Golden Kamuy

This anime has amazingly interesting characters from aged samurai to disinterested snipers - an entertaining group of characters that mix action, friendship, comedy and random survival tips into an amusing and energetic adventure that just makes you feel good.

I'm heard that one of the reason why Golden Kamuy got slept on by many people is because the CGI bear scare them off right from the first episode of season 1 and I refuse to believe it. Sure the CGI bear and fire look incredibly jarring to watch but once the gold hunt started I don't think you will care about the animation aspect anymore cause everything after that is a god damn feast of blood, weirdness and comedy. The story of Golden Kamuy is the most original thing I ever see from an anime in a long time when it fill with rich lesson about the culture of the Ainu people and the Russo-Jap war both I never heard about and the way the anime told it through the eyes of the main character Sugimoto the Immortal while he following Asirpa around to learn how to survive in nature is comedy gold. Not a single character in this anime feel boring or undeveloped even through some we only see them once in a while but the moment they re-appear you knows you will got something new out of them.

My wife and I truly love this anime. Each episode is culturally enriching. There is plenty of action, gore, destruction and pure romanticism. The writers did not shy away from thoughtful and some times surprising content and dialogue.

Long before seeing Golden Kamuy I had that feeling that when I started watching it it would become one of my favorite anime. And indeed that happened, the series has that right dose of comedy, seriousness, emotion. Although it has some strange middle parts (I'm talking to you, sauna episode) it is all well measured and makes everything fit perfectly. Beyond that, the story never loses strength, rather it intensifies even more, gradually incorporating very varied characters. In general everything is perfect.

If you hesitate to start it, don't be hard on the bear.

Pros:

• Originality. It's not about high schoolers, it's not in the future, the MCs aren't detectives, there's no superpowers, and it's not set in Tokyo. There you have it, an anime like no other.

• Culture/Setting: A huge part of the show is Japanese Ainu culture, which is something I never heard of until watching. A lot of it has to do the way they lived, how they hunted, cultural beliefs, preparation of food, etc. It ends up being pretty educational while not getting in the way of the story; best part is that the manga author did a ton of research while writing the story, so it's actually all fairly accurate historical information.

• Characters: They're great. All of them. I guess you could complain that there's not many women in the show (2, to be exact) but the vast quantities of effeminate men kinda balances it out. No two characters are the same, and they all play off of each other in a different way. Everyone has their personal motivations and beliefs to the point where you can't even point to one as being a true "bad guy."

-Animation: I'll start by admitting that I'm no animation stickler. With that in mind, all the designs and animations in the show seemed excellent to me. Except for the CGI bears. The CGI bears can go screw themselves.

• Story: Ah yes, the STORY. The core part of any show. Golden Kamuy does a great job at establishing the main goal in the very first episode and following that all the way to the end. It's by no means a straightforward plot, but every episode involves steps taken towards that goal. Even the few side-questy/fillery episodes had importance to the plot.

-Humor: The icing on the cake. I would venture to say that this show could have still been great without a speck of humor, but the unique brand of unexpected, dark, and occasionally stupid jokes throughout the show are majestic.

Final note: If you are uncomfortable with "visual celebration of the male body," perhaps this anime is not for you. To put it clearly, there's more nudity than you can shake a stick at. Saunas? Yep. Hot Springs? Of course. Ripping off clothes? Oh yes. In fact, I believe there's an episode where everyone is in the buff for the whole time. It's only ever male nudity though, and always for comedic effect. Never thought I'd be able to give an anime with FaNsErViCe a 10/10, but, well, here I am.