English Dub Review: Golden Kamuy “Nopperabo”

A mad gold rush.

Overview:

Sugimoto and Asirpa find out that they aren’t the only ones after the gold.

Our Take:

The search for the gold becomes much more complex. With Asirpa as his new partner, Sugimoto realizes that there’s more to the gold than he initially thought. Not only is the method of finding the map gruesome, but the prisoners themselves are frightening as well. The ones we’ve seen so far have been easy to dispatch, but there are apparently more frightening ones- including the leader of the prisoners.

As it turns out, there’s more than just the duo and the prisoners searching for the gold- the army is as well. Sugimoto encounters a soldier from one of the most feared divisions of the Imperial Army, one who tries to take them out. What the government wants with the Ainu gold is so far unknown, but it’s in direct contrast to what the duo wants. The Ainu and the Japanese government have always had a contentious relationship, and this is likely another example of the friction between them. While Sugimoto manages to dispatch the soldier, this likely isn’t the last we’ve seen of the army.

Sugimoto’s combat skills shine through yet again. Even though his opponent is a sniper, he has the capability to fight back and evade death once again. The only thing holding back his combat skills isn’t Sugimoto himself, but Asirpa’s unwillingness to fight. She has a talent in combat and she’s by no means helpless, but she is reluctant to kill. As a result, Sugimoto faces a new unexpected hurdle—his partner’s set of morals.

Despite this, Asirpa is also quite smart and capable. She has a personal investment in the gold, as her father was one of the Ainu guards killed during the incident. She knows when to fake things out, and most importantly, she is extremely knowledgeable about the woods. Interestingly enough, this episode manages to combine action with information about hunting and Ainu food. The audience likely doesn’t know much about Ainu culture or how they manage to hunt for food, so this tidbit was quite informative.

So far, this series is intriguing. We aren’t given too much information at once, and none of the information feels superfluous. While the cooking portions don’t advance the plot, they show Asirpa and Sugimoto’s growing friendship, in bridging the two cultures with shared food and survival. The animation isn’t the best I’ve seen, but since there are no bears this episode, it feels a lot more natural. Looking forward to more.