Golden Kamuy

The story of golden kamuy is enjoyable, at least in the first season. It first appealed to me with its history, wilderness themes, and treasure hunt themes. I All of those themes greatly interest me. However, where golden kamuy falls short is its attempt to combine all of those, and many more themes (cooking, ainu culture, political drama, slice of life, etc...) into one. Each episode feels like unimportant to the overall story and as if it was just put there because the author said "Hmm wouldn't it be cool if we did blank". I don't dislike any of these themes on there own, but together they don't seem to mesh well. I would also like to note that it's not inherently bad to put these together, but it doesn't lead to a higher score. The animation speaks for itself, its not remarkable and its not atrocious, I'm willing to overlook the cgi bears, but the first time I saw one I paused the show thought about how that might have been the worst production descion I have seen so far. The sound also speaks for itself, I'm in the minority here but I enjoyed the OP ngl. Characters are a redeeming aspect of the show, they all have very distinct personalities and quirks. Moments of the show made me genuinely laugh from time to time, and these moments distract from the incoherent parts of the show. Some of the characters seem to like emotion and drive, but I'm willing to overlook that because I don't think the show is that serious. Overall the show in enjoyable and worth a watch if nothing else is piquing your interest at the moment. The themes of the show clash quite harshly, which can detract from the experience. Just a fun show to put on if your bored, but don't expect too much. 6/10

This is a review of the anime only. I have not read the manga. This is a really unique, surprising, dark, funny, and fun show. I highly recommend it. Honestly, the description doesn’t do it justice. What I liked about it: 1. I love that it was set in Hokkaido. It’s a part of Japan that doesn’t get much love in anime and it was refreshingly different. Plus, they utilized every aspect of that unique setting to their advantage and did it well. It wasn’t just a setting or backdrop. It was an integral part of the story. 2. The hero is a truly morally gray antihero and he was delightful. 3. All the characters were well-done. What I didn't like about it: 1. I could have done without the campy, Gintamaesque, toilet / sexual humor. It really didn’t fit with the story or the tone and was more often jarring than funny. There were plenty of other ways that they were funny without having to resort to that. 2. It got a little confusing to me at times. There’s A LOT of twists and turns, a lot of shifting loyalties, and a lot of characters, all traits that are part of what make it great, but just means you really have to pay attention. STORY: As I said already, this was a really unique story. It’s not just a quest to find a vein of gold or a secret treasure. It’s actually a quest to find the pieces of the “map” that will lead to the gold. Except the pieces of the “map” are people. It’s not a spoiler to tell you what the anime tells you in the middle of the first episode. The “map” is a series of tattoos made across the entire upper bodies of twelve ex-prisoners. The only way to “read” the “map” is to skin the people and lay all the “pieces” out properly. Macabre! And genius! So not only does Sugimoto have to find people who don’t want to be found, he has to keep hold of the few “pieces” he gets and dodge all the other factions that are searching for the same thing. There is a lot of deception and betrayal and intrigue and suspense and in short, it’s a helluva lot of fun to watch! This is such a unique take on the Quest / Treasure trope and I love it. CHARACTERS: There are a lot of characters in this anime and it can be difficult to keep track of who’s who, especially because they keep changing loyalties all over the place. But that’s part of the fun of it. The characters, good guys and bad, are mostly well-developed and complex. Yes, there’s some tropey ones but they’re done well and fun to watch in their tropey role. Each major player seeking the treasure has his or her own motive for searching for it and all those motives are sympathetic to one degree or another, even the “evil” ones. In the case of Tsurumi, we get a good look at how an initially good motivation, when taken to the very end of the spectrum, can turn evil. There’s no evil for the sake of evil but there are characters that we love to hate. Sugimoto is, as I said above, a truly morally gray antihero in the most classic sense of the word. He’s not so far into the black that he’s a villain in disguise but he’s also perfectly ok with “acceptable losses,” as it were, and has no trouble doing what needs doing. He has his own motivations and acts according to those. It makes him unpredictable and keeps things fun and suspenseful. I was worried that Asirpa would be an annoying child sidekick and thankfully, she wasn’t that at all. She’s a very genuine and believable and likeable character, which is REALLY rare for me to say of a female character. CULTURE: Because Asirpa was Ainu, there were a lot of cultural differences and I really liked that aspect of the show. It could have gotten real preachy but it didn’t. There were more instances where the Japanese characters learned to appreciate Ainu culture than the other way around, but it was a two-way street, even if one lane was busier than the other. There was growth on all sides and in the current political and social climate of our world, it was a great message, wonderfully presented. ART: The art was unpredictable. The characters are well drawn, especially Asirpa and Hijikata, in my opinion. The bears …. I don’t know what the eff they were thinking with the bears. Some of the panning landscape shots lacked detail but aside from the bears, nothing about the art detracted me from the story. MUSIC: I loved the OP and almost never skipped it. The EP was ok but I did often skip that one. The music during the show was good too. It did a really great job of laying down tone and atmosphere, and was even used strategically for comedy. OVERALL, I highly recommend this anime and I’m looking forward to the next twelve episodes.

Long story short, Golden Kamuy is a cooking show featuring a sideplot of a murder mystery scavenger hunt and the traditions of a largely unknown indigenous people.  Whether or not this is a good thing is objectively questionable, but hey, it's fun as hell. Story: Our story takes place during Japan's Meiji Restoration after a bout in the Russo-Japanese war.  Discharged military officer Saichi Sugimoto comes across a story from a friend during a night of drinking in the woods about a horde of gold rivaling that of the nation's coffers hidden by a prisoner who tattooed a map to it on the backs of his fellow prisoners.  After his 'friend' tries to kill him after spilling the beans, Sugimoto finds himself to be in possession of one portion of the map, and, aiding an Ainu girl by the name of Asirpa, embarks on a quest to find the hidden treasure. The show is a clash of a bunch of different elements, ranging from a gruesome action show with blood, torture, and gunfights, to a comedic cooking show where our protagonists live off of the land hunting animals for their next meal, doing the traditional tribal trait of 'using every part of the animal' from their organs to the nails on their toes.  And yet somehow, despite having all of these random genres thrown into a pot, it all just works.  As a result of this, Golden Kamuy has a range of different tones and varying pacing that keeps the series interesting, switching gears at the flip of a switch once some character slips up or a plan is set into motion keeping interest for the plot that zips around from place to place. Not only that, but as a timely piece set in the Meiji Restoration, the show bears a lot of historical fact as characters like the men from the 7th division show the toll the war has had on them, and the show's deep inclusion of the Ainu people, an indigenous people separate to the Japanese, weaves their culture through each episode through virtue of things like hunting practices, practiced tradition, and most importantly, food.  Because holy hell these characters eat a lot.  It's this combined with the show's main plot of skinning about forty men to find a massive stash of gold that makes it such a unique experience to watch. That being said, the show feels like it drags its feet too much sometimes.  There're so many instances that show has Asirpa teach Sugimoto how to cook her people's food that I felt confused whether or not this was an action historical show or a cooking show.  Moderation is key, and I actually lost the plot sometimes because it felt like the show legitimately forgot that there were dangerous individuals at play here out to flay the skins of specific individuals to find a horde of stolen precious metals. Overview: + Mixed elements that work + Unique plot -  Focuses too much on cooking sometimes Characters: Saichi Sugimoto, the man nicknamed "Immortal Sugimoto", is a character who has pretty lackluster character motivation.  At the start of the series, we learn that his motivation for the gold is to try and help a widow of a friend that died in war, and already we see some of the problems.  The show almost has no note of this original motivation, transitioning to aiding Asirpa as his primary goal.  While the latter makes more sense from a narrative standpoint due to Asirpa being his traveling partner, the foot that the show started on thinking back was pretty bad compared to what we eventually see.  On Sugimoto's actual personality, what we have is a man who just 'does'.  He's interesting because rarely does he ever hesitate as his battle instincts constantly kick in, leading to a good majority of the series's action scenes. Then there's Asirpa, an Ainu girl who searches for the gold to avenge her father's death.  Pioneering a new set of ideals for Ainu traditions, Asirpa is an avid hunter who has a similar mindset with Sugimoto, as they fearlessly search for the gold.  She's a companion character who uses her tribe's knowledge to her advantage and it's nice to see a child in a series who doesn't act like a brat, but instead, contributes greatly to the show.  Both Asirpa and Sugimoto are more or less two sides of the same coin, acting as companions who help each other thick and thin, so much so that I genuinely forgot at times that she's only about thirteen years old given the amount of murder and bodily harm she's inflicted onto men more than twice her age. The rest of the cast is expansive, ranging from Shirashi, an ally who is prisoner specializing in escape, and various characters who follow under the command of the two other factions in the series led by Lt. Tsurumi, a man without his frontal cortex who is very off his rocker and resorts to torturous methods to get the information he wants, and Hijikata Toshizo, a prisoner whose name may sound familiar to you history buffs, each with their own reason to want the gold.  My issue with the cast however stands with the fact that the sides get very muddy until the very end.  It takes a while for things to settle in, so I was erratic at wondering who was really allies with who due to the amount of betrayals and numerous parties that appeared at any given moment. Overview: + Interesting dual protagonists + Very 'colorful' side cast -  Sides and factions get confusing for a while Art: Produced by a relatively new company, Geno Studio, Golden Kamuy is pretty average by anime art standards.  There's not really much to say about the art aside from the show's consistent quality and pension for snow biomes due to the show playing out its entire plot in the wintertime.  Colors are a bit on the muted side of things, and animation is pretty standard, exploding into more frames only during the action portions of the show. As for the action however, Golden Kamuy proves itself to be a gruesome show, being nonchalantly bloody as body parts are cut off, shots are piercing bodies at every interval, and CGI animals maul people to death.  Yeah, the CG isn't very good, but it's pretty uncommon, so it's not much of a concern.  This is where I think the art shines, as the show is pretty blasé about this kind of stuff, and that's nice how it doesn't censor itself.  It's also worth noting that the show rarely uses conventional comedic portrayals off model characters, instead opting for sticking to its usual artstyle put changing facial expressions that are actually funnier than what most other shows do.  This, coupled with how dark and grim things can turn at a drop of a dime with simple shading underneath the eyes makes the style very fluid with what it can accomplish. Overview: + Consistent quality + Tastefully gruesome + Interesting comedic portrayals -  CG is PRETTY obvious, even if used rarely Sound: Man with a Mission's "Winding Road" is a pretty standard song for the band; a rock song with a moderate tempo to portray a long and arduous journey with many bumps in the road.  It's a good song, but kind of samey for the kind of stuff that they do.  That being said, I do find myself liking this more than some of their other songs, so it gets a repeat listen quality from me.  By comparison, we have THE SIXTH LIE's "Hibana", a similar sounding song that in contrast has more muted tones and less energy to its OP counterpart.  It harkens more to the tradition aspect of Asirpa and her culture involving the Kamuy, spiritual or divine entities in Ainu mythos that add a nice finish to the show after each episode. Personal Enjoyment: I always make it a challenge to find and watch a show out of my comfort zone in an effort to expand my horizons and the varieties of things that I watch.  Golden Kamuy was the pick for this season, and I honestly have to agree with the praise and popularity that the series has picked up.  'Historical' is one of my least watched genres, and being able to enjoy something from it was a fun experience. There aren't many things about Golden Kamuy that I can harp it on.  With an interesting premise, fun charact…

Golden Kamuy follows the journey of Japanese soldier Sugimoto and the Ainu girl, Aspira, partner up to track down the whereabouts of stolen Ainu gold with the map of it being tattooed in portions to the bodies of escaped convicts. Also in the search for the convicts are a couple rival parties consisting of a criminal alliance and Japanese imperial officers who are seeking out the gold for their own ends. Golden Kamuy sticks out particularly for its historically accurate depiction of the Ainu indigenous people. Through Aspira and other members of her tribe, the series offers a look at the indigenous customs, appearance, language, and beliefs of the Ainu. The Ainu trends focused on in Golden Kamuy included their belief in animism, following specific hunting trends depending on the season, and having their own unique language different from the Japanese. The series also took time to explore some of the historical challenges faced by the tribe at the early part of the 20th century. The Ainu were finding their lands and culture marginalized by the Japanese government as the Ainu were being assimilated with Japanese culture due to the country's efforts to try modernizing its culture to fit the Western style and wishing to claim the abundant natural resources found within Ainu territories. This is seen with some imperial Japanese soldiers trying to lay claim to animals and resources within Ainu lands at a number of points throughout the series, as well as Sugimoto occasionally having to stand up for Aspira when she is discriminated against by Japanese folk. Beyond its focus on Ainu culture, Golden Kamuy offers a solid mix of gritty adventure, action, and comedy exploring Sugimoto and Aspira's adventures to claim more of the tattoo skins from the escaped convicts. Our two leads offer some solid and fun chemistry with one another throughout the series as both delight in the company of one another, fight against animal and human threats together, and will tease one another during the anime's more lighter scenes. In addition, Golden Kamuy also takes the time to flesh out both characters to depict their moral beliefs and motives for committing to their journey. The series offers solid exploration of the different factions in the Ainu gold hunt as more is revealed about the motives of each faction and more details on the tattoos are revealed in regards to locating the Ainu gold. The show does have some imperfections. For an action anime, the visuals to Golden Kamuy are a bit on the subpar side for a 2018 anime as character designs looked a little rough with visual details, the animation okay though nothing remarkable, and some bad use of CGI animation (notably with the rendering of some of the animals confronted). While I enjoyed Aspira and Sugimoto's interactions together, the comical banter between them was a bit hit-or-miss for me. Also, the series does end inconclusively as Sugimoto's group and others are still seeking out the whereabouts of the Ainu gold. But with news of a second season of Golden Kamuy coming out for the Fall 2018 season, the third issue would be a minor one compared to the rest. Minor gripes aside, Golden Kamuy offers an engaging, gritty, and solid mix of action, adventure and comedy in the search for the lost Ainu gold as well as being unique for its believable exploration of the Ainu culture during the turn of the 20th century in Japan. With the news of a second season coming along in the near future, I look forward to seeing more of what this series can offer up.

For me, the best anime always have a exceptional story as the foundation of everything that goes on. That is very much what happens with Golden Kamuy. I've been watching anime for 55 years, and this is one of the best stories I have ever seen animated. Set in tumultuous times, it examines contrasting cultural differences between an aboriginal and a colonial culture. But that is just the one level. It's a mystery. It's a treasure hunt. It's a crime show. It's an action anime. It can be comedic, but there is more in the way of drama. There are so many writing layers, and they are all executed with perfection. The writers deserve kudos. If you want a great story, without a doubt we have one here. Great stories require great characters. Our MCs are quite the odd duck pair, but as time passes, we see their relationship is not just one of convenience. This series has a ton of side characters too, with both allies and villians getting some interesting personality traits. There's almost too many characters to keep track of, but ultimately they all become essential to the saga. One nicely done piece of writing is that these characters are not all good, and they are not all bad. They have complex personalities and motivations. There's double crosses, triple crosses and quadruple crosses. They seem real in that regard. My only knock against the first season is the animation. There are truly some terrible 3D renderings plopped in the middle of the production. Luckily, they only are a scourge of the first season. But the rest of the artwork is above average, with some beautiful background work. The 2D animation is professionally rendered and was commendable. The VA work for the MCs is splendid. The banter between them is so well done. The secondary characters are mostly well done too, although a couple of the villians are a touch overacted. Not sure if that was a directorial thing, but considering how well put together everything else in the series is, I can't beat him too severely. I don't often mention it, but the director also uses the soundtrack to great effect. Whether it's to heighten tension or to balance that with lighthearted moments, it's always enhancing a scene, and never distracting. This first season, while not perfect in every way, still does so much, so much better, than the usual puke the studios mass produce any more. If I were grading this season, it would get a 91/100, a very nice A-. But this is just the beginning of the tale. It gets better and better as more seasons are added, that are worthy of full-blown 10 rankings. Look, it might not be any skin off my back, but I'd suggest ingesting as many seasons of this title as you can get your hands on.

Golden Kamuy is the first time I've ever seen a Western anime. No, not an animated work from the Western world with distinct Japanese influences, an honest-to-goodness Clint Eastwood Western. Just one that happens to take place in northern Japan rather than the western USA. What's that? Your weeaboo blood is boiling than I would dare to compare the glorious animation of Nippon to some old American genre films? (or perhaps you simply don't 100% buy the comparison and would like further clarification) Well, I'll explain... Stop me if you've heard this one before: a man battle-scarred by a terrible war is out on the frontier looking to strike it rich quick when he finds a native girl who knows the location of a vast fortune and ends up being chased all over the ragged edge of civilization by criminals, killers, and corrupt army officers in a race to be the first to the loot. Come on, don't tell me that doesn't sound like a Spaghetti Western (but since it's Japanese, why don't we call it a Soba Western?). Make Sugimoto an American Civil War veteran, Ashirpa an Apache, and move the location from Hokkaido to Arizona and you could basically keep everything else intact. Golden Kamuy borrows tropes from films like 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" like Sergio Leone borrowed from Akira Kurosawa. Maybe 'borrowed' is too polite a term in the Leone-Kurosawa case, but we're getting off track... It doesn't just borrow from the conventions of other works, however, Golden Kamuy executes them very well. The pace moves steadily, balancing out gritty violence and moments of comedy (and food). It's a plot driven story, so the characters don't change much over the course of the first season, but the cast is still well characterized and interesting. Ashirpa in particular is one of the best female leads in an action series I've seen in a while. A fiercely tomboyish girl who deeply loves and respects her native Ainu culture, but is also striving to change it so it can adapt and survive the oncoming modern age. She's has enough character depth to be funny, vulnerable, or deadly as fits the situation without losing consistency, doesn't fit into any obvious, basic anime trope and isn't there for ship-teasing. Speaking of the Ainu people, this is the first time I've ever seen a real exploration of their culture in anime- and I'm a historical anime junkie. The last time I saw any Ainu character at all was in "Princess Mononoke" and that film was as fantastical as it was fantastic (no, the Ainu do not ride red elk into battle). You really get a sense the original mangaka did serious research into the subject matter, something I appreciate as a history buff. Moving on to least great part of Golden Kamuy: the animation. CGI bears and green-screen camp fires may be the obvious offenders here, but for a 2017 anime the production values on this show are about as low as you can go and still get away with it. The 2D animation avoids slipping into 'Bad' territory, but it never goes above OK either. The music is strong though, with the OP and especially the ED being first rate. "Man With A Mission" hits another home-run OP song and I swear the ED "Hibana" sounds like something Anberlin would write, but once again we're getting off topic. In short, Golden Kamuy is an enjoyable action series that will be very easily consumable for American audiences, and you may even end up learning something too.

Golden Kamuy is one of those anime that I think are undeniably entertaining, but I ultimately don’t have much to say about it. It’s not exactly in depth or memorable as some of the other anime this season, but it’s definitely good. I can’t deny that. At the same time, there are no particular scenes that stand out, no characters that I was truly interested in, and a plot that really doesn’t go anywhere. Despite all of that, I am still able to say Golden Kamuy was fun. If I had to pick an aspect of the anime that was memorable, it’d be that it was funnier than I was expecting it to be. I don’t have much to say about the any of the main cast outside of their basic descriptions you could get off of a wiki page. There weren’t any bad character at the very least. Oh, I almost forgot about the CGI Bears. A lot of people think they looked weird and out of place. Those people would be right. I just found it funny each time and was looking forward to seeing how it’d find a way into an episode. While the last episode was probably the least enjoyable of the 12, I can appreciate the fact that the episode announced that the 2nd season would be airing in October. It really makes up for the lackluster season finale.

I really had a hard time determining whether this would be a 7 or 8 overall. I feel 8 has a certain level of quality, that the CGI made me have a tough time trying to justify it. Alternatively, 7 felt too low for the quality of characters, animations, and artstyle (besides the CGI) the season produced overall. The fact remains that in a season where I've dropped about 1/4 of the shows I started with, this one managed to stay until the end. While I know some manga readers were upset with the adaptation, others remained happy. I'll try to articulate what made Golden Kamuy stand out this season among the best. Story: The story is fairly straightforward. Treasure maps of a gold stockpile are tattooed on the backs of prisoners who escaped years prior. What's not so straightforward, and is the main draw of the series, is this happens in a time of political and militaristic unrest in the Hokkaido area. A mixture of the Ainu tribes difficulties with the Japanese government, the aftermath of the Japan-Russo war in the early 1900's, and the product of a previous gold rush, the story is interwoven into some truths that really bring it's tale to life. Overall, it's very grounded in its setting, while also remaining lighthearted through character interactions. The story is so simple, it's almost impossible to become stale. Essentially, the show is great at establishing it's "status for victory" which can be a problem for some anime. In FMA they needed to get Al's body back, Naruto needed to become hokage, etc. Rather than a "monster-of-the-week villain" structure (which is so easy to fall into with a story setup around finding a bunch of prisoners) the show alternates between specific prisoner's being chased and the overall conflict between three major groups looking for the treasure. I could see this show doing very well for the foreseeable future, and the confirmation of a season 2 has me hoping it's more than just a manga commercial. Art: The art in this show is very divisive. I almost panned this show when I kept seeing and hearing jokes about the poor CGI present throughout the series. I can honestly say that this idea was completely overblown. The CGI looks absolutely terrible, however, it's only present with the bears and the fire. While the fire is barely noticeable, the bears only appear a handful of times throughout the series. The "defining bad quality" for this season, really wasn't that bad. These bad instances of CGI are also combated through the use of unique and hilarious facial animations taken straight from the comics. Asirpa's reactions to new and unfamiliar things are priceless, and the overblown nature of her faces are a solid core to the uplifting parts of the show. Finally, while everything seems dated, none of it seems too bland. Crowds wear a diverse array of period clothing, Ainu are easily seen through their garb, and soldiers have a distinct look and feel to both their animations/mannerisms as well as their clothing. Overall, the art stumbles in the beginning, but becomes more consistent throughout the series. Character: The meat. The meal. The feast. Hands down the most enthralling part of the show is the character interactions throughout the series. Not simply Sugimoto and Asirpa's relationship (although the poop joke seems to have many applications), but you'll see side characters with barely any relationship interacting on a regular basis. The previously mentioned style of avoiding "monster of the week" style battle royales allows these characters to survive, interact, and plan in a way that's sorely missed in a lot of shows. Rather than introducing a cool character only to kill him off by the end of the episode, they can escape, plot, and provide new context to the later story. Sometimes men die, sometimes they escape, and sometimes they ally with you. If it wasn't for the fact I'm pretty certain about Sugimoto's and Asirpa's safety, I'd say that the characters often can have a "Game of Thrones" feel about them. To close out, if the CGI is the only thing stopping you from watching, don't let it. You're punishing yourself by not watching this show this season. It's not groundbreaking, but it's quality writing, acting, and characters that are lent a good story from a great manga.

I think this anime is so underrated it is mind-blowing. Although to be fair, "Gay cooking show+ Vinland saga" is like very much up my alley. But imo it is so much more. I think the characters are unmatched, truly all of them are interesting and well written. I love the history lesson and cultural aspect of the show--it highlights the minority indigenous peoples living in eastern Russia/northern Japan. It is one of the freakiest shows I have ever watched for sure which brings a shocking kind of humor to party that I can actually understand being too much for some (but to me this is the best). While the plot is relatively simple, there is no shortage of depth to the story and characters. Overall, it's just a lot of fun. Tugs at the heart strings and makes you laugh out loud all in the same 30 seconds.

Golden is rather fitting This series has got good characters, funny moments (although I do think it leans too much on "ha ha, Asirpa thinks miso is poop"), great and tense battles, an engaging adventure, if you are looking for good anime and haven't seen this, you are sorely missing out. The story follows our 2 protagonists, Sugimoto and Asirpa, and while I wouldn't say I cared all that much about their motivations specifically, I did like them, which made me want to see them succeed anyway. You get a good amount of time to see them bond and get a good look at who they are as people. Even without the crazy wacky gold rush going on in the background, just watching Sugimoto learn the ways of the Ainu and having him go hunting with Asirpa was pretty fun to watch, not to mention insightful. I didn't know much about the Ainu people going into this anime, nor the Russo-Japanese war, but it's not just entertaining, it's educational when it wants to be. Speaking of the crazy wacky gold rush, some of the prisoners were really fun. The more big, brawny judo grapplers, the better, so Ushiyama was cool in my book. I liked the Nihei arc, Ienaga was a really fun episode, you're never too far off from another cool little battle. It's not just "Sugimoto and friends kill prisoners to get gold", there are several factions vying for the gold, which makes the character interactions more intriguing since there are characters everywhere out to get each other. What does the fortune teller want? How is Ogata going to play into the future seasons? One soldier even ends up befriending the Ainu and I wanna see him be able to embrace his humanity and forsake being a soldier, idk, he's just a chill dude. There's a twist, like, Episode 10, and I think it was pretty cool that you could call it ahead of time thanks to something said earlier in the episode. It goes from 0 to 100 really quick with some out of pocket, insane moments. You'll have the comic relief character walking into a brothel and by the end, there's a full blown gunfight going on. There's a cannibal trying to eat someone's eyeballs. There's multiple bears and maybe even a giant fish. The animation... I'm a little mixed on. When it's 2D and focused on the humans? Looks good, no complaints, it's not like Trigger or anything but it looks very solid. The problem is... I mentioned bears, right? I don't know what on God's green earth they have done but the bears (and to a lesser extent, the wolves) look so weird and offputting. It's set in Hokkaido so expect some beautiful winter backdrops. The ED was good, I did not care for the OP tbh. Feeling a decent 9 out of 10 for S1.

Golden Kamuy Season 1 is pretty great, Season 2 is my favorite, and Season 3 is during a somewhat weird part of the story--but it's still great. I definitely recommend watching Seasons 1-3 to get 36 episodes of a fascinating story. This anime is placed in an absurd timeline with plenty of unique friends and foes to the main characters, though these titles easily switch at the drop of a dime. Everyone has their own motives, their own reasons, and their own circumstances to be a part of the story. A majority of these people are batshit crazy, whether war veteran, hero, psycho, or all three. The mood in this anime shifts easily from comedic to we're all going to die, and the viewer is easily put on edge, since anyone can have their brains blown out in the next frame. Trust is insanely difficult to build, and it's goddamn exciting. Can't wait for Season 4 this Fall! My only warning is please ignore the bear CGI in Season 1, it's the only complaint I ever had with visual quality while watching. Also, Season 3's ending song is a banger. <3 edit: Another thing this anime felt really good at was making me feel invested in so many different characters, many who rarely go away. I've had multiple cases of complaining about animes being unable to do this, so great job!

Golden Kamuy has a lot of interesting components, but it can't decide what it wants to be and consistently gives you tonal whiplash. On one hand it's cute and informational, it's about food and Ainu culture. Then with no flow whatsoever, it's violent, cruel, and bloody, it's about skinning people and murder and betrayal. These two things simply don't jive for me. It might have been possible to make it make sense, but the way it's executed is unrefined. It goes from really lighthearted G content to mature content in the blink of an eye. Also the mix of characters is strange. Cold-blooded murderers are just fuzzy wuzzy good guys when it's convenient. The Ainu lead is incredibly cute but why is she 12(ish)? There was no need to make her a child, she drinks sake along with them and acts like an adult, so why make her a child? I think it's creepy. Also, the show is strangely sexual. Men who are sex crazed, men who can't stop talking about dicks and sex, men who get boners from violence. It's meant to be funny but it just didn't fit the overall theme of the show. Aside from my complaining the show is fairly entertaining and I don't think it's a waste of time. It's definitely good for when you're indecisive about what to watch next or just need something to mindlessly watch for the time being.

Golden Kamuy is that anime that I'm not spected anything, and it give more than I wanted.. The story is amazing as wel as their characters are incredible everyone. So the point is, that ugly 3DCGI Bear near ruined everything, why is this importan? because when you have a good story but you see something that crack the moment, crack the ambient, crack everything, that was a very very bad decision at time to doit, when you forget that, the anime Walks straight again. When you forget that 10 horribles minutes you can be in love again with this series.

A very fun show. All of the characters are entertaining and have their own understandable motives. It has a playful atmosphere for a good amount of the show, but it never takes away from the intensity of the serious, violent moments. I especially liked how there are multiple parties that are pursuing the same goal and how they interact with each other in their pursiuts. It always feels natural and true to their characters which made me look forward such meetings. Some drawbacks were the rough CGI for the bears and fires, in addition to there not being a solid ending. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the show more than I expected to and look forward to watching season 2. It is closer to a 7 than a 9.

I wanted to wait on the second season of this show to wrap up before reviewing this as the first season ended inconclusively since the show's producers knew the second season was getting greenlit. That said Golden Kamuy is a historical fiction story set just after the Russo-Japanese war. The show is a weird fusion of an action show where everyone is hunting down a hidden stash of Ainu gold with a cooking show where Asirpa shows off Ainu cooking methods where we also get to learn about their culture. The Ainu were an indigenous people of Japan That primarily lived in Hokkaido and have been assimilated into the general population in the present. This period is probably where it began as Japan's victory over a western power would most likely lead them to consolidate their hold on the Japanese mainlands. The main leads Sugimoto and Asirpa have a wonderful dynamic going on. I always looked forward to seeing the two of them interact with each other whether facing off against their adversaries or having a chill moment cooking their meal for the night. The villains of this show are also a real treat. See the map to the gold is split up amongst many escaped prisoners with each of them being a piece of it as parts of a coded map are tattooed on each of them. So to find the gold you have to track down all the prisoners. Each of these escaped prisoners is pretty zany people, and it was always a delight to see who the next one they would meet. There are also other factions trying to hunt down the gold one being a rebel faction that wants to overthrow the government and restore the monarchy, the other a part of the army that wants the money for themselves. With each leader being pretty eccentric as well. I mentioned that it's technically a cooking show as well. Usually, after a day of treasure hunting, they hunker down for the night and cook something. It's usually something a weird like a deer brain, but like a lot of tribal people, nothing goes to waste, so they have come up with ways to cook stuff like that. Honestly, the whole look into Ainu culture is fascinating in itself and another reason I enjoyed the show. If there is one weak side to this show its the animation, for the most part, it's okay compared to its contemporaries, but there are some rather infamous CG bits in the show like the bears or campfire. They do look bad but considering all the other stuff the show does right I can overlook it. Soundwise it's pretty good, but not something that sticks out to me unless it is rather excellent or terrible. I liked the OP. It is a delightful show, and I would heartily recommend watching it

Ok, first lets clear some doubts. This show has historical content but is not that much, the only way it can bother you is if you hate culture or history to an extreme. The famous CGI bear, between the 2 seasons there is 5 minutes of CGI animals, everything else is 2-D so don't be afraid about it. This show has a heavy focus on comedy, so have that in mind. Now the real review: Story: the show is basically an adventure where there is no clear good or bad guy, even tho is simple that doesn't mean predictable or boring. This show has it's fair share of plot twist that you won't expect and they are greatly executed, this adds a lot of unpredictable events and relationships making the plot really interesing. The pace is great too. But mostly of what makes this show good is the development so at the beginning it feels a bit warm and not very eye catching, even tho I say this I don't mean to say that they are bad. Around episode 4 is where the show starts to improve a lot in a way you don't expect. After that the shows is amazing and the second season is even better. Characters: One of the strongest points of the show, the mix of genres make the characters feel real, also the get a lot of development (backstory, progression, lot of situations were they show their personality and some insight). The cast is huge but everyone gets their own space and screentime in a natural way without loosing relevance without hurting the pace nor plot. Sound: Great music and VAs in both season. Art: I loved it, it's really unique and the characters have different designs (this adds points to make the characters feel unique). Animation: Despite loving the art, animation is average, not bad nor good. The action scenes are good, they are pretty brutal and down to earth with some pretty gore moments, also the animation do it's purpose and it never hinders the enjoyment. Overall this season is an 8 (7 first half, 9 second half) and S2 a 9. If you want a good adventurous story with lot of well executed plot twists and funny moments, realistic and bloody action, great likeable and well developed characters, a unique art style with some really great music then this is a must watch. This became my favorite show of the year and one of my favorite of all times. I really think this deserves a shot. I know I'm going to rewatch this. The comedy can be really bizarre hahaha, I loved it.

There are very few anime, manga, or Japanese novels that acknowledge the Ainu. They've been in Japan longer then the Japanese and have a very different culture. They could've simply made this series about a Japanese man living with the Ainu and learning about their culture. (There are certainly quite a few American films about someone living with Native peoples and learning about their culture.) However, for better or for worse, they decided to go a different route. This series is about a Japanese man, Sugimoto, and an Ainu girl, Asirpa, looking for gold via a map tattooed on the backs of escaped prisoners. That is not as weird as it sounds. (…) The story is really engaging, and it ends on a cliff hanger. Good thing there's going to be a second season. If I must find one major gripe with the series, it would be the CGI on the bears and Rater (the white wolf), but you get used to it after a while.

In short, this is a damn good show that combines elements of survival, mystery, and military history into a very fresh series that I am REALLY hoping to see more of. In addition to providing an interesting, continuous story that will keep you interested in the events of the show, Golden Kamuy has some really great characters that seem to develop in an organic way. Particularly noteworthy was Asirpa, who provides lots of depth, comic relief, and cuteness. Saichi seemed very one-dimensional at first, but is showing more and more depth as the show progresses which is a very good trend. Another thing (possibly the main thing) that really made this enjoyable to me was the setting, which creatively demonstrates the harsh reality of surviving in a taiga forest; and contrasts the spiritual intrigue and heritage of the Ainu people with the brutal and militaristic force of industrialization that drove Japan in the early 20th century. The history of the Ainu people that is intertwined with the show's plot is done very tastefully, with lots of info being fed to the viewer in little bits and pieces that enrich rather than detract from the experience. I feel like I've learned an enormous amount about Ainu and their history in just 12 episodes, but at no point did I feel like I was watching an info dump. I even feel like I've learned a lot about trapping and hunting... Other than the setting, I feel that the "treasure hunt" story -- which has been done MANY times -- was a bit formulaic but still very satisfying. After all, these kinds of stories are more about the journey than the ending. The characters, their motivations for chasing the treasure, the struggles they go through along the way, and the bonds they form with their companions... all those elements are present here. In a sense, it reminds me of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly which is probably my favorite movie of all time. I believe that the show has the potential to continue it's awesomeness going forward. It has a lot of the right elements going for it, but it needs to finish strong and do something good with all these storyline threads that have been started. Also, I really wish they had the budget to animate the bears without CGI... but we'll see.

- Finally my review of Golden Kamuy, beginning with the story, which is undoubtedly one of the strongest points of the work, the story as a whole is very '' different '' but very interesting, it covers some very interesting topics, especially for those who like historical events, in short, the history of Golden Kamuy I would say it is a unique story with different and interesting themes, overall is a good story. - On the technical side, this is a complicated case, as the anime as a whole is good in the technical part, both the visual and the animation are very good, the only problem is the moments of computer graphics that is simply poorly done; Anyway, now if there is something that stands out in Golden Kamuy is the soundtrack, which is simply sensational besides perfectly matching the theme of the play; now on the direction, do not have much to say, the direction does not stand out too much, it just does the basics. - Now about the characters, which is undoubtedly one of the strong points of the series, the cast is simply excellent, has charismatic characters and captivating, and well developed, in short, the cast of characters of Golden Kamuy is simply excellent. - Conclusion, Golden Kamuy is an anime that has not yet finished, will still have a second season with the end of the series, but until then was a good anime, the series has some problems in computer graphics, but with a whole has a good technical part , plus a unique and interesting story and clear, an excellent cast of characters; no doubt I would recommend Golden Kamuy !! 💕😁💚 !! - My favorite song by Golden Kamuy 💚 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AdW2A9TTIQ - My page about animes on facebook 💜 : https://www.facebook.com/pg/AnimeSpaceBR.050/posts/?ref=page_internal 💙😉💚 !!

A great anime with great respect and representation for the Ainu when is the two indigenous groups in Japan also very informative about war and how soldiers deal with their lives even after the war it's quite funny that upon watching this anime it feels like the war happened yesterday but in reality it's already been 1 to 2 years in their world since the war happened I absolutely love the facts about Ainu it's quite informative about a culture I never knew about before this The characters are well written. I absolutely love the little girl. She has so much respect for her culture yet wants to be an independent woman. Same thing before the main guy he respects the Ainu and that's something I love about this anime is everyone respects the culture and he's not only muscles and war. It feels like you're almost watching a real human being despite all the unrealistic things that happen in this anime in a way it feels comforting I will say from an action standpoint it might not stand alone but the historical and culture aspects really makes this anime stand apart from the regular action flick I think, if you're watching for action alone you might not enjoy this, but if you're wanting to have a taste of historical war/culture than this would definitely be it