Golden Kamuy vol. 27

The final act of this series continues the momentum from the previous volume as Tsurumi and his men seek to escape the flaming brewery with Asirpa in tow.  This results in another one of the chase scenes that this series does so well as multiple parties chase the disguised army members through the town.  This includes Sugimoto and Shiraishi managing a temporary truce with Botaro who has secured a Sweet Ride for them, Hijikata taking on all comers with guns and a sword on horseback, and the surprise return of a third party and their entourage.  It all climaxes in a tense encounter in a church between Tsurumi, Asirpa, and the leader of the third party as the Lieutenant lays out his history, that of Asirpa’s father Wilk, and the Ainu gold, along with the most important thing from his perspective.  Which would be Asirpa’s need to atone for the actions of her father by giving up the gold.

With the first half of vol. 27 offering up some excellent slam-bang action, the second half threatens to fall apart in that it’s almost one giant monologue laying out the story so far for the reader.  Fortunately for us, the person giving the monologue is Tsurumi, so it’s filled with bitterness, recrimination, braggadocio, arrogance, and even some flat-out insanity to keep us involved and entertained.  You can also add disturbed to that list as there’s one moment that goes beyond the pale even by the Lieutenant’s standards.  Mangaka Satoru Noda even manages to thread a solid dramatic subplot through all this as a couple of Tsurumi’s subordinates start to question his dedication to the cause while listening in.  This does mean that Sugimoto and Shiraishi wind up taking a backseat to all of this, but it’s all done well enough that you probably won’t mind.  Really, the only complaint I have is that this series hasn’t resumed its bi-monthly publishing schedule in America after wrapping up in Japan.  I don’t want to wait until 2024 to see how this all ends!