Golden Kamuy Season 2

The legendary series that is Golden Kamuy has had its shares of greatness, starting with Season 1 in Spring 2018, and now the sequel this season, which expands upon where Season 1 left off, but with more refined balance between the comedy and action. In more ways than one, Season 2 solidified everything that was lacking in Season 1, and made it tenfold better IMO. We continue on with Immortal Sugimoto, Asirpa and Co. on their journey to find not just the gold, but the man responsible for the whole fiasco in the first place: Nopperabo, the big eyes Ainu of a traitor, which is alsoAsirpa's father in cold spirit and truth. In the context of having watched Season 1, Season 2 here is more grim, fast-paced, and the amount of violence and action doesn't hold the series back, with some of the greatest scenes designated at moments where predicted but last for as long as it should be, so long as the balance was held. So, with the new season, you're getting twice the action, twice the excitement and worries that are just chillax; the surface of the iceberg. Golden Kamuy's characters are always the crew that we always find it intriguing, solely at first with people like Hijikata, Ogata, whom get their characterizations more heavily involved. And with how Season 2 ramps up the ante, along with the alliances of everyone working together for a common goal, the risk of betrayal is something that cannot be taken lightly. Quite possibly the biggest detractor is Lt. Tsurumi himself, looking through Season 2 lists quite a good range of capabilities of the 7th Division captain himself, from being the model for other calefares to being more relentless in the final stages of the cat and mouse chase to Sugimoto and Co. I'd say that with everything out of the bag this time, Lt. Tsurumi is the most fearsome character (even more than Season of 1), but everyone has upgraded their game into the series, and it's a firm foundation. Once again, Geno Studio did an amazing production on Season 2 here, omitting the awful CGI bears in change for some great action and backgrounds. However, the drawback is that for the night scenes, the entire show goes into entirely black mode and it's barely discernable when put in comparison to Season 1. Maybe some lighting would have been fine, but for what it is, I'll take it any other day. The music got a good upgrade and a better follow-up over Season 1, with Sayuri and MY FIRST STORY's collab for the OP, that not just sounds a whole lot bad-ass and better in every regard, but also aesthetically. With that said, the ED, featuring some loud-banging and bashing uncle that's on drugs, most would find this very noisy and distracting. Golden Kamuy is a series that just needs a good balance of substance, not some over-the-top values that cue the series. But on hindsight, it couldn't have been the perfect ED but hey, it's better than nothing. What an amazing series from start to end. Definitely would recommend this series to historical action fans, but first, go watch Season 1 then come back for the sequel.

I like Golden Kamuy. It has the slice of life charm with its episodic nature, there's great animation that works in tandem with the narrative, and most importantly, it is unapologetically itself. I think this show is unique, meshing Japan's historical periods together and bringing cultures to life. Golden Kamuy never gets away from what makes it stand out. There are witty jokes, there is great interactions between characters, each character is consistent in many different moments. There is the interesting mix of Japan's history coupled with very flamboyant characters and creates an interesting contradiction to what is typically shown on TV. What you canexpect to get out of this show is twisted humor, animation that complements the narrative and interactions, and a whole lot of confusion. Why I say confusion is that the narrative has a rollercoaster trend. The light at the end of the tunnel seems to always get closer, then farther, then closer, then farther. It isn't clear whether you can determine if the next episode will get you to the promised land or if we will see another hinna hinna episode, but frankly that is the charm of the show. I can feel the passion and charm of the characters when they just interact with each other over nature and survival of the fittest tactics. The down time really brings out the characterization and gives a nice break to high, fast paced scenes regarding the end game. All of a sudden, it is hard to determine each character's true goal and when the plot twists hit, they hit hard. They kept me on the edge of my seat and I started appreciating the seemingly pointless down time scenes because of the little things that we can see in characters. This confusion of the narrative actually made me enjoy the show more, because it diversified the content while also jumping themes/tones. I'm more of a fan of the light hearted side, where we can just learn the history of the Ainu and learn more about cultures we otherwise would've never hear of. However, the animation overall is not part of Golden Kamuy's strong points. *CUE CG BEAR*. There are a lot of shortcuts with stills with slightly moving animated blood or things like that. The face animations are great though. Each character display their emotions and disgust so vehemently, it is hard to not appreciate them and just laugh. Some scenes were more gorey than what I expect from TV Anime, but they weren't as appealing as it could be. It got the point across though and I can appreciate why in certain areas in the narrative, they upped the gore. It displayed the stakes and importance of the respective scenes. Golden Kamuy took me by storm, I wasn't sure if it was going to hit the right notes for me. But I soon realized how much charm and passion went into the writing, especially developing the characters, who carry this show. The plot is interesting, but loses steam in certain parts. It overall hinna hinna'd all over me though and I can't get enough of the witty humor, the stupid jokes, the idiocy of the characters, the food wars like eposodic episodes, and its charm. Now onto the real review: Go read the manga.

I found out about this show at random and watched season 1 & 2 back-to-back and I was so happy to know they are making season 3. It phenomenal and as much as I want to continue the story reading the Mangas if they exist (never looked into it) I am more then happy to wait for season 3 to come out will all the effort they put into it. As I said on my review of season 1 it has a very Rurouni Kenshin vibe but a less superman type feel behind the main character. Animal lovers beware they are still more then happy to kill,"chita-chop," and eat anything that moves on all fours or swims in water. If your looking for a more serious vibe in an anime without some wussbag teenage highschooler as the protagonist this is for you. Nothing but brutal battles and a driving story done on a very humanistic level. If someone dies more then likely it will be in a way you havnt seen before in the show. No repeat bulletholes here. Faces will be ripped to shreads, human skins with be carved off out to create a map, and your love for the show will rise.

I regard sequels as an 'obligatory watch' since there's always an itch inside of me that yells at me telling me that I better finish what I started. Sometimes I hate that itch cause sometimes things I loathe get the coveted second season. But usually I get stuff like Golden Kamuy to watch a sequel of. And my reaction for these moments are always: Yes. Story: Golden Kamuy continues the journey of Immortal Sugimoto's (and co.) journey towards finding the fabled Ainu gold hidden on the tattoos of freed prisoners. Really that's about all I can give for a prior synopsis cause any more information would complicate thealready massive narrative that's being tackled at here. The name of the game for this season involves a mix of backstories, plot progression, truths, betrayal, and several (that means more than one) prison escapes. The end result of this mixed bag is a meshed narrative where clear opposing sides established in the previous season are more or less thrown out the window as the end result to everything is similar yet converging interests contrasted by different ways of doing things, unlikely alliances, different groups converging and diverging, swapping with different members of each other's group, ultimately making the entire cast more or less a gray area in this war for the gold. Sugimoto and Asiripa at least don't take the show's primarily protagonist role this time, offhanding that opportunity to multiple members of the sidecast so everyone gets fleshed out and their time in the limelight. This gives us A or B parts of episodes entirely devoted to various backstories featuring the historical impact of the Russo-Japanese war that presides over the cast, as well as how other characters impact each other, either through conflicting interests/information or similar goals with different ways to reach there. It feels complicated explaining it, but the one phrase that I find explains Golden Kamuy's narrative is "It just works." That phrase even extends to the comedy as very often even enemies or at the very least opposing characters crack jokes at each other, and the show so often doesn't take itself seriously, giving brevity to the more serious aspects, striking a neat balance of serious, complication, history, culture, comedy, and mystery. Really, I just want more. Characters: As previously mentioned, both Sugimoto and Asiripa don't get that much added to their characters. Asiripa a little less cause she is at the forefront of this plot trying to find her father and much of the plot this time around is focused on determining whether or not her father is the fabled Noppera-bou or not. Really the shining characters are the sidecast we're introduced to this time around. This is the kind of cast that even if their names escape you, their mannerisms or their story as to why/how they got to this point in their lives stick in your mind. The backstories shine for only a select few members of the cast, like the fortune teller Inkaramat and Ogata, serving to give a full dump on what they're all about after a small trickle from what we've seen before with their previous actions. These characters get what they do put into perspective and really stand as some of the show's more shining moments because they start to feel more like characters, and given the cast's overall dynamic, really only adds to it. Of course that's not all the sidecast has to offer, as to make sure you remember them, the show gives some of its more less important members (primarily those in Lt. Tsurumi's camp) qualities of insanity that are both hilarious and actually really unsettling given how out of their mind some of these people are. Ranging from a crazed taxidermist to members of the 7th who have such a hard-on for Tsurumi that it's both hilarious and extremely unsettling, you really won't forget them simply because of the kind of shit this show manages to pull without batting an eye. Overview: + Memorable sidecast + Overall extremely memorable cast + Really fucking weird characters (that are also entertaining as hell) Art: Part of me really wants to ask whether or not anyone in Geno Studio ever questioned the kind of crap they were drawing. Cause half of Golden Kamuy's comedic routine is in the visuals, and my god is the absurdity factor skyrocketed. Much of the art is the same as season one (with much less CGI animals, we swear), with only slight inconsistency issues that I've noticed in a few frames. Aside from that, everything is good. Which is what I would be saying if not for the absurdist and surrealist visual comedy that's being shown off here. First off, there is an abundance of manservice here, so much so that I couldn't help but laugh at just how dumb everything becomes. Couple that with some unsettling imagery played for laughs and some surprisingly homoerotic scenes for a show about an underground war for a precious metal, and what you end up getting is Golden Kamuy, which for some reason all makes sense in context. I swear, it does. Sound: Considering how good 'Winding Road' was in season one, I was prepared for what was going to come next to not be as good by comparison. "Reimei" by Sayuri and MY FIRST STORY I don't personally believe is as good as Winding Road. It's a good song, but putting it next Season one's, I just thinking the first was better. "Tokei-dai no Kane" by eastern youth is by comparison a little bit more similar to season one's Hibana. A little more rock than I prefer, but it's not a bad listen. Personally though, they're not as good as season one's group, and for that reason I don't really care for them that much. Personal Enjoyment: I was not at all prepared for what was to come watching season two of Golden Kamuy. A part of me was aware of the absurdist qualities of the show, but never in my life did I ever expect the kind of shit that I saw here. And yet, I'm ok with it. Golden Kamuy is one of those shows that has become more of a favorite of mine in recent history. It's a consistently good show with a well written narrative coupled with a likable cast and good pacing, mixing its story up between backstories, plot progression, comedy, action, and mystery. It's such a varied show with so many highs that I really cannot come down from the high horse that I've gone on watching this show and enjoying every moment of it. They even managed to throw in a love subplot, a freaking love subplot into this thing that still works in context to the story. Seriously, there is just so much stuff in this show yet it all just works. It baffles me how all of this just functions as well as it does, but that's the reason why I just really like this show and wait with bated breath for the third season to come. This is one of those shows that really bears watching. There's so much going on that works, and it's a great shonen series that isn't afraid to do whatever the hell it wants. The amount of creative freedom here is astounding, and I'm just really glad to have a series that's this good to watch.