Gintama: Kanketsu-hen - Yorozuya yo Eien Nare, or Gintama: The Final Chapter - Be Forever Yorozuya, is the second film in the Gintama franchise, written by the author of Gintama, Hideaki Sorachi. Written as a possible end to the anime, this film brings Gintama into darker and more dramatic territory, more so then ever before, whilst still balancing the film with the humour that made the series so popular. All this, and more, is all blended together to create one of the best anime films created in modern days. The film opens with the Yorozuya crew workng in a theater,and whilst it looks like apre-film short, it's actually the opening to the film itself,and leads into the main plot. We find Gintoki Sakata in a world, five years in the future, where the world is falling apart, and he quickly find his friends and associates are all very different in this post apocalyptic world. Once the the main part of the film is reached, the story does not feel rushed, and does not drag out. In my opinion, the film is paced perfectly.
One of the things that worried me was that this may indeed be the end of Gintama. Whilst now it feels likely that the anime series will continue, the way the plot of this movie is brought to a close really does bring a sense of finality to the series, and when it comes down to it, I would be perfectly happy if the series ended with this movie, as it accomplishs the rare feat of bring a popular series to a (possible) close.
Though, lets forget the plot for a few moments, and talk about the characters, one of the most praised aspects of the Gintama series. As stated above, this is a world five years in the future, and all of Gin's friends are very, very different. We see Shinpachi and Kagura all grown up, no longer the children they were. Every character has been affected by the events of this film, and all of them now have different ideals, not to mention new character designs. Gin, Shinpachi, and Kagura's characters are all very, very fleshed out.
When it really comes down to it, this is the one part of the film that slightly suffers - whilst the redesigns of the characters are all well and good, we don't get enough time to learn more about -why- these characters are so different. Outside of Shinpachi and Kagura, we learn very little about why characters such as Katsura, Hijikata, and Sougo are so different. Within the medium of the film, however, this is acceptable, as they couldn't keep the rest of the film at such a high level whilst devoting an equal amount of time to both characters and plot.
Of course, with this being a high budget film, the art and sound of the film are breathtaking, with new music recorded for the film, and the fight scenes never looking so amazing. To my delight, some music from the earlier seasons of Gintama is also used near the end of the film, again bringing a sense of finality to the film. SPYAIR, who's song, "Sakura Mitsu Tsuki", was used as the second opening of Gintama' : Enchousen, return to the franchise, composing the song, "Genjo Destruction", as the main theme of the music. Finally, as the second of two ending songs, "Pray", by Tommy heavenly6, we get a sense of nostalgia for those who watched Gintama from he very beginning.
In closing, Gintama: The Final Chapter, manages to accomplish the rare feat of an (possible) ending film that manages to deliver on all aspects. Whilst it's a shame some of the supporting characters could not fleshed out enough, it's understandable due to the limited time of the medium. All in all, Gintama: The Final Chapter: Yorozuya Forever is a truly stellar anime film, that should be a benchmark for all anime franchise films to aspire to.