Episodes 37-39
How would you rate episode 37 of
Golden Kamuy (TV 4) ?
My desire to life is coming back with Golden Kamuy.
Okay, so maybe that’s a little over the top, but I’m delighted to see one of my favorite series come back after what seemed like an unending stream of isekai also-rans. Season 4 had a good start. The ridiculous intensity from the season finale of the previous season smoothly transfers into a peaceful, relaxed- wait, no, it’s a sniper trying to shoot down our leads inside the first few minutes!
Even if you are completely unfamiliar with the plot before this, the opening sequence offers a clever summary of what Golden Kamuy is all about. There are tense gunfights, severe close combat, and miscommunications that degenerate into hilarious doodle competitions between individuals that relate to one another more on a spiritual level than a linguistic one. By the end, everyone is laughing as the group rides out into the snow, but an unsettling sense still hangs over them. Only the emphasis on food (which was saved for later in the program) and the oddly missing beefcake shots were not covered in this beginning.
The remainder of this episode focuses on establishing the stage for the forthcoming events. The newcomers Kadokura and Kirawus are in the mix, and I’m interested to see where they go. The extreme agony that many of the people in this series experience is a great match for Kadokura’s spectacular bad luck. He slipped on the ice, causing all of his fish to swim into the most practical neighboring holes, and that made me laugh out loud.
But to be honest, seeing Sugimoto and Asirpa together is the most encouraging. Don’t get me wrong, I quite loved the previous season, but I believe that the program is at its very finest when these two are interacting with one another. The show’s dynamic revolves around them, and while their separation was a fantastic source of drama, I believe that this season will be overall stronger simply because they are back together. I’m eager to find out what more is in store for us.
How would you rate episode 38 of
Golden Kamuy (TV 4) ?
The second episode of season four acts as a reintroduction for a few supporting characters as well as an introduction for our new cast members. In the half-hour it has to work with, it’s as episodic as Golden Kamuy gets, leading to a neat (though gruesome) conclusion.
The escapee featured in this episode is Sekiya. He has an intriguing personality and narrative arc, playing games of chance with others to determine whether God is real after his daughter was brutally and senselessly slain by lightning. He’s hardly the most interesting prisoner we’ve met, but his poisoned gag works well.. When he plays the cocoon game with detective Kadokura, in my opinion, it is by far his finest hour. A somewhat intense Rube Goldberg machine is put up by the large spinning wheel and spokes with various poisons at their opposing ends. The cherry on top is that Kadokura finally manages to escape by pure chance (much like Hijikata).
With tons of funny humor involving nude guys and strange events, the scene on the ice when Kadokura and Kirawus encountered Sekiya is also ideal Golden Kamuy material. Even without the goofy buck-naked dudes, this series is a strong combination of thoroughly researched factoids.
Ushiyama’s side story was one-note, but my goodness, it was entertaining. It would be humorous enough if he appeared memory-impaired and wildly irrational that a youngster mistookly dubbed him Pussy, but instead, they formed the exact unique kind of attachment that anime kids have with, like, a brand-new Pokémon or semi-sentient huge robots. Just the banter made me laugh, and I genuinely hoped that this skit would continue for a while. Sadly, Ushiyama recovers his memory by the episode’s conclusion, and we are all the worse for it.
How would you rate episode 39 of
Golden Kamuy (TV 4) ?
We switch perspectives once more in episode three, this time following several of Lieutenant Tsurumi’s henchmen. Usami and Nikaido, two veterans, are reintroduced to us, and we also get to know Warrant Officer Kikuta and Ainu soldier Ariko, two recruits.
This turns out to be another story told in a series of episodes featuring masseurs in hot springs. With a lot of mystery and suspense around the difficulty to obtain a good perspective of what is happening in these mountains, the episode’s central tension works nicely. The majority of the episode engages in some sort of toy with the senses, whether it is the inability to see at night, the unique echo of specific items, the sensation of warm hot spring water, etc. Together, it makes for a truly intriguing setting and an effective mood.
added components Ariko and Kikuto are both fascinating, albeit not particularly outstanding. A tough and tenacious soldier who was profoundly affected by the Russo-Japanese war, Kikuta is a fairly typical example of a Golden Kamuy character.. At first glance, his unique predilection for Russian officers’ guns (and wearing them around his chest in numerous straps) is intriguing, but it doesn’t really effect how he acts much differently from other soldier-type characters. However, the part when he immediately adjusted to low light settings using the eyepatch was quite impressive; congratulations on a terrific sequence.
Between the two, Ariko looks to have greater potential.. It was brilliant how he got the masseuse to shoot his rifle and generate an avalanche so he could quickly swoop in and grab the tattoos. However, he resembles a lot of the other tough and resourceful characters in the ensemble, so I’m not sure what will make him stand out (apart from the fact that he’s a lot more composed than most of the other goofballs in Tsurumi’s crew).
Nobody could convince me differently, but the last scene with Sugimoto and Shiraishi pleading with the grandmother for more chewed-up sweets was a true piece of art.
