Key visual featuring Saichi Sugimoto (back) and Asirpa (front)
Golden Kamuy is a Japanese anime television series based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Satoru Noda. The anime television series adaptation was produced by Geno Studio. It was directed by Hitoshi Nanba and written by Noboru Takagi,[1] with music by Kenichiro Suehiro, art direction by Atsushi Morikawa, and CG direction by Yuuko Okumura and Yasutaka Hamada.[2] Kenichi Ohnuki adapted the character designs for animation,[1] while Koji Watanabe designed firearms, Shinya Anasuma designed the props, and Ryō Sumiyoshi designed the animals.[2] Like with the manga, Hiroshi Nakagawa, an Ainu language linguist from Chiba University, works on the anime as an Ainu language supervisor.[2]
The anime comprises five seasons. The first season aired from April 9 to June 25, 2018, on Tokyo MX, ytv, STV, and BS11.[3] The second season aired from October 8 to December 24, 2018.[4][5] The third season aired from October 5 to December 21, 2020.[6][7] The fourth season was announced in December 2021 with renewed staff members. Brain's Base produced the season, replacing Geno Studio. Shizutaka Sugahara served as the chief director, and Takumi Yamakawa designed the characters. Noboru Takagi is returning to write the scripts.[8] The season premiered on October 3, 2022.[9] On November 7, 2022, it was announced that the seventh episode of the season and beyond would be postponed due to the death of a main staff member.[10] The season restarted broadcasting from the first episode from April 3 until June 26, 2023.[11][12] The fifth and final season was announced in June 2023 to be in production.[12]
Four original animation DVDs (OADs) have been produced. The first, based on the manga's "Barato" arc, was released on DVD in a bundle with the manga's 15th Japanese volume on September 19, 2018.[13] The second was released with the manga's 17th Japanese volume on March 19, 2019.[14] The third, based on the "Monster" arc, was released with the manga's 19th Japanese volume on September 19, 2019.[15] The fourth, based on the "Shiton Animal Record" arc, was bundled with the 23rd manga volume on September 18, 2020.[16]Golden Dōga Gekijō is a series of 25-second long animated shorts directed by Kenshirō Morii and produced by DMM.futureworks and W-Toon Studio, that premiered on YouTube on April 16, 2018.[17]
"The Vanished Kamuy" Transliteration: "Kieta Kamui" (Japanese: 消えたカムイ)
Takafumi Fujii
Noboru Takagi
Masayuki Miyaji
June 26, 2023 (2023-06-26)
OADs (2018–20)
No.
Title
Directed by
Written by
Storyboarded by
Original release date
1
"The Barato Bodyguards" Transliteration: "Barato no Yōjinbō" (Japanese: 茨戸の用心棒)
Takurō Tsukada
Daishirō Tanimura
Takurō Tsukada
September 19, 2018 (2018-09-19)
"Attack of the Mysterious Winged Terror!" Transliteration: "Kaiki! Nazo no Kyodai Tori" (Japanese: 怪奇！謎の巨大鳥)
Set concurrently with the events of episode 12. The Hidoro gang, which previously controlled the town of Barato, have been wracked by infighting after being split by the ambitious Umakichi. After Hijikata and Ogata separately learn the gang has a tattooed skin, Hijikata joins the Hidoro gang, while Ogata joins the Umakichi gang. The Umakichi gang abducts Chieko, the pregnant mistress of the Hidoro gang's boss; the child's father is secretly Shinpei, the boss' son. The gangs agree to trade the tattooed skin and Chieko, though the exchange goes badly and a gang war ensues. With almost all of the gang members dead in the aftermath of the battle, Shinpei leaves with Chieko to start a new life. Ogata, who has acquired the tattooed skin, gives it to Hijikata and asks to join his group.
2
"I Fell in Love, and That’s Why I Decided to Escape" Transliteration: "Koi o shitakara datsugoku suru koto ni shita" (Japanese: 恋をしたから脱獄することにした)
Takurō Tsukada
Daishirō Tanimura
Takurō Tsukada
March 19, 2019 (2019-03-19)
"A Life and Death Battle vs. The Horrifying Deadly Venom! Deep in the Forests of Hokkaido, A Massive Serpent Lurks!" Transliteration: "Kyōfu no mōdoku dai shitō! Hokkaidō okuchi ni kyodai hebi wa sonzai shita!" (Japanese: 恐怖の猛毒大死闘！北海道奥地に巨大蛇は存在した！)
Around a campfire, Shiraishi tells Toshizō Hijikata, Nagakura Shinpachi, Inkarmat and Kiroranke, of his time in Kabato Prison when he met Chouan Kumagishi, a master forger. Shiraishi asked him to draw a shunga for him which he kept for company, but Kumagishi drew the face of a nun who visited prisoners called Sister Miyazawa. Shiraishi thought the picture was badly drawn, a round face with tiny features, but after a while he fell in love with her and decided to escape and meet her. He made a duplicate key with the help of Kumagishi, and escaped alone on a stormy night. He pressed local yakuza for information and tracked the nun to Maebashi Prison, but he was recognized, arrested and imprisoned. This time he went on a hunger strike, shrinking so that he could squeeze through the cesspit access door and escaped again. Next he tried Kanazawa Prison, Akita Prison and Kyoto prison, eventually earning the title of The Escape King. Finally in Abashiri Prison he met her where he discovered Kumagishi's likeness was accurate. Meanwhile, Kumagishi confessed to Sister Miyazawa that all he ever wanted to do was to make great art, not become a forger. In part two, the Ainu legend is told of "Sak Somo Ayep"[b] a giant, glistening black snake which is said to inhabit Hokkaido.
Asirpa negotiates with the American trader Mr. Eddie Dunn for the return of a sealskin wedding garment worn by her great aunt, but he will only sell it to her if she kills a huge bear which has been attacking his horses. Asirpa, Sugimoto, Kiroranke and Shiraishi and one of Dunn's men track the bear, but Asirpa realizes that there are three bears. The group take shelter in an abandoned house, but Dunn's man is grabbed through a window and killed by a bear. The situation is dire as they have not ammunition and Asirpa no longer has her bow and arrows. Inside the house they find Nakasawa Tatsuya and Wakayama Kiichiro plus the heads of two men who tried to fix the horse race at Naganuma. Sugimoto realizes that one must be a yakuza sent to kill Kiroranke and suddenly Wakayama attacks Sugimoto with his sword. However they declare a truce until they deal with the bears, not realizing that Nakasawa is one of Wakayama's men with whom he has had a sexual relationship. They roll dice to decide who must retrieve the ammunition pouch from outside, and Wakayama loses. He retrieves some bullets, but is chased and caught by a bear, however the others sees a prison tattoo on his body. The other two bears break into the house and Asirpa and Sugimoto manage to kill one and wound the other. Wakayama returns with a car and a machine gun and shoots one bear dead, however Nakasawa falls from the car and Wakayama risks his life to save him from the remaining bear. Wakayama kills the bear, but both yakuza are mortally wounded and die hand-in-hand as the sun sets. Sugimoto then prepares to skin Wakayama.
"Excerpt from Edogai-kuuun's "Fake Human Skin" Production Diary Episode" Transliteration: "Edogai-kuuun no "Nisemono ninpi" seisaku nikki yori bassui-hen" (Japanese: 江渡貝くぅぅんの“偽物人皮”制作日記より抜粋編)
