January 2007, the english version of Gin Tama will be availible in bookstores across the nation.
What is Gin Tama, you ask? Well, another Past/Future alternate reality setting (Edo, overrun by aliens for neighbouring planets), a fairly popular place to put your manga or anime (Fullmetal Alchemist, Castle In The Sky, The list goes on).
The characters seem very interesting: A curly-haired samurai with mad fighting skills and a taste for sweets
(I think he has low blood sugar), yet another samurai, although retired, still paying off his fathers debts, along with many more equal colourful creations.
I read the preview in Shonen Jump, and I can't wait for it's release upon english shores. It will be a series in this magazine also.

I'm not sure if the anime is too follow in translation, but It's likely. For now, I can only assure manga format.
Some small tidbits on the animation, though... Several episodes have references to it other popular shows, and they parody Densha Otoko, Bleach plus -Drumroll- Deathnote in a few of them. Hurrah!

It looks hilarious, and I can't wait to purchase the first volume!
Just please, don't confuse it with Kin-Tama =_='.

(Source: MangaFox)



Years of Released: 2004
Status: Ongoing, Gintama 312 is coming next...
Author: Sorachi Hideaki
Artist: Sorachi Hideaki
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Historical, Sci-fi, Shounen, Supernatural

Summary
The story focuses on an eccentric samurai, Gintoki Sakata, his (partial) apprentice Shinpachi Shimura, and a teenage alien girl who's from one of the strongest races in existence: Kagura. All three are "free-lancers" search for work in order to pay the monthly rent, which usually goes unpaid anyway. The story takes place in the Edo Period, but instead of the Europeans invading in the late 1860s they are invaded by aliens, which they call Amanto. It's funny, and worth reading just for the laughs. This manga has a plot with no bounds, it can go anywhere with it, and it does, comedy and seriousness from time to time to make this a MUST read.

...

ZOMG ILL KEEL THEM IF DEY MAKE FUN OF T3H SHIZZ: DEATH NOTE.

Sounds great.
I'll read about it soon~.

Instead of Kintama, why don't you put togehter the Gin and Tama and make Gintama? Cause the eng version got it wrong. It's definately Gintama. Screw viz. They should burn up and die.

Not only Death Note, they got Dragon Ball, Castle in the Sky, Eyeshield21, Star Wars, and one episode features tons of mystery genered mangas like Detective Conan.

In Gintama, there's also a China-like girl named Kagura who's the heroine. She looks cute and sweet, but she's very strong and ruthless and acts like an old man.

The problem I see with this is that when Gintama gets translated into English, it loses 70% of its funniness. It's written in a way that cannot be expressed in English just as it is in Japanese. And it has tons of puns and cultural references to Japan, so it might not as be good to non-natives or not familiar with Japanese culture.

The best thing about Gintama is that it has the Shinsengumi. Don't think Peacemaker Kurogane or etc. These are just bunch of idiots. There's the stalker Kondo, who looks like a gorilla. Hijikata Toushirou, who seems to be the cool one but he as an obession to mayonnaise. And finally Okita Sougo, he's a sadist and always tries to kill Hijikata.

Kintama is another thing entirely. Which I don't feel like progressing into.

Anyway, I certainly hope it's not a screw up.
And although they certainly poke fun at a few series, I don't think they're really insulting it.
Feh. I understand Japanese culture, but they're probably going to manipulate it into some rather lame english jokes that make teh' fans want to go all ape on Shonen Jump publications.
I'll never know until I give the manga a chance, but I fear how the anime will turn out. After all, Naruto is another Shonen Jump manga, and the english division had say in the anime (Voice acting, changes for Western culture, etc), and they totally ruined it. Seriously, I used to love the manga, but If I flip past the English Dub on television and they say "Believe it!" one more time, I'm going to keel 'zem 10 times before the hit the floor.

They parody alot of series, it seems.
Thank you for all the information, MasterKris!

That is all.

^Gintama's mostly popular for its hilarious dialogues, what I'm afraid is how Viz will do with those hard Japanese puns which is dead in English. Just by dividing Gin and Tama is doubting.

Aside the cultural references, it's the dialogues. They are very difficult to translate and by reading the scanlations in english, if very hard and long effort and work is not put into it, it really becomes dull. I did translate 2 chapters of this manga and it is HARD.

I don't think the Gintama anime will come out in dub for a very very very long time. (the VA who does Alphonse does Kagura by the way)

It's mostly the anime that likes to make the parodies. The manga doesn't go all out on them.

Also, go to the Gintama livejournal and check it out. Tis a good place to hang out.
http://community.livejournal.com/gintama/

As for the anime/manga thing, I noticed that.
The parodies are reserved mostly for the anime, but I like the manga a tad better myself.
Then again, I always do.
But I want to see what they do with Deathnote.

Viz is going to butcher it.
Chop the puns into tiny pieces and scramble them to match the likings of dim-witted English readers who have yet to dwell into the subject of Japanese culture.
Either way, I'm buying it as soon as it comes out, just to see.

^What they do with Death Note is pretty funny and simple. (it has nothing to do with the note though)

The three freelancers gather around the table ready to eat the nabe. Gin and Shinpachi then start to think inside their minds about who can eat the meat in the nabe like how Raito thinks plans inside his head and Gin and Shinpachi makes those Raito-faces.

Later, Ryuk appears saying his famous line in Gintama style:
Fufu, humans are so pathetic.