I think El Chavo is watched everywhere in Latin America still. Here in Brazil it rarely stay some weeks without reruns just to go back to airing. I think Chapolin is in a similar state as well
And talking about Gintama, I really love that manga. It's my favorite one ever and Gintoki is my favorite Jump protagonist (He is kinda similar to me and we ALMOST share birthdays). I was actually surprised when I saw that Gintama wasn't as universally praised as I thought it was, though. Looking at the part of the fandom I have most contact with, it seems kind of hit or miss. What do you guys think about the manga?
Favorite manga bar none. I've probably read thousands and consider my taste pretty damn good. Or at least matured now. it stole my number 1 spot from One Piece when I was 17, and one piece has taken number 1 for like 5 years, I thought that's never change.
Only seriously competing manga are Shingeki considering recent years, vinland saga considering mostly arc 1 and 2, and Gintama is my favorite fictional story, only competitors are Higurashi VN (100s of times better than the anime, like actually) and Dickens' bildungsromans, Great Expectations and David Copperfield.
I like human-feeling characters and character development a lot, among other things, and Gintama was a gold mine for that, among other amazing things.
People seem mixed on the influx of serious arcs but I loved them all until hiatus hell and the ending arc didn't get me to cry much which is rare for Gintama. But I'd already reread the series 3 to 5 times, reread certain arcs 12 to 15 times, watched those arcs 3 to 5 times, and watched reactors 5 to 10 times for those arcs so I had already experienced so much greatness a hedonic treadmill may have occurred.
All in all Sorachi said " if this manga is interesting to you at least on the first read through then I have managed to make my wishes come true" and since it's done that many times over, unless something else emotionally destroys me, Gintama is forever number 1 even if I can't feel the intense highs I used to with it.
I've already enjoyed it so much that I can't complain. In fact I'm very grateful. Same vibes as in the last chapter..
Some "fans" dislike humanizing the villains but I think that opinion is shit.
Gintama #1, most likely for life. If it is ever surpassed, it will always be a fondly remembered favorite.