Golden Kamuy - Volume 4 (Review)
By: MithrandielMiss my previous review? You can find volume 3 here!
Spoilers below!
The Immortal Sugimoto and his allies continue their pursuit after a legendary hoard of gold in the latest volume of Golden Kamuy! Following their run-in with Tetsuzo at the end of volume 3, things escalate into a full-on battle as Sugimoto and Shiraishi attempt to take down the stubborn hunter. Unfortunately, Asirpa is captured by Tetsuzo's companion and the result is Sugimoto and Shiraishi surrender to keep her from harm. Tied to a tree, things seem hopeless for our heroes until Tetsuzo turns around for a moment.
The panel with Tetsuzo realizing that he forgot that Shiraishi is literally known as the "Escape King" made me laugh out loud, and was an early reminder of something Golden Kamuy does exceptionally well: take a step back from its heavy and fairly brutal storyline to deliver some quality comedy lines.Sugimoto and Shiraishi run into the forest as Tetsuzo hopes to set up an encounter with Asirpa's wolf-pet Retar. Believed to be the last of its kind, Tetsuzo is determined to kill Retar and be the last hunter to see an Enzo wolf.Unfortunately for him, he miscounted.
As it turns out, Retar not only has a mate, but an entire family of Enzo wolves - sparking some hope that his breed is not destined for extinction.After the Hunter becomes the Hunted, and they put Tetsuzo to rest, Sugimoto and Asirpa return to her village and plan their next move. Meanwhile, we get some more insight behind Tsurumi's motivations for seeking the legendary treasure. First, it's revealed that the amount of gold is exponentially higher than even the urban legends claim - the equivalent of some $8 billion USD!Second, we get some backstory on the 7th division and Tsurumi's history. After his division was disgraced and forgotten, Tsurumi became determined to create a new country where his fellow soldiers could escape and retire with dignity. With the extensive amount of gold that he's pursuing, he could structure this country and enter the global stage.
Ok, so maybe the country he wants to make is more like a war-machine but the justification certainly helps him strive after the treasure without hesitation. It also helps his subordinates justify their actions, knowing that there are few others who would put the money to "better" use.Back at Asirpa's village, the group decides to go do some hunting for a large bird. While they initially are pretty successful, it turns out there was a...um...bigger bird to worry about.
Another great moment from the volume, with lots of comedic relief from Shiraishi - along with some more cultural notes from Asirpa about the nature of bird hunting and local fairy tales.But in what is probably the wildest scene from this volume, Shiarishi goes into town to sell the feathers they got off of the smaller bird (still sizable in its own right). During his trip, he runs into Tatsuma "do NOT f*** with me" Ushiyama, also known as Ushiyama the Undefeated. Luckily, he uses his skills as the "escape king" to wry his way out of Ushiyama's powerful Judo hold and makes a bolt for it. No matter what he sends Ushiyama's way, guards, men, a friggin' HORSE, Ushiyama literally bowls them all over like a rampaging bull in a china shop. Meanwhile, another key player orchestrates a bank robbery. Not for the reasons you might expect either...
Toshizo Hijikata, swordsman extraordinaire, gets his hands on a legendary sword from within the bank's vault. The distraction takes Ushiyama off of Shiraishi's tail as all of the parties involved reflect on their joined fates.After Shiraishi tries (and fails) to perform some recon work on Ushiyama and Tsurumi, he's captured and asked a number of questions.Shiraishi understands that he's not going to escape from this situation easily and lets them know he's working with Sugimoto. The volume apparently ends with Shiraishi returning to Sugimoto - likely having been compromised or making an agreement to guarantee his safety. He shares a rumor surrounding a serial killer that's been on the loose for some time, moving from place to place. Of course, who else would Sugimoto dreg up from a fishing trip other than this very same guy?
Of course, they don't know that he's a crazy serial killer - and the suspense helps to end the volume on a cliffhanger as we eagerly await volume 5!The story and dynamics of Golden Kamuy get me more and more excited for the forthcoming anime adaptation, and I particularly enjoyed seeing the broader plot begin to come together. Tsurumi & Toshizo both strike me as formidable opponents...and of course, Ushiyama is a looming threat that Sugimoto will no doubt have to topple eventually.Volume 5 can't get here fast enough! In the meantime, you can pick up volume 4 from VIZ here!Note: VIZ Media provided us with a digital copy of this volume in exchange for an honest review.
