Coming to Netflix is the Golden Kamuy movie that will make you fall in love with the most singular anime you still haven’t seen

The world of anime is huge and it’s practically impossible to keep up with everything that’s popular and interesting. That’s normal, even among those who follow the medium very actively. It’s vast, ungraspable, and in the end the fact that there’s something for everyone means it’s easy to miss some gems even in plain sight. That’s what we want to talk about today. Because the second live-action film of one of the most interesting anime and manga of recent years is coming to Netflix.

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Because Golden Kamuy is a manga that, even almost five years after ending, still keeps resonating with audiences. And for good reason. That’s why, with a new film coming out, we want to make a case for it. Because we want you to discover and get hooked on this incredible story in any of its forms.

A most unusual story

Golden Kamuy is a manga written and drawn by Satoru Noda, a Japanese mangaka who became famous with this work. Published between August 21, 2014 and April 28, 2022, the manga ran for 31 volumes and was an absolute success with critics and readers. With 29 million copies in circulation, having won the prestigious Manga Taisho prize and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, it’s undeniable that it has achieved everything.

Likewise, its anime has been no less of a success. With its run beginning on April 9, 2018 and ending this past March 30, it has been handled by two different studios, Geno Studio and Brain’s Base, but always with enormous quality, ultimately delivering 62 episodes and 5 OVAs.

But what is the series about? It’s about Saichi Sugimoto, a veteran of the Russo-Japanese War who discovers the story of a supposed treasure that can only be uncovered through a map encoded in the tattoos of those who fled Abashiri Prison. That will lead him to team up with Asirpa, a young Ainu girl, one of the original inhabitants of Hokkaido where the story is set, to hunt these men down and discover how much truth there is in this legend.

Perfectly blending comedy, action, mystery, and Ainu folklore and history, Golden Kamuy has managed to win the public over. Showing that historical fiction, well told, with a good hook and interesting characters, can hold its own against the fantasy stories that normally take manga and anime by storm. Something that has also also led to adaptations outside the animated world.

Taking physical form

For anyone who for whatever reason doesn’t want to get into the manga or the anime, they can start with the live-action version of Golden Kamuy. It’s also finding success thanks to its quality and faithfulness to the original work. Adapted into two films and an eight-episode miniseries, the first film, Golden Kamuy, covers the beginning of the series, while the miniseries, Golden Kamuy: In Search of the Prisoners of Hokkaidō, narrates the subsequent search for and pursuit of the escaped prisoners.

Now the second film is arriving on Netflix, Golden Kamuy: Assault on Abashiri Prison, where the main characters will have to enter the prison of the same name to uncover some unsettling truths. All while they face a battle on three fronts with the odds stacked against them.

With all three parts available on Netflix, the live action is an excellent way to get into Golden Kamuy. Since it’s still in development, it doesn’t feel as intimidating as an anime and a manga that can seem long and besides, if you don’t like anime, because it’s live action you have no excuse not to enjoy a story that has spent years taking Japanese and Western fans alike by storm.