I used the word “litmus test” when it came to Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai, but I think maybe it could apply to Golden Kamuy, too. As in, how serious are you about wanting anime to tell great stories? How blinded are you by things like odd CGI and a lack of otaku service? Because while the CGI bears are terrible (though the cub is fine) and this show is not a CGDCT or isekai self-insert, let’s be honest: if you love anime, this is really the sort of story you should be praying it starts telling more of.
As far as I’m concerned, Golden Kamuy has pretty much everything as far as writing is concerned. It sheds light on a fascinating and misunderstood culture that’s under threat, painstakingly researched and detailed. It has an all-time great caper premise at the center of the plot. It’s set at a fantastically interesting time in Japanese history. It’s full of interesting and vibrant and odd characters with complicated motives. And it’s built around a part of smart, strong-willed and wildly different protagonists who form one of the great mismatched buddy teams in anime.
Am I gushing? Well, sorry about that but one doesn’t get a chance to revel in anime like this very often. As with last week, I have a notepad full of scribbles about this episode – there’s just so much going on on this series. We start off with more Ainu cooking porn, laced with a healthy dollop of comedy as Asirpa is convinced that the miso Sugimoto is adding to her rabbit stew is unko (poop). This is followed by the investigation of the den of a hibernating bear – potential food for Asirpa, but Sugimoto isn’t especially interested in taking it on.
That’s interrupted by the arrival of a group of the 7th Hokkaido soldiers – the glint of whose binoculars Asirpa sports on the hillside. Sugimoto tells Asirpa they should split up, and she’s left to Tanigaki (Hosoya Yoshimasa). Tanigaki is a Matagi – the “winter hunters” of Japan’s northern regions whose long-ago relationship with the Ainu is still a matter of debate. Asirpa’s wolf comes to her rescue but, as ever, she’s merciful- she calls him off before the wolf can finish off Tanigaki, and later tells Sugimoto he’s dead (surely a significant turn of events, since he’s not).
As for Sugimoto, he draws a crowd of soldiers, and once they recognize him there’s no chance his story of being a simple poacher will be believed. Sugimoto does the only thing he can – trust Asirpa’s old saw about bears not killing someone who enters their den. This bear does quite a number on the soldiers, but eventually at the cost of her own life – leaving her orphaned cub (thankfully not CGI-rendered ) in Sugimoto’s hands. This is the moment in the story where she explains the Ainu’s highly sacred ritual treatment of baby bears to Sugimoto at last – and it’s very revealing about Asirpa.
This is our first look at the Ainu as a group, and it’s full of fascinating tidbits (like the fact that the name their children after filthy things until they turn six, to keep demons away – Asirpa’s name was “grandfather’s anus”. Most telling, though, is the conversation between Asirpa, Sugimoto and Asirpa’s old grandmother (who’s welcomed Sugimoto into her home). Asirpa doesn’t translate accurately of course, and there’s no evidence Sugimoto suggests that in fact he’s just been implored to marry Asirpa. But even at this time, Ainu culture was already under siege, and the idea that Asirpa would be unable to find an Ainu husband because of her lack of “womanly skills” would be a matter of huge concern to her grandmother.
How seriously to take all this is in the eye of the beholder – Asirpa is certainly too young at this point according to modern cultural mores, but this is not set in modern times and not a modern culture. For her part, I didn’t get the sense that Asirpa was horrified at the idea, and there’s nothing saying anyone has to marry anyone now. Indeed, of more immediate concern is the relentless stream of pursuers – with the army chase led by half-mad Tsurumi (Ootsuka Houchou). And then there’s the mater of Hijikata – played by no less than Nakata Jouji himself. Sugimoto and Asirpa may be supremely capable but they’re surely lambs among the wolves with the lure of the golden God bringing out the savage in all those mad to possess it.
Christine
April 24, 2018 at 11:16 amI remember you raising some warning flags about Asirpa’s voice actress being too cutesy or breathy or something in the Netflix AICO anime, any thoughts on how she’s doing in this show?
Guardian Enzo
April 24, 2018 at 2:29 pmTBH I didn’t even connect that it was the same person til you mentioned it, LOL. I think she’s doing really well here, actually.
sonicsenryaku
April 24, 2018 at 4:31 pmYea but a lot that felt like it had to do with the voice directing rather than the talent of the voice actor herself; a factor that plenty of people tend to generally overlook when evaluating a voice actor’s capabilities. It’s almost as if the voice director told Haruka Shiraishi make Aiko sound like she was overly anxious every time she talked. Even i commented that she sounded like she needed to catch her breath at times. Though to be fair, a lot of her breathy moments came from scenes where she was either in a precarious situation or overwhelmed by her current situation so it was mostly understandable. Regardless, she always came off as a competent voice actress to me so i was never concerned about her going into golden Kamuy
Deluxe
April 24, 2018 at 12:05 pm“If you prefer CGDCT over this, then you don’t like anime”
I like Golden Kamuy as much as the next guy, but this sort if disdain towards the audience is not really helping your cause my friend.
Yann
April 24, 2018 at 12:26 pmThe real question is… Do I like anime if I have no idea which anime CGDCT refers to?
DauntingOverlord
April 24, 2018 at 12:58 pmCGDCT is just a nickname for “Cute Girls Doing Cute Things” genre type.
DauntingOverlord
April 24, 2018 at 1:00 pmWell given how he didn’t say that, I guess you don’t have anything to worry about. He was just saying this show is different from the current anime mainstream trends (quality of which does vary) which so happen to be Isekai and CGDCT at the moment. Don’t know why you’re getting on edge.
Guardian Enzo
April 24, 2018 at 2:31 pmI’m flattered you consider me your friend when I don’t even know who you are, but who are you quoting? Because that certainly isn’t something I wrote.
GC
April 24, 2018 at 4:32 pmAnime Bears not withstanding, this is the anime series of this season.
Ronbb
April 24, 2018 at 10:24 pmAm with you…this show has all the charm to gush over…totally an AOTY material. To me, I love the Asirpa’s last line, “I’m an Ainu girl for a new era.” In just one line it says a lot about Asirpa’s character, and in just one line it unveils the creator’s POV toward indigenous peoples and women.
Oh, the baby bear is so adorable, and Retar is so loyal…don’t want either to die…
CoffeeMilk
April 26, 2018 at 11:46 pmWhen the CGI bear was in the first episode, I thought it was an odd choice, but I didn’t think it was that bad and thought a lot of the criticism was an overreaction.
Since another CGI bear came into this episode, I think more and more that it was an appropriate choice, especially considering the conversation about bears and gods. It gives the bear an otherworldliness that I don’t think would be possible with conventional anime techniques.
Guardian Enzo
April 26, 2018 at 11:50 pmI do think that’s what the director was going for. IMHO it really didn’t work, but that’s just my take on it. It was just too, for lack of s better phrase, fake-looking.
CoffeeMilk
April 27, 2018 at 3:50 pmAnd its the fake-looking part that makes me wonder. Is it the fact that the bear is in that uncanny valley? Too close to real looking, but not close enough? If it looked less real, do you think that would have helped? Or did it need to look more real (a la Pixar level fur and textures)? I’m torn as to which I would recommend.