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Characters in order of appearance:

Transcript

  • Episode begins in the year Meiji 37 (1904), at Liaodong Peninsula, Lushun, 203 Meter Hill. Dozens of Japanese soldiers stand in a trench, armed with bayonets. A soldier, Saichi, eats an ant that was crawling on his finger, before spitting it out*

Saichi: Sour. Japanese Soldier: I’m so hungry. Saichi: I’m going to survive, even if it means taking a bite out of the pale asses of the Russian soldiers I kill. Japanese Soldier: Charge! Forward!

  • The soldiers run out of the trench, charging up the hill*

Saichi: Ahh!

  • Explosions rain down in front of the charging Japanese army, as several Japanese soldiers fire cannons. A Japanese soldier crawls under a barbed wire fence, cutting it with shears, as a different soldier is slumped over the same fence. Several soldiers run through the opening in the fence. Several Russian soldiers fire their gatling guns on the charging soldiers, gunning down dozens of them. A bullet from a Russian soldier’s gatling gun pierces Saichi in the side of the neck, causing him to bleed profusely, as he begins to fall to the ground. Saichi regains his footing and continues charging up the hill*

Saichi: Ahh!

  • Saichi jumps over the Russian soldiers’ barricade, before stabbing a soldier in the neck with his bayonet. Saichi bashes a soldier in the head with the butt of his bayonet, before knocking him to the ground with a kick*

Saichi: Just try and kill me!

  • Saichi swings his bayonet to the right, slamming the butt of it into a soldier’s head, knocking him to the ground. Saichi sidesteps a soldier’s attempt to stab him with their bayonet, before slamming the butt of his bayonet into their head, knocking them to the ground. Saichi stabs a soldier through the middle of his face and out the back of his head, with his bayonet. A soldier slams the butt of his bayonet on Saichi’s back, which seems to have no effect on him, as Saichi turns around and downs him with a punch to the face*

Saichi: Try and kill me!

  • Saichi jumps on a Russian soldier*

Saichi: Die!

  • Saichi gouges out a Russian soldier’s eyes with his thumbs. Saichi stands to his feet*

Saichi: I’m Immortal Sugimoto!

  • Scene changes to Hokkaido, near Otaru. Saichi is scraping stones out of a river, onto a wooden board, with a hoe*

Takechiyo: Hey, Sugimoto! Sugimoto Saichi. You just came back from the Russo-Japanese war, right?

  • Takechiyo sits at a campfire while drinking a bottle of alcohol*

Takechiyo: I heard they call you “Immortal Sugimoto.” You fought like a demon, they say. You were so badly hurt you were almost at death’s door, and the next day you were up and running around.

  • Saichi is shown standing on a pile of corpses, with bright red eyes*

Takechiyo: They said that bayonets, machine guns, and even cannonballs couldn’t kill you. Is that true?

  • Saichi drops a rock into the river. Takechiyo gulps down some alcohol from his bottle*

Takechiyo: Listen, if that were true, you would’ve been given a medal for your heroics, right? So why are you panning for gold? Saichi: I would’ve gotten a medal if I hadn’t halfway killed a superior officer I didn’t like. Right now, I need money. Takechiyo: *laughs* I see. *sighs* Hey, want to hear an interesting story? It’s got to do with gold. Saichi: … Takechiyo: Don’t tell anybody about this. I’m only telling you because I like you. A long time ago, you used to be able to find tons of gold nuggets the size of soybeans on the Hokkaido riverbanks. Every day you could come back with 30 monme’s worth of the stuff. Hehe! It was what they call a “gold rush,” you see. Around that time, some of the Ainu were storing up tons of this gold to fight the Japanese, who even after the Meiji Restoration were oppressing them by forbidding them to hunt salmon or deer, and stealing their lands. And then a single man stole it all, and killed the Ainu who owned it.

  • A man, Wilk, is shown, during a thunderstorm, with blood dripping from his hands standing amongst several corpses*

Takechiyo: Twenty kans of gold! Enough to buy every brothel in Otaru and have money to spare! The police were after the man, so he hid the gold somewhere in Hokkaido. But he was arrested before he could tell anyone where it was, and thrown into Abashiri Prison, the prison at the far end of the earth, to be sentenced to death. He wanted to tell his comrades on the outside where the gold was, but he never wrote a letter. The guards would just steal it, you see. Everybody was looking for this gold, you know.

  • Takechiyo gulps down alcohol from his bottle*

Takechiyo: No matter what they did to him, he didn’t tell anyone where the gold was. In the end, one of the guards turned out to be a horrible man. He cut the tendon of one of the man’s legs so he couldn’t escape. What would you do in that situation, Sugimoto? What would you do if you wanted to get the location of the treasure out of the most heavily-guarded prison in Japan? Saichi: What did he do? Just tell me already. Takechiyo: Tattoos. He tattooed the bodies of his fellow death row inmates in his cell with a code that revealed the location of the treasure. He mixed charcoal with saliva, and then slowly carved that ink in with a needle he’d kept hidden. It’s said only his comrades on the outside can decrypt the code. And this is what he said to the other prisoners: “Escape from this prison. Whoever succeeds can have half the treasure.” Saichi: A strange story. Why go to all that trouble? Why make a tattoo that stands out? Takechiyo: You’d think, right? It’s what comes next that explains the tattoos. To crack the code, you need all the prisoner’s tattoos.

  • Saichi smirks*

Takechiyo: Some of the less reputable members of the military heard the rumors about the tattoos and dragged the prisoners out of their cell, saying they were going to “transport” them. The police and the military were after the gold, too, you see. But that was the prisoners’ chance to escape. They knew that somebody would get greedy and take them outside.

  • An older man with a white goatee, Toshizo, is shown smiling, as he is transported by the military on a wooden cart*

Takechiyo: The prisoners killed all the soldiers, and every last one disappeared into the forest. Saichi: And then? Takechiyo: *yawns* Then what? Saichi: What happened to the escapees and the gold? Takechiyo: That’s the end of the story. Nobody’s caught them. And nobody knows what happened to the gold, either. Saichi: Who told you that story? You seem quite well-informed about it. This is another tall tale, right? I remember last time, you told me that there was still an Ezo wolf out there, and those things are extinct.

  • Saichi turns around and notices that Takechiyo had fallen asleep*

Saichi: Hmph!

  • Saichi is revealed to have a bullet scar on the side of his neck, before wrapping a scarf around it*

Saichi: It’s cold.

  • Saichi crouches down next to the campfire*
  • Saichi thinks back to the battle against the Russians, when he and Toraji were sitting in wait, in a trench*

Toraji: Saichi, you should come with me. You can still pan for gold in Hokkaido. You’re not married, so it’ll be easy for you. I have to make money for my family’s sake. I want a good doctor to take a look at Umeko’s…at my wife’s eyes.

  • Toraji imagines his wife, Umeko, and his baby, Torataro*

Toraji: Every day she loses more of her vision. It makes me sad to think she might not see her kid grow up. Don’t you agree, Saichi? Saichi: Yeah. Toraji: They say the doctors in America are the best in the world.

  • Toraji holds up a piece of paper*

Toraji: Look at this.

  • Saichi grabs the paper*

Toraji: The boat tickets and the cost of the surgery will be about 200 yen. But one lucky find when panning, and that’s all you need. Once the war’s over, relations between Japan and the United States will get worse. I have to hurry. *cries* Saichi, take care of Umeko. Nobody will take a girl with bad vision and a kid. I’ve been your best friend forever, and I’m begging you. Saichi: Toraji, what are you talking about?…!

  • Saichi turns to look at Toraji, and sees him sitting in a pool of blood with all of his limbs missing*

Toraji: I can’t go back to Japan! Saichi: Ah! Wait! Don’t go

  • Saichi tries to grab Toraji as he sinks into the pool of blood*

Saichi: Are you going to make Umeko a widow? Toraji! Hey!

  • Saichi wakes up next to the campfire, having had a nightmare, and notices Takechiyo gone. Takechiyo appears behind Saichi pointing a gun towards his back, as he struggles to load the chamber*

Takechiyo: Damn it! I said too much.

  • Saichi grabs the rifle and presses it against his chest*

Saichi: Want to see if I’m really immortal? Takechiyo: *gulps*

  • Saichi picks up a rock with his right hand, before slamming it into Takechiyo’s face, knocking him to the ground. Saichi loads his rifle as Takechiyo sits up, blood dripping down from his nose*

Saichi: Look. Now, you can shoot it whenever you want. Takechiyo: Aah!

  • Takechiyo gets up and runs into the forest*

Saichi: How about that? That tall tale is starting to seem a little more credible.

  • Saichi walks through the forest while holding his rifle*

Saichi (Thinking: If I ignore him, he might come back to kill me. I’ll have to kill him before he kills me.

  • Saichi notices Takechiyo buried underneath a pile of snow*

Saichi: What the hell? Hang on, I’ll pull you out.

  • Saichi runs over to Takechiyo and begins digging him out. Saichi pulls Takechiyo out of the snow mound to find a giant, bloody hole in his stomach. Saichi notices a bear print in the snow*

Saichi: A bear. A bear buried the rest of his meal here.

  • Saichi places his hand on Takechiyo’s neck*

Saichi: His neck’s broken. Looks like he died before he could scream. You’ve got bad luck, too, huh? Huh?!

  • Saichi begins pulling off Takechiyo’s coat and shirt*

Saichi: Hey, come on, now! What the hell is this?

  • Saichi removes Takechiyo’s clothing to find a large tattoo all over his upper body*

Saichi: Are you one of the prisoners you were just telling me about? It wasn’t a tall tale. That explains how you knew so damn much! So these tattoos lead to the treasure, huh?

  • Saichi carries Takechiyo’s corpse over his back*

Saichi: I can’t leave him here. I need to get him somewhere else. Or that bear will come back and eat this part of the treasure code.

  • Saichi notices a noise and turns to find a bear cub climbing a tree*

Saichi: What? A baby bear? Wait, if there’s a baby bear…

  • A bear roars in the distance. Saichi turns to find a bear charging towards him. Saichi tries to pull up his rifle, but it’s stuck on Takechiyo’s leg. The bear stops in front of Saichi, stands on its hind legs, and roars at him*

Saichi: Oh?!

  • Saichi loses his footing in the snow and falls down a hill, as the bear attempts to bite Saichi, narrowly missing. The bear jumps down the hill, next to Saichi, and roars at him*

Saichi (Thinking): She’ll eat me!

  • An arrow suddenly whistles through the air, before piercing the bear through the chest, causing the bear to fall to the ground. Saichi turns to see a young girl, Asirpa*

Asirpa: Get back. That poison is a mix of red stingray needles and wolfsbane root, but a brown bear can take ten steps after being hit. Saichi: An Ainu…

  • The brown bear lays in the snow motionless*

Saichi: Is it dead? Asirpa: It’s hairs that were standing on end have fallen. It’s dead.

  • Asirpa cuts into the brown bear with a small knife*

Saichi: What are you doing? Asirpa: Removing the meat from around the poison arrow. It’s a strong poison, so if you don’t, it will ruin the meat and pelt.

  • Asirpa looks at Takechiyo’s corpse*

Asirpa: Is he dead? Saichi: Yeah. His whole stomach got eaten, and he was buried. That mother bear got him. Asirpa: Mother bear? Saichi: It came charging out of the cave next to a tree where a baby bear was hanging. Asirpa: That’s strange. Saichi: Huh? Asirpa: When a bear has just come out of its cave after hibernation, its stomach has shrunk, so it can’t eat immediately.

  • Asirpa cuts into the bear with her knife*

Asirpa: Even if it attacked a human to protect its child, it couldn’t eat them.

  • Asirpa removes a cube of meat from the bear’s corpse with her knife. Asirpa reaches into the bear’s body and partially pulls out it’s stomach*

Asirpa: See? The stomach is empty. Saichi: Then another bear ate him? Asirpa: This is bad. The only ones who can eat meat at this time of year are Matakarip. In the language of the Ainu, “Those that wander in winter.” Very foul-tempered, dangerous bears who failed to go into hibernation. What will you do with that man? Saichi: I was going to, um, take him to a nearby village. Asirpa: Don’t even try. He’s been half-eaten by a Matakarip. If you steal food from one of them, they’ll chase you anywhere to get it back. Are you going to lead a dangerous bear into a village? Leave it. Saichi: I can’t do that! Asirpa: Is he part of your family? Is he that important to you? Saichi: No, that’s not it. Asirpa: Then you can just shoot the Matakarip. If you’re a soldier, then fight. Saichi (Thinking): On the battlefield, I fought Russians, not monster bears. Asirpa: It’ll be pitch-dark soon. If you’re not ready to fight, then you should leave him here and go. The weak get eaten. Saichi: …

  • Saichi pulls up Takechiyo’s shirt to reveal his tattoos*

Saichi: I have an interesting story to tell you.

  • A dead bear cub lies on the snow, as a large bear steps on it with its paw. The bear stands on its hind legs and sniffs the air*

Saichi: I still don’t fully believe it, but if what this man told me is true, we can’t let this corpse be eaten by the bear. You’re used to bear hunting. Help me.

  • A bloodied picture of Taraji, Umeko, and their baby lays on the snow*

Saichi (Thinking): It was the last request from my best friend ever since I was a child. Saichi: I need money, no matter what. Yeah…I didn’t believe it at first, either. Asirpa: I believe you. Saichi: Really? Asipra: Because one of the slain Ainu was my father. Saichi: What?! Asirpa: We’ll talk later. Hurry, and gather firewood.

  • Scene changes to night, as Asirpa and Saichi stand next to a campfire*

Saichi: Do the bears fear fire? Asirpa: No. Brown bears don’t fear fire. We’ll use this light to shoot the bear. We’ll use the corpse as a decoy to ambush it. Saichi: Should I bring it closer to the flames, then?

  • Saichi picks up Takechiyo’s corpse and drags it closer to the fire*

Asirpa: Wait. Saichi: Huh? Asirpa: These tattoos…I see, this is… Saichi: What is it? Asirpa: How cruel. He never intended to split the treasure with the prisoners.

  • Asirpa kneels down next to Takechiyo’s corpse and removes his shirt*

Asirpa: Look. The tattoos stretch around the chest and arms, and they’re all cut off at the body’s median lines. It’s just like the lines you use to mark the cuts you’ll make when stripping the pelt from a deer or bear. Saichi: You’re saying he planned to kill them and take their skins? Saichi (Thinking): Who was it who carved these tattoos? Why was he so obsessed with entrusting his comrades with the treasure? Saichi: Could we just skin him before the bear comes? Asirpa: There’s no time. The bears always stay near their prey. Saichi: So we have to defeat the bear? Asirpa: Once a brown bear kills someone, as punishment, they can no longer eat anything but human flesh. They become dangerous and evil gods who don’t fear humans, Wenkamuy.

  • A brown bear is shown walking through the forest*

Saichi: They find out that the humans they feared are actually weak creatures. Asirpa: The bear will come. Keep the fire going, no matter what. We can’t fight if it’s dark. Once it gets light in the morning, we’ll have the advantage. Find sitat. Saichi: Find what? Asirpa: White birch bark. White birch bark is oily and burns for a long time. You can use it as a torch.

  • Saichi bends down and grabs several sticks*

Saichi: Twelve hours until sunrise, huh? We’ll need more firewood.

  • Saichi turns his head and sees the brown bear directly in front of him. The brown bear swipes it’s paw at the campfire, destroying it*

Saichi: It’s huge! Asirpa: Crap! It’s already here!

  • Saichi punches the bear in the forehead, creating a blast of air pressure that blew snow off the ground around them, but the bear is unaffected*

Saichi: Yeah, that wasn’t going to work. Asirpa: Get below it and cling to its belly!

  • Asirpa notches an arrow from her quiver and stares into the darkness of the forest*

Saichi: Aah! Asirpa (Thinking): It got him? It’s too dark to see anything, but I know basically where it is. Even if I don’t hit it’s vitals, if the poison gets into it… Saichi: Don’t shoot! You’ll hit me! Asirpa: Huh?

  • Saichi clutches onto the bear’s belly*

Saichi: Don’t shoot! You’ll hit me! Asirpa (Thinking): He’s not dead yet! Asirpa: I’ll take the risk and shoot! Saichi: Wait! I’ll handle this myself! Just stay put while I stab you!

  • Moonlight shines down on the forest, as the clouds give way. Asirpa shoots an arrow towards the bear, as Saichi stabs the bear in the stomach with a knife. The bear reels in pain, standing up, causing Asirpa’s arrow to bounce off it’s forehead*

Asirpa: Huh?

  • The bear charges towards Asirpa as Saichi clings to it’s belly*

Saichi: Wait! Don’t run!

  • Asirpa nocks an arrow and aims at the charging bear. Asirpa jumps backwards, out of the way of the bear’s charge, landing on her back before rolling into a crouching position and brandishing a knife*

Saichi: Oh?!

  • The bear quickly turns around, throwing Saichi off it’s belly, before charging towards Asirpa*

Saichi: Ow!

  • As the brown bear approaches Asirpa, a large white wolf suddenly runs from behind Asirpa, jumping towards the bear and biting it’s snout*

Asirpa: …!

  • The bear throws the wolf off, who lands on it’s feet in front of Asirpa*

Saichi: A wild dog?

  • Asirpa holds her hand out towards the wolf*

Asirpa (Thinking): Retar…

  • The bear swipes at Retar jumps backwards to avoid it, before jumping to the bear’s side. The bear swipes at Retar who sidesteps the blow*

Asirpa: …! From where you are, the heart is under the armpit! Watch for the shoulder blade and aim carefully!

  • Saichi kneels on the ground, aiming his rifle at the bear. Saichi fires a bullet, hitting the bear in the side. The bear charges at Saichi, standing on it’s hind legs after reaching him*

Saichi: Just try and kill me! I’m Immortal Sugimoto!

  • Saichi falls onto his back with his bayonet pointed upwards, as the bear collapses on top of him. Blood leaks out from underneath the bear*

Asirpa: Hey, you alive, Sisam?

  • Saichi pops his head out from underneath the bear*

Saichi: Yup. Sheesh…I survived again. Asirpa: That’s a particularly dangerous way of fighting bears that Ainu hunters used.

  • Saichi struggles to pull himself out from underneath the bear*

Asirpa: I’m surprised you knew of it. Saichi: I didn’t. My body just moved on its own. Anyway, can you pull me out? Asirpa: You have courage and a talent for battle. You’re a skilled warrior. Not bad, for a Sisam. Saichi: Sisam?

  • Asirpa grabs Saichi’s hand*

Asirpa: A Japanese. Saichi: The name’s Sugimoto Saichi. Asirpa: Asirpa.

  • Asirpa pulls Saichi from underneath the bear*

Saichi: That huge white dog…What was that? Asirpa: It’s over there.

  • Asirpa points to the top of a hill, where Retar stands*

Asirpa: That’s a wolf. Saichi: A wolf? There’s still some left? It seemed to be protecting you.

  • Retar howls*

Asirpa: It happened five years ago. My father and seven men from the village were killed while transporting the gold. Their bodies were chopped up and fed to the beasts. Some of the pieces seemed to be my father’s. That’s all I know. We were never even told that the man who’d killed my father and the others was arrested and sent to Abashiri prison, let alone anything about the tattooed prisoners. Saichi: Hey, Asirpa. Let’s work together to find the gold. It belongs to you to begin with. I won’t ask for an even split. Just give me a small share. Asirpa: Find it how? Saichi: We’ll find the tattooed prisoners. Asirpa: And then? Kill them and skin them? Saichi: … Asirpa: This is yours. Take it, Sugimoto. Saichi: What is it? Asirpa: A bear’s gall bladder. If you dry it, you can sell it as medicine for a lot of money. No part of the bear goes to waste. We can eat the meat, of course. And we can sell the pelt and use the fat as salve for burns. You killed it, so you have the right to all of it. Saichi: Half of it should be yours. Asirpa: I’ll be satisfied with just the mother bear. This one killed and ate a person. The Ainu don’t eat the meat of a bear that killed someone. We won’t take it’s pelt, either. Bears that do bad things become evil gods and are sent to a hell called Teyne Pokna Mosir. I don’t want to kill people, either. Saichi: If you kill people, you go to hell? Then I’ll be getting first-class accommodations there.

  • Saichi pulls out a pocket knife*

Saichi: The fact that the man with the tattoos was living in hiding means that it’s likely the gold hasn’t been found yet. Asirpa, the man who killed your father is probably still alive within the prison. The government won’t want him killed until they’ve found it.

  • Saichi cuts into Takechiyo’s skin with his knife*

Saichi: But the minute someone finds the gold, he ceases to be valuable.

  • Saichi slowly skins Takechiyo*

Saichi: Finding the gold is a way to avenge your father’s death.

  • Saichi drops his bloodied knife into the snow as he holds Takechiyo’s skin in his hands*

Saichi: Asirpa, you agree with that. It’s why you helped me, right? I’ll be the one to dirty my hands. You just lend me your wisdom. I want the money. You want revenge for your father. We have different goals, but the same path. If we join forces, we’ll be unstoppable.

  • Scene changes to a hooded man, Hyakunosuke, walking up to the campfire where Takechiyo told Saichi about the tattoos*
  • Episode ends*

Episode Rating

Story & Pacing (9.0/10)

The episode efficiently establishes the setting and stakes, transitioning seamlessly between the Russo-Japanese War and Hokkaido. The battle sequence is visceral and gripping, providing a strong introduction to Sugimoto’s character. The shift to the gold-hunting plot is well-paced, gradually unveiling a treasure-hunt mystery with high stakes.

Characterization & Dialogue (9.2/10)

Sugimoto Saichi is immediately established as a tenacious, battle-hardened soldier with an underlying moral complexity. His interactions with Takechiyo and Asirpa reveal different sides of his character—his practicality, brutality, and hidden sense of justice. Asirpa makes a strong debut, displaying intelligence, skill, and a deep cultural connection to Ainu traditions. The contrast between her honor-driven motives and Sugimoto’s pragmatic survival instincts sets up a dynamic partnership.

Action & Visual Storytelling (9.0/10)

The battle against the Russian soldiers is intense and chaotic, reinforcing the horrors of war while showcasing Sugimoto’s resilience. The bear encounter is equally harrowing, with a great buildup of tension leading to the climactic confrontation. The use of moonlight, fire, and shadows enhances the atmosphere.

Worldbuilding (9.5/10)

The episode excels in integrating Ainu culture into the narrative. From the discussions on bear hunting and spiritual beliefs to the use of poison in hunting, these details add authenticity and depth. The historical context of the Russo-Japanese War and its aftermath adds further layers to the story.

Themes & Symbolism (9.0/10)

The episode effectively sets up themes of survival, revenge, and morality. Sugimoto’s nickname, “Immortal,” serves as both a testament to his resilience and a metaphor for his inability to let go of the past. The presence of bears as symbols of both nature’s power and the dangers of unchecked violence adds another thematic layer.

Overall Rating: 9.1/10

This episode is a strong opener that successfully balances action, character development, and worldbuilding. The dynamic between Sugimoto and Asirpa is already compelling, and the mystery surrounding the tattoos and gold sets up an intriguing adventure. It’s well above average (7.3), making it a fantastic start to the series.