Golden Kamuy, vols 2-3

by | Aug 14, 2018

The hunt is on! All the hunts, in fact. Following from Golden Kamuy Volume 1, Saichi and Asirpa are still tracking down tattooed renegades in search of hidden gold. Survival in snowy Hokkaido means awareness of creatures and their habits, predator and prey alike. Bears, wolves, fish, and deer are all hunted, but the most dangerous game remains people. Lieutenant Tsurumi of Japan’s 7th Division wants the gold, as do the remaining tattooed renegades, some of whom are beginning to team up with each other.

The gold, of course, is simply a MacGuffin that keeps the players motivated. Golden Kamuy volumes 2 and 3 are much more concerned with ecosystems and habits than chasing down the shiny loot. At one point, unlikely ally and expert escape artist Shiraishi shouts at Saichi, “Don’t forget the whole reason we’re here!” If you’ve ever been distracted during a story with questions about what the characters eat during a journey, this series will more than satisfy your curiosity. You will see characters use their culinary skills on animals’ hearts, blood, brains, eyes, skulls, livers, and other apparently delicious components, along with many vegetables, seasonings, and sauces. Characters’ tastes in each meal range from cultural appreciation to humorous rejections. For example, there is a running gag that Asirpa believes miso to be made from feces, and nobody can stand the bitter taste of hupca leaves.

Between the adventuring and the meal breaks, there are four main narratives explored in these two volumes. All of these narratives involve partnerships and shared motivations, and serve to fill out each character’s profile into a well-rounded personality. Hunter-turned-soldier Tanigaki must reconcile his duty against his calling: “When I came to the mountains, it felt like a poison deep inside me was slowly seeping away.” The tattooed hunter Nihei, whose skin carries a portion of a map to the ever-popular gold pile, becomes more endearing as his conviction and worldview are revealed. His enjoyment of hunting being frequently referred to like an erection – “My hard-on is out of control,” “My hunter’s spirit is absolutely throbbing!” – paints his outdoor expertise in a different light than Asirpa’s dignified reverence for all living things.

These books are rated M for Mature, and there is plenty of content to justify that rating. Four-letter words, gruesome stab and gunshot wounds all over characters’ bodies, graphic depictions of skinning and organ removal, and a bear ripping a guy’s face off are all regular occurrences. What sets Satoru Noda’s writing and art apart is the execution of these elements alongside softening and humorous moments. The fights and swearing and injuries and death take place within a story that provides context for how characters feel, react, and interact. At one point, Saichi retrieves a baby bear cub from its den, and every page involving this bear is heart-achingly cute. Asirpa explains her village’s approach to raising and ultimately killing bears found in such a manner, leading to an emotionally complex resolution that is somehow both tragic and respectful. By contrast, Asirpa’s endangered Eza wolf Retar (see the cover to Volume 2) is a force of nature that can break legs with its jaws and also loves belly rubs, and Noda knows better than to bond the reader to an animal only to break that bond soon after. (Personal note: Retar had better survive Volume 4.)

Noda’s knack for human expression makes all his protagonists—are there really any heroes or villains here?—a joy to behold. Saichi is the cocky “Immortal Sugimoto,” but he also loses his nerve when he looks a fleeing deer in the eye, and laughs when he sees Asirpa dislikes hupca as much as he does. Characterization runs deep or shallow according to the eyes – Noda tends to draw grunt soldiers with solid black pupils, giving them an uncanny valley effect. Hijikata, an antagonist still a ways away from meeting the central protagonists, is an elderly sword wielder capable of joy, swagger, stern judgment, and an intense killer’s glare. Scenes of characters eating often involve distinct expressions of curiosity, doubt, outrage, defeat, and glittery release, sometimes within the same two-page spread.

As was the case with Volume 1, Golden Kamuy continues to be a high-quality title for mature manga readers. Readers who enjoy the frequent recipe breakdowns in Delicious In Dungeon will relish each “what’s for dinner?” detour here. Others looking for nonstop action may be disappointed in the shifting narrative and frequent reminders to respect nature, but when fights do go down, they are not for the faint of heart. This is a thoughtful, compassionate manga that’s as sweet as frozen tree sap and brutal as a snapped neck.

The anime version of Golden Kamuy is available on CrunchyRoll.

Golden Kamuy, vols 2-3
by Satoru Noda
Volume 2 ISBN: 9781421594897
Volume 3 ISBN: 9781421594903
Viz, 2017
Publisher Age Rating: M

Golden Kamuy, vol. 1

by | Nov 6, 2017

“The weak only get eaten,” warns native girl Asirpa, upon learning that veteran Japanese soldier Saichi “Immortal” Sugimoto has been marked for hunting by a non-hibernating bear during winter. The encounter between Saichi, Asirpa, and the bear is an extended set piece that represents this book’s themes of survival, cooperation, and improvisation well.

Saichi is an infamous participant in the Russo-Japanese War who remained on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido to pan for gold. His childhood friend’s wife is in need of an eye operation, but getting her to see American doctors is prohibitively expensive. He hears a story from an old man about a hidden fortune of gold, stolen from an Ainu tribe and mapped with tattoos onto the skin of a group of prisoners. The prisoners have escaped, and word about the fortune has been spreading. Shortly after his informant is gutted by a bear, Saichi meets Asirpa, whose father was one of the Ainu men originally protecting the gold. Her hunting and tracking abilities make her an invaluable ally to her and Sugimoto’s combined quest.

The level of research that artist and writer Satoru Noda put into this book is exemplary. Diagrams between chapters specify the clothing and equipment Sugimoto and Asirpa use. Special care has been taken to get Ainu culture and practices correct, as evidenced by credits to the Hokkaido Ainu Association, an Ainu Language Supervisor, and a bibliography’s worth of reference materials and historical collections. Captions throughout the book explain the flora and fauna of Hokkaido, specifying why a certain plant is ideal for creating a smokescreen or how a special kind of throwing stick helps hunt rabbits. An explanation of The Blakiston Line accounts for how Hokkaido’s animals are larger than on Japan’s other islands. History is also a recurring factor in the story, with the latter years of the Meiji era marking the spread of Western culture to the edges of Japan. “Sugimoto, this is nice. This ‘pencil,’” Asirpa says while drawing one of the skin maps. A caption explains the spread and price of pencils in Japan.

These frequent mentions of history, geography, and culture would be an impediment to the story, except Noda’s art maintains a smooth pace in every chapter. Clear facial expressions and frequently wide panels combine to make each page easy to read as the plot leans into each of its life-or-death twists. Saichi respects the Ainus’ claim to the gold and wants to help Asirpa find it. He says so directly: “Let’s team up and find this gold together. It belongs to your people in the first place, so I won’t even ask for fifty-fifty. All I’m looking for is a small share.” Their partnership will have to survive encounters with each of the tattooed men as well as the Japanese military.

Heroism and villainy do not have much space in Golden Kamuy: there are simply the strong and the weak, among them helpers and dominators. This nuanced approach to characterization leads to some interesting character interactions, such as two characters willing to kill each other until they become drenched in freezing water and become quick allies. A soldier, upon finding and fighting Saichi, gives him an opportunity to walk away. “No amount of money is worth the life you’ve somehow held on to through the war. You have no idea what a dangerous game you’re playing,” the soldier warns while relaxing his combat pose to scratch the back of his head. With the possible exception of the mysterious man who killed the Ainu for their gold, there are no black-hearted psychopaths. Everyone has a somewhat relatable motive and attitude in addition to “survive.” Asirpa’s “No killing” rule goes a long way toward giving her gold-chasing rivals time to endear themselves to the reader, especially a body-contorting escape artist.

While an entertaining and informative series, Golden Kamuy is also mature in content. Swearing and violence are commonplace, especially the gutting of animals and bullets and bayonets going through people. The front cover is marked “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content” and the rating on the back is “M For Mature.” However, as mature manga titles go, this one is far from gratuitous or senseless. Readers are just as likely to pick up on the rituals and practices of Ainu culture, such as repeating “Hinna, hinna” to show gratitude while eating. Fans of the historical viking tale Vinland Saga, particularly its battle-hardened protagonist trying to do right by others, will enjoy following Saichi through this history lesson, too.

In addition, readers who liked Vinland Saga’s huntress in the snowy wilds will find Asirpa a kindred spirit. As she puts it, “I’d rather be in the mountains than stay at home knitting.”

Golden Kamuy, vol. 1
by Satoru Noda
ISBN: 9781421594880
Viz, 2017
Publisher Age Rating: M