintama does flawlessly, it’s dragging the anime tropes through the mud. This series’ self-aware genius repeatedly exposes and parodies other anime productions in a hilarious and outlandish way. Similarly, one Gintama episode demonstrated peak comedy by breaking the fourth wall and turning its sights on a universal struggle in the entertainment industry: how to waste airtime.

It wasn’t just a meta-commentary — it was a masterclass in roasting anime studios while giving viewers a laugh-induced side stitch. Surprisingly, its sharpest jab landed squarely on the shoulders ofmajor studios adapting long-running series like One Piece and many others.

Gintama Episode 92: Exposing Anime Studios’ Cliche Tricks

At the beginning of the hilarious episode 92 of Gintama, titled, Be A Person Who Can See People’s Strong Points And Not Their Weak Points, Gintoki as usual breaks the fourth wall to explain (to waste airtime) why long-running anime love to drag their feet. What begins as a playful dialogue by Gintoki about the art of “filler content” transforms into a moment of realization for anime fans, and he’s not wrong.

The first trick is the abundance of recaps: replaying the last five minutes of the previous episode. Stretch it out so much that it feels like deja vu. Some shows even take this to new levels, replaying nearly half the last episode before the current episode’s title even appears.

The next trick is inserting flashbacks on flashbacks. At first, introducing a battle, then freezing the action midway. According to Gintoki, the shows randomly bring in “an all-knowing old man” to narrate some irrelevant backstory about the characters’ pasts — and almost 20 minutes of the runtime of the episode are already eaten up.

Sometimes, characters exchange dramatic glares for an entire episode without throwing a single punch. Bonus points if a gust of wind dramatically rustles their hair. And by explaining this, Gintama also successfully managed to waste 5 minutes of runtime. However, by the time the dialogue ended, Gintama had already exposed the formula most anime use to survive.

Why Gintoki’s Commentary Hits Harder Than Ever

The brilliance of Gintama lies in its fearless honesty. It doesn’t just poke fun, it exposes the industry’s quirks, forcing everyone to laugh or cringe along. For Shonen fans, Gintama‘s commentary feels especially relevant because those series often balance the fine line betweenepic storytellingandshameless padding.

While Gintama parodies airtime-wasting techniques,One Piecefans might recognize them as Toei’s secret ingredient for longevity.Every One Piece fan has experienced this: sitting down to watch the latest episode, only to realize the first seven to ten minutes are just last week’s content on repeat. Or just two characters glaring intensely for extended periods of time while exchanging philosophical life lessons.

Most of the time, Toei Animation seems committed to milking every second of airtime for all it’s worth, whether that means recycling footage, adding unnecessary flashbacks, or stretching out fights for eternity.

Gintama episode 92 isn’t just peak comedy, it’s a timeless critique of how anime studios balance their art and airtime.So, next time you watch an episode of One Piece and find yourself sitting through a 10-minute recap or a never-ending flashback, remember Gintama‘s wisdom on how to successfully waste an episode’s airtime.

Gintama and One Piece are currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.