Golden Kamuy vol. 26

In case you haven’t heard, “Golden Kamuy” has wrapped up its run in Japan with vol. 31.  Which is some great timing as the events of this volume clearly indicate that this series is heading into its endgame.  It all picks up with the action from the previous volume as all  of the parties start closing in on the Ripper who quickly legs it into a distillery.  Then things get crazy, even by this title’s usual standards.  Sugimoto has another close encounter with Nikaido while re-enacting the London Beer Flood of 1814.  Kadokura finds himself on the receiving end of Usami’s perversion while eventually revealing his own secret.  Botaro the Pirate fights the good fight before revealing his true colors.  Ogata winds up being menaced by the disfigured Russian sniper who’s been chasing him and then mixes it up with Usami who’s determined to kill him this time.  One character even gets naked in an effort to make everyone see the ugliness in their souls as they try to get the gold.  All this while the Ripper gets everything that’s coming to him.

This is another one of the volumes in this series that is also A LOT.  It’s not overwhelming in its delivery, however, and all of the surprises are well-delivered throughout the volume so you don’t feel like they’re treading over each other.  Though the action is still coming fast and furious by the volume’s end, there’s still the feeling that the story has entered a new stage and that things are only going to get more intense as the series marches towards its climax.  I kind of wish that mangaka Satoru Noda had been able to do this without making the tattooed skins feel like an afterthought in the process, but it ultimately feels like a minor concern amidst everything that’s going on here.  At this point, however, I’m thoroughly invested in seeing if Sugimoto lives up to his nickname through the end and helps Asirpa achieve her goal.  As well as seeing who’s going to make it to the end of vol. 31 alive.  I’m expecting a bloodbath, and a highly entertaining one in the process!