Is this one of the most underwatched series with 5+seasons?
I have over 600-700 anime watched and probably 300 manga read, this series is easily one of the best series I have ever touched. It’s up there easily with Ping Pong the animation, Kingdom, From the New World etc. yet somehow it’s not rated as highly as some of the more acclaimed series and it’s overlooked by many. Season 5 is ranked in the 3000s in terms of popularity even though we are approaching the climax of the show. I’ll provide a few reasons as to why I think Golden Kamuy is one of the best anime/manga ever and hopefully more people watch the series.
#1) Cast
Golden Kamuy has easily the best cast of characters I have ever seem from anime/manga period, rivaling Kingdom and Dorohedoro. I think that this is a controversial take but, despite everyone praising the marineford arc in One Piece to be the golden standard for “war arc” that involved many characters, I myself disliked the arc due to how we rarely got shown the true abilities of these characters. The main character was just running for a long time and there were only a few relevant characters doing the heavy lifting (Whitebeard, Blackbeard, Admirals and Luffy). Golden Kamuy, however, introduce you a huge cast of characters early on and they dont stop introducing new characters. Consumers get to see the characters interact with one another and observe the daily lives of allies and enemies. Enemies become friends, who then become enemies again. Each character’s thoroughly developed throughout the story and each character plays a role in any sort of fights, which is so rare in the anime manga industry whereby minor characters are usually left without a role along the way.
Speaking of characters, this show has some of the most goated antagonists in all of anime manga period. Lieutenant Tsurumi was such a perfectly written antagonist capable of making you laugh at his random antics, sending shivers down the spines of viewers, while still making viewers sympathise with him. Some of my other favourite characters include Ogata, Koito and Tsukishima. Honestly, every character is so well developed that I’m mind-blown at the level of care the author bestowed upon his characters.
#2) Relatability
Honestly, one of the reasons why this series isnt as popular could be due to how grounded the series is (and maybe because it’s not animated by MAPPA). There’s nothing flashy about this show, but it’s also a very human series. There is no true white or black in this series filled with war veterans, ex-convicts and revolutionaries. There is no villain nor heroes, only characters fuelled by ambitions, values and self discovery. Each character’s story was flashed out to show you how did they arrive at the point of story. The author even took real life inspirations when designing their backstories and even their character designs. The immortal Sugimoto’s batshit insane feats were taken from an actual soldier who had gone batshit insane during the Russo Japanese war. The name of the main character was also derived from the author’s grandfather.
#3) Comedy & Seriousness
Despite how random and unhinge the series can be, the series actually dwell a lot on heavy themes such as ptsd, trauma and guilt. Golden Kamuy is a comedic anime but the comedy does not undermine the heavy themes of the show. Within an episode, the author might squeeze in the funniest, most unhinged shit you’ve ever watched while dropping the most terrifying backstory and the bloodiest violence. Watching Golden Kamuy is like experiencing a rollercoaster ride. If you want the full package of comedy, violence, action and rich + mature storytelling, all in one, I highly recommend this series.
#4) Cultures
Last but not the least, this series introduce the audience to the culture of indigenous people of Japan. You can easily tell how much research the author did to convey the spirit of Hokkaido in his works, in the forms of food cuisines, religious teachings and the habitats these Ainu people stayed in. If you are interested in learning more about a foreign culture, I highly suggest you watch Golden Kamuy.
Please watch Golden Kamuy. Don’t be filtered out by cgi bear that only appeared in episode 1…