Golden Kamuy

Episode 8

We finally get some focus on the ex-Shinsengumi gang, with the first real showdown between Hijikata and Tsurumi, and some real trouble for Shiraishi. The show also seems to imply that Hijikata is even more twisted than Tsurumi, using bombs and stealing from banks to achieve his ends.

But the real meat of the episode—perhaps literally, since it involves an actual whaling expedition—comes from a new character: Henmi Kazuo. He's the latest tattooed convict, the one everyone is looking for now with the demise of Nihei Tetsuzou. Like his predecessor, Henmi has a creepy lust for murder—but this time, for killing humans specifically. Tetsuzou killed people who got in his way because he claimed it was "the old way" of the land, but his real appetite was for hunting, particularly intimidating or endangered top predators. Tetsuzou wanted to be killed by a hunter more ferocious than himself, and that's exactly what he got. Henmi seems to have a similar fixation, getting all too excited about the prospect of killing (or more likely being killed) by Sugimoto. In every other way, Henmi is a different beast.

Henmi is also far more soft-spoken compared to Tetsuzou and his screams of "BONER!" His outward normalcy makes him all the more creepy. He's a psychopath of a far less fun kind than Tetsuzou's Ultimate Hunter variety. Henmi seems to have pursued his life of murder due to trauma; he watched his younger brother get eaten alive by a wild boar and remembers vividly how hard he struggled only for the life to slowly drain from his eyes. Where most people might abhor violence in the wake of that horror, Henmi's switch has flipped to lust after it. He seems to derive enjoyment from serial killing, carving the "eye" kanji into his victims' bodies and otherwise leaving clues to bait his adversaries. He likes creating challenges to try and get himself caught. Unlike the other people we've met so far, Henmi is more than just a puzzle or obstacle for our heroes. He's actively dangerous to everyone around him. Asirpa has them set off to shore because she's worried about the safety of her fisherman uncle with such a notorious killer on the loose.

I miss Tetsuzou's goofiness, but there's something weirdly compelling about Henmi's particular brand of sinister too. He's able to pass as a normal human enough that Sugimoto and Asirpa rescue him after his boat capsizes. (That whale was the real hero this week. Too bad nobody heeded its warning.) His craftiness makes him a much more imposing villain; he's able to literally strangle a man to death while maintaining a cordial chat with Sugimoto. Tetsuzou would never be able to do that because there's too much theatricality to his violence. Nowhere is Henmi's unique threat more apparent than in his calm, steady, whispery voice.

Shiraishi so far has been framed as a comic relief character, but this episode adds some depth to him. I get him wanting to get out of Hijikata's clutches and return to his friends as soon as possible, but it's interesting how quickly he squeals under pressure, even giving Sugimoto's name. I wonder what Shiraishi's goals really are besides just saving his ass. This episode suggests that he might have his own agenda for the gold. We also learn more about Sugimoto's war trauma in a scene that nicely contrasts him with Henmi's viciousness. Sugimoto describes how haunted he is by the people he killed during the war. Where the rest of us hear sadness and regret in his voice, Henmi only hears that he's a fearsome killer and therefore a "challenge" for him. Henmi seems to be good at flying under the radar for now, but it's uncertain how long he can do that with such a twisted lens framing all of his actions.

This episode also reaches the end of what's been released of the Golden Kamuy manga in English so far. Going forward, I'll be in uncharted territory. So it's striking just how much manga this episode was able to blow through—the majority of volume 4—largely by skipping important information. For all that we've started to learn about Sugimoto's past, there are still many important portions of his backstory that the anime has not revealed at all. Is Golden Kamuy saving all this information for closer to the season finale? It's such an odd adaptational choice that I have to wonder if the show is building up for some jam-packed, episode-length flashback of shocking reveals.

Other than that elephant in the room, this adaptation is very faithful so far. Some events are moved around, but everything more or less happens as it does in the manga. The downside is that after weeks of improving on its animation struggles, the visuals take a real dip in this episode. Golden Kamuy seems to struggle more with fights in populated places, like cities and piers; it's stronger within the stark winter forests where they fought Nihei Tetsuzou. Let's hope it fixes these issues, since it seems like there are more urban-set struggles ahead of us. Even if the visuals could be better, the plot and character development is just heating up more and more. It's still impossible to stop watching Golden Kamuy.

Rating: B

Golden Kamuy is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rose is a Ph.D. student in musicology, who recently released a book about the music of Cowboy Bebop. You can also follow her on Twitter.