Gintama Spinoff Ginpachi-Sensei Gets Manga and Anime Adaptations

A manga adaptation of the 3-Nen Z-Gumi Ginpachi-Sensei spinoff novels is coming to Shueisha’s Jump TOON vertical-scrolling manga service. The series, titled 3-Nen Z-Gumi Ginpachi-Sensei Touuunn!!, launches on October 6, the same day the anime adaptation of the novels premieres on TV Tokyo. Ao Suzumemura handles the storyboard, and Yūki Aonuma is drawing the manga.

The 3-Nen Z-Gumi Ginpachi-Sensei concept originated as a spinoff of Hideaki Sorachi’s Gintama manga, written by Tomohito Ōsaki. Set in Gintama High School, it follows the unconventional school teacher Ginpachi Sakata, a character who shares features with Gintama’s main protagonist despite having very little that resembles a typical educator. The concept first appeared in 2006 and has been animated in short form at the end of various Gintama episodes over the years. Shueisha is also publishing a new novel volume titled Oide yo Rinkan Gakkō, which translates as Going on a School Camp, on October 3.

The anime adaptation will premiere on TV Tokyo and its affiliates on October 6 at midnight JST. The Anime.com platform from the Los Angeles-based brand Azuki will stream the anime for free.

The original Gintama manga by Sorachi ran from 2003 through June 2019 and has sold over 55 million copies. It has inspired multiple television anime series totaling 367 episodes, three films, original video anime, event anime, two live-action films, and two live-action net spinoffs. Viz Media published the first 23 volumes of the manga in English.

My take: Ginpachi-Sensei has always been one of Gintama’s most affectionate bits of self-parody, and seeing it get its own full manga and anime adaptations feels like a genuine treat for fans of the original series. The Jump TOON vertical format is a nice fit for what should be a pretty breezy and fun read.