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Golden Kamuy

Synopsis

A disgraced former soldier and survivor of the Meiji-era Russo-Japanese War, Saichi Sugimoto now lives on Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido. Nicknamed "The Immortal" during the war, Sugimoto makes his living scouring the wilderness for riches from the gold rush. After learning of a thief who stole gold from a group of Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido, and hid directions to it in tattoos on the bodies of 24 inmates, Sugimoto sets out to find the escaped convicts, aided by a young Ainu girl named Asirpa, whose father was killed by the thief. Together, they battle the elements as they struggle to survive against the wildlife and those also seeking the treasure.

Background

The historical adventure series Golden Kamuy began as a manga series written and illustrated by Satoru Noda. It has been published by Shueisha since August 2014 under their Young Jump Comics imprint and is serialized in the magazine Weekly Young Jump . As of February 2018, 12 tankobon volumes have been released in Japanese. The series is also published in English by VIZ Media under their VIZ Signature imprint and in Spanish by Milky Way Ediciones. To date, three volumes have been released in English. In 2016, the series won the Manga Taisho Award and placed second in the male category of the "Kono Manga ga Sugoi!" ranking.

An anime adaptation of the series will air in Japan starting in April 2018. The series stars Hitoshi Nanba ( Gosick, Fate/Grand Order: First Order ), with series composition by Noboru Takagi ( Baccano!, Durarara!! ), character designs by Kenichi Onuki ( Gundam Build Fighters ), music by Kenichiro Suehiro ( Re:Zero, Space Patrol Luluco ), and animation produced by Geno Studio ( Kokkoku, Genocidal Organ ). The opening and ending themes will be performed by Man with a Mission and The Sixth Lie, respectively. The anime will air on Tokyo MX, Yomiuri TV, Sapporo TV, and BS11.

Casting

Chikahiro Kobayashi as Saichi Sugimoto
Haruka Shiraishi: Asirpa
Kentaro Ito as Yoshitake Shiraishi
Houchu Ohtsuka as Lieutenant Tsurumi

Staff

Original author: Satoru Noda
Director: Hitoshi Nanba
Deputy Director: Takahiro Kawagoe
Series composition: Noboru Takagi
Character Designer: Kenichi Onuki
Main Animator: Junichi Haneyama
Weapons Designer: Koji Watanabe
Accessories Designer: Shinya Asanuma
Animal Designer: Ryo Sumikei
Artistic Director: Atsushi Morikawa
Color Designer: Takahiro Mogi
Director of Photography: Yuichiro Tozawa
CG Director: Yuko Okumura, Kohei Hamada
Editor-in-Chief: Takeshi Sadamatsu
Sound director: Jin Akitagawa
Sound production: Magic Capsule
Ainu Language Supervisor: Hiroshi Nakagawa
Music: Kenichiro Suehiro
Animation production: Geno Studio
Production: Golden Kamuy Production Committee

Characters

Saichi Sugimoto (CV: Chikahiro Kobayashi)
A disgraced war veteran who served in the 1st Division of the Imperial Japanese Army and fought at the Battle of 203 Hill during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. He was nicknamed "The Immortal" on the battlefield and was feared for his savage fighting style and incredible tenacity.

Asirpa (CV: Haruka Shiraishi)
A young Ainu girl who joins Sugimoto in his search for the thief who killed her father after saving Sugimoto from a wild bear attack. Her Japanese name is Asuko Kochoube.

Yoshitake Shiraishi (CV: Kentaro Ito)
Nicknamed the "Escape King" for having escaped from every prison he was sent to, Yoshitake Shiraishi is one of Abashiri's convicts traveling with Sugimoto. He has part of the Ainu's Golden Map tattooed on his body.

Lieutenant Tsurumi (CV: Houchu Ohtsuka)
An officer in the 7th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, Tsurumi is searching for the hidden treasure of the Ainu in order to separate Hokkaido from the rest of Japan and make it an independent country. Due to Japan's treatment of its soldiers after the war and the fact that he did not receive compensation from Russia, he harbors a deep hatred for the Japanese government.

Hyakunosuke Ogata (CV: Kenjirō Tsuda)
A former senior soldier in the 7th Division and an outstanding marksman, Ogata is a member of Hijikata's group who later joins Sugimoto's group.

Genjirō Tanigaki (CV: Yoshimasa Hosoya)
A Private First Class of the 7th Division and Matagi of Tohoku, Genjiro embarks on a war to avenge the death of his younger sister Fumi, putting his family and legacy on the line. Now with a renewed sense of duty, Genjiro has made it his mission to repay the Ainu people, who sheltered and cared for him during the war, by escorting Asirpa home so she can be reunited with her family.