LogFAQs > #969017406

61. Golden Kamuy
https://myanimelist.net/anime/36028/Golden_Kamuy
Spring 2018 (12 episodes), Fall 2018 (12 episodes), Fall 2020 (12 episodes)
My Score: 7/10, MAL Score: 7.87/10 S1, 8.23/10 S2, 8.45/10 S3
Best Character: Sugimoto Saichi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QahFijEd3hY

Premise: Sugimoto Saichi, known as 'the Immortal' for surviving suicidal charges and countless injuries during the Russo-Japanese War, hears about a trove of gold buried somewhere in Hokkaido. Partnering with an Ainu girl named Asirpa, Sugimoto begins tracking down the escaped convicts who each have part of a map to the gold tattoed on their bodies.

The Good: Golden Kamuy is a historical adventure anime about various factions competing to find a bunch of gold. I really like the premise, it's fairly basic but it leaves a lot of room for characters with different motivations. There are twenty-four escaped prisoners who each have part of a coded treasure map tattoed to their bodies. They're all different kinds of criminals, like an escape artist or a deranged hunter. Tracking down and dealing with each of them, one way or another, allows for lots of little mini-adventures. Then there's the bigger picture where various groups are competing to get the clues first, including a rogue military unit, an old samurai rebel, and of course Sugimoto's little crew. Each group is filled with unique characters, and not all of them are what they seem at first. I'm glad GK got several seasons (there's a fourth that just started airing that I haven't begun yet). It's a big story and it deserves time to play out at its own pace. Sugimoto is my favorite, as I'll talk about more in his write-up below, but I really like Asirpa too. She's cute and can be surprisingly hilarious, plus she's a guide into Ainu culture. Her connection to the gold hunt adds a lot of depth, too. Beyond that, GK is just a really solid story with lots of moving pieces that keep interacting in interesting ways.

The Bad: There are some low budget problems at times. This isn't the anime for anyone who will be bothered by crappy CGI bears. Still, my main problem is probably the food segments. It's a common joke that Golden Kamuy is secretly a food porn anime, because there are lots of scenes about how to catch, cook, and eat various animals. Food porn isn't my thing, especially not "here's a spoonful of animal brains" food porn, so those bits aren't my favorite! There are also times where the mood turns goofy, like a literal zany comedy anime. I enjoy the smaller funny bits, like one time during a chase a character jumped and straight-up Looney Tunes swam through air for a second to reach something higher up, little moments like that were funny. The full scenes of goofy comedy usually felt out of place.

Overall: I really like the premise of Golden Kamuy, as well as the various factions of crazy characters chasing after the gold. Sugimoto and Asirpa are great, as are many of the other characters. I'm not a huge fan of the food porn or the occasional over-the-top goofy scene. Still, GK is mostly just a really solid historical adventure, and I'm enjoying it a lot so far.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/2/8/AAcDcBAAD0tY.jpg

CHARACTER: Sugimoto Saichi (Golden Kamuy)
https://myanimelist.net/character/138553/Saichi_Sugimoto
Voiced by: Kobayashi Chikahiro
TOP 100 RANK: 88th

SPOILERS FOR GOLDEN KAMUY (to the end of S3 only)

VIDEO LINK (from the end of S3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnI2RGqRnnM

Sugimoto is a badass. He's introduced tanking what should be fatal injuries while charging enemy lines and still having the strength to kill several Russians when he gets there. He does this all while in a berserker rage screaming that he is immortal, which is a moniker he proves he deserves many times throughout the anime. Like a great many soldiers, though, Sugimoto is aimless after the war. He's also haunted by his experiences, though he usually doesn't let it show. He has a goal, a dying wish from a friend to get money to his widow, but Sugimoto has no real plan on how to do that until he hears about the Ainu gold. Then he meets Asirpa, a young Ainu girl, and they partner up to track down the convicts.

The dynamic between Sugimoto and Asirpa is my favorite part of Golden Kamuy. There are lots of little moments where they grow closer. Asirpa introduces him to hunting tricks, food, and Ainu culture. Sugimoto slowly opens up to her in turn. There's one scene I really liked when they were riding out a blizzard and Sugimoto talks about a food he misses from his hometown. Asirpa later uses that info to confirm someone is lying to her, which shows she was really listening and taking even small things like that to heart. Sugimoto plays a protective, almost fatherly role, but the two also interact as equals. They recognize that the other has their own areas of expertise and defer to them whenever it makes sense.

The two spent a lot of time apart in the third season, but for me this absence solidified their relationship. I liked how Asirpa steadfastly believed that Sugimoto survived no matter what anyone told her, solely because she has faith in his immortality. Sugimoto's single-minded desire to rescue her was also really sweet. The video I linked above, from when they finally reunite near the end of the third season, was also great. Asirpa doesn't want to become a murderer, so Sugimoto goes to great lengths to save one of his worst enemies after she accidentally shoots him with a poisoned arrow. It really illustrates how close they've become that protecting Asirpa's soul was Sugimoto's goal there rather than eliminating a dangerous enemy. I love their dynamic a lot.