Gintama 698

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GINTAMA
Final lesson: Go beyond the final chapter.
(Red text- Until the day we meet again.)
SORACHI HIDEAKI

002
(Top Text- Goodbye Yorozuya, Goodbye Gintama. The grand finale with lead color pages!!)
(Bottom text- Check out info on the special project announcements and the manga's continuation on page 95!!)

003
(Text about a popularity poll ya'll cant participate in.)

004
{Apology and Edit: The “Tengen sect” That appeared in Issue 24 and 25 of the manga, as well as the alternate spelling used in issue 26 are of a fictional group related to and utilized in the series and not at all related to the actual organization “Tengenkyou”. We apologize deeply for any issues raised by those involved with the organization, and thus we will change the name going forward in future volumes sold to the “Seibou sect”.}
Tae: Shin-chan..
If you all are...
Going to become the Yorozuya to grant Gin-san's desire...
(Bottom text- Don't miss the color page three pages back!!)
Tae: Then we..
Will become the Yorozuya..
Who will grant your wish.
(Bottom text- The Gintama app is now up for distribution!! Manga, Light Novels, and anime are all at your finger tips for a few coins!!)
Tae: The threads that the Yorozuya bonded us together with..
will connect all of you together again.
(Side text- Grand bonds that are full of strength...)
(Bottom text- It's a hit beyond wildest expecations! The live action “Gintama 2” is in theaters everywhere!!//The TV Anime Gintama: Silver Soul arc airs every week at 1:35 am on TV Tokyo and it's affiliates!!)

005
Saigo: We're repayin' you guys Yorozuya!!
Can't have you up and disappearing –there won't be anyone to do odd jobs!!
(Sfx- Gahahahaah)
Shinpachi: E---
Everyone...
Otose: My, my..
You've gained quite a few employees in the short time since I saw you last.
However with this many people joining forces...
It might just be possible to grant that wish.
Gintoki's wish...
And the Yorozuya's wish...whatever it may be.
Take this.
There's something in here,
that you'll probably need to make his wish come true.

006
Otose: And this one...
is for you.
Tell that fool...
To hurry back and pay his rent.
(Sfx- Dodododdodo blamblamblamblam)
???: There are believers of that sect here too?
(Sfx- Kuwaaaah roaaaar)
Believers: This is where God's second coming will be!
Purge all of the nonbelievers until there are none other than the seibou sect!

007
Jirocho: Give me a break.
Ya'll are a lawless lot aintcha?
The best booze is the stuff you slug down with....
People who have different beliefs and thoughts.
And the booze your daughter picks up for you when you're enjoying retirement.
Pirako: Pops, looks like they got here first.
Jirocho: No kidding.
(Sfx- Tohh tok)
Jirocho: The next in line after the Yakuza is the freelancers.
Not a damn thing has changed in all this time huh?

008
(Sfx- Dooohhh fwhooom)
Jirocho: And here I was dreamin' of kicking my feet up in retirement. Guess I've still got a while till then.
(Sfx- Dooooh fwhoooom)
(Sfx- Waaaah roar)
Jirocho: Let's do this guuuuuuuuys!!!
???: Who--
Who the hell are these people?!
Just what the hell...
Is this group doing?!

009
Shinpachi: We're the Yorozuya.

010

011
Jirocho: Get moving.
We're going to protect...
The place you'll return to.
So...
Get your ass out there and tell that idiot to come back.
{Gin-san...}
{Are you watching?}

012
{Maybe we haven't been able to...}
{Take a single step forward since then...}
{But everyone is...}
{Waiting for us here.}

013
Hattori: 'Sup.
Guess I chose a pretty good time to return to Edo, huh?
Nobume: It appears...
We weren't the only ones getting restless.
Shinpachi: Zenzou-san! Nobume-san!
Soyo: Kagura-chan!
We'll open a path for you!
It's our turn to repay you for what you did...
two years ago.
All of us together.
{Everyone...}
{Returned here.}

014
Matsudaira: Katsura might have gotten the jump on me before...
But this time the old man's gonna shine.
We're gonna teach those terrorists not to screw with the protectors of Edo!!
(Sfx- Dooooon boooom)
(Sfx- Gogogogogo rmmmmmble)
Kondo: Protector of Edo?! Are you including yourself in that, old man?!
We just got the city back for craps sake, so why the hell are you trying to blow it up?
Matsudaira: We can rebuild it if that's what it comes to.
So there's no need to hold back..
Shinsengumi.
That's just...
How we roll.
{No one forgot...}
{Anything.}

015
{Not those good old days...}
{Or even you.}

016
(Sfx- Dododooon baboooom)
Umibozu: Heh...
So you're here too huh?
I see so that appearance of yours...
So you taught her—Kagura those odd moves too huh?
So unless you look like a brat..
You can't save one measly younger sister?
You truly are a difficult bastard.
{So we're...}
{Going to take that first step forward with everyone.}

017
Hanano: Are you all watching?
All around the Edo there are people taking the fight to the streets.
Madao has died along with those beings too crass to be aired on broadcast television..but Edo hasn't yet …
Wha...What's that?
???: People of Edo!!
Can you hear mbria palace?!
I'm your idol –everyone's idol, Terakado Tsuu toroiyaaaaah!!
And I'm....going to fight with you!!!
I may be only able to sing to encourage you, but...
If that is able to help you even just a little, if just one of you is made stronger by my songs...
(Sfx- Hira hira hira shfftt sshffft)
Tsuu: Then I think it's well worth standing he-stcles!
Takachin: It's okay Otsuu-chan.
There's one guy for sure who yearns for your song.
You'll reach his heart for sure.

018
{Back then...}
{What I wanted to say but couldn't...}
{What I was thinking but couldn't convey...}
{I'm going to take all of them...}
{And stride forward.}
{Gin-san...}
{I'm coming to where you are.}
Tsuu: This song is for all of the brave samurai...
fighting for the sake of our planet!
I hope you all are listening!

019
{Isn't the Prince of Tennis awesome~}
{It's my everything!~}
{No matter how tough things get, it'll all work out.}
{So try again, open up a new page and restart.}
{Because the greatest story awaits!}
{They may say I'm a mangaka with flash and circumstance...}
{But because I'm just sitting at a desk...}
{Good news and sad things...}
{Just pass on by.}
(TN- So this is actually a song written by Takeshi Konomi who created Prince of Tennis.)
{Let me see those smiling faces, and hear those angry shouts! There's no need to be anxious...}
{Stand up and draw! Rush forward and make a statement here and now!!}
{Prince of Tennis sure is awesome~}
Gintoki: LIKE HELL IT IS!!
THE FUCK IS THIS?! I'LL TELL YOU WHAT IT ISN'T –PRINCE OF TENNIS'S FINAL CHAPTER! WHY THE FRICK IS THE SONG FROM THE SERIES COMING OUT ON SEVERAL PAGES?!
Katsura: To be fair, this is a song Konomi-sensei wrote to all of the readers of prince of tennis using his heart and soul.
Gintoki: AND WHO WOULD WANT TO HEAR THIS?! WASN'T IT SUPPOSED TO BE A SONG FOR SAMURAI?!
Katsura: Gintoki it would appear that somehow we arrived here.
What we want is right over there.
I'm sure that from here things will only get more difficult.
But truly what we should fear...
the most now is..

020
Katsura: The lacking page count.
Gintoki: I KNOW RIGHT?? It's because we were bs'ing around up until now that we don't have the pages needed to finish this!
Katsura: We've no choice but to allow the song to play through the remaining pages...
As BGM and hope this fools everyone into thinking this truly is the end of the “Prince of Tennis.”
Gintoki: And I'm asking you why are we using Prince of Tennis?! Only Konomi-sensei would be crazy enough to try a stunt like that!
Katsura: This is why I said that five chapters wasn't nearly enough to end the series!!
Those fools at Zip HAD to make a big deal about it and so we couldn't then apologize and take it back!!
(Handwritten- I curse Matsu in particular!!)
Takasugi: Hmph, I'm done dealing with you all.
(Sfx- Dan tapt)
Katsura: Wait, Gintoki Takasugi! What are you doing?!
More like, what CAN you do with merely a page left? You can't possibly think to end this in a single page, can you?
Gintoki: Screw ending,
We haven't started a damn thing yet.
(Sfx- Dahh tap)
Katsura: Gintoki..!!
Oh I see! We're doing one of those “The true battle starts here” endings huh?!
The final chapter means nothing to us! We won't be stopped!!
We'll keep going to a place beyond the end!!
Gintoki: Yeah...

022
Gintoki: OUR BATTLE...
WILL CONTINUE IN JUMP GIGA!!
???: I KNEW IT WASN'T ENDING, DAMMIT.
(Side text- To all of our beloved readers, thanks so much for reading along for 14 years. Please by all means do NOT look forward to Sorachi-sensei's next work.)
GINTAMA..............END.

023
(Side text- Please check out the next page for a proper explanation.)
From Sorachi:
So uh, first thanks to everyone who read Gintama for 14 years in weekly Shounen Jump, and my deepest apologies for things ending up this way. So starting from next week Gintama will be leaving Jump but well, it's clearly not ending at all. I think a lot of you probably realized this when we did the five chapter countdown and then got a chapter about Gorillas getting married, and despite being a Gorilla among Gorillas, pulling an ending out of my ass after five chapters is impossible. So to explain Jump has a thing where you tell the editorial department about half a year in advance that the series is going to end by a certain date and you move to slowly wrap up the story in that time frame. The thing is, with Gintama I sorta miscalculated and for the last three years I've been constantly saying “Not yet, just one more thing”. It's like having a family gathering for Grandpa's funeral but Grandpa keeps sitting up and saying “Actually I think I might live a little longer” over and over. Eventually the fam is going to start getting irritated, tapping their feet and sucking their teeth at grandpa and then Granpa gives a quasi definitive date of “August, August for sure” and then he takes out a cigar and acts like Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid four, puffing away, but...despite acting like a big shot things still didn't really work out that way. Even with trying my damned hardest to fit things in the weekly chapters, little boss with all of the stubbornness just kept clinging on for dear life. So to finally finish things off we're taking off to a different place. Honestly? I'd have much rather have finished everything off in Jump, but since that didn't happen I have to apologize for being a screwup. I do hope you'll keep enjoying Jump –as I say farewell. For you kiddos who just flipped through Gintama idly, don't expect Grandpa to leave anything in his will for you. Meanwhile for you guys who are sticking with Grandpa through thick and thin, yup, bupkiss. Why is that? Because the inheritence is all of you. Let's hook up again beyond the final chapter.
SORACHI.
The uh, conclusion? Sorachi gives a word about the ending and major annoucement!!
(Side text- Yeah there's no way this is the end.)
(Bottom text- And so the beyond the final will take place in Jump Giga's fall issue series!!)
Gintoki: I figured...
This shit wasn't going anywhere.


And that's it, but not really. Honestly I kinda saw this coming when this whole end after the end arc began, so I'm not at all surprised. It's been pretty clear for a while that Sorachi has no idea of what he really wants to do with the series, so my enjoyment of it has been dwindling. That being said, Gintama is still a series that's more than a weekly bit of translation but a part of my life as it has been for the last 9 years. Although it is true the series will be back in two months, I won't be, (probably). I've had lots of good times, bad times, frustrating times, and rewarding times with Gintama over the years and while it sorta fell apart for me I've gotta admit I've learned a lot from the series and maybe even had a little fun? For now I'm just...I need a vacation from silver soul. I'll be lurking in the shadows maybe, and might have more to say when I've sorted out my thoughts but for now...I bid Gintama and you guys farewell. I hope you'll look forward to other TL's from me, but if you were only here for Gintama I'm glad to have met you and if only just a little my weekly complaining about this series made your week then I'm deeply honored. Thank you, and be well.

-BDR.