Golden Kamuy vol. 3

Vol. 2 left off on a pretty great cliffhanger where Sugimoto was being beaten and stabbed by twin soldiers while in the custody of Lt. Tsurumi.  The resolution as to how he manages to get out of this situation is the best part of the volume.  It involves a greased-up “Escape King” Shiraishi, some quick gutsy thinking, and a horse-driven sled chase through town.  Pretty thrilling stuff all told.  It follows that up with an I-honestly-can’t-believe-they-did-that moment involving a horse that I should probably cite as a trigger warning for fans of that animal.  Things get less objectionable after that as Asirpa reluctantly-but-finally gives miso a chance and Hijikata makes his move against another tattoo-wearer, showing what a ruthless badass this old man is in the process.

So yeah, the first half of this volume is crammed with lots of good stuff once you get past that business with the horse.  Things slow down a lot in the back half as Sugimoto, Asirpa, and Shiraishi are drawn into conflict with one Tetsuzo Nihei, legendary bear hunter and tattoo-wearer.  While our protagonists’ interest in him is obvious, Nihei’s agenda is also going to pit him against them.  See, he’s out here to hunt a legendary giant white wolf — Asirpa’s guardian Retar, as we know him — and through an amazing coincidence he’s managed to partner with someone who has a good reason to hold a grudge against the young Ainu girl and the immortal soldier.  What we get here is mostly setup, mixed in with the usual Ainu cultural lessons, and it really doesn’t start catching fire until the very end.  A good volume overall, even if it sags a bit in the middle.