Gintama 688

[Gintama 688 Translation by Kewl0210]
Page 1:
Top: ☆To celebrate the imminent resumption of the TV Anime and the fast-approaching live action movie, a center color page!!
Middle: Chasing after that back----
Bottom Left: The TV Anime "Gintama" Silver Soul Arc resumes broadcast July 8th!!
Bottom: For details on the movie and TV anime, check the next page!!

Page 2:
[I guess we can just leave this in as is. Is that what we usually do? I think it is.]

Page 3:
Someone: On that day two years ago,
when thoughtful people from across the country
Title: Lesson 688
Buy Extra Mosaic Screen Tones, Too
Insert: *See Volume 68
Someone: were gathering
to protect Edo
we were also running
for the sake of our own battles.
Shachi: Number 61...!!
I'm gonna gather (screen tones for drawing) nipples from all over Edooooo!!
Yaemon: I cannot allow that.
I, the executioner Ikeda Yaemon,
will protect the nipples of the people of Edo!!

Page 4:
Yae: And even after two long years, this battle has still not ended.
Shin: Uh, what the hell kind of battle is that?! Just end iiiit!! Why are you guys dragging out such a nonsensical fight so long?!!
Yae: Shachi,
the promise you prisoners made with the Shinigami
two years ago,
I still have not forgotten it.
The prisoners I let escape form the prison that day
have all contributed to the reconstruction of this country. And when their work was finished,
they honored their promise
and all came back to the prison.
The only one left is you.

Page 5:
Yae: Why are you still wandering the outside world?
Why do you continue to commit crimes?
Have you perhaps not had your fill of hunting peoples' nipples?
Shin: Yaemon-san, there's been a misunderstanding! He's...
Yae: I will no longer permit you to commit such heinous acts.

SFX: DOH
SFX: HYA GA
Yaw: I will not let you harm
a single other person's nipple.
SFX: JIWAH
Shin: .........
....Uh, is that...?
SFX: ROLL

Page 6:
Gin: Wait, the one that just hunted my nipple was yooooou!!!
Yae: Ah, I'm sorry. My hand slipped...
Gin: How does your hand slip so bad you go from cutting Shachi's throat to my nipple?!
Yae: Understand, Shachi?! This is just how heinous your actions have been.
Gin: Don't try to sidestep the issue!! At least do it to Shachi's nipple, tooooo!!
Shin: Please calm down, Yaemon-san!!
Shachi-san hasn't been collecting nipples, he's been collecting screen tones for the nipples in his manga!
SFX: KIIN KIIN
Yae: Don't just make up nonsense to try to excuse him! What on earth is a screen tone?!
Gin: It's that.
Someone: Uh, this is a mosaic tone!
Why is my nipple being treated like something dirty?!
Shachi: That's it! Enough!!
Shin: !!
SFX: BAH
Shachi: I understand, Shinigami-sama.
Whether it's hell or prison, go ahead and take me wherever you want.
Shin: Shachi-san!!
Shachi: It's fine. This is the right time.
I took these two years Shinigami-san gave me for granted.
All I just was have fun doin' whatever I wanted.

Page 7:
Sha: I wandered Edo so I could
complete the dream Aniki and I had.
I sifted through the mountain 'a rubble
and gathered together the fragments of a dream called screen tones.
And then finally
I completed the nipples, and with them, my manuscript.
But
at that point, I realized
that I couldn't complete my dream.
Manga's somethin' that's only complete once its readers first read it.
And the very first person I wanted ta read the manga,
the one I wanted most to make smile with the manga,
was gone.
I heard that Aniki
was no longer here in Edo.

Page 8:
Shachi: Still, figured he might come back eventually...
So I waited 'n waited.
And before I knew it... two whole years had gone by.
My weird reaction to your doing the Yorozuya thing was 'cause 'a that.
I'm real sorry about that.
And it's also why
I betrayed you after you believed in us prisoners.
I couldn't make my dream come true, but that's why it was worth chasin'.
I think it's a good thing that somebody like me could even figure that out.
I'm ready. Go ahead 'n take me wherever you're gonna.
Shin: Am I not enough?
I know it seems outrageous, but I'm calling myself Yorozuya just like your Aniki.
So if you don't think it's too rude of me to ask,
would it be okay if I were the first reader of your manga?
Sha: You...?
Shin: I mean, you worked sooo hard to get it drawn. It'd seem such a shame for no one to see it.
And also...
I want to take a mental note
of anything Gin-san left behind.
Gin: Shinpachi...
Shachi: ...Bro,
I'm sorry I called you a fake.
You're... a worthy successor ta Aniki.
If you'll accept it, I'd like ya ta be my first reader...

Page 9:
Shin: Umm,
well the artwork is passable,
but besides that I'd say it's pretty below average. It's a typical example of confusing making a manga with drawing pictures.
There's a distinct lack of thought put into the plot and characters as a whole.
Gin: Huh? He's... just straight-out giving it a bad review?
Shin: How many years have you been drawing manga as of now?
Sha: Just over three.
Shin: Ah, then age-wise your on your last legs. If you sound too old fashioned when writing a shounen manga, you're finished.
Gin: The way things were going I was sure he was just going to give a one-sentence 'It was great' sorta answer, but Shinpachi-kun's being serious about this. Shinpachi-kun sounds like an editor.
Shachi: Haha... Old fashioned, huh?
Gin: Are those tears in Shachi's eyes? Uh, he's starting to look more like a dolphin than a killer whale now!
Hey now, I thought it was pretty good.
He's going for a slapstick comedy here, right? He set it up to not make sense on purpose.
Shin: Please don't make irresponsible remarks like that, Loincloth Mask-san.
Do you really think a manga about a hero who covers his face with underwear will catch on in this day and age?
Sure, Jump once had that great pervert manga called Hentai Kamen,
but does he really think he can beat that? Can wearing a loincloth on your face really beat out panties?
Manga text: Who in the world are you?
Why did you help me...?
Are you...?
My long-lost brother...?
[The next two bubbles are unreadable]
Loincloth Man.
That is my name now.
[Next bubble is unreadable]
Facing the moon with a loincloth on,
I will always be watching over you along with that moon.

Page 10:
Gin: Umm... Well, the thing with the loincloth is...
Uh, forget ripping off Hentai Kamen,
isn't this me he's ripping off?
Is he just drawing me?
I think it's better when the hero hides his true identity, don't you?
And anyhow, what about this ending?
The protagonist turns out to be the big brother of this girl he helped.
Yes, and it ends with him still keeping his identity secret.
No, you'd need to end this with his identity getting revealed.
That would be a terrible thing to do. The little sister wants to see her big brother so badly,
and knowing that, he just leaves without saying anything? Who could like a protagonist like that?
Gin: Uh, I don't know about that!!
I'm sure Loincloth Mask has his reasons, right? I say it's a good move!
Shin: Um, it's not Loincloth Mask, it's Loincloth Man, Loincloth Mask-san. ["man" in italics]
Gin: And anyhow, if his little sister found out he was a pervert that wears a loincloth as a mask, then that'd definitely hurt her!
Shin: I'm telling you, prioritizing his own will over the little sister's will makes him a heel.
If I were a supporting character in a manga with a protagonist as cowardly as this, I would resign my position. I would pack away my glasses for good.
Gin: I'm sure even Loincloth Mask really wants to say who he is, but he just can't, so that's why he went to help with a loincloth on his face!!
Shin: It's not Loincloth Mask, it's Loincloth Man, Loincloth Mask-san.
Gin: Haven't you ever considered the feelings of the guy with the loincloth on his face?!

Page 11:
Shin: No, never. Because I've never covered mine with one.
Gin: Well then why don'cha try covering your face with one and then give your opinion, asshat editor!!!
Shachi: Hey, that's enough, Loincloth Man-san!!
Shin: No, that's not Loincloth Man, that person is Loincloth Mask.
So are you going to tell all the readers of this manga to put loincloths on their faces before they read it?
Quite a high barrier to entry this manga's got.
Gin: All men live their lives wearing a loincloth over their heart! Somebody like you who covers theirs with a diaper could never understand!
Shachi: Please, that's enough, Loincloth Master-san!
Shin: No, it's not Loincloth Master, it's Loincloth Mask.
Someone: Let's get going already, Shachi. Showing that to people like this is a waste of...
SFX: GAH
SFX: MEKIH
SFX: DODOH

Page 12:
Someone: ...Okay, so, putting nipples in a shounen magazine is a no-no,
so please tell him to replace those nipple screen tones with mosaic ones and come back, will you?
Wait, so in the end the nipples didn't mean anything?!
Man, I'm shocked.
SFX: ZUZU...
Ol' Shachi's still chasing his dream after all this time, huh?
And Asaemon, or Yaemon now,
learned how to take down prisoners. She's become a pretty good government official.

Page 13:
Gin: ...Meanwhile,
what've we been doing?
One of us can't take their loincloth off,
and one can't take their diaper off, huh?
...No,
maybe the one holding this guy back
is me?
Sign: Yorozuya Gin-chan
Gin: He's really
still keepin' it goin' huh?
That Yorozuya.

Page 14:
Gin: I guess he should be okay if I leave him here.
Shinpachi,
Is there anything you want to do?
Shin: I wanted to help out with restoring the city,
to train myself in the sword, to keep active in Otsuu-chan's Imperial Guard, and I want to restore my father's dojo.
Gin: That sure is a lot, ain't it?
Shin: So,
I'll be okay.

Page 15:
Shin: Go do what you need to do,
Gin-san.
Gin: .........
You liar.
Sign: Sugar Content
Gin: Nothing's
changed at all, has it?
...Back then,
if he knew what I wanted to do

Page 16:
Gin: was wear a loincloth at a place like this
and save a guy who might destroy the world,
would you still... have told me to go?
If you'd tried to stop me... I wonder what I would've done?
.........
You were right on the mark, Shinpachi.
Loincloth Mask is a coward.
He still won't take his mask off even at a time like this.
And no matter how many masks he takes off,
even he doesn't know who he really is underneath anymore.
But,
right now, this is one thing I'm sure I do know.

Page 17:
Gin: I wanna take my face ooooooff!
SFX: ZUBASHAAAA
Gin: Seriously, that felt like I had somebody's d*ck on my nose that whole time!
UOEEEEEEH
I can't even swallow my own saliva anymoooore!!
Ugh, I can't hang around here! I need to get a move on before Shinpachi wakes up...!!
Shit!! I forgot to get a towel before I did that!
Uh, towels...
we used to put those by the bath, right...?
Ah,
found something.
Okay, that's fine.
SFX: WIPE WIPE
SFX: PURA~N

Page 18:
Kagu: Huh?
Is someone there?
SFX: SHAAAAA
Gin: A... woman? IN the bath?!
No... don't tell me!!
SFX: SHAAAA
Gin: Shinpachi brought a woman home
and he's living with her?!
Th-There's no way!!
Since when did he start doing this president of an IT company-like licentious stuff?!!
SFX: GATA

Page 19:
Kagu: Michuko-san,
is the bath still not warmed up?
Gin: SHACHIIIIIII
I need to to stick mosaic tones all over the place!!

Page 20:
Zura: I see.
So, he did come?
No, I don't mind.
If everything you've said is true, I won't even have to go anywhere. He should come to me.
...So that's the whole of it.
SFX: DODOOn
Guy: My lord, emergency!
Zura: I know.
The people of this country want to play around with me, Prime Minister Donald Zurump again, yes?
Go meet them with full force. But don't forget, they are citizens as well. Do not kill them.
Guy: Yes, sir!
Zura: Understand? Full force. Send all available hands out there.
Guy: Yes, sir!

Page 21:
SFX: GIIIII
Taka: Quite the popular figure you are.
You might actually be more hated now than in your days as a Joui Patriot.
Zura: But that's still no match for all the infamy you've built up.
So, what evil scheme are you planning this time?
SFX: HYAN
Zura: With the old country gone,
are you trying to destroy the new country, perhaps?
Insert: His strategy is underway...!!
Bottom: Gintama
...Lesson 688
/ End