The appeal and reviews of the first TV season of "Golden Kamuy": adventure and survival in Hokkaido

The appeal and evaluation of the first season of "Golden Kamuy"

"Golden Kamuy" is a TV anime series based on the popular manga of the same name by Satoru Noda, which aired from April 9 to June 25, 2018. Set in Hokkaido, this epic survival story revolving around buried treasure is packed with fascinating elements that draw viewers in. In this article, we will take a detailed look at the appeal and reviews of the first season of "Golden Kamuy," as well as introduce the subsequent series and related information.

■ Story

Set in Hokkaido in the late Meiji period, this is the story of Sugimoto Saichi, also known as "Invincible Sugimoto," as he tries to survive in search of a gold nugget stolen from the Ainu. Sugimoto was a hero of the Russo-Japanese War, and needed a large sum of money to carry out the wishes of his best friend who died in battle. Meanwhile, he learns of the existence of buried Ainu treasure, and discovers that tattoos indicating its location are inscribed on the bodies of 24 escaped prisoners. Sugimoto meets an Ainu girl named Asirpa, and together they set out on a journey to find the treasure. However, a fierce battle begins with the 7th Army Division and the escaped prisoners, who are also after the treasure.

The story is set against the backdrop of the magnificent nature of Hokkaido, and follows the adventures and growth of Sugimoto and Asirpa, while the plot unfolds in a tense manner as the intentions of various characters intersect. In particular, the realistic portrayal of Ainu culture and life was highly praised, offering a new perspective to viewers.

■Explanation

"Golden Kamuy" is based on a series written by Noda Satoru that ran in "Weekly Young Jump" and has garnered much attention, including winning the Manga Taisho Award in 2016 and the 22nd Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Manga Taisho Award. The manga is a huge hit, with a total of 31 volumes and a total of over 23 million copies sold. In order to maximize the appeal of the original work, the anime adaptation adopted a unique structure in which the series changes with the change of setting.

The story depicts elements such as "bear damage," "Hijikata Toshizo," "the escape master," "the buried treasure legend," and "Ainu," all of which are intricately intertwined to create a fascinating worldview. In particular, the "bear damage" depicts the powerful life form of bears in the story, evoking a realistic sense of fear in the viewer. In addition, the depiction of the Ainu lifestyle and eating scenes gives the story an aspect of being a "game gourmet manga," adding depth to the story.

During the anime broadcast, a short anime called "Golden Douga Theater" was distributed on YouTube, where fans could enjoy gags, parodies, and short episodes from the original work. These videos were also included as bonus features on the BD/DVD, which was a delight for fans.

■Cast

The cast of this work includes Kobayashi Chikahiro as Saichi Sugimoto, Shiraishi Haruka as Asirpa, and other impressive voice actors. The main cast is introduced below.

• Saichi Sugimoto/Chikahiro Kobayashi
• Asirpa/Haruka Shiraishi
• Yoshitake Shiraishi/Kentaro Ito
• Lieutenant Tsurumi/Yoshishi Otsuka
• Toshizo Hijikata/Jouji Nakata
• Hyakunosuke Ogata/Kenjiro Tsuda
• Genjiro Tanigaki/Yoshimasa Hosoya
• Tatsuma Ushiyama/Kenji Nomura
• Shinpachi Nagakura/Takayuki Sugo
• Kano Ienaga/Sayaka Ohara
• Kiroranke/Terasomasaki
• Inkarmat/Mamiko Noto
• Kohei Nikaido/Tomokazu Sugita
• Private First Class Usami/Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
• Sergeant Tsukishima/Eiji Takemoto
• Tetsuzo Nihei/Akio Otsuka
• Kazuo Henmi/Toshihiko Seki
• Edge/Miyuki Ichijo

■ Main staff

Many staff members were involved in the production of "Golden Kamuy." The main staff members are introduced below.

• Original author: Satoru Noda
• Director: Hitoshi Namba
• Assistant Director: Takahiro Kawagoe
• Series Composition: Noboru Takagi
• Character design: Kenichi Onuki
• Main animator: Junichi Hayama
• Firearms settings/Koji Watanabe
• Prop design/Shinya Asanuma
• Animal setting/Sumiyoshi Ryo
• Art director: Atsushi Morikawa
• Art setting: Tomoe Okubo
• Color design: Takahiro Mogi
• Director of photography: Yuichiro Tozawa
• CG Director: Yuko Okumura, Kohei Hamada
• Edited by Tsuyoshi Sadamatsu
• Sound Director: Aketagawa Jin
• Ainu language supervisor: Nakagawa Yutaka
• Russian Editor: Eugenio Uzhinin
• Music by Kenichiro Suehiro
• Music Production: NBCUniversal Entertainment
• Producers: Kazuaki Takahashi, Ryosuke Mori, Toshihiro Suzuki, Satoshi Tanaka, Naoren Fujiyama, Rie Ukai, Shunsuke Hasegawa
• Animation producer/Takeo Otaka
• Animation Production: Geno Studio
• Produced by Golden Kamuy Production Committee

■ Main Characters

The appeal of "Golden Kamuy" lies in its unique characters. The main characters are introduced below.

Saichi Sugimoto

A former member of the First Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, he achieved such military feats during the Russo-Japanese War that he was nicknamed "Invincible Sugimoto." After being discharged from the army, he sets out on a journey to search for buried treasure in Hokkaido to fulfill a promise he made to his best friend who was killed in the war. His courage and resilience are key elements of the story.

Asirpa

She is an Ainu girl who meets Sugimoto in Hokkaido. She understands the Japanese language and is knowledgeable about life in the mountains and hunting. She works with Sugimoto to avenge the man who killed her father. Her presence adds depth to the story.

Shiraishi Yoshitake

He is a genius escapee nicknamed the "King of Escapes" and has a unique constitution that allows him to dislocate his joints at will. He is one of the 24 escapees who have tattoos that indicate the location of buried treasure, and the story progresses when he teams up with Sugimoto and his friends.

Lieutenant Tsurumi

He is a lieutenant in the 7th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, and excels at gathering and analyzing information. In order to avenge the loss of his comrades during the Siege of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese War, he plots to take over the main force of the 7th Division. His crazy ambition adds tension to the story.

Toshizo Hijikata

He was a former Shinsengumi "Demon Vice-Commander" who was thought to have been killed in the Battle of Hakodate in 1869, but it turns out he was imprisoned as a political prisoner. While incarcerated in Abashiri Prison, he becomes involved with a man who stole Ainu treasure, and leads the escape of tattooed prisoners. His presence adds historical depth to the story.

Ogata Hyakunosuke

A corporal in the Imperial Japanese Army's 7th Division, his father was the former commander of the 7th Division, and he is a soldier of exceptional talent. He is skilled in precision shooting and can shoot an enemy in the head with confidence within 300 meters. His cunning adds tension to the story.

Genjiro Tanigaki

He is a first class veteran of the 7th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, and was born into the Tohoku Matagi, a family that makes a living by hunting. He knows how to survive in the mountains, and is known for his quiet personality. He pursues Sugimoto and his group, who seriously injured Ogata, and encounters the Hokkaido wolf Retara, who senses Asirpa's danger.

Tatsuma Ushiyama

He is a judoka known as "the undefeated Ushiyama" for having gone undefeated for 10 years. He has a strong physique and an uncontrollable, robust sexual desire. He was incarcerated in Abashiri Prison for sleeping with his master's wife. He is one of the tattooed escapees, and as they share a common interest, he joins Hijikata's gang.

Shinpachi Nagakura

He was known as the most skilled swordsman in the Shinsengumi, and after the end of the Boshin War, he frequented the Kabato Penal Colony to attend sword-fighting classes and training sessions. He reunites with Hijikata, with whom he had parted ways, for the first time in over 20 years, and after his escape from prison, he supports him both materially and spiritually, providing him with funds and weapons. He is usually a gentle, good-natured old man, but when it comes to combat, he displays incredible swordsmanship.

Kano Ienaga

He is one of the tattooed escapees, and a former doctor. He believed in the idea of ​​"like cures like," and was incarcerated in Abashiri Prison for killing a patient he had imprisoned. After escaping, he took on the appearance of a young woman and falsely represented himself as the proprietress of the Sapporo Sekai Hotel, setting up countless traps and mazes in the hotel and preying on the guests who visited.

Kiroranke

He is an old friend of Asirpa's father and comes from an ethnic minority group living in the Amur River basin in the Russian Far East. His name means "strong lower body," and he has a great affinity for horses, knowing how to judge their condition and how to ride them. He also served in the Russo-Japanese War as an engineer in the 7th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, and is highly skilled in making weapons using gunpowder.

Inkarmat

As her name, which means "seeing woman," suggests, she is an Ainu woman who is skilled at fortune telling. Her fortune telling using the skull of a fox called "Shirakki Kamui" is reputed to be highly accurate, and she travels from Ainu kotan (village) to Ainu kotan (village) receiving tribute to make a living. When she first met Asipa, he correctly guessed that she was looking for her father, and acted as if he knew who he was. Her beautiful face, always smiling, and her bewildering behavior give off an aura of mystery.

Kohei Nikaido

He is a private first class in the Imperial Japanese Army's 7th Division, and is similar to his twin brother Yohei in appearance, behavior, and combative personality. When they were taking Sugimoto to Otaru to search for tattooed human skin, he resisted, and the two brothers attacked Sugimoto while he was being held in custody. However, Yohei was killed in retaliation, and after that, he became obsessed with taking Sugimoto's life.

Private First Class Usami

He is a corporal in the 7th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, and is characterized by the moles on both cheeks. His devotion to Lieutenant Tsurumi is no less than that of Lieutenant Koito. He was ordered by Lieutenant Tsurumi to infiltrate Abashiri Prison as a new guard, but his identity was discovered and he made the mistake of escaping.

Sergeant Tsukishima

A sergeant in the Imperial Japanese Army's 7th Division, he participated in the Russo-Japanese War as an aide to Lieutenant Tsurumi, and even after the war, he worked as Tsurumi's right hand and foot to realize Tsurumi's ambition of establishing a military government. He has an honest personality, and can be said to be a sensible person among the 7th Division, which is full of oddballs.

Nihei Ironworks

He is a skilled hunter described as "a nightmare bear hunter that even hibernating brown bears would be scared of," and uses a single-shot Murata rifle. He is one of the tattooed escapees, but after escaping, he is obsessed with taking down Retara, the last remaining Hokkaido wolf. He has Ryu, an Ainu dog that is not afraid of brown bears, as his hunting dog.

Kazuo Henmi

He is a serial killer who has killed over 100 people while wandering around Japan, and is one of the tattooed escapees. On the surface he appears to be a friendly person, but he hides a cruel nature that kills people as easily as breathing. His murderous urges are also directed towards himself, and he has a sexual proclivity for getting excited by imagining the best way to be killed. Even after escaping from prison, he paid no attention to the gold, and continued killing people while moving from one fishing spot to another.

Border

Asirpa's grandmother, her husband who died of illness was the most important person in the village, so she is highly respected by the villagers. She treasures Asirpa like a treasure, and hopes that she will also find happiness as a woman. Unlike Asirpa, she cannot speak the Japanese language.

Letter

He is a survivor of the Hokkaido wolf, which is believed to be extinct. When he was young, he was attacked by a brown bear and was saved by Asirpa, who raised him as if he were part of the family. Even after he grew up and returned to the forest, his relationship of trust with her continues. His name means "white" in the Ainu language, and in the Ainu people, who revere the tools and creatures around them as Kamuy (gods), wolves are called "Horkew Kamuy."

Ryu

A young and excellent hunting dog owned by Tetsuzo Nihei. Although it is a brave Ainu dog, it became frightened and useless in the wolf's territory. After Nihei's death, Shiraishi tamed it and led it to Hijikata's hideout.

Nopperabo

He is a man who stole Ainu gold bars and is currently serving his sentence at Abashiri Prison on death row. He is nicknamed "Noppera-bo" because he lost the majority of his face due to burns. In order to tell his comrades outside the prison where the gold bars are, he tattooed a fellow inmate with the hiding place in code, helping him escape. He was seen as the murderer of Asirpa's father, but it is now possible that he is Asirpa's father.

■ Main robot items

Tattooed human skin appears as an important item in Golden Kamuy. It is tattooed on prisoners' bodies to show where gold bars are hidden, and plays a major role in the progression of the story.

■Subtitle

The subtitles for each episode of the first season are as follows:

• Episode 1: Wenkamuy
• Episode 2: Nopperabo
• Episode 3 / Kamui Mosir
• Episode 4: Grim Reaper
• Episode 5: Run
• Episode 6: The Hunter's Soul
• Episode 7: Confusion
• Episode 8: The Eyes of a Murderer
• Episode 9: Sparkling
• Episode 10: Companions
• Episode 11: It's a Murder Hotel, Everyone Gather!!
• Episode 12: The Deceptive Fox

■ Theme songs and music

The theme songs for the first season of "Golden Kamuy" are as follows:

OP1

• Period: 1-12
• Winding Road
• Lyrics: KamikazeBoy, Jean-KenJohnny
• Composer: KamikazeBoy
• Arrangement: MAN WITH AMISSION, Kohsuke Oshima
• Song: MAN WITH AMISSION

ED1

• Period: 1-12
• Hibana
• Lyricist: Rey
• Composer: Reiji
• Arrangement: Reiji, Tsuyoshi
• Song: THE SIXTH LIE

■ Evaluation and appeal

The first season of "Golden Kamuy" faithfully reproduced the appeal of the original work while successfully drawing viewers in with the expressive power that only anime can offer. In particular, it was highly praised for its realistic portrayal of Ainu culture and life, providing viewers with a new perspective. In addition, the exploits of the unique characters and the tense survival story captured the hearts of viewers.

Geno Studio, the animation production company, beautifully depicted the worldview of the original work, maximizing the visual appeal. In particular, the majestic nature of Hokkaido and the realistic depiction of animals such as bears and wolves left a strong impression on viewers. In addition, the settings of firearms and props were also carefully crafted down to the smallest detail, enhancing the realism of the story.

Music is also an important element in enhancing the appeal of this work, and MAN WITH AMISSION's "Winding Road" and THE SIXTH LIE's "Hibana" are wonderful songs that match the atmosphere of the story. In particular, the opening song "Winding Road" is a powerful song that symbolizes the themes of adventure and survival, and will inspire the viewers.

■Series development

Following the success of the first season, Golden Kamuy was followed by sequels in the second, third, and fourth seasons. Each series faithfully reproduces the story of the original while introducing new characters and deepening the story. In particular, the second season captivated viewers by introducing new owners of tattooed human skins and the changes in the relationship between Sugimoto and Asirpa.

In the third season, Toshizo Hijikata's past and his ambitions are revealed, making the story more tense. In the fourth season, new enemies and allies appear, and Sugimoto and his friends' adventures are scaled up even further. These series have also received high praise like the first season, and have received great support from viewers.

Related information

"Golden Kamuy" is not only an anime, but has also been developed in various media such as the original manga, novels, and games. In particular, the original manga is completed in 31 volumes, and you can learn the whole story. In addition, the novel version includes episodes that are not depicted in the anime or manga, making it a must-read for fans.

In the game version, you can enjoy an adventure game in which you control Sugimoto and Asirpa to search for buried treasure. In addition, many goods and collaboration products have been released, and there is a lot of information that fans will be happy about.

■Recommendation

"Golden Kamuy" is a one-of-a-kind work that combines survival action with history and culture. It is especially recommended for those who are interested in Ainu culture and life, history buffs, and those who like adventure and survival stories. It is also recommended for those who want to enjoy the exploits of unique characters and a tense story.

The consistently high quality production from the first to fourth seasons and the animation that brings out the best of the original work leave a strong impression on viewers. Please experience the world of "Golden Kamuy" and its charm for yourself.