Golden Kamuy vol. 19

If you’ll recall, I put “Golden Kamuy” on my “Best of 2020” list.  I generally try to avoid putting ongoing series on there, or else each year would be dominated by continuing series like “Blade of the Immortal,” “The Walking Dead,” or “Delicious in Dungeon” until they ended… if they ended well.  In the case of this series, there were so many high points, so many instances of things properly set up and paid off that I had to include it on my list.

Vol. 19 is a prime example of this as it starts off with Sofia showing the [REDACTED] who’s boss and escaping with Kiroranke, Asirpa, Shiraishi, and Ogata onto some nearby ice floes.  Unknown to them is the fact that Sugimoto and his crew are right behind and are about to catch up when a snowstorm hits.  It’s pure chaos as everyone is scrambling for cover or trying to avoid falling into the ocean as the floes crack and separate.  Which means it’s a prime time for people to make a play for what they think is theirs, to settle old scores, to have a major revelation about the nature of the tattoo code, and to have a happy and/or murderous reunion or two (or three).

Yes, this is the volume where EVERYTHING hits the fan.  While all that I talked about in the paragraph above might seem overwhelming, mangaka Satoru Noda does an incredible job of pacing things out so that you’re able to appreciate each major moment as it happens and then decompress a bit before the next major event comes along.  Though this is “Golden Kamuy” at its dramatic best, the mangaka doesn’t let you forget that this is a series where its cast once spent an entire arc as circus performers.  So don’t be surprised when Shiraishi’s full bladder winds up playing  key role in one of the above-mentioned reunions.  Really, this volume has it all — even the stuff you didn’t ask for or know you wanted!