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Why You Should Read Golden Kamuy - A Thread
Modern Historical Fiction in Animanga at its Best
Modern Historical Fiction in Animanga at its Best
Golden Kamuy is a historical fiction set in Northern Japan in the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War at the turn of the 20th Century.
It's a treasure hunt story following various criminals, war veterans and degenerates on their quest to find large amounts of gold.
It's a treasure hunt story following various criminals, war veterans and degenerates on their quest to find large amounts of gold.
One of the most impressive aspect of this manga to me is its tonal shift. Satoru Noda is a master at changing the tone of his manga from one page to the next feeling so natural.
It changes from a seemingly cooking manga to a brutal fight to the death so naturally it's nuts.
It changes from a seemingly cooking manga to a brutal fight to the death so naturally it's nuts.
The most impressive aspect of the series is it's cast of characters and their shifting character dynamics.
The series follows so many fucked up, ruthless characters and how the dynamic between each of the cast changes from friend to foe is just masterful.
The series follows so many fucked up, ruthless characters and how the dynamic between each of the cast changes from friend to foe is just masterful.
The cast is genuinely one of the best cast you'll find in any animanga. All of them have so much personality and meat to them and they feel like their story's protagonists.
There are (badass) Shinsengumi characters in this series if that makes you interested in it.
There are (badass) Shinsengumi characters in this series if that makes you interested in it.
Despite how cruel the cast could be, the interaction between the two protagonists are super wholesome with their "adult looking after a child" trope and dynamic.
What seperates good historical fiction from the greats to me is how much the setting is respected by the author, the series and their characters.
And there's so much research, care and attention gone into the vegetation, wild life and cultures of various tribes in the series.
And there's so much research, care and attention gone into the vegetation, wild life and cultures of various tribes in the series.
One of the main goals of the mangaka (from one of his interviews) is to faithfully represent the Ainu tribe culture.
And it was done so well, described in so much detail that it could be a turn off for some readers.I think it's done really beautiful personally.
And it was done so well, described in so much detail that it could be a turn off for some readers.I think it's done really beautiful personally.
The Art
One of the best art you'll ever find in a weekly manga. It's really beautiful to look at, making the entire setting feel so much alive. The action scenes are super well drawn too capturing the brutality well and adding impact to the clashes.
One of the best art you'll ever find in a weekly manga. It's really beautiful to look at, making the entire setting feel so much alive. The action scenes are super well drawn too capturing the brutality well and adding impact to the clashes.
If you guys are craving for a series with a great antagonist, Golden Kamuy certainly has them. There are multiple great antagonists, three of whom I can say are top tier weeb fiction antagonists.
The series is also surprisingly very hilarious with some really bizzare moments.
The series is also surprisingly very hilarious with some really bizzare moments.
One thing I see which makes people not want to start it are some of the questionable out of context panels being spread among communities.
What you gotta understand is that the series is super faithful to how fucked up the time period and some of the characters are and it-
What you gotta understand is that the series is super faithful to how fucked up the time period and some of the characters are and it-
adds a lot more value for the type of story it's telling. It holds nothing back in showing really fucked criminals and what our main cast is up against.
Thoughts on the Anime Adaptation
The CGI is lackluster, and the art isn't as good as in the manga but as a standalone anime it's great. The voice acting cast is brilliant and it faithfully adapts the tonal shift brilliantly. But it does skip content in the manga.
The CGI is lackluster, and the art isn't as good as in the manga but as a standalone anime it's great. The voice acting cast is brilliant and it faithfully adapts the tonal shift brilliantly. But it does skip content in the manga.
Golden Kamuy is historical fiction at its best, with one of the best cast of characters in weeb fiction. Its an unpredictable story which plays with multiple genre, giving respect to the time period it's set in.
It's a must read underappreciated modern classic.
It's a must read underappreciated modern classic.
