Golden Kamuy

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It's always a bittersweet feeling when a great long-running series ends, it's a lot like parting with a dear friend who has kept you company for years and could always be relied on to cheer you up. And now that Golden Kamuy has ended its eight-year-long rollercoaster of emotions, and done so on a high note and under its own terms, I'm not treating it lightly when I say it is a gem that only occurs maybe two or three times a decade. You need to read it. If Satoru Noda keeps up the level he set for himself, he may well become the next ... Naoki Urasawa of the manga world. Hear me out.

Set in Japan immediately after the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, Golden Kamuy tells the tale of a young war veteran Saichi "The Immortal" Sugimoto and a teenage hunter Asirpa as they try to uncover the secret location of several dozen kilogram of hidden Ainu gold by assembling a puzzle map... tattooed directly onto the bodies of two dozen escaped convicts, and do so faster than the other groups vying to take the treasure for their own means. It is a grounded, notably adult-oriented, uniquely Asian counterpart to the genre of Western, with one of the tightest narratives you'll ever find in a manga. Unlikely alliances, sudden reveals, chases and shoot-outs, indigenous lifestyle tidbits, surprise homoerotic gags or thinly veiled pop culture references: you never know what awaits you in the next chapter. There is sharp edge but no gratuitous edginess typical of modern seinens, there is deliberate nudity but no tired fan service; the experience is meticulously crafted and always kept fresh and on point.

Akin to an experienced trapper, Golden Kamuy is effortlessly evading the pitfalls that plague long-running weekly manga. Its planning is bulletproof: it's evident that the entire plot was written *well* in advance, down to relatively small details that only become apparent in the final act, as all pieces of the puzzle gradually converge and reveal connections between the characters' backstories that drove their allegiances and set them on a collision course towards each other. It's similarly adept at evading deliberate oversimplification of art: characters are uniquely designed, backgrounds richly detailed. People are never hard to tell apart by their face or clothing, landscapes are lush, urban settings gritty, animals move like animals do (which is not as trivial as it sounds at all). Action scenes are easy to read and track. Male characters—granted, most of them are trained soldiers fresh off the battlefields—have well-defined facial features and chiseled musculature... and yes, you WILL see most of them in various stages of undress, haha. Noda has said it very explicitly that he is fond of male nudity and will keep drawing it in all of its forms. If this is a deal-breaker to you, better turn back now before you're hit in the face with an assortment of burly pecs and tight buttocks.

But what I'd like to specifically focus on are the characters. Golden Kamuy has a very large and diverse principal cast almost entirely composed of adults—with the notable exception of the female lead, Asirpa—all of which have depth, unique personality traits, and funny little quirks that breathe life into their interactions. The main antagonist, the ever-charismatic First Lieutenant Tokushirou Tsurumi, is a delightful character and a strong driving force that deserves at least paragraph all to himself if we're talking best antagonists in manga. No wonder even his allies are so engrossed in his mission they refer to it as "The Tsurumi Theater" and call dibs on the front seats. It's a sign of an excellent writer to never have characters with one-dimensional morality or unchallenged idealism as their sole motivation: pretty much everyone in the story has their own agenda, and their factions and alliances only last so long as their goals align—which, when it comes to a hunt for money, obviously isn't very long. After all, they are out there for all kinds of reasons: taking revenge, achieving freedom, restoring historical justice, experiencing the joy of battle, protecting their honor, family, loved ones, or state interests, honoring old obligations and promises, or simply seeking the good life enabled by sacks of hidden Ainu gold. It's always such a pleasure to see characters with their own thoughts, feelings, and agency to act upon them. But it's an even greater pleasure to see that their thoughts and feelings are informed by their experiences and remain compelling—even when not healthy or relatable. Golden Kamuy is, above all, a story about human beings, and human beings are fundamentally flawed. Even when a character is an absolute scumbag, you are always given an insight into what made them so. You can establish a connection with a fellow human being in that character, and—even if it's just for a tiny moment—sympathize.

Lastly, but not least importantly, there's Noda's trademark offbeat humor that sets the tone for the series. Golden Kamuy is a very serious story in principle—what with so many people trying to murder and skin each other—and it probably would've worked well if it were played completely straight like a typical Western. But yet another aspect that sets it apart from other similar stories is how utterly wacky the humor is—or rather, when and to which end it is used. The ease with which Noda builds up tension at the turn of a page and immediately defuses it a page later with a well-placed visual gag is nothing short of extraordinary. Very few authors can switch between drama and comedy without tripping over themselves—let alone do it so confidently, with such grace and, at times, almost morbid indulgence. When Noda wants to do a poop joke, he will have the characters enthusiastically point to animal poop for Asirpa to explain whose poop it is and what it tells about the creature it came from. When Noda wants to do a nudity skit, he will have male characters chased by a wild wolverine into a sauna, where, OF COURSE, they will immediately and fully undress and start lashing at each other with sauna whisks. The conveniently sudden appearance of a sauna doesn't even have time to register before you start laughing at the enthusiasm with which characters—who just barely escaped mauling!—enter a whisking competition. Panels, chapter taglines, and action scenarios occasionally reference other manga, live-action movies, and even Key & Peele sketches—without so much as breaking character. (Before you ask: Naturally, there is a JoJo reference.) Watching a master at work is an absolute delight.

Golden Kamuy is an incredibly rare experience that would be criminal to overlook. It fuses together a fast-paced, thrilling adventure narrative, a large cast of charismatic and compelling characters, deep historical insight, and loads of well-written humor—and it excels at every single aspect. Truly a one-of-a-kind manga and my personal favorite.

(If you come here with a question whether to read the manga or watch the TV anime series: definitely read the manga. While the the anime isn't bad per se, it sacrifices a lot of the charm of the original work and cuts too many corners in its presentation. It's just a very watered-down experience.)

With its recent conclusion, Golden Kamuy has stuck the landing and guaranteed its continued reputation as one of the finest adventure manga ever made. Author Noda Satoru's myriad fascinations, such as Japanese history, Ainu culture, judo, serial killers, western (meaning the genre) films, and cooking, are continuously present in the story and make it feel really special and personal to him. The plot starts out simplistically enough as a sort of reimagining of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, but with every story arc comes a set of surprises and new context that makes it so much more. Alliances exist in the world of ... Golden Kamuy, but are always fragile, as nobody is to be trusted. This tense setting is used to its fullest potential time and time again to bring about incredible, massive climaxes befitting of the Sergio Leone movies from which Noda is sure to have drawn his inspiration. None of this is to say that the series never takes its time to breathe, there are countless low-energy, reflective moments as well as gut-busting comedic sequences that are just as big a part of what makes Golden Kamuy special as the action and adventure present in the main plot.

The illustrations here are already distinctive and impressive, particularly on the cover pages, but what Noda excels at the most is character designs and giving the pages a good flow. It's often taken for granted, but the ability to gracefully string panels together to tell a story with just the right speed and feeling to them, is just as important a skill as being able to draw, and this is a series which excels in that regard as well as in everything else I value in an adventure oriented manga. What was already an instant favorite of mine long before its conclusion, has officially sealed the deal. I loved this series to death and am endlessly excited to read whatever its creator makes in the future.

Golden Kamuy is a complex narrative that represents a breath of fresh air in a tired topic, with a particular style that can be too much for many, but is definitely fun and engaging.

For fans of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure who miss that specific blend of humor and tension more in line with the first three parts, this is a gold mine — early Araki's influence is palpable in many aspects of the work.

With that said, let’s delve into what Golden Kamuy is about and the themes it explores. We’ll also discuss if the beginning might be misleading, and how effectively it tackles its thematic elements.

So, ... what is this show about?

According to Ainu mythos, Kamuy are spiritual beings that reside in particular aspects, or actors, of the natural world. As far as I know, there is no Kamuy associated with gold — and that’s exactly the premise of Golden Kamuy: how gold can bestow graces or curses.

Golden Kamuy is surprisingly deep in its exploration of Ainu culture, how the Kamuy concept shapes their lives, and its parallels with how gold — as well as the many things it can be a metaphor for — shapes society.

Even though it deals with a saturated topic, such as trade relations and the like, it presents such a unique perspective that I truly believe it’s guaranteed to fuel a lot of thought.

First things later, let’s talk art.

Paneling is mostly bland and doesn't help much with flow or tension, but doesn't do anything wrong either. Similarly, the designs and uniqueness are nothing exceptional, but also are far from doing anything wrong.

I have to mention that are very crude things depicted, as well as some body horror — as a disclaimer, I guess.

Overall, the art is very good, but mostly not exceptional, with the background often as a standout point, but sometimes the 2-page spreads focused on forests look too busy — It might be just my preference, though. It makes sense to show how lively nature life is, but many times I felt like it could've been transmitted better.

So, how does it start?

To an extent, Golden Kamuy doesn't start as good as it will eventually get, but that is only natural. The premise feels whacky, some kind of overly elaborated gold rush. The plot feels even wackier, but it does that without alienating at first, and after a while you're already ensnared by the Ainu culture and the characters.

The meat of the show is that, so, if you like the beginning, you can rest assured that you'll probably like it all. If you don't, I don't think you'll like it much better later on.

By the end, when the somewhat loose plot could be a let-down, the thematic beats hit so hard it is hard to even think about that, and this is where this work truly shines. The last 3 or 4 arcs are absolutely amazing.

What about the characters?

Similarly to the art, they are quite well written, and this work does present very good development, I wouldn't go as far as to say there are exceptional character writing in a typical sense. Weirdly, I think this works in its favor. If there was a group of standout characters, it would make it harder to blur the lines between the many independent actors in search of the gold. Each faction has multiple characters with their own psyche, that might or might not maintain alliance or do something completely unexpected.

What about the story itself?

The 31 volume count is sorely justified by the complexity of the narrative. The standout point in this aspect is the interaction between the different factions, and how allegiance of most characters doesn't feel set in stone. Later on, it really does add up to a great deal of tension — which kinda makes up for the lack of tension for the early and mid-sections of the story.

The world building also does a lot of heavy lifting, the Ainu culture and real historical figures such as Hijikata Toshizou makes wonders for the delivery of the main themes.

Then, what did I think of it as a whole?

Overall it has strong themes, it is hilarious, does unique things and the overall narrative is pretty great. I don't think the few flaws in the plot and the somewhat particular brand of storytelling — which is similar to early Jojo's Bizarre adventure in many aspects — would justify anything less than a recommendation. However, the amount of crude and distasteful scenes prevent me to recommend it broadly — even though I do enjoy those in this work.