#okuda hidenobu

[goldenkamuyhunting]

hi!

literally just finished reading golden kamuy last night, its been 2 years but better late than never :P So now i need to share my thoughts with anyone or i won't be able to sleep. I scrolled through your entire blog and your analysis has been very intriguing and also impressive!

But I am curious if you had any preferred endings/arc conclusions for any of the characters that you wish actually had happened? (forgive me if you answered this already but where would you have taken ogata's character after karafuto?)

maybe when season 5 comes out we will get some concrete behind-the-scenes answer why the last third of the story turned out the way it did (although I'm afraid that writing a conclusion for such a long story with many moving pieces and complex conspiracies will forever be difficuly)

Welcome in the GK world!

As I said in today previous ask I kind of discussed this extensively in past posts, so that I only posted as summary.

To dig a bit more in my wishes for Ogata's fate (it'll still be a summary though a bit more detailed as really, I spoke of this countless times)...

Ogata post Karafuto hardly does something meaningful and only seems to drag, so it would have been probably better to kill him in Karafuto, where his character was at his best in a narrative sense (basically he was one of the main characters of the Karafuto asc so his death would have been more impactful).

Personally I would have focused more on his relationship with Asirpa and her parallels with his mother than with the whole thing with Yuusaku and I would have let Ogata die due to the poisoned arrow.

Ogata could have also served to help Asirpa ponder more on the whole 'it's okay to kill' if she were to realize that for all of Ogata claiming he was okay with him he actually felt regret... and the fact she had a hand in his death, might have helped her to understand some things better.

If Ogata instead had to survive past Karafuto the story needed to cut him a role in which he could so something meaningful.

The story could have worked him more in the whole Central plot, answering to some questions instead than just having things happen (Why was Ogata chosen by Okuda when he had already Kikuta to spy Tsurumi? What made Okuda trust Ogata? What about the whole attempt of Ogata at creating a rebellion?) or it could have given Ogata a goal that wasn't against Asirpa's and forced him and Asirpa's group to join forces again (Ogata might have been in to ruin Tsurumi and plan to climb in ranks by doing so if the whole climbing in ranks had to be included). I'll stop here now because I'm probably repeating things everyone who usually read this blog knows.

I dont think season 5 will give us many behind the scenes answers but season 4 was surely much better animated than the previous so I think it will be a good season anyway.

We've to consider also we might miss things on why the ending needed to be as such due to cultural differences. Noda is writing a story meant to be enjoyed by Japanese readers and we aren't. So we might be missing something relevant that instead is really obvious for them. Thank you for your ask!

[chibivesicle]

Golden Kamuy - Kikuta really deserved better [part 2] 277-279.

Can you tell by my title that I’m a fan of Kikuta and I have some choice words for Noda?  Chapter 277 starts out with an introduction to the regional politics of Meiji era Japan.  The entire political shift occurred with the marriage of convenience between Choushuu and Satsuma (the Sat-Chou alliance) and how that is playing out in government and the military. With Hanazawa on the Satsuma side a commanding officer is having Tsurumi deal with the damage control.  That being Lt. General Okuda (and Kikuta’s boss)

He discloses how he’s the person who helped to cover up the scandal for Hanazawa and more of the regional politics comes into play as he pulls Tsurumi into this.

Recall that Tsurumi is from Niigata and we know he is from a family that lost power and wealth due to political changes.  He assumes that of course Tsurumi would hold a grudge towards those from the Sat-Chou alliance.  Usami is also from a fallen samurai family in Niigata and we know that Ogata is from Ibaraki and also from a samurai family on the losing side.  Tsukishima is from the island of Sado where unwanted people were dumped in Niigata so he is also an outsider.  We learn of his ‘true’ feelings as the tells his core group his opinion on things.

I love how we get unhinged Tsurumi calling it all a farce and he’s over Central.  But most importantly Okuda confirmed his own intel about the gold he learned while in Russia at some point in time.  His gold plan can slowly move along.  So Tsurumi becomes in the Hanazawa scandal cover up looking for the young 2nd Lt. and Kikuta, working under Okuda’s direct orders.

Despite his best efforts, Kikuta’s plan is revealed by a secretary at the Military Academy, while we know that Sugimoto and Kikuta are en route to the engagement dinner.

Hanazawa panics and sprints out to determine what is happening. Right on his tail is Tsurumi and his key team of Ogata, Tsukishima and Usami.  Clearly this is going to become a huge mess.  The next few pages are amusing, but really don’t add value to the plot.  I am impressed that Kaeko has an excellent plot to get Sugimoto naked and I commend her efforts!  GK is never short of strong female characters.  Who enjoy sex.

This sets up a hilarious moment where he’s naked and trapped in a bedroom while she leverages the potential scandal to her advantage.  By that point Tsurumi has caught up to them.  What is most interesting is when Usami addresses Ogata as Hyakunnosuke and asks him what he thinks about meeting his brother.  It is clear this isn’t out of concern from Usami’s part, we know he hates Ogata to his very core.

But as usual, Ogata doesn’t respond and we just see only a part of his eyes, not even a glance of his lips to give us an idea of what he’s thinking.

Kaeko and Sugimoto continue to talk as she reveals what she knows from Hanazawa Hiro.  She had been a nurse during the first Sino-Japanese war so it has allowed her to reflect on the impact of war on individual soliders.

This tells us a few things;  Hiro’s patriotism is more nuanced.  If she were being selfish and just saying she doesn’t want her son to go off to war without experience it, that would be one thing.  Instead, she knows being a military spouse first hand what happens - no one could say she didn’t do her own duty and go likely above and beyond.  Ultimately, she wants to protect her son from her own experiences and observations and be a mother.

Sugimoto then realizes he needs to bail and leaves poor Kikuta confused.  And then bam! The 27th is there.

Of course this leads to the most Sugimoto situation of all time!  Tsurumi threatens Kaeko with his handgun and Ogata asks where Yuusaku is.  Of course Sugimoto flies out of the bathroom naked sans Kikuta’s hat and Ogata is just amused beyond belief.

This would be complete if he were relaxed eating a box of popcorn or something like that. 278 continues this absolute chaos and lots of fan service for Miss Kaeko!  I really don’t think the fight scene needs much meta.  Ogata just finds it amusing (and btw sucks at hand to hand combat) while Usami rumbles with Sugimoto.  Tsurumi realizes he’s not Yuusaku and Kikuta rushes in and gets shot in the shoulder by Tsukishima.

Somehow, Kikuta is able to get the rest of them to flee but not without running into the actual Hanazawa Yuusaku.  Awkward.  Tsurumi only then realizes that Kikuta was doing his job and they run out into the street.

Kaeko tries her best to convince Sugimoto to marry her.  Granted he is a very heroic figure and he fought to protect her.  However, reality wouldn’t allow that to happen and Sugimoto decides to join the army - thinking he won’t starve that way.

Kikuta looks so sad and disappointed when he hears this.

He’s definitely thinking of his younger brother who died b/c he told him to join the army with him.  I loved the fact that we learn that Kaeko got to be a successful woman who was also compassionate to others. 

There is a quick exchange that shows the first encounter between Ogata and Yuusaku.  Yuusaku notices Ogata and salutes him as a cadet.

Ogata doesn’t even return the salute and he look he gives him out of the corner of his eyes.  What is he thinking?  I’d say Yuusaku doesn’t know who Ogata even is.  But something has him very suspicious to be this leery of him.  This also makes me think of this previous encounter between Koito and Ogata in chapter 200.

This time Ogata is bolder when he walks by Koito who is also currently still in the Army Academy.  Except unlike Yuusaku who doesn’t seem to pick up on Ogata’s vibes, Koito does!  And the two of them stare each other down.  I think that this in part shows that Koito has more innate awareness of things and could be considered more of a ‘natural’ in the military.  Which Yuusaku isn’t.  We have no evidence Yuusaku has any sort of military talent or skills. 

The chapter ends with Kikuta asking Sugimoto if he’s serious about joining the military and how he’s already fated to go to hell based on what he’s done in his life.  279 continues the conversation between Kikuta and Sugimoto and he flat out tells Sugimoto about how his brother died of illness in the army during the Sino-Japanese war.

Sugimoto then becomes Kikuta’s younger brother telling him that it is time to move on.  This continues the trend in GK where a character that is speaking becomes someone else to the listener.

This is most evident with Asirpa when she becomes Yuusaku on more than one occasion to Ogata.

But this facial expression from Kikuta [sobs].

No wonder Kikuta worked so hard to save Ariko’s life!  He can’t just always be responsible for the deaths of others.

Sugimoto convinces Kikuta that he’ll be alright in the army and he relents and lets him keep the cap.  This shows that Kikuta has moved on from the death of his brother - a big deal!  In an unusual way, Sugimoto has helped Kikuta move on and take the next step in the healing process. Kikuta reports to his commander in the 1st.  Okuda wants him to keep an eye on Tsurumi.  Obviously, he knows now that Tsurumi interfered with Kikuta’s plans for Hanazawa rather heavy-handedly so he would need someone else to balance it out.

It then reveals that Ogata is also working for Okuda in the 1st.  This explains why when the two of them crossed paths in the brewery they did not engage but nor did they appear to exchange any information.

I can’t help but feel like something is still off with this.  Ogata does have skills from working in intelligence with Tsurumi.  He’s observant, makes himself invisible and can get others to talk easily.  But Ogata being a 100% willing spy - it seems like he wants something else out of this. Kikuta’s character screams secret agent - but Ogata, he’s something else.  I’m not sure if Ogata’s choice to be a spy on Tsurumi was a real choice.

When Ogata and Tsukishima had their shoot out in Yubari at Edogai’s, Tsukishima told him he was a pet cat for Central.  Ogata replied that they were part of a rebel element.  We know that Ogata was working with Tamai at the beginning of the manga.  I struggle to see how Ogata has loyalty to anyone honestly.  He seems to be moving throughout this game with again his own mysterious objective.  Ogata is cynical and has no belief in the nation state nor does he harbor any sort of deep patriotism towards Imperial Japan.

Since Okuda is friends with Hanazawa and is based in Tokyo, he may have known Ogata since his birth and has kept tabs on him after the Ogata grandparents took him back to Ibaraki with his mom.  Ogata’s existence might be a sort of trump card that Okuda is keeping . . . but others found out as well like Tsurumi.  Did Okuda have Ogata tell or leak information that Ogata is Hanazawa’s first son? The chapter jumps to the 203 meter hill in the war and we see Yuusaku fallen on the battlefield.  Ogata watches from distance, his face cut off while other members of the 27th run out to help Yuusaku.

This finally reveals Yuusaku’s eyes!  Not the anticipated reveal - I kept thinking this was something that Ogata was going to see but it shows us clear eyes.  Which look sort of similar to Asirpa’s eyes.

So many thoughts are jumping around in my brain about this reveal.

1.) These eyes are not the ‘trademark’ Hanazawa eyes.  Dark black orbs with those eyebrows!  This indicates his eyes aren’t from his father.

Seeing this, I can’t help but think that Yuusaku is not Hanazawa’s son.  Instead, Hiro had an affair with someone else.  A major theme in GK is that the children inherit the skills of their parents.  Asirpa is able to do many things as she inherited the intelligence of Wilk.  And that Ogata is the true inheritor of Hanazawa’s military skills.

Recall this from chapter 58.  Ogata leads the crappy local gang against Hijikata and acts like a commander.

We know that Tsurumi’s lie about Ogata wanting to avenge Hanazawa is to keep Nikaido in the dark.

This would also explain why everything we learn about Yuusaku is terrible at military things.  If he also isn’t Hanazawa’s son it would make it even more reason for Hiro to try to prevent him from entering the military since he’s not even genetically related to this great line of Hanazawas.  I wish we knew more about the Ogata side of things - I think we’ll also learn that the Ogata side had competent military men on it as well.  2.) Yuusaku’s eyes are the same as Asirpa’s and indicate their sort of innocence.  In this case, it would perfectly explain why Ogata sees Yuusaku instead of Asirpa when he has the fever and then the melt down on the ice floe.  Yuusaku kept himself naive and innocent to meet his father’s expectations.  A man who I don’t think is even his father at this moment.  Therefore, Ogata’s guilt on killing Yuusaku is tied to his sort of innocence in these situations and why he can’t seem to shake his mental confusion when it comes to Asirpa.  However, unlike Yuusaku, Asirpa has never forced herself on him to do things or guilt tripped him so it leaves things open for him to not link her to Yuusaku.

3.) Yuusaku was going to blow Ogata’s cover working for Okuda.  Now that we know that Ogata was working for Okuda while in the 27th it means he’d have to keep his role quiet.  If Yuusaku found out that Ogata was working for Okuda, I could see him going to Tsurumi and telling him this information.  Therefore, to protect his status, Ogata used this as his rationale to kill Yuusaku on the battle field.  I have never figured out if Ogata was nudged to kill Tsurumi by his ‘don’t kill him right now.’ comment as one of Tsurumi’s backwards motivations that lead Ogata to directly killing him. So many possibilities!  I want more Ogata backstory dammit!

Anyhoo, to not make this meta super long let’s get back to the action. Asirpa begins working out how to try to break the code.  Hijikata notes that Wilk could have used something other than kanji, since he’d know the Latin alphabet for Polish and Cyrillic for Russian.  Shiraishi makes a clear point that this could be a message from Wilk towards her, though it feels like he’s channeling Kiro.  Out of many of the Japanese characters Shiraishi time and time again comes out much more sympathetic to the minorities than others.

Asirpa begins to wonder how the coin is linked to the skins. She’s thinking things through and is on her way to solving the puzzle.

After saving Ariko, Kikuta is returning to Tsurumi’s group in the church.  Oh Roger, this is why I love you so much.

Look at that smirk with a slightly watery eye.  At the same time Tsurumi is also looking at the coin and realizes he’s figured it out.

Kikuta approaches the rest of the group and comments on if he’s found the location.  Tsurumi states that things are just getting started.  He casually pulls out his gun and fires two shots into Kikuta at point blank range.

And with this I am deeply saddened and shocked.  How dare you do that to Kikuta!!!  He was my Kiro replacement and now he’s also going to die.

First Boutarou died and now Kikuta.  [cries].  We know that Tsurumi is a shinigami but this is just brutal.  The bear death trio died early on in the manga.  Ogata escaped.  Kikuta now is the next link to Central that goes down.

[kaici]

Ogata 007

Ogatáról korábban tévesen feltételeztem pár dolgot, de ahogy halad előre Noda Szatoru Golden Kamuy c. mangája, néhány vele kapcsolatos kérdés végre tisztázódott – de korántsem az összes. A képregény jelenleg a 290. fejezetnél tart, és most a nagy finálé előtt szeretnék újra egy bejegyzést szentelni a történet magányos vadmacska mesterlövészének, akiről a 279. fejezetben kiderült, hogy fiatal kora ellenére kém, aki a központi kormánynak dolgozik. Hogy pontosan mivel bízták meg, az egyelőre rejtély, ahogy az is, hogy eleget tesz-e a megbízásnak vagy öntörvényűen kibújt a kötelesség alól és szabad akaratából cselekszik tovább. Utóbbit alátámasztaná a hajviselete, mellyel függetlenségét fejezi ki (ezt Noda is alátámasztotta), bár lehet hogy csupán a katonaság kötelékéből való kiszabadulást szimbolizálja.

A történet jelenlegi állása szerint Ogata a Hakodatében található csillag alakú Gorjókaku erőd közelében van, ahol a manga végső nagy összecsapása fog megtörténni, és egyelőre rejtőzve figyeli az eseményeket. A 286. fejezetben láthattuk egy pillanatra:

Ogatát valószínűleg Okuda Hidenobu, az 1. hadosztály parancsnoka szervezte be kémnek, akárcsak Kikutát, akinek megbízásáról láthatunk is egy visszaemlékezést a 279. fejezetben. Ekkor tűnik fel a háttérben meghúzódó Ogata is. Megbízásának oka és a pontos feladata egyelőre nem ismert, valószínűleg Kikutához hasonlóan Curumi főhadnagyot kell megfigyelés alatt tartania. Okuda így mutatja be őket egymásnak:

Kiszama to onadzsi da. Tadasi… tomodaore o fuszegu tame ni dokudzsi ni hatarake. Otagai no dzsama dake va szuru na.

Ugyanaz, mint maga. Azonban... hogy elkerüljék a közös lebukást, dolgozzanak önállóan. A lényeg, hogy ne zavarják egymás munkáját.

Felvet egy pár kérdést az, hogy Ogata vajon miért lett ilyen fiatalon kém. A fenti képen az egyenruhája mandzsettáján a közlegényeknek járó egy csík van, tehát nemrég sorozták be katonának (valószínűleg már beépített emberként került a katonasághoz). Vajon kényszerítették rá vagy önként vállalta a munkát? A fenti paneleken nem tűnik túl felszabadultnak, ökölbe szorított kézzel áll, kerüli a szemkontaktust és mereven maga elé néz.

Most, hogy Ogata valódi kilétére fény derült, végre megkaptuk a magyarázatot erre a szavak nélküli, évekkel későbbi jelenetre a szapporói sörgyárban (258. fejezet):

Valóban nem zavarták egymás munkáját.

Képességei

Ogatának minden adottsága megvan ahhoz, hogy kém legyen. Tud egyedül dolgozni, logikus gondolkodása van, jó a helyzetfelismerő képessége, érzékeli a hazugságot, nagyon jó a memóriája és kiváló megfigyelő is. Hadd hozzak két példát!

A megrendezett ainu faluban például csak ő érti, Asirpa hogyan akarja sarokba szorítani a hamis ainu férfiakat és végül ő viszi végig a cselt:

Musonkami tte dó iu imi da? Oja? Mosikasite vakaran no ka?

Mit is jelent az, hogy musonkami? Ó! Lehetséges, hogy nem tudjátok?

Az, hogy ennyire emlékszik a musonkami ainu szóra, felveti azt a kérdést, hogy valóban ilyen jó a memóriája, hogy tud emlékezni egy Asirpa által mondott idegen szóra, vagy esetleg ismeri az ainu nyelvet is… Ha már meglepetésszerűen megszólalt oroszul, igazából a Kirorankéval együtt töltött idő alatt az ainut is elsajátíthatta bizonyos fokig.

Emlékszik a Szugimotoval az otarui erdőben történt zűrös találkozás beszélgetésére is, pedig csak pár mondatot váltottak egymással. Bár Szugimoto végig titkolja Asirpa előtt, hogy régi szerelme miatt kezdett aranyvadászatba, a 108. fejezetben Ogata rávilágít erre, kínos perceket hozva Szugimotonak és Asirpának. Bírom a cinikus arckifejezését:

A szeretet sajátos formái

Rátérnék Ogata és Curumi főhadnagy kapcsolatára. Curumi egyszer kifejtette, hogy nem a hazugság és az kényszerítés eszközét alkalmazta hűséges csatlósainak megnyeréséhez, hanem a szeretetet.

A katonaságban jelen levő kötődésre egyébként Noda külön kitér néhány megjegyzésben a 227. fejezetben:

A vietnámi háborúból hazatért katonák vallomásukban a köztük és az életükkel rendelkező felettesük között kialakult köteléket erős és szeretetteljes kapcsolatnak írták le, ami szorosabb volt egy házassági köteléknél is. Rengeteg II. világháborús katona is állította, hogy a csodált és imádott felettesüknek való megfelelés és bajtársi szeretetük hajtotta őket, hogy újabb és újabb embereket öljenek meg.

Curumi a fenti panelen szereplő katonákból hármat bizonyítottan tettetett törődésével és őszinteségével hódított meg. Szó szerint hódított, hiszen Uszami rajongása és bizonyítani akarása a főhadnagy felé már-már beteges, és Koito is szerelmes tinilány módjára képes viselkedni, ha a közelébe kerül. Bár Cukisima érettebben viselkedik, a manga eddigi 290 fejezete sem volt elég arra, hogy meggyengítse elkötelezettségét a főhadnagy felé, sőt… a történet jelenlegi állása szerint ő Curumi legelvakultabb követője, aki kész kegyetlen gyilkosként támogatni őt. A képen negyedikként Ogata szerepel. Feltételezem, ha a n��gy katonából három múltjában megjelent a manipulátor főhadnagy, akkor a képen szereplő Ogatára is volt valamilyen hatással fiatalkorában. Nagyon várok néhány ezzel kapcsolatos múltbéli fejezetet Nodától!

A fenti négy katona közül Ogata az, aki a központi kormánynak köszönhetően már a kezdetektől fogva átlát Curumin, a következő sorokat például csak magának (illetve a mögötte álló kitömött Curumi bábunak) mondja a 78. fejezetben, Cukisima elől rejtőzve:

Nakama da no. Szenjú da no. Kuszai szerifu de vakamono o noszeru no ga odzsózu deszu ne, Curumi csúi dono.

Barátok. Bajtársak. Van tehetsége szóvirágos beszédekkel megvezetni a fiatalokat. Ugye, Curumi főhadnagy úr?

Ezen kívül nagyon jó nézni azt, ahogy elhintett információmorzsákkal próbálja szembeállítani Koitot is Curumivel. Koito amúgy rettentő sokat köszönhet Ogatának, az irány, amerre a történet előrehaladtával fejlődik, mind a mesterlövésznek köszönhető. Hamarosan kiderül, hogy a Curumit gyerekes módon imádó Koito mennyire nő fel a történet végére és lesz képes egyedül racionális döntéseket hozni. Sok emberi megmozdulást láthattunk már tőle, s mivel Koito sosem ártott még feleslegesen senkinek, merem remélni, hogy a képregény befejezésének egyik legtisztességesebb alakja lesz majd.

Jó kérdés, hogy Ogata, aki számára felnőttként nem létezik szeretet, mennyire dőlt be régen (esetleg gyermekkorában) Curumi módszereinek, és azt is szeretném tudni, Curumi mikor jött rá, hogy Ogata csak szerepet játszik a katonaságban és a célszemély, akit megfigyel, az ő maga.

Személy szerint nem hiszem el, hogy Ogata nem Curumi hatására mérgezte meg az édesanyját. Eredendően nem létezhet ilyen kegyetlen gyermek, szóval én úgy gondolom, Curumi indította be Ogatánál a hidegvérű gyilkoláshullámot, ahogy tette azt Uszaminál (gyerekként agyonverte a barátját) és Cukisimánál is (agyonverte az édesapját). Hogy a múlt ne legyen túl egyértelmű, a 283. fejezetben a vonaton bóbiskoló Ogata szeme előtt ez a kép jelenik meg:

Ezen a képen nekem nem úgy tűnik, mintha Tome teljesen kizárta volna az életéből Ogatát. Oké, hogy folyamatosan ördöghalas egytálat készített és várta vissza Hanazava altábornagyot, de itt látjuk a másik oldalát is: gondosan betakarja a fiatal Hjakunoszukét és a Tórjansze c. gyermekdalt énekli neki:

通りゃんせ　通りゃんせ

ここはどこの　細道じゃ

天神さまの　細道じゃ

ちっと通して　下しゃんせ

...

行きはよいよい　帰りはこわい

こわいながらも

通りゃんせ　通りゃんせ

Tórjansze, tórjansze.

Koko va doko no hoszomicsi dzsa?

Tendzsin-szama no hoszomicsi dzsa.

Csitto tósite kudasansze.

…

Iki va joi joi, kaeri va kovai.

Kovai nagara mo

Tórjansze, tórjansze.

Menj csak, menj tovább.

Merre vezet ez a keskeny ösvény?

Tendzsin istenhez vezet az ösvény.

Engedd hogy rátérjek.

…

Elmenni könnyű, a visszatérés ijesztő.

Félelmedben is

menj csak, menj tovább.

Nagyon bírom és nem lehet véletlen, hogy Noda éppen Ogatát emeli ki ha altató- vagy gyerekdalokról van szó, rá fókuszál a 107. fejezetben is, miközben az idős nagymama egy ainu altatódalt énekel. Nyitott szemmel veszélyes, csukott szemmel viszont a legszelídebb lény a mangában:

Ainu nyelven (angol átírással) így szól az Ogatához írt altatódal töredéke:

Nispa ene kuni

kamuy enukar ki

kusune na.

Mokor mokor

iteki cisino

mokor mokor.

 Istenek figyelnek,

hogy kiváló

felnőtté lehess.

Csitt-csitt,  

ne sírj most már,

csitt-csitt.

Ösvény, istenek, sírás, félelem… miért kapcsolja össze Noda ezeket a fogalmakat Ogatával!?

Akiktől Ogata is tart

Úgy gondolom, Ogatának két emberen kívül más nem tud ártani: az egyik Szugimoto, a másik az orosz mesterlövész Vaszilij. Ogata is nagyon jól tudja, hogy közelről és távolról is érheti támadás. Szugimototól már a történet eleje óta tart, mert tapasztalta, hogy ha a kezei közé kerül, vele szemben alulmarad. Vaszilij pedig a zavaró tényező Ogata számára: egyrészt meglepetésszerűen bukkant fel, hiszen meg kellett volna halnia (Ogata nem mindig osztogatja precízen a fejlövéseket), másrészt mesterlövész gondolkodásmódjának köszönhetően meg tud jelenni bármilyen képtelen helyen. Zajlik tehát a mesterlövészek sakkjátszmája is, Ogata nem egyszer volt már életveszélyben Vaszilij miatt.

Mivel az orosz mesterlövész a történet független szereplője, Ogatán kívül nincs más célpontja. Vaszilijt szerintem Szugimoto tudja csak megállítani, ahhoz pedig az kell, hogy Ogata valami sorsfordító pozitív dolgot tegyen akár vele, akár Asirpával. Ha Ogata valami módon kedvez nekik (annyira bírnám, ha ő lőné fejbe Curumi főhadnagyot!), akkor Szugimoto sem fogja hagyni, hogy Vaszilij levadássza Ogatát. És ezzel bezárul a kör.

Szugimotoval végig nagyon érdekes kapcsolata van Ogatának egyébként. A japán veteránnak kétszer is szándékában állt meggyilkolni Ogatát: először a történet elején az Otaru melletti erdőben, ahol Asirpa miatt megkegyelmezett neki, majd az orosz klinikán Asirpa tisztaságának megóvása végett, ahol Ogata leleményességének köszönhetően maradt hoppon. Ogatának is lett volna lehet��sége végezni Szugimotoval az Abasiri börtönben, de a félresikerült fejlövés nem volt elég ahhoz, hogy megölje halhatatlan főhősünket. Olyan is volt nem egyszer, hogy egyikőjük megmentette a másikat. A képregényben végigkíséri kettejüket egy amolyan csiki-csuki helyzet: egyszer meg akarják ölni egymást, máskor pedig valami miatt életben tartják a másikat. A legutolsó személyes találkozás után Szugimoto ezzel a mániákus tekintettel nézett a betegköpenyben menekülő Ogatára, és az alábbi jókívánságot fogalmazta meg:

Genki ni natte modotte koi. Bukkorosite jaru kara.

Gyógyulj meg és térj vissza. Mert kurvára megöllek.

Szóval a mesterlövésznek van mit jóvátennie… Nagyon tetszik, hogy Ogatának közel száz fejezeten keresztül sikerült elkerülnie az újabb kontaktust Szugimotoval. Kíváncsi vagyok, hogyan alakul a végső személyes találkozásuk. A történet elején az Otaruhoz közeli erdőben Ogata volt az első a 7. hadosztályból, akivel Szugimoto és Asirpa találkozott, és remekül keretezné a történetet, ha tőle is búcsút vehetnének a történet végén. De lehet, hogy túl sokat akarok :)

Nagyon élvezem, ahogy Noda a szereplők múltját is felépíti. Így derült fény arra is, hogy Szugimoto és Ogata nem az otarui erdőben találkoztak először, de nem is a 203-as magaslaton, ahol az agyonlőtt Júszaku holttesténél álltak szemtől szemben...

...hanem egy elegáns tokiói szállodában, ahol a Júszaku szerepébe bújó Szugimoto végül anyaszült meztelenül... na mindegy is:

Survival Road

Vajon hogyan ér véget ez az egész Ogata számára? Meggyőződésem, hogy a vadmacska életben marad, s önszántából léphet ki az aranyért folytatott csatározásból. Ehhez viszont valami nagyon nagy fordulatra van szükség, amit remélem, megkapunk Nodától.

Árulkodó a 91. fejezet címoldala is:

Noda a „The Golden Kamuy Survival Road”-on ábrázolt néhány szereplőt. Asirpa, Szugimoto, Usijama és Ogata az egyik irányba tartanak, míg Inoue, Hidzsikata, Nagakura és Kiroranke a másik irányba. Mivel az utóbbi csapatból ketten már meghaltak (Kiroranke és Inoue), és tudjuk, hogy a való életben Hidzsikatát a manga jelenlegi helyszínén, a Gorjókaku erődben érte a halál, ezért megerősítést nyert, az alsó sorban a szereplők a halálba tartanak. Noha Siraisi is köztük volt a rajz szerint, a Szökések királya ezúttal a halált megtréfálva menekül el. Szeretném hinni, hogy Noda nem véletlenül rajzolja meg a dolgokat úgy, ahogy.

Nem ez az egyetlen ilyen beállítás egyébként. A 87. és a 101. fejezet is hasonló menetelős címoldalakat kapott:

Nyilván a történet szerint Ogata akkoriban együtt utazott Asirpáékkal, de árulóként szerintem akkor sem lett volna szükségszerű címoldalra tenni, hacsak tényleg nem a Survival Road-ot szimbolizálja ez a menet. A mesterlövész mindegyik képen némileg lemaradva az utolsó a sorban, de azért csak ott van.

Ne feledjük, hogy Ogata már a hiúzos jelenetnél is szimbolikusan követte Asirpát, remélem, hogy ezúttal is a lány ösvényére viszi a sors, ami az ábra alapján a túlélés felé tart. Én továbbra is bízom benne, hogy Noda valami meghökkentő tettre tartogatja a manga öntörvényű japán mesterlövészét.

[goldenkamuyhunting]

So who were the Russian kidnappers of Koito actually? Was it Ogata, Tsukishima and Kikuta?

Exactly.

You might notice how Ogata’s nose is still bruised due to Koito hitting it with his head.

Apparently the three of them, in addition to knowing Russian, were already inside Tsurumi’s inner circle as they were trusted enough they were allowed to take part to such a risky mission. Which is ironic considering Kikuta and Ogata were already spies for Central.

Not that Central looked good in this mess as Okuda was likely informed about Tsurumi’s plan to kidnap Koito and he likely just shrugged and said ‘whatever, traumatize the Satsuma boy who’ll get into the navy, I don’t care.'

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Hi! Thank you for all your hard work! Despite all the problems, GK had a legacy of good characters and a very interesting background that can be poured on endlessly for inspiration. I have a question for you, if you do not mind. When Tsurumi mentions that Ogata's grandfather was "in the military" too, he was refering to Hanazawa Kojiro's father right? I don't think Noda ever said much beyond what was needed for the story about them, so do you have any thoughts about the family itself or even Kojiro's younger days? Thank you for your time!

Thank you for enjoying my work!

Yes, “Golden Kamuy” has an awesome universe, both in term of characters and setting ideas as well as psychological deep. I love this part of this story.

I don’t mind questions, only, sadly, not always I know the answers to them... -_-;;

In regard to that scene yes, the implication seems to be that Tsurumi is referring to Hanazawa’s father both in the scanlations and in the official translation.

The Japanese text refers to him as

‘Hanazawa Chūjō No chichi-ue’

 花沢中将の父上

“Lieutenant General Hanazawa’s honorable father” (.ue is a honorific that denotes a HIGH level of respect)

So yeah, it’s Hanazawa’s father. Pity we don’t really get info about Tome’s father instead. Iwould have enjoyed them.

In regard to my speculations about Hanazawa, I don’t really have much.

What follows is a bit o my speculations, tied to the canon info we know, but as I didn’t really study him in deep (even Noda doesn’t seem to care much about him, in fact, apart for his death scene, he always recycled the same image of him OVER AND OVER and never let him voice his opinions again) don’t expect it to be that accurate.

So, Hanazawa.

I would say he was probably the second son, (due to his name being ‘Kōjirō’ where ‘jirō’ was usually a name ending given to the second son).

As Hanazawa is based on Nogi Maresuke (although, visually, he looks more like Ōkubo Toshimichi), my guess is that he was likely meant to have a similar backstory, though not a similar personality since Nogi Maresuke wanted to commit Seppuku and was stopped while Hanazawa’s Seppuku wasn’t exactly something he did of his own volition.

Long story short, I believe that, same as Nogi, although Hanazawa was the second son, his older brother died, so he became the heir.

His friendship with Koito Heiji (who’s based on Tōgō Heihachirō) starts early due to their families being close despite one being in the navy and the other being in the army.

Hanazawa would have preferred to become a scolar than a soldier but, being the heir, this wasn’t an option. With time though, he’ll grow to become more devoted to his job, starting to think of it as his true vocation.

My guess is Hanazawa’s father was cold, in the kind of way that was typical to that time period so not cruel or anything, but definitely not someone like Koito Heiji either. When his older son was alive, he didn’t really care much about Hanazawa because he had a heir, when he died, he put pressure on him so that he’ll start behaving properly.

Hanazawa is roped into a marriage of convenience with his wife, Hiro, while he was a Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Imperial Guards (近衛歩兵第一連隊長 ‘Konoe hohei dai ichi-ren tai’). He doesn’t care about her beyond what his duties required and, as his father dies, short after, this gives him the chance to spend his free time in Asakusa in a small act of rebellion, where he met Tome, who was working as a geisha.

Hanazawa favours her, partly because his wife isn’t managing to give him a child, which reflects negatively on him too. partly because he can have deeper discussions with her than with Hiro.

Tome deludes herself this means something, and when she gives his a male son she thinks he might consider rejecting his wife and marry her. Hanazawa (despite being happy this proves if he and his wife not having children is not his fault) never planned to do so and thinks its insanity from Tome’s part to do so much as consider he might do so.

This, and the fact Hiro manages to give him a son, persuaded him to cut all ties with Tome and her baby son in a rather rude manner.

Tome won’t accept this and continue to live in her delusion.

Hanazawa and Hiro continue to be a poor match but, outside, they perform in an appropriate manner, Hanazawa becoming more and more interested in rising in his role.

Eventually Hanazawa is moved to the 7th division. Of course, since it’s not fun if sons don’t repeat the mistakes of their fathers, Hanazawa wants his son, Yuusaku, to follow his footsteps in the army, raising him with strictness and trying to push on him his beliefs, Hanazawa hoping Yuusaku, his very obedient son who’s starved for affection, would become the regimental flag bearer.

Hiro disagrees but doesn’t voice her opinion, she merely plot to get Yuusaku a nice girl so he won’t have to be the flag bearer.

Hiro’s action further cause Hanazawa to be displeased in her as her actions might put in question even hi own patriotism.

Unable to stop his wife, to avoid a scandal, Hanazawa is forced to contact Okuda, which further displeases him.

Hiro’s plan doesn’t work and, as Yuusaku becomes flagbearer, this leads to her and Hanazawa to further distance each other. After Yuusaku’s death she won’t be waiting for Hanazawa at home, which means when Ogata will drop by to have a last chat with his father, Hanazawa will be alone.

Too proud to listen to others and too career obsessed he’ll make many mistakes in the Russo-Japanese war, the worst of all, undervaluing Tsurumi due to the latter low rank and family fallen into disgrace.

He was however a person who wouldn’t have let Tsurumi blackmail him, so Tsurumi decided to simply move him out of the picture, understanding soon he wouldn’t be able to manipulate him through neither of his sons the way he did with Koito Heiji.

Thus Hanazawa dies and Tsurumi even writes for him a nice note to deliver to Heiji then, as if moving him out of the way wasn’t enough, uses Central’s reaction to his death to further win the loyalty of his men. Yodogawa, who replaces Hanazawa, is easier to blackmail and manipulate so really, everything goes in Tsurumi’s way just fine as he sets up to replace Hanazawa for the control of Hokkaido’s army.

Sources of interest for more Hanazawa info/speculations might be the wikipedia pages of the man who inspired him, Nogi Maresuke (although, visually, he looks more like Ōkubo Toshimichi).

Also in regard to Nogi Maresuke and his parallelisms with Hanazawa @osomanga used to have many more awesome posts on him, his sons and that time period, though I can’t track them anymore. Maybe tumblr swallowed them in their mad and senseless flagging and I don’t know if osomanga will ever make an appeal to unflag them or if they just preferred to erase them.

An interesting and very good post dealing with Hanazawa is the one of @prancing-uboot who has a more positive view than me about him and who studied what might have been Hanazawa's life much more in deept than I did and with a good reference to historical facts.

I’m afraid I don’t know any other post about Hanazawa, though, if there’s more, people is welcome to give me a head up.

Thank you for your ask!

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Hello, I hope this doesn’t seem rude but I am curious, what loose ends specifically regarding Ogata are you disappointed will not be resolved? I have to admit he is not a favorite of mine so I may just have forgotten. Also, I’m sorry you are unhappy with the story right now, I hope that the following chapters are more enjoyable for you.

No, don’t worry, you aren’t being rude at all and thank you for hoping I’ll enjoy more the following chapters. It’s my hope as well, I miss when the waiting for a chapter was a source of huge excitement.

My personal grievances regarding what was left unexplained in the Ogata character arc are tied to:

- Ogata’s relation with his grandparents (Ogata seemed to care about his grandmother… but then we’re told the only one who loved him was Yuusaku so… didn’t she care? Also the fanbook was extremely vague about their death but since there’s no reveal the implication seems to be Ogata killed them but then why not outright say so?)

- the lack of explanation on how Ogata ended up in Tsurumi’s orbit (we’re given long flashbacks for Tsukishima, Koito and Usami which all tie to how Tsurumi won them over but none for Ogata, although he was serving under Tsurumi from prior to 1900… credits when it’s due we’ve something vague about it during the war and when Ogata killed his father but not how it all started)

- how Ogata ended up among Okuda’s spies (while it makes sense Okuda would trust Kikuta to do the job, why trusting Ogata, a rockie, and sharing with him the fact Kikuta was a spy, exposing Kikuta to the risk Ogata would tattle him out?)

- how the cat alliance or, if you prefer the Ogata/Kiro alliance came to form

- a general smoothing of half a ton contradictions through his story that yeah, could be smoothed but are just left as they are and, instead than fixing things 304, 309 and 310 add more.

There’s plenty of more things that were left unexplained (I’m trying to make a list but it’s long and I’d like to make it impersonal as I’m trying to put on it also things I personally don’t care about but others do so I’m trying to do it in a way that is impartial, which isn’t exactly easy) but they don’t really bother me that much.

Now, of course, I can, same as everyone else in the fandom, provide theories to explain them but what lacks is the official explanation. Of course you might feel no interest in those points and therefore ne need for an explanation. As I said I’ve also plot threads that were left hanging and for which my reaction is ‘well, whatever, let’s move on, I don’t care, I’ll make up my own explanation if I really need one’. For each is different.

However in the case of Okuda trusting Ogata as his spy and in the case of Kiroranke trusting Ogata as his partner… well this left unexplained feels as if pulled out of nowhere.

Okuda is a Lieutenant General, it’s unlikely he supervises the tons of new cadets who join the army. He’s not the sharpest pencil in the box, but he’s sharp enough to figure Tsurumi can’t be trusted and to put not 1 but 2 spies on his back.

Kikuta is a man who clearly has worked under him by a while and never failed him. It makes sense he would trust him. Ogata… is supposedly someone who works under Tsurumi (therefore in the 7th), trusted enough by Tsurumi he can complain in front of him about Okuda. On the opposite way, we learnt from Tsukishima that, due to his birth, Ogata was universally distrusted by the other soldiers who mocked him. It feels weird Okuda would pick him up.

Let’s assume Ogata somehow managed to get Okuda to meet up with him with an excuse and volunteered for the job on his own. Okuda doesn’t trust Tsurumi. Would he trust one of Tsurumi’s men to be willing to do spy work for him and expose his other spy to his knowledge so, in case the man is actually still working for Tsurumi, Tsurumi would know Kikuta is a spy and, in addition to using Ogata for feeding Okuda with false intelligence, can even manage to do the same with Kikuta?

Without explanation the answer is ‘yeah, why not? Ogata evidently inspired that much trust in Okuda’ despite Ogata physically looking like Hanazawa and Okuda being on the Choushuu side.

Is it because Ogata looked like Hanazawa? Because he thought he would have another weapon in his hands to indebt Hanazawa more? Okuda though, should know Hanazawa didn’t care about his bastard son. I could go on proposing theories and debating them but the key point is one, there’s no official answer. You can make up tons to explain it but exactly because you can make up tons, it means the answer isn’t obvious and, since Ogata being a spy for Central is a plot point, it required to be explained.

The same goes with Ogata’s alliance with Kiroranke. Kiro is a partisan, used to be cautious. He knows Ogata’s reputation in the 7th as someone good with his gun but also extremely not trustworthy and who’s currently working for Hijikata. He knows he’s Hanazawa’s son so he might want more than just the gold, as Hijikata points out. What ensures Kiro that Ogata won’t tattle out Kiro’s plan to Hijikata and shoot Kiro instead than Wilk and then present himself as Wilk’s savior so as to have a bigger share of the gold... or shoot everyone in the Hijikata/Sugimoto/Kiro group so as to hand Wilk to Tsurumi?

Ogata being a deserter could be a show in the same way as Tsurumi tried to pull the same thing with Ariko. Yet Kiroranke trusts Ogata not to blow his brain off. Kiroranke too know how to use a rifle. He’s not as good as Ogata but, at this point, he might have just done the job by himself.

We’ve a whole arc to explain why Hijikata, who was actually in serious need for men, accepted Ogata in his group, but we get nothing for Kiroranke who, till the end, will trust Ogata to be on his side.

Again, we can offer tons of theories but no explanation is given. Even Sugimoto’s group wondered why Ogata and Kiro allied but they didn’t manage to find a solution and the matter is never brought up again. Kiro just does join hands with him, when we don’t know as the story doesn’t show them spending a lot of time together. Again it’s up to speculation.

As I said, it’s fine not to care if you aren’t invested in Ogata.

But it’s something me and many others wanted to see addressed and that ultimately is just… shrugged off.

But yes, it can be just us…

Thank you for your ask and don’t worry, you didn’t seem rude at all. Wanting to know something is more than fine and you’re in no obligation to remember all the details that were left unexplored. Let’s hope those last 3 chapters will be awesome enough to make everyone satisfied!

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Most of the trusted men Tsurumi surrounds himself with plagiarized them as children by making them commit crimes that tied him to himself and from which he benefited, for any personal vendettas. Can it be the same as ogata? Could it be that Tsurumi plagiarized Ogata from an early age in order to destroy Hanazawa for some wrong? Thank you

Hum...

I fear I should clarify some things first.

Tsurumi is a master manipulator, Tsurumi himself states it so I don’t think this is up to discussion but, to be honest, through the whole “Golden Kamuy” we canonically saw Tsurumi influencing only two men he influenced from childhood, Usami Tokishige (12/13/14) and Koito Otonoshin (14/16).

All the other people he manipulated, Tsukishima, Tanigaki (in the early stages), Siromakur, Nikaidou, Edogai, Inkarmat, Koito Heiji and so on are adults, not children.

I’m not really counting how he forced Asirpa to tell him the code because that was more blackmail mixed with psychological torture than manipulation (he held her captive, told her Wilk was responsible for Fina and Olga’s death, wore Wilk’s face, threatened to kill Sofia if Asirpa didn’t comply).

We also have to consider 2 more things.

1) We don’t know exactly Tsurumi’s role in the whole Usami thing, he might have acted in such a way he might have set Usami against Tokishige but I genuinely doubt he expected Usami to go for the kill, in fact we might say he considered it a learning experience.

The incident stuck him and he continued to think at it for a long time and then, during the war discovered the answer. If he didn’t know why Usami ended up reacting the way he did, he couldn’t trigger him to that point, and he definitely looked surprise when Usami crossed the line and became a murderer.

So, even if we want to speculate Tsurumi had a hand into the whole thing (we don’t really know) at best we can assume he was experimenting with Usami, seeing how he would react or how far he would go, maybe wanting him to damage a surperior officer’s son, be it by crushing his spirit by proving Takahiro just wasn’t cut to become an officer as he couldn’t beat Usami, or by causing him to sink into depression because their friendship would be broken or just by giving him some bruises... but didn’t expect Usami to go so far as to kill him.

Actually, it’s likely Tsurumi grew more interested in Usami and in manipulating him and keeping him close because Usami, by crossing the line so easily, proved himself to be special.

2) Regarding to Koito he very likely didn’t mean for Koito to commit any criminal act, nor was that invested in him. Even if we assume that Tsurumi’s meeting with Koito in Kagoshima was staged and not casual (Koito was actually meant to be at school when they met but Tsurumi might have been aware Koito tended to skip it), likely the only interest Tsurumi held for Koito back then was as a mean to win the friendship of his father and not for Koito himself. Tsurumi needed Koito Heiji’s support, and so he might have needed information on how to use young Koito to manipulate Koito Heiji into becoming indebted to him.

The whole kidnapping thing happens in 1902, short before the Nopperabou incident. Tsurumi couldn’t know the Nopperabou incident would end up with Wilk ending up in Abashiri, he likely expected to track the gold in that year, which is why he wanted to win Koito Heiji’s support.

Young Koito back then was 16 and, anyway, meant to become a naval officer. He would be of no use to Tsurumi had things gone as Tsurumi expected them to go. When things go in a different way, for quite a while Tsurumi still has little use for Koito beyond using him to get to his father and leave him in Asahikawa.

So, I’m not excusing Tsurumi for what he did or anything, he surely influenced them when they were young and, later, used them for his own purpose but saying “Most of the trusted men Tsurumi surrounds himself with plagiarized them as children by making them commit crimes that tied him to himself and from which he benefited, for any personal vendettas” gives him a deliberate planning in their groming he didn’t seem to mean to have, parly because he didn’t expect things would evolve like that and partly because he didn’t expect them to become of use.

Now... what about Ogata?

Could he have met Tsurumi when he was young?

Noda said he did. According to Noda Ogata studied Russian along with Tsukishima.

Q50: Tsukishima’s life was hinged on learning Russian. How did he do it? I’m curious about whether he went to classes or used study materials available in Japan, or had to learn on site. Noda: Russian knowledge was used merely as a pretext for the army so it’s not that he needed to learn it immediately. He started learning after getting out of prison, from Tsurumi and on site. Ogata was studying together with him, but he wasn’t as diligent about it as Tsukishima. ( Q&A section from the Golden Kamuy fanbook translation courtesy of @piduai)

What does this mean?

Ogata should be born in 1882 (he’s younger than Usami who’s canonically born in 1881 and older than Yuusaku who couldn’t be born later than 1883) and Tsukishima got out of prison in 1996 (when Ogata was 14) and was in Russia in 1997 (when Ogata was 15) so if the two of them learnt it together, Ogata started learning Russian from Tsurumi at either 14 or 15.

This makes Ogata another person Tsurumi brought in Russia with himself despite not knowing Russian.

Now, it can be that Ogata, who has ties with Central since in 1901 we see he’s working for Okuda, was assigned to Tsurumi’s group by someone at Central and Tsurumi met him for the first time when they had to leave for Russia... or it can be that Tsurumi just recommended him for that mission, which would mean Tsurumi knew Ogata from before he was 14/15.

Regardless, we saw Tsurumi attempting to manipulate Ogata when the latter was older, so it’s entirely possible he started from when he met him. What’s more Tsurumi should have been an influencial figure in young Ogata’s life as Ogata will say a couple of sentences that seem to be quote from what Tsurumi himself said.

Of course it’s possible Tsurumi is quoting Ogata but, somehow, I see it as difficult.

So yeah, even though Ogata at some point became aware Tsurumi is a manipulator, a ‘smooth talking bastard’ (chap 103) who ‘always did have a talent for using those stupid cliches to get young men to follow him’ (chap 78), he should have ended up influenced and manipulated as well, at least partially.

Was Tsurumi’s goal to use him to 'destroy Hanazawa for some wrong'?

We don’t know if Hanazawa did something directly against Tsurumi, but Hanazawa is surely a threat to Tsurumi’s plans as he’s against the Mantetsu (while Tsurumi is in favour of it) and he’s Tsurumi’s superior officer, one Tsurumi likely couldn’t force to bow to his requests through blackmail like he did with Yodogawanor that he could win over using father-son love as he did with Koito Heiji.

So Hanazawa always had to go even if he had been on his best behaviour toward Tsurumi. However it’s not like Tsurumi specifically needed Ogata to do it. Despite Tsurumi’s pretty words, Ogata is neither charismatic nor beloved as Yuusaku, so, if Hanazawa dies, he can’t replace neither him nor Yuusaku in the soldiers’ hearts.

Hanazawa’s murder didn’t require a high skilled sniper, it’s a job anyone could do, so it’s not like Tsurumi needed someone with Ogata’s skill set to do the job.

What’s more, as Hanazawa continues to not recognize Ogata and Ogata says he accepted the job solely because he wanted to talk with him (meaning that, as far as Hanazawa was concerned, they weren’t even on speaking terms) it’s not like Ogata had free access in Hanazawa’s house.

Everyone would do.

So, back to the starting point, Tsurumi very likely started to manipulate Ogata from when the latter was wrong but his aim likely wasn’t to use him to kill Hanazawa. Ogata is just an amazing sniper and Tsurumi likely thought this would come definitely of use.

Thank you for your ask

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Hello,

how are you?

I have a question that I had already asked in our conversation but I lost the thread so this is just a copy/paste sorry 🙏.

I'm wondering about ogata's purpose in the whole story :

if ogata's goal was to rise in rank, would he have gone hunting for gold in order to bring back a small portion of the loot (as we are introduced to in chapter 185, he explains that he doesn't want so much money and would only need a small portion).

But I find it hard to see how a small amount of loot could move him up the ranks?

Or was he looking for the Hokkaido deed all along (to bring it to the central and get promoted with their support?) Idk, this solution makes more sense to get promoted otherwise I don't think it makes sense to betray tsurumi with the rebel group and go for the gold alone, but Ogata ended up believing in tsurumi instead....

Thanks again for all your work!

Hello!

Well...

Usual obligatory disclaimer: if people can’t stand to someone not liking how Noda developed the last part of the story, this isn’t a post you’re going to enjoy to read and the back button is there to spare you the pain of doing so.

Now, for those who decided they can bear it, here are my two cents.

Now, assuming Noda always meant for Ogata’s goal to be the one he expressed in chap 304, the way he constructed it though the story and EXPECIALLY in the last arc is not so great and those last arc had caused in many more confusion than anything else.

In fact, although it had been discussed ab nauseam during the serialization if Ogata’s goal could have been rising in ranks (and this theory received little to no favour from the fandom as, for various reasons, many weren’t sold to it), it was still a theory that was possible to squeeze inside the chapters prior to Vol 31.

In fact, if we have to go to what he said to Asirpa, he never asked for money but for ‘a fair reward’ a wording that, back then, made wonder even Japanese fans.

And yeah, he makes clear his fair reward isn’t that much money he could build a country.

So, this, ironically leaves open the possibility he means ‘I actually don’t want the money for myself at all, I’ll just pass it all to central and my fair reward will be being promoted’.

The fact that Ogata didn’t want the gold for himself but planned to use the knowledge of where was the gold for some purpose was, in fact, something that had been speculated back then.

It was never said/confirmed if Ogata knew about the land deed beforehand and how his goal wasn’t to track the gold down but the land deed down, this is just a fan speculation.

It would have been a good thing if Central had entrusted him with the role of tracking down the land deed (and destroying it) while Kikuta was meant to track down the gold.

It could have even given us additional material as it could have tied the reason why Central picked Ogata (an unnamed rookie distrusted by the army as well as Hanazawa’s bastard son), since Noda could have tossed in that Ogata knew about the land deed beforehand because his grandfather should have been in the Shogun faction (something which was speculated even by the Japanese fandom), was actually with Enomoto when the latter signed the documents, or something like that.

But no, Central picked up Ogata as a spy for no discernible reasons, entrusted him with a mission that, as far as we know, is the same as Kikuta...

...and even trusted Ogata with the fact that Kikuta was also a spy, again for unknown reasons, and Ogata supposedly learnt of the land deed because evidently Nagakura yelled when he explained the situation to Tsurumi and Ogata was COINCIDENTALLY hidden right next to them without anyone noticing, not back then, not afterward.

Okay, not next to them as Nagakura had to run a bit before reaching that spot but anyway none of the soldiers following Nagakura will notice him in the garden.

Still, this seems to be the only purpose why Ogata was shown in such a moment as Ogata will not do anything else, to let us know he was around when Nagakura spoke and overheard him about the land deed.

So we jump to chap 292 in which Ogata shows he’s aware of the existance of the land deed.

Ogata’s words seem to imply he doesn’t believe such a thing can exist.

However, if Central had really sent him to retrieve it, he should have been sure it existed.

Still, whatever, from that point on, Ogata won’t care about the gold but think if he hands the land deed back to Central, Okuda will be overjoyed enough to send him with ease to the Army Academy and even into the Army War College...

...and at this point I don’t know why he would think to still need Tsurumi... why he would assume Tsurumi would cooperate with him... or why HE WOULD LET THE LAND DEED IN TSURUMI’S HANDS as if Tsurumi had turned into some sort of reliable person he could trust into (opposed to how he made clear more than once in the past that Tsurumi couldn’t be trusted, as he manipulated people with pretty words and was a shinigami)... but whatever, that’s what he did.

But whatever.

Anyway the key point is that, supposedly, what Ogata aimed at was handing to Central what it wanted, not to get the gold per se, because he believed making Central (and therefore Okuda) happy, would insure they would give him, as a reward, some help in his rank climbing.

At least that’s what I can make out of the story. I might be wrong though.

Still, I hope this helped and thank you for your ask!

[goldenkamuyhunting]

I am still really enjoying Ogata’s scenes recently but I wanted to ask: do you also think that Noda should just reveal Ogata’s true motive in this hunt already? It annoys me a bit since we still don’t know what he meant with Vasily (who is supposedly dead) and also because I feel like we’re leaning too much towards the « he just likes chaos » explanations.

Well...

...this is kind of a tricky question.

Of course I've been longing to know why Ogata is in this mess by... a lifetime really, but in a story revelations aren’t done after a fixed time period but when it’s more convenient for the plot and, since I don’t know what will happen, I can’t tell if this is the most convenient moment for such revelation.

However, considering the manga is about to end and Tsurumi and Ogata are likely going to have a face off, this feels like a moment in which a revelation could be convenient for the plot.

Of course, part of the problem might be that the story underwent changes along the way. Vasily’s addition for exemple ultimately led to no story development, with Vasily’s character going largely underdeveloped to the point I feel either Noda scrapped his plot development or his addition was a last minute idea without a strong plan behind it and, if Vasily is really dead and the wound he inflicted to Ogata will reveal itself of no importance whatsoever, ultimately we could have done without him.

And no, I don’t have something against Vasily. As I said many times he had a lot of petential but was underused and underdeveloped as a character which was a pity.

Back to Ogata, since changes along the way were done, it's extremely hard to predict what will be of him and how his own arc will develop because I don’t know anymore what Noda will keep of his past development and what he will discharge. We’ll see.

Said so, I never bought Sugimoto’s theory that Ogata was in this mess for the fun of it.

Sugimoto’s copying mechanism is to view his antagonists as bad people who don’t have a human heart and therefore don’t feel pain nearly as much as a regular person so one doesn’t have to feel sorry when they die.

Sugimoto wants to kill Ogata, he can’t bother thinking he might have a valid reason for doing what he does, Ogata has to be just ‘a bad person’ and bad people do thing for the evulz, nothing more.

In fact, when Asirpa forced Sugimoto to talk about it again, Sugimoto had to revise his theory so as to make it ‘no, actually he wanted the gold but since he couldn’t get it now he’s taking revenge by stopping us from getting it’.

Noda went out of his way to show us that Ogata was involved with Central...

...which was something Tsurumi suspected from the start.

If anything his motive should be more complicate than Ueji (who was in that mess to disappoint everyone) and it’s hinted it might be the exact the opposite, he might be trying to please someone.

Note how no one in the 7th division think Ogata is there for the evulz. They know him by longer than Sugimoto but neither of them think that’s the way Ogata amuses himself.

On another side WHY OGATA IS IN THIS MESS has been something all the characters has wondered at one point or another, giving their own theories, and this is possibly the last secret Noda will reveal, making this a mistery bigger than where was the gold hidden since it’s apparently THE ULTIMATE MISTERY.

We’ll see how things will go though. When something like this is kept hidden for too long in a story, there’s a huge risk the revelation will end up being unsatisfying so, even if I really want to know, I’m trying to not get my hopes up.

We’ll see. Thank you for your ask!

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Hello. I state that I really love the character of Ogata. Beautiful full of facets, excellently defined in its complexity and tragicity. I got to see chapter 304 and am appalled. all the complexity of this figure seems to have fallen. I say it seems because either it is a lucid madness that shows up as soon as he sees Tsurumi or Ogata is actually an idiot. How can he make a whole talk about becoming an Officer with Tsurumi's help when he himself has sabotaged the train and everyone, everyone he'

I fear Tumblr might have 'eaten' part of your message...

Anyway welcome in the club of those who're wondering what in the world happened to Ogata in chap 304. From what I heard we're in quite a big group and this includes also part of the Japanese fandom.

I tried to work it out what's going on in my meta for this chapter but I'm still not 100% confident I got everything right.

If I interpreted it correctly Ogata's plan isn't completely dumb...

His idea seems to be, I think, that now Tsurumi is in such a shortage of men, he can't anymore fight Central therefore, even if Tsurumi were to defeat Hijikata and pocket the land deed, this victory would merely be a Pyrrhic one.

As soon as Central shows up, Tsurumi would be forced to hand it everything and take responsibility for all the losses he got or Central Army would just sweep him and his meager men away and pocket everything just the same.

I'm not 100% sure, though, because at the start of the manga Tsurumi supposedly had less than 100 men or so he says to Sugimoto... but we know for this attack he used more than 100 so it can be that he took control of the whole 7th division which, at the time of the Russo-Japanese war counted 20.000 soldiers.

According to Tanigaki, we know half of them joined the siege of Port Arthur and by the end of it they were more than halved. Considering they fought in other battles let's assume only 10.000 managed to go back home. Then there were those who reached the end of their terms of service and were dismissed or were sent to recover to some hospital or hot spring so maybe it's even less than 10.000 but it's probably still a BIG number and Tsurumi didn't have everyday huge battles like the one in Fort Goryokaku so that he can claim he lost them all.

However maybe not all of them would be loyal to him.

He likely had full control on the men of his platoon (less than 100) and might have won over the ones of the other platoons under Wada (who was the Captain of their company) so he might be a less than 400... but did he manage to win over the men from the other companies? I'm not sure about it.

Sure, he can still use them through Yodogawa but they might possibly not be willing to follow him should he rebel against Central.

So if the men who were loyal to Tsurumi mostly died... well, Ogata's plan makes sense, Tsurumi has no more men to fight and therefore he has to surrender.

There's to say Tsurumi should have done the math and realize going all out on such a battle might not have been a bright choice but in battles even the brightest men made mistakes.

That or Ogata is operating on wrong info and Tsurumi has actually the loyalty of much more men... or, alternatively, Ogata knows Central has already reached Hakodate so, even if Tsurumi has other men, they would never manage to reach him in time.

It's really not clear but Kikuta too implied Tsurumi had no chances to come out as the winner against Central so maybe Central is already ready and lying in wait (unless Tsurumi, after discovering Kikuta was a spy, also took countermeasures).

So okay, Tsurumi has lost.

If he ends up in Central's hands the very best he will get is losing everything even his rank, and the worst will be being executed for rebellion so yeah, Tsurumi will do better to make sure this won't happen.

So yes, it could be convenient for him to cooperate with Ogata.

Only I can't see Tsurumi doing it but maybe it's just me.

Regarding if Ogata ever though Tsurumi would help him rise in ranks... honestly I think if, and I'm saying IF, Ogata was really interested in that, his safe bet was always Okuda and never Tsurumi, unless Noda retconned some parts because we had scenes in which Ogata made clear he didn't trust Tsurumi back from Hanazawa's murder and, anyway, Lieutenant General Okuda's support is much more important and safe than First Lieutenant Tsurumi's (not that I'll trust Okuda either but, if I were to place a bet between who's more helpful assuming both of them had the best intentions, I would chose the Lieutenant General who's in control of the 1st division, loyal to the Army and apprecciated by Central and not the one of a rebel First Lieutenant).

Noda even said Ogata and Usami got the rank of superior privates not because Tsurumi or some other soldier recommended them but because they were just that good.

Q38: I heard that during that time there was need of recommendations from superior officers in order to be promoted in army rank. Is it possible that Ogata and Usami got theirs from Tsukishima or Kikuta? Noda: I think both of them simply were exceptional soldiers. [Q&A section from the Golden Kamuy fanbook translation by @piduai]

So really, Tsurumi didn't seem that much of a support.

But in the end I don't really get what Ogata is trying to get with Tsurumi... as Tsurumi doesn't really stick to me as someone who would lose to Ogata gracefully and bits of what's said here in regard to Ogata didn't seem to make sense when we talk about his motive so I'm as confuse as everyone else.

Sorry I couldn't really be of much help but really, this time Noda lost me and I don't know anymore if the idea is that he retconned Ogata, hence he removed all the bits in which Ogata doubts Tsurumi or he did so because WE are the ones supposed to figure out Ogata isn't being sincere.

We'll see. Thank you for your ask!

[goldenkamuyhunting]

How come koito didn't have to shave his longer hair but everyone else did?

Hum...

...are you sure everyone else in the army did?

Ogata's father, Lieutenant General Hanazawa Koujirou didn't...

Nor did Lieutenant General Arisaka Narizou...

Nor did so Lieutenat General Okuda Hidenobu (albeit since he's mostly bald this could be missed)

Although it can be missed as he's wearing his hat, Captain Wada's hair too aren't shaved... in fact you can see below his hears locks of hair.

First Lieutenant Tsurumi too clearly doesn't shave his hair, he merely keeps them pulled back (from the loser strands escaping we can guess Tsurumi's hair is not that short)

Kikuta used to shave his hair when he was in Tokyo but we can see during the war he let his hair grow a bit...

...and now he let it grow even more.

Superior Private Ogata before escaping from the 7th let his hair grow...

...and, lastly, Private First Class Ariko too let his hair grow and didn't rush to shave them when he was supposed to join back Tsurumi's army.

So it's not like Koito is that special.

Hair was kept short to keep lice at bay and so that soldiers would have an ordered look and wouldn't waste time combing their hair.

This means soldiers in the lower ranks, who would live in worse igiene conditions and would be forced to be more disciplined would be pressured into keeping their hair well shaved so as to get an ordered look.

The higher in ranks you go, the less soldiers would be pressured. They would be given better living conditions and they were educated to keep a tidy appearance (remember how Koito had a hand mirror while Tsukishima not only didn'tas hand mirrors were expensive but even doesn't know how to hold it properly?)...

...so for them it was possible to look proper and avoid lice while keeping hair longer. It was still a mark of vanity so likely some officers would disapprove of it.

We can see that Yuusaku and Yodogawa keep their hair cut short despite their rank and social status so as to look like proper and ordered soldiers (for Yuusaku it was likely especially important as he was the flagbearer and the face of the regiment).

For people like Ogata or Ariko, who're of a low rank, it would have been probably harder to keep hair long... even though I get the feelings regulations in the 7th were more lax than, let's say, in the 1st division in Tokyo... but I genuinely doubt it was a problem for Koito.

He might have been viewed as a vain and pampered brat for his lack of a shaved haircut but he kept his hair tidy and ordered, he was an official and the upperclass son of a high ranking officer.

The most he could have got were complains similar to the ones he got when he used to escape lessons in Kagoshima or in Hakodate. People would call him a pampered little brat and this would be all.

So, basically Koito wouldn't have to share his hair.

As for why he personally decided against it... well, it's hard to say as he never considered cutting them not even when he was attending at Kaijou, the naval preparatory school, and didn't do it when he applied to the army military academy either.

I can speculate it can be a bit of vanity on his side, mixed up with a sense of pride for his own status and his slightly rebellious streak, but that's just me.

More likely the Doylist answer is that such an aircut makes him more recognizable and visually charming to readers (Koito is supposed to be handsome)... and this is also part of why so few people have shaved hair.

In a manga haircut is an important help in recognizing a character so, although it was popular to have shaved hair back then, we comparatively see few people with the standard, shaved haircut (and instead we've people with weird haircuts like Nihei or Sakamoto...).

Sorry if it's not exactly an answer to your question but I still hope it offered some help...

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Ramblings and crazy theory time about GK chap 279 “I get the credit for that one”

So new chapter and again we talk about guilt and how to cope with it.

Yeah, this is inspired by this sentence: “We can make ourselves miserable or we can make ourselves strong. The amount of effort is the same.” (Pema Chodron)

But let’s dig into the story.

We’ve left Sugimoto and Kikuta with Kikuta asking back his cap.

Sugimoto tells him about how Yuusaku let him know the cap belonged to Kikuta’s younger brother who died in the Sino-Japanese war and wonders if Kikuta thinks he’ll go to hell because he blames himself for what happened to his brother. Sugimoto is right, as they were poor, Kikuta, persuaded his younger brother, Toujirou, to join the Army so they could have food but the poor guy fell sick during the Sino-Japanese war and died a rather painful death. As a result Kikuta views it as if he has killed his own brother.

It’s meaningful as he says so Kikuta squeezes his hat and can’t even look at Sugimoto, his gaze downcast and his shoulders curled down slightly. For him this should be a hugely painful memory.

Sugimoto wears Toujirou’s cap and tells him that, although it’s Kikuta who has caused him to think to join the Army, ultimately it was his own decision so he would never hold a grudge against him, therefore Kikuta should forgive himself and move on.

As Sugimoto says so, looking at him Kikuta sees his younger brother instead, and his eyes seem to almost tear up.

The visual is also interesting as, for once, as Sugimoto wears his cap, we see the sewed hole, a hint he’s speaking as Kikuta’s brother also and the sewing remains visible also when Kikuta sees his brother in him… while normally we don’t really see the sewing except for the moment in which Yuusaku pointed out at its existence.

The tragic part in all this is that Sugimoto says so as if it was easy to do, and it’s surely important for Kikuta to hear him saying so… but in the end Sugimoto will learn the hard way how letting go is not easy at all.

Guilt is one of the most important themes in the story and we’ll see how Sugimoto himself will become a man who can’t let go of his own guilt, who says there’s a VIP seat for him in hell too. So yeah, it’s very nice how he says so to Kikuta, and it clearly matters a lot to him but in the end he’s sadly not really understanding the problem and his own are just words, words he won’t be able to tell himself.

Still, I think they matter. I wonder if someone will just tell them to him, or if he’ll manage to tell them to someone else. I think they’re a really hard message, but one that’s important to pass on.

The manga goes back on showing us Sugimoto, who assures Kikuta he won’t die since he’s immortal. Kikuta smiles and, to Sugimoto’s surprise, he let him have his brother’s cap as he leaves.

Although the scene seems to transmit positive vibes I find interesting how the light is BEHIND Sugimoto, with the result his face is shadowed.

Sugimoto clearly continue not to have an idea what he is talking about since he’ll survive the war but will come back from it so deeply psychologically scarred there’s to wonder if surviving was out of luck or misfortune.

Sugimoto asks Kikuta to tell Yuusaku the truth but Kikuta refuses. The incident with Hanazawa Yuusaku is a problem for the whole army and if he were to tell him the truth HE would be the one who would have to leave the Army so Sugimoto should just keep away from Yuusaku and forget about all that.

In short Kikuta decided he’s not worth to risk his own career to give Yuusaku a chance at surviving. He clearly doesn’t feel tied to him, nor willing to fight for Yuusaku’s survival. As he said he comes from a poor family, evidently he can emphatically connect with poor boys like Sugimoto (and later Ariko) but rich guys like Yuusaku or Koito just don’t get his sympathy.

On another side… the fact that Kikuta is willing not to try to save Yuusaku, just reinforces his past mistake. Kikuta feels guilty for his brother but he’s not willing to act on that guilt. Sugimoto’s words about forgiving himself are important, but what’s missing here, is the effort to do better.

When you make a mistake yes, you can’t just waste your life mourning over it and feeling bad, you’ve to forgive yourself but then you’ve to work on not doing it again. I’m pretty sure Kikuta doesn’t forgive himself as Sugimoto suggested him to do since he’ll say again to Sugimoto he has a Vip seat for hell, but the bigger problem here is he doesn’t act in such a way he’ll avoid making the same mistake again.

He doesn’t help Yuusaku and okay, maybe he didn’t care for him but he doesn’t help Sugimoto either, he doesn’t sit him down and tells him of the horrors of the war, so that Sugimoto can make an informed decision, nor try to offer him another way to feed himself beyond joining the Army.

Sugimoto is young and ignorant in what going to war means. Sure, he has a right to choose for himself… but Kikuta could help him to make an informed decision and… he doesn’t.

Considering the end of this chapter Kikuta will never get the chance to regret letting Sugimoto take part to the war… but I feel bad for Sugimoto instead, for what he had to go through. Maybe it was unavoidable as Sugimoto would end up being conscripted anyway but still Kikuta didn’t help him to have a choice. And that’s pretty sad.

Kikuta leaves, telling Sugimoto if they were to meet in the army he’s sure they would get along well.

Back to the Army 1st division headquarters Okuda informs Kikuta he’s being transferred to the 7th division. Kikuta is in charge of thinking of a reason why he’s being transferred as well as to work his way into second lieutenant Tsurumi’s favour.

A break here as it’s worth to mention in this flashback they had referred to Tsurumi (in this chap and in previous ones as well) as a second lieutenant. We’re in 1901 but we know that in 1902, when the Koito kidnapping case will take place Tsurumi will be a first lieutenant. There’s to wonder how he got promoted, since his own career had been stunted due to his responsibility in Takagi Tomoharu’s death. Did he use what he knew about the Yuusaku incident to blackmail Hanazawa and, through this, he got promoted? Or did he manage to present himself as someone who helped covering up the incident so Hanazawa promoted him?

Hard to say.

But let’s go on.

As Kikuta is told so he notices how there’s a second class private in the room, Ogata. He asks Okuda who he is and Okuda, without giving Ogata’s name away, says he’s the same as Kikuta.

However, as Okuda doesn’t want to lose the both of them at the same time, each of them will have to work independently and be careful not to get into the other’s way.

The scene ends here.

So we make a break and we ponder a bit on the implications of this info. It’s a canon fact Usami has been born in 1881, Ogata is slightly younger so he should have had birth in 1882. This means in 1901 he was 19 which is confirmed also by his ranking, second class private which is the rank soldiers received when entering in the army.

However we’ve this bit from the Q&A from the fanbook:

Q50: Tsukishima’s life was hinged on learning Russian. How did he do it? I’m curious about whether he went to classes or used study materials available in Japan, or had to learn on site. Noda: Russian knowledge was used merely as a pretext for the army so it’s not that he needed to learn it immediately. He started learning after getting out of prison, from Tsurumi and on site. Ogata was studying together with him, but he wasn’t as diligent about it as Tsukishima. [Translation courtesy of piduai]

Noda volunteered for the info as the ask didn’t mention Ogata. We know Tsukishima went with Tsurumi in Russia in 1897, in short 2 years prior to this.

This seems to hint that Ogata was working for the Army from when he was 17.

Now… later in Japanese history one could stay a second class private only for 6 months, after which he would be automatically promoted. In Meiji era though, it seems there wasn’t yet a time limit, promotion would happen through a selection system, so it’s theoretically possible Ogata remained a second class private for 2 years (in Meiji era obligatory conscription lasted 3 years, short later lowered at 2) until he was selected for promotion… which is interesting because in this other ask we’re told Ogata (and Usami) were quite exceptional soldiers.

Q38: I heard that during that time there was need of recommendations from superior officers in order to be promoted in army rank. Is it possible that Ogata and Usami got theirs from Tsukishima or Kikuta? Noda: I think both of them simply were exceptional soldiers. [Translation courtesy of piduai]

In short, unless Ogata was in a position similar to Tsurumi and something stunted his promotion, I would have expected him to be promoted fast as he’s supposed to be exceptional.

Something else worth wondering about is this:

Q17: Are Ogata’s grandparents still alive? If not, how did they die? Noda: They both disappeared before Ogata enlisted. There was half-eaten food left on the table. [Translation courtesy of piduai]

So let’s sum it all up.

Before Ogata enlists his grandparents disappear. As he lives in Ibaraki he should enlist in the 1st division, though we don’t know if this is what happened. Once he enlists, in 1897, while he’s 17, he’s somehow sent in Russia with Tsurumi, who was just transferred to the 7th division, even though he doesn’t know Russian and has to learn it from Tsurumi. In 1901, when he’s 19, we get confirmation he’s working for central as a spy. In 1902 Tsurumi will chose him for the kidnapping Koito mission instead than let’s say Usami, whom we know is also serving under Tsurumi at that time since we can see him in his division in 1901.

Sure, maybe Usami didn’t know Russian but it’s not like HE HAD TO TALK TO KOITO… though knowing Usami he might do it because he’s really not that good at keeping his mouth shut.

So the questions are:

- did Ogata enlists in the 1st division and then they sent him to Tsurumi so that he would immediately work as a spy for them?

- was Ogata handpicked by Tsurumi and therefore enlisted right from the start in the 7th and only later the 1st contacted him? And if that’s the case was Ogata originally meant to double-cross central, pretending to be a spy for them when he actually worked for Tsurumi and then he decided to stick with Central instead?

- Noda, instead than saying his grandparents just died, went with a ‘went missing’. Is this somehow tied to why Ogata ended up enlisting or working as a spy at such a young age?

Long story short though, yes, Ogata is with Central but, apparently, it wasn’t a sudden betrayal of the 7th spurred by something that happened during the war or after it. No, Ogata had been playing this game from a rather long time, at least 7 years considering we’re now in 1908, if not more and I really want to know more about this.

Anyway we’ll see if we’ll find out more info in the future.

With the code about to be unravelled it seems Ogata will be the mystery Noda is leaving for last.

Back to the story we switch to 1904. We’re on 203 hill and Sugimoto is watching as a bunch of soldiers cry over Yuusaku’s dead body. The one watching the scene in the background might as well be Ogata, at least he wears his same coat and gaiters.

As Sugimoto stares at Yuusaku’s face we get an image showing ‘Yuusaku’s open eyes’. Only, more than the eyes of the son of Hanazawa Koujirou and Hiro, they seem to be Wilk’s eyes, or, more likely Asirpa’s as not only they’re way too clear but there’s also light in them, as if Yuusaku were to be alive.

I guess the idea is that the narration is drawing another parallel between Ogata and Sugimoto who both see Asirpa in Yuusaku or Yuusaku in Asirpa, as you prefer.

There’s to wonder if Noda is doing this to set up their confrontation, since Ogata killed Yuusaku but Sugimoto also indirectly cooperated as he was among the ones who helped closing a possible way out of war for Yuusaku. He clearly doesn’t want sucha  fate to befall on Asirpa but, ironically, in order to stop her from being involved, he attempted to deny her the right to choose.

Of course the situation is a lot more complicate because Asirpa is just too young for this sort of things and this sort of choices, but telling her not to get involved is not going to solve things, it’s not going to let her live a free Ainu life if Ainu survival is at stake.

Sugimoto should have pushed for involving adult Ainu and when he joined the Hijikata group I really don’t get why he didn’t insist on passing the burden on Kirawus and Ariko or didn’t attempt to involve Asirpa’s uncle.

But whatever, I guess the story also wants to draw a parallel between Kikuta, who caused both his brother and Sugimoto to join the Army and Sugimoto, who was the first to involve Asirpa on the gold hunt without thinking at which terrible bloody mess it would turn out to be, just because he needed a guide to survive in Hokkaido.

Anyway as Sugimoto sees Yuusaku has Asirpa’s eyes he wakes up to Asirpa working up on a way to solve the code.

We know her knowledge of Kanji is poor.

Wilk likely inscribed her to the Wajin elementary school for Ainu since he wanted her to go to school, but it’s unclear if she ever finished it or dropped out once her father died and, anyway, it’s a school that lasts only 4 years so clearly they didn’t teach her a lot of kanji.

Anyway back to the skins and the code, Asirpa noticed that each of them has a bunch of kanji that can be read as the syllables of Horkew Hoshikoni and that are placed as such that they can be laid on top of each other.

Hijikata considers how Wilk choose Kanji instead then Latin or Cyrillic characters (which might have been more familiar to him due to his background), even though Asirpa wasn’t that good at Kanji.

Hijikata interprets it favourably for himself, saying it might mean Wilk wanted Asirpa to cooperate with the Wajin.

You know, the Wajin he wanted to rebel against with the other Ainu partisans so as to preserve the Ainu lifestyle that Hijikata’s plan would clearly not help much.

Asirpa considers while Shiraishi suggests that it could mean instead that Asirpa should make use of the Japanese since there was a huge chance the code would end up in Tsurumi’s hands and she would have to solve it with Tsurumi.

Either way this means Wilk didn’t expect Sofia to join the party as she’s clearly not well versed in Kanji. Kiro was though but considering how they parted ways I’m not sure Wilk hoped in a reconciliation.

We move to Kikuta, who’s about to go back into the church. He feels proud because he thinks he can take credits for having Sugimoto join the army and become a war hero who saved a lot of Japanese. While Kikuta feels all proud the vagrant boy grew into a hero, Sugimoto thinks the next time he’ll met him he won’t hold back.

It’s a bit sad because I’m sure Kikuta instead hold back as soon as he realized it was Sugimoto… and yet Sugimoto is here telling himself he won’t do him the same favour.

And the image sets up this contrast, with Kikuta on top of it, thinking in a positive manner of how Sugimoto has grown and Sugimoto below him, thinking to how he’ll off him if he gets in his way.

No, Sugimoto hadn’t grown up well, Kikuta, he has became a person who’s psychologically scarred and who’s slowly getting more and more prone to kill who gets in his way to the point he found hard to stop when Boutarou surrendered.

I get you’re proud your boy saved people during the war but I think the price for Sugimoto was just too high. I feel bad for him.

Back to Asirpa she’s studing the coin Boutarou gave her, noticing there are parts of the design that show single lines which intersect with others without touching them, same as it happens to some lines on the tattoo, and wonders if this is meant to be a hint.

Tsurumi also has one of those coins in his hands and, as he looks at it, he says he solved it, which tells us that yes, it’s an important hint.

Kikuta gets in just in time to hear him saying he solved the code.

Kikuta and Nikaidou seems to think this means the end of the battle for the gold (people know I often wonder if Nikaidou, despite prioritizing killing Sugimoto, is still a bit involved in Ogata’s rebellion), while Koito is just nervous but Tsurumi, holding his gun, corrects them.

This means the real battle is about to begin...

...and then shoots Kikuta in the chest twice.

The chapter ends here.

Tsurumi murdering Kikuta clearly tells us that Tsurumi has deemed Kikuta’s usefulness ended. We know Kikuta was meant to support Tsurumi until the latter has found the gold, then they should eliminate him.

It’s clear Tsurumi never trusted Kikuta much since, when he sent Usami in Noboribetsu, he forbid Usami and Nikaidou to talk with him about the skins and now we know Tsurumi also knew Kikuta was part of the 1st division and trusted enough by Okuda he would entrust to him to make sure Yuusaku didn’t sleep with Kaeko. So yes, it makes sense now that they’re getting close to the gold, Tsurumi would want to rid of Kikuta.

It’s a bad blow for me because Kikuta was one of the characters I loved so I feel this loss quite a bit… but there’s to wonder how many characters will survive this bloody gold battle.

Probably not many. But well, we’ll see. That’s all for now. We’ll see in the next chapter.

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Something that always intriged me was why Tsugumi 's still a Lieutenant? He fought in the Russo-Japanese war, work as a Spy and appear to be from a prestige family, so why in his age, he is still a Lieutenant? Was he already marginalized by the army before going against Central? I really enjoy your work. Sorry for the bad english, I'm from Brazil!!

Well...

...we don’t really have a detailed official explanation, but we have some hints to how it could have been hard for Tsurumi to rise in ranks.

1) For start rising in ranks wasn’t so easy if you weren’t an upper class. We know Tsurumi’s family used to be wealthy but then fallen into disgrace due to being on the losing side of the Boshin war.

So it’s entirely possible that officers who could have promoted him for his own accomplishments, just pretended not to notice him due to him being from a ‘disgraced’ family, which was entirely a huge issue back then, with people like Koito who come from a still important family being easily promoted while people from lower families having to fight hard to get promoted.

2) Tsurumi is born in 1866, meaning he graduated from the Imperial Army Academy as a Second Lieutenant in 1887.  Short after he should have been sent in Russia to work as a spy as in 1991, when he’s 25, he’s married with a daughter and he meets Wilk, Kiroranke and Sofia. Likely in the time period in which he was working as a spy he wasn’t promoted and he was forced to terminate his mission when he was discovered.

Due to this is possible he wasn’t promoted once he was back.

2) As if this weren’t bad enough there’s the ‘incident’ with Tomoharu in 1894, in which he’ll claim it was his horse who’ll killed the child. Tomoharu’s father is some important guy in the second division. We don’t know his rank but it’s likely high.

The fact the man believes Tsurumi is responsible for his son’s death likely ensured Tsurumi would have no chance to be promoted during or after the Sino-Japanese war, the man also causing Tsurumi to be transferred in Hokkaido.

In fact in 1896, when Tsurumi goes to talk with Tsukishima while the latter is in prison, Tsurumi is still a second lieutenant.

We know that Tsurumi will explain to Tsukishima how he has been transferred to the 7th division and how he’ll go to Tsukisappu where the special service agency is located and from there he’ll move to Russia as an intelligence officer

In 1897 he’s in Vladivostok with Tsukishima (and probably Ogata as Ogata has learnt Russian along with Tsukishima)

...and he’s still a second lieutenant...

...meaning Takagi Tomoharu’s father either still made sure he wouldn’t be promoted or he didn’t have a chance to show he deserved being promoted. Possibly both.

3) But likely this time his permanence in Russia brought back results because he finally managed to be promoted. We know because when he takes part to the resque party for young Koito in 1902 he’s finally a First Lieutenant (sadly we don’t know if he was a first lieuntenant already in 1900 when he first met Koito but it’s entirely possible).

4) Now saving Koito might feel like a good opportunity to further promote him but it’s possible this didn’t happen because not only he was promoted recently (some time needed to go between a promotion and another) but Koito senior is a Navy officer and the Navy and the Army have a poor relation so it’s entirely possible Koito senior couldn’t really influence Army officers... or that he didn’t care.

5) And so we get to the Russo-Japanese war which was possibly another good chance for Tsurumi to be promoted... but not only Yuusaku, who was the flagbearer for the division, dies in action, which might have made Hanazawa not prone to promote people, but Tsurumi gets a serious wound. According to Captain Wada, Tsurumi was lucky enough to manage to keep his rank despite it

(possibly because a brain injury might have affected his mental ability... and let’s not forget how Tsurumi had to take morphine for a certain period, risking to develop an addiction as it’ll happen to Nikaidou)

Actually maybe it’s just Arisaka’s friendship what allowed him to remain in the army despite his wound.

6) As if this wasn’t bad enough things turned sour for the 7th division so likely no one in it got promoted (in fact everyone keeps the same rank they had during the war)...

...though this is entirely Tsusumi’s fault as he’s the one to order Ogata to facilitate Hanazawa’s ‘suicide’, knowing Central will hold them responsible for it.

7) It’s also worth to mention although Tsurumi used to blackmail officers, he likely never tried to seriously advance in rank because it simply wasn’t convenient for him. After Hanazawa’s death the new commander of the 7th division is Yodogawa whom Tsurumi controls.

Captain Wada who tries to oppose to Tsurumi is quickly disposed...

...so now Tsurumi is free to do as he prefers and doesn’t really need to rise in rank as he basically controls all the division through controlling Yodogawa. At the same time he might think by remaining a First Lieutenant he’s less conspicuous and so Central will undervalue him... even if we’ve recently learnt that Central never liked him and fears him enough to put not one but 2 spies in his ranks, Ogata and Kikuta, both with different jobs and instructed to not get in contact with each other so as not to risk to be discovered. To be honest, Central didn’t fear him enough as Tsurumi discovered them both, Kikuta got killed and Ogata managed to escape multiple times only thanks to his ability and good luck but he’s seriously worried the Shinigami might caught up with him.

8) If Tsurumi’s plan suceeds he’ll be Hokkaido’s dictator and the ruler of the place so really, rising in ranks in the Army is very likely something he’s absolutely not interested in.

So well, that’s the end.

In short we don’t have a clear cut explanation about why Tsurumi wasn’t promoted... but I think his story gives us an idea of how hard it would have been for him to rise in ranks and why this basically had happened only once (he moved from second lieutenant to first lieutenant).

I hope this helps. Thank you for your ask!

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Ramblings and crazy theory time about GK chap 277 “Operation ‘Protect Yuusaku’s Virginity’”

Sorry, I’m obviously late with the ramblings but the scanlations were out late and, due to work, I didn’t have any free time once they were out. Anyway here’s there are the new ramblings and...

...yeah Kaeko’s attempt at stealing Sugimoto’s virginity gets a special place in the GK horror scenes... but let’s got with order.

We start with Tsurumi sitting on a chair in the Imperial Japanese Army 1st division Headquarters pretending he had no idea the Ainu gold ever existed in front of Lieutenant General Okuda Hidenobu, Commander of the 1st division. The latter wants Tsurumi to find the gold for the Central Government as Tsurumi’s information-gathering ability is highly regarded.

Just this should make Okuda realize Tsurumi is lying when he pretends not to know about the Ainu gold but whatever, Okuda is clearly not the sharpest pencil in the box.

Anyway Tsurumi asks Okuda if this means he should report to him instead than to his superiors. Okuda waves off his concerns saying Hanasawa is in his debt so of course he wouldn’t mind if Tsurumi were to report to an officer that’s not him… especially if he never discovers about it because I honestly doubt Okuda is planning to warn Hanazawa about this.

Whatever.

Okuda, who evidently has no idea that everything he’ll say to Tsurumi will be used against him and for Tsurumi’s advantage, better explains him the whole entity of the problem.

We learn that inside the Army people from Satsuma domain and people from Choushuu domain, are held in high esteem and considered the only true military men, likely due to them being the winners in the Boshin war and Meiji restoration. However, despite their past alliance, they basically can’t stand to each other and are always struggling one against the other.

Hanazawa is from Satsuma so, of course, he doesn’t want a scandal to befall to his family for fear of consequences from people from Choushuu.

He asked Okuda’s help because Okuda is from the Kokura domain and so he looked like an impartial and safe choice, proving Hanazawa’s understanding of men is quite terrible because Okuda fully plans to take advantage of what he knows about Hanazawa and, as we’ll learn later from Tsurumi, he’s likely on the Choushuu side. Really, Hanazawa can’t even pick up his allies. -_-

Okuda is no better.

He knows Tsurumi is from Niigata, from a highly-esteemed family of former samurai from the Echigo-Nagaoka Domain which had an awful time during the battle of Hokuetsu (one of the last battles of the Boshin war) against the imperial forces composed mostly by people of Satsuma and Choushuu so he thinks Tsurumi would be willing to help to put an end to the control those factions have over the army because he should have a grudge against them.

We see that Tsurumi’s face darkens, which might mean that yes, Tsurumi has no sympathy for them, but Tsurumi is the sort of man who doesn’t merely follow his feelings, but remains calm and plans the doom of his adversaries quietly. The Akō vendetta probably felt like an amateur work to Tsurumi.

In fact, instead than asking more about the Ainu gold he’s supposed to find, Tsurumi asks more about the scandal in which Hanazawa is involved, planning to use it as ammunition in his own personal plans.

Then, as he leaves the place with his men, he shows his true colours.

He didn’t buy at all Okuda’s words that he’s “impartial” believing he’s actually on Choushuu side and afraid if Hanazawa were to get the gold, it would strengthen the Satsuma position. Tsurumi, who’s much more intelligent than Okuda or Hanazawa, finds all this a pathetic face, admitting he’s sick of Central.

He also confesses that yes, he knew about the Ainu gold already from his time in Russia (it’s unsure if from his time in Russia as Hasegawa or from his time in Russia with Tsukishima), and that Okuda’s words merely corroborated the info Tsurumi had about it… which is interesting because it confirms Okuda learnt about the Ainu gold from a source that’s not Tsurumi.

Then Tsurumi informs his men they’ll pay a visit to Yuusaku and Kikuta because evidently Okuda had told him also who he had tasked with protecting Yuusaku’s virginity.

Meanwhile Kikuta informs Sugimoto Kaeko wants to meet Yuusaku again at the Imperial Hodel.

Sugimoto worries about what will happen should Kaeko find out he’s a fake.

Kikuta thinks he’s worrying for himself and tells him he’ll just have to return the uniform and go on his way… although as he says so we don’t see Kikuta’s face.

Sugimoto is actually worried about Kaeko as if she were to figure out, this would mean she would know something dirty about the Army (read= Hanazawa).

Kikuta gives him a sideway look, his face slightly shadowed as he tells him he has a plan B Sugimoto doesn’t need to know.

It’s interesting how Kikuta never asked Sugimoto his name. Of course the Doylistic explanation is that so he won’t recognize him when he’ll heard his surname from Tsurumi during the gold hunt but I wonder if the Watsonian explanation is this was to protect Sugimoto. Sugimoto too by now know things he would be better not knowing. If they were to tell Kikuta to kill him he could let him escape and then cover up for him by saying he didn’t even know his name so he can’t track him. Alternatively it can be to protect himself, as he might be trying not to get too close to Sugimoto.

Meanwhile at the Army Academy Mrs. Suzuki accidentally asking Yuusaku if Kikuta had relied to him the message, informs him that today was the day in which ‘the matter at the imperial hotel’ (帝国ホテルの件 Teikoku hotel no kudan) was scheduled. To make matter worse a man immediately scolds her as she wasn’t supposed to talk with Yuusaku about it. In the end they’ve to confess that they were told to pass all the letters and telegrams for Yuusaku to Kikuta which prompts Yuusaku to decide to go ask him directly.

A moment later Tsurumi drops at the place and he’s told that Yuusaku just left and the same guy who has scolded Mrs. Suzuki for informing Yuusaku about the meeting has no problems telling Tsuurmi about were Yuusaku went.

So we jump at the Imperial Hotel where Sugimoto expects to have another luxurious dinner with Kaeko and, instead Kaeko’s maid drops the beef stew all over him.

Using as excuse that Yuusaku has to absolutely change himself Kaeko pushes Sugimoto upstairs, claiming she booked a room there. As they walk they’re spotted by Tsukishima who informs Tsurumi while a worried Kikuta follows the action with his binoculars.

Once in the room a panting Kaeko urges ‘Yuusaku’ to rip off his clothes and strip naked in the bathroom.

While a naïve Sugimoto worries about how pretty the room is, Kaeko drags him in the bathroom and tells him to wash up.

Sugimoto finds a little odd how the bathtub is already filled but strips naked anyway.

Meanwhile big bad wolf Kaeko, with an expression that would make Jack Nicholson in “The Shining” proud, tries to get into the room. To Sugimoto’s credit he doesn’t scream like a banshee as Wendy Torrance did but tries to close her out of the bathroom.

Kaeko asks him to not bring her shame as a woman. Sugimoto weakly defends his own virginity by claiming she doesn’t know him well. Kaeko claims she doesn’t mind as he looks handsome and steals his clothes from under the door before threatening to let ‘Yuusaku’s’ situation be known to other people if he were to refuse her.

Sugimoto worries as he knows he has been called in as a stand in to avoid this kind of situation.

Meanwhile outside Tsurumi asks to Kaeko’s maid, Hamako, if she has seen a candidate officer. She denies it as she’s clearly there to stop everyone from interrupting but Tsurumi hears Kaeko calling Yuusaku.

Tsurumi says out loud to his men that Kikuta was ordered to break off the engagement so he doesn’t understand why Yuusaku and Kaeko are in a room by themselves.

I wonder if Tsurumi came there because he was hoping to be the one to save Yuusaku’s virginity so as to put Hanazawa in debt… or if he’s saying this out loud so as to let the maid know about Kikuta’s involvement. We’ll see.

Usami instead tells Ogata this will be the first time he’ll get to meet his little brother, a man worthy of waving the regimental flag.

Usami again calls Ogata just Hyakunosuke, as if the two of them were friends… or if he just were looking down on him taking confidence when he shouldn’t, as Ogata in past chapters always called Usami by surname.

Whatever, this means that Usami, and by default Tsukishima and Tsurumi, are informed of Ogata’s parentage. Does the whole 7th know? Maybe. If that’s the case I wonder who told them.

Back to Sugimoto he asks Kaeko if this is all because Yuusaku’s mother wants to keep him away from the army. Kaeko explains Yuusaku’s mother worked as a nurse at a special military hospital in Hiroshima during the Sino-Japanese war. This experience pushed her to decide her son shouldn’t take part to the war. Kaeko adds Yuusaku should show consideration for his mother’s feelings.

Sugimoto says this is something Yuusaku should decide by himself as it’s his own life, basically betraying the fact he’s not Yuusaku. Kaeko is confused while Sugimoto tells her to ask Yuusaku which he wants to chose before signalling to Kikuta there are problems.

In that same moment Tsurumi and his men barges in the room claiming they’re there to protect Yuusaklu’s virginity.

I wonder if Tsurumi is practising for when he’ll have to ‘rescue’ Koito.

As for Kaeko, she thinks Tsurumi is working for Hanazawa and tells him if he doesn’t get out she’ll tattle everything to the Army. At this Tsurumi threatens to kill her and Sugimoto, thinking killing Kaeko is Kikuta’s ‘plan B’, decides to barge out completely naked, threatening to kill them all.

Ogata, who has no idea the naked man with murdering intentions is not Yuusaku, grins, likely thinking ‘Yuusaku’ is rather far from pure.

Likely he believes Yuusaku’s state means he was about to sleep with Kaeko, and Sugimoto’s statement about murdering people might have caused Ogata to think the ‘oh so perfect’ Yuusaku, is actually not perfect at all.

I feel bad for him because, when he’ll discover Yuusaku isn’t the guy in front of him, he’ll be in for a disappointment.

Anyway this chapter ends here.

This chapter gives us some interesting info about the Army, Tsurumi and how Ogata’s status of bastard son was known to Tsurumi’s inner circle and, possibly, to the rest of the 7th. It fleshes more the Hanazawa family, although I’ve to say I noticed when Noda has to talk about Hanazawa or his wife he recycles always the same image.

Well, I guess that’s all. Sorry if it’s late and kind of jumbled but the whole timing and work didn’t help me at all.

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Do you think that Ogata cares about merit? I feel conflicted with Ogata’s goal, it fits with his character because he’s always trying to prove himself and I think that ranks could be something the Ogata we know might take in consideration but taking the Tsurumi way would be undeserved compared to the Okuda way since he basically tried to stop a rebellion alone and was quite good at it. Trying to get Tsurumi’s help will not only make him as privileged as Yuusaku was (so no merit) but also contradict his character as he is not supposed to be a Tsurumisexual (which seems like the only reason he has to collaborate with him)

Hum...

Ogata is quite complicate as a character and the last chapter was confusing so take everything with a grain of salt.

We know Ogata didn’t believe that noble blood was tied to merit.

‘Chi ni kōki mo kuso mo son'na mon arimasen yo’

血に高貴もクソもそんなもんありませんよ

“Noble blood is shit, there’s not such thing”

Yuusaku is no better than him because he’s of noble blood... he’s better than him because, according to Ogata, he grew up being loved by his parents.

‘Chichiue to honsai to no ma ni uma reta musuko-san… Hanazawa Yūsaku shōi ga kōketsu na jinbutsu datta koto mo shōmei shite iru ki ga shimasu.’

父上と本妻との間に生まれた息子さん… 花沢勇作少尉が高潔な人物だったことも証明している気がします

“The son born by father and his legal wife... second lieutenant Hanazawa Yuusaku was a nobleman and I feel this proves that.”

‘Kōki’ (高貴) the word Ogata used in reference of blood means “high class/noble”.

‘Kōketsu’ (高潔) the one he uses to define Yuusaku instead is used more in the sense of “(high) nobility/(high) purity" but you get the drill.

Yuusaku is no better than him for his blood but for how he was raised, so in a debate of nature vs nurture, Ogata thinks that what truly matters is nurture.

Does this mean Ogata cares about merits?

From an analytical point of view yes, it does, he judges people for their abilities, not due to who their ancestors are. That’s why he has no respect for Koito despite his high birth but knows his swormanship is dangerous.

 Does he cares about other people’s merits being acknowledged?

I don’t really know and, even if he did care it would probably be in the sense he would find it a waste for their merits not to be acknowledged, not that he’ll fight for them to be acknowledged.

On the other side Noda said in an interview that Ogata repaid back the man who helped him after his escape in Karafuto with cod fish so he has his own sense of fairness.

Regarding his own merits he clearly wants them to be acknowledged, he wants to be seen, which is also why it seems weird he would use Tsurumi’s help to rise in ranks, as this would mean his social climbing would be through Tsurumi’s abilities.

Of course it can be he would see it as the result of his own ability to correctly use Tsurumi’s abilities... so maybe it can work but...

It’s also worth to note that, although Ogata wanted to be seen, it wasn’t like he wanted to be seen by everyone. He clearly wasn’t interested in Yuusaku’s apprecciation, the way he describes Yuusaku clinging to him sounds more like the way one would use to describe a stalker than someone whose apprecciation he could enjoy so it’s hard to think he would want the general apprecciation of random guys in the army.

If he really wants the rank, it’s likely in a desperate chase of his deceased parents’ apprecciation.

Now... there’s something worth mentioning here.

People of low birth like Ogata normally didn’t climb in ranks no matter their merits. It was a closed off system, the upper classes didn’t want the lower classes to climb in ranks.

Using either Okuda or Tsurumi would make Ogata ‘privileged’ because they would provide him the backing he otherwise wouldn’t have regardless of his merits and that he desperately needs if he wants to climb in ranks.

And personally I feel like neither was interested in backing him up so as to allow him to rise in ranks.

Although in different ways, they both are nobles using him because he’s of a lower class but which gain would they have by having Ogata, who’s basically an outcast, rise in ranks?

In my meta I mostly discussed how it wouldn’t help at all Tsurumi’s ambitions but Okuda too would have no gain from it, if anything his support to a nobody’s son would expose him to ridicule or to gossips about him being Ogata’s real father or things like that.

So really, I wouldn’t bet on Okuda helping him either and without Okuda’s support no matter what Ogata accomplishes he won’t rise that far, at most he’ll get at Kikuta’s rank.

This is also what made Tsurumi’s goal so amazing for his low ranking men, that he promised them he would raise them to the higher rank in his own state, his own private guard, something they could NEVER hope to accomplish in Meiji Japan.

So... well, this is a complicate situation.

If we accept that Ogata wants to climb in ranks, he mostly needs backing even more than personal merit because with personal merit alone he won’t rise much.

In this sense he could have been interested in both Okuda and Tsurumi’s support, not out of Tsurumisexuality but out of practical purposes (Tsurumi is good at his work so he would be useful). But again, it feels hard Ogata assumed he could count on Tsurumi or that he could control him so... I don’t know.

We’ll see how things will go in the new chapter.

For now I feel we’re either still lacking lot of info, we were fed misleading words or there was a retcon. We’ll see which one of the 3 soon.

Thank you for your ask!

[goldenkamuyhunting]

I wholeheartedly believe Ogata is lying in ch 304, on the grounds that he is ALWAYS lying. I do not trust a word coming out of this man's mouth, even less so when directed at Tsurumi. I think he's telling him what he wants to hear, letting him think that he got his ex superior private all figured out, but I doubt Tsurumi will be fooled. I can't see Ogata's endgame, but I refuse to believe there's not more to him than this! Anyway, thanks for all your great posts! I enjoy reading your thoughts!

Well...

in this case you’re on shacky grounds because Ogata is not a pathological liar, he lies in the exact same circumstances as the others, when it serves his survival, his job, his mental health or his goal... which is something EVERYONE in the manga has done, starting from Sugimoto (the first character introduced) and ending with Okuda (the last character introduced).

If I were to make a list of all the lies all the characters said it would take me a lot, really but this has to be expected considering the kind of story this one is.

Even young Asirpa learns fast to lie to save herself (she pretends she doesn’t know Japanese) and Tanigaki (she tells Sugimoto he’s dead because she fears otherwise he would kill him).

In Ogata’s case there are plenty of times in which he told the truth because it didn’t harm one of the aboves, straight from his first meeting with Sugimoto, when he warned him he would do better to get out of that mess because he probably has no idea how big that game is.

However, of course, considering his role in the story, there were also plenty of times in which he had to lie to survive, to do his job, to not psychologically break down, to reach his goal.

Ogata’s position isn’t easy after all, first he was an Okuda’s spy who’s doing Tsurumi’s dirty job, trying to instigate a rebellion in Tsurumi’s lines and then trying to get the factions of Hijikata, Kiroranke and Sugimoto to become such big hindrances to Tsurumi they’ll destroy each other.

He’s also a psychologically damaged man who has to deal with it and has found out that the best way to cope he could think of was merely to pretend the damage and whatever unpleasant wasn’t there, turning his eyes away from it to the point he hallucinates his brother because he just can’t bring himself to face things rationally (unless we assume there’s really a ghost in this gold hunt which would be a completely different can of worms).

He can’t tell the truth if he wants to accomplish something, hence the lies.

For example he tells Hijikata he’s in for the gold because he can’t tell him ‘I’m trying to get you and Tsurumi to kill each other’ nor he can tell it to Kiro or Sugimoto.

And he lies to Asirpa on the ice field because he needs to know what she knows and he can’t tell her that he is supposed to hand what Wilk hid to Central and the Ainu won’t get a single penny out of it because this wouldn’t have made Asirpa willing to help him.

So, as far as I’m involved, the key here to know if Ogata is lying or not is to figure out if he has a reason to do so or not... which is really hard because we lack a lot of info.

Does it serves his survival?

Hard to say, he’s undoubtedly in a dangerous position as he’s a lone man on top of a train filled with enemies (who’re currently killing each other but, I’m sure, wouldn’t mind killing him too) facing Tsurumi.

It can be hiding his true motive, while not quite giving him the upper hand, doesn’t put him at disadvantage, or it’s just he’s trying to gain time or to manipulate Tsurumi into acting in a certain way... but we can’t say because we’ve no info.

Does it serves his job?

Hard to say. Maybe his true motive is tied to his role as man of Central and therefore, for some reasons, he can’t disclose it... but we know basically nothing on how Ogata became a man of Central so everything goes.

Does it serves his mental health?

Again hard to say. Ogata can very well be in denial about his true motive because his true motive is, for him, painful to face, or would make him feel as if he were to leave himself exposed to mocking or disbelief or exploitation. But again, pins what this would be is hard as we lack info. If it’s tied to his long relationship with Tsurumi we hardly know how things were between them before Ogata left the 7th, if it’s tied to something else... well, we know Ogata has psychological problems but pinning what’s involved this time is hard.

Does it serves his goal?

Very hard to say. Since part of what we’re putting under question is the goal Ogata claims to have (rise in ranks), wondering if it’s true or not, this means we don’t know if there’s another goal, therefore, not knowing if there’s another goal, we can’t tell if Ogata’s words are serving this mysterious goal we don’t know.

So this leads us... where?

We can’t tell if Ogata is lying or not by analyzing if he might have reasons to lie, what we can tell is that his words seem to clash with his previous actions (being intelligent and not trusting Tsurumi at all... or anyone for the matter, usually handling things on his own VERSUS naively thinking Tsurumi would help him and counting on it and being all upset when this doesn’t happen, claiming this was his driving force for doing what he did).

The clash raises suspicion on his words to the point it feels as if his diffidence had been retconned if his words confirms to be true.

However, since retconning is possible and had been done before, we can’t prove Ogata is lying by this method either.

So everything is still up in the air, readers are meant to do their pick and this is probably what Noda wanted since there’s a break in which he can let them wonder. We can just speculate, wait and see.

Thank you for your ask!