The name Tarou Sakamoto once instilled fear in every villain. No other professional hitman matched his prowess, and fellow assassins revered him. However, Sakamoto fell in love. In five short years, he married, became a father, put on some weight, and traded his weapons for an apron as he became the owner of a humble convenience store.
Although Sakamoto is decidedly retired, he finds his old life of crime hard to shake off. His former partner, Shin Asakura, reappears and resolves to stay with Sakamoto's family under their strict no-kill rule. To make matters worse, a large bounty is placed on Sakamoto's head. Numerous assassins now pursue him—but they are in for a surprise. Sakamoto has not lost his edge, and no matter what tricks his enemies pull, he will fight off every last one to protect his dear family.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Supersonic_Pain
The tone is just completely off for me I've heard the manga praised consistently for having cool fights and choreography but honestly, I can't take the fights seriously. It's like Spy x Family if it wasn't funny, cute, and it was instead filled with nominally cool fights that do absolutely nothing for me It's this hitman show but nobody dies from anything unless they're disposable baddies killed by DA Order or *checks notes* Slur? Are you fucking kidding me? Your main bad guy is named after demeaning epithets? Sakamoto goes "oh, I can't kill anyone because my wife made me promise" because blah blah, everyone has a family/someone who'llgrieve for them and, like, bro, you're a hitman. If you're just killing a politician, that's one thing (technically, you could argue depending on their policies, they are killing people, but for simplicity's sake, I'll just say it's not like they're actively shooting people) but you're fighting people in this show that have no qualms murdering people, throwing bombs at them, trying to kill YOU.
And not only that but Sakamoto does so much shit that should kill people but because it's this kiddy gag manga, nobody dies. He drops an entire refrigerator on someone and they're just fine. People jump like 50 feet in the air and skydive onto roller coasters and they're perfectly fine. Someone is punched from the ground to the top of a ferris wheel and it's fine and dandy. Sakamoto tanks a faceful of bombs and sniper rifle shots (which doesn't even go into how the sniper has such good bullets and aim, he can use ricocheting bullets to cover the entire city and yet not hit any bystanders) and not much happens as a result.
It makes all the fights have little to no stakes when you can take any wound and shrug it off like "lol, guess I'm gonna have to buy some pain ointment at the store later".
I get that pretty much every battle shonen has people taking hits that'd normally kill them but they either 1. Take extended breaks to heal or 2. have such supernatually powered bodies, it makes sense for them to do that stuff. If you're firing laser beams out of your sword against a guy who can summon a million tiny swords, I'm a bit more inclined to give you slack when you tank a couple sword slashes.
Sakamoto Days leans too far into the gag manga realm for me to take its battle shonen fights seriously.
Sakamoto even goes back to his thin form for a couple of fights and, like, WHY? Isn't the whole point of having a tubby fatass as your MC that it's comedic to see him kick ass in that form? Why are you giving him his badass form back? How does that even work? Does his body know to just melt off the fat whenever he's ~serious~? It seems he just rapidly gains the weight back after but how is he losing the weight? Wouldn't that be hell on his body to rapidly lose and then gain weight anyway?
I guess this is a good time to bring up the animation. I personally didn't really have that big of a problem with it usually (although some shots, like when Sakamoto uses pool balls to attack the enemy, it's not all that impressive when they skimp out on actually showing the ricocheting of the balls, it's just kind of pictures with the path outlined) but it's not Demon Slayer or JJK or even the level of some of the lower level shonen like Undead Unluck (not that David Pro didn't cook with that series but it unfortunately did not catch on as much as Demon Slayer or JJK).
The characters are kind of boring. I don't have much to say about Sakamoto or Shin (except, again, the tone. Why is Shin, like, the only supernatural person in the show? There's, like, a human weapon and a guy who basically has Flash Step and really good impersonation skills but Shin is the only one who has like explicit superpowers), Lu Shaotang's just annoying, and... I actually kind of liked Heisuke but he doesn't get nearly as much to do and for some reason, they don't give him a job at Sakamoto's? Like what did he do to not deserve a job?
The villains are weird. We see 4 at the end and their names are, like, Dump, Saw, Apart, and Minimalist. There's a guy named Boiled (with an admittedly cool weapon but an AWFUL gimmick, I hated how he acted in the show), as mentioned before, the main villain is named SLUR. There's a guy dressed as a reindeer but he just takes the mask off when he has to fight so he can be a patchwork weapon so... um... hooray for randomness?
Osaragi has a cool design but she didn't do much during the season so whatever.
I mentioned it up above but it's just not a very funny anime. I get the sense that it's supposed to be funny but it's not. There's a recurring joke about Sakamoto killing Shin in his mind and Shin reading Sakamoto's mind and going, every single time, "why are you killing me in your mind?" Yup, we got it the first time. Not to mention it just makes Sakamoto look like a psychopath. That's supposed to be your ally/friend, why ARE you killing him in your mind repeatedly?
Even the "intelligent" fight where they aren't actually fighting, it's solved through shitty comedy and how Sakamoto plays the game of old maid is what ultimately brought this show down from a 6 to a 5 because it put a sour taste in my mouth. How the fuck do 2 grown hitmen not know how to play poker anyway?
Speaking of which, I've been pretty negative, why does it have a 5?
I mean, if you can ignore the blatant suspension of disbelief, the fights are okay. I couldn't get into them but I guess I can see why some people would enjoy it. I liked Heisuke. The music was decent, the OP's kind of a bop. It didn't actively disgust or offend me. It's just not a very good anime.
In a world where you can easily pick up and find good battle shonen, I don't really see a reason why you'd pick this one unless you were fiending for new content or trying to impress your dad who's never seen an anime in their life and calls them cartoons.
I gave it a Mixed Feelings because if you don't think too hard about it, you'll probably enjoy it more than I did, but I just cannot take this show seriously (but I also can't find it funny) and it kind of ruined my enjoyment of it.
eyedek666
Sakamoto Days is the textbook definition of a just-below-average show. Not offensively bad, but near everything it could be praised for has been done better by other anime and it will be largely forgotten once a few years are behind it. This wouldn't be such a problem if not for the immense online hype surrounding this adaption that convinced me to give it a watch in the first place. I sat down expecting a top-tier action-comedy with amazing fight scenes, which made the mediocre product I received that much more disappointing. Indeed, I kept watching weekly with a gradually diminishing hope that I would eventuallysee what was so great about Sakamoto.
The plot is nothing we haven't seen before: "hardened assassin has to balance their dark past with domestic life and defending their family". Sakamoto Days doesn't do anything particularly interesting with this concept, other than Sakamoto involving two other sidekicks who are aware of his origins and abilities, one of whom can read minds. The episodes are, well, episodic, and most of the smaller story arcs can be arranged in any order without any real consequence. The "serious" episodes feel low stakes and forced, and like they don't have any real consequences that affect the main cast. Anime like Spy x Family and even Way of the Househusband have executed this concept far better (WotH had at least a clear idea of what type of show it was and what it was trying to do).
The animation is probably the biggest letdown here. Nothing stood out to me as bad, and there were some cool moments, but it wasn't anything to write home about either, which is a major issue for a property whose main draw is the fight sequences. Also, the artstyle overall felt a little "off", for a reason I can't put my finger on.
The characters are likable but archetypal and don't have any real depth to them. We don't have any real reason to care about these characters or their motivations until we get a backstory exposition dump shoehorned in. Speaking of motivations, the characters are so nebulously defined that I finished the anime only yesterday and have already forgotten what the key motivation of each character outside of Sakamoto is (protecting his family). Character designs are fine, I like Sakamoto's face and Lu's hair in particular, but they're nothing special. I also should note that I watched it in English, and while the voice acting is good in general, I found Lu's English voice to be somewhat annoying.
In genera, while Sakamoto Days has its moments and isn't totally devoid of good things to talk about, it is ultimately an incredibly mediocre anime and I can't honestly recommend it to a general audience. Your time is probably best spent watching one of the many other action-comedy shows that do their job much better.
Stark700
Sakamoto Days evokes a feeling of familiarity, back in a time when anime felt more old school with cartoonish humor. It ditches trashy fan service in exchange for a blend of engaging adult cast and mature setting. Despite that, Sakamoto Days both takes itself seriously and have fun with what it brings to us. Outside of his participation related to One Piece and other one-shots, Sakamoto Day to date is Yuuto Suzuki's most known work. What started back in 2020 became a sensation as we follow the everyday life of Taro Sakamoto. As a retired hitman with a reserved personality, Sakamoto is protrayed as a fatman in stereotypical fashion of having the 'Dad Bod'. This is exmplified to show that he has ditched his former life as a hitman in favor of raising a family with his wife Aoi. It's not soon after that hitmen from his previous life puts his family in danger where Sakamoto has to rely on his skills to protect what he loves.
Drawing from influences such as the John Wick franchise, Sakamoto Days' story typically revolves around Sakamoto's daily life, his family, and friends. When imminent danger is absent, the anime can feel like a sitcom. The colorful cast adds flavor to this show with its diverse range of personalities. I confess to say that among its cast, the character chemistry feels natural and flourishes through their conversations and weekly segments. While Sakamoto himself is a man of few words, others such as Shin, Aoi, and Shaotang brings out the best out of him and each other. Shin Asakura is especially important to pay attention with his status of an ex-hitman. As someone who is loyal and confident, he remains an important ally and friend to Sakamoto. The term of loyalty also symbolizes the relationship between Sakamoto and his wife Aoi. Through background storytelling, we learn why Sakamoto quit being a hitman and settled down with a humble family. Make no mistake however, as Aoi herself is a strong willed woman who isn't afraid to take risks. Despite having different personalities, the two are fated seems to be with each other.
Even with its weekly sitcom segments, this anime does have an overall plot. It fundamentally tells how Sakamoto lives his life while we see events from the underworld and gangs. The contrasting protrayal of his character going from an obese man to a will-fit hitman is a recurring plot element used throughout the story. It also cleverly mixes in lighthearted moments of humor while adapting shocking violence, done just right. It doesn't explicity glorify violence to stay in touch with gang and hitman related themes. It respects its plot themes while always focusing on Sakamoto's double life. The maindraw back of this season is its attempt to stay consistent. By that means, there are over 200+ ongoing chapters and one season of 11 episodes is far from reaching its full potential. This adaptation only touches the tip of the iceberg and fundmentally adapts the overall tone of the series. Luckily, we do have another cour already announced and through this franchises' popularity, we should expect more.
On the technical front, Sakamoto Day adapts a stylish way of action sequences and fast paced combat. At times, it looks like a comic book coming to life when flipping its pages. Rather than giving characters powers, characters fight with superhuman-like movements. Sakamoto's transition is the most fascinating as if he's built like a lab experiment. Indeed, the early episodes of this series especially impresses with its battle chereography. The layers of body movements and expressions captures the beauty of this show.
It's the perfect storm for a show with an adult cast featuring our title character Sakamoto. There's no one better to protray him and when we watch carefully, his life is quite normal outside of the hitman shenanigans. Anime like this often takes a more mature approach at storytelling but this show keeps it light and simple. It really can be enjoyable when you know what you see.
ZeroMajor12
I have a few words to speak about Sakamoto Days, but I'm hoping if you could spare the time to read till the end. Sakamoto Days is as plain as it looks on paper. Despite this, there's nothing wrong with that, it means the show is easy to get into. Most shows usually have familiar premises, just with a different whiff done by the creator. Like in this anime, it goes through a very familiar premise we've been spoonfed for several times, a powerful hitman going AWOL, the opps searching for this man brick by brick, yadadada, and all that. For a comedy anime, it's prettypredictable and bland, as you would have guessed already. Casual sidekick doing the most talking in the cast, there's another sidekick that is mainly there to spark things up so it doesn't get boring, you have the world's most forgettable opps on screen, no cap. All of these elements seem to head towards the idea that it's supposed to be an episodic comedy before the later episodes of Part 1 decided to ditch that idea and go for a more action shounen story with the bigger antagonist who might possibly be the most attractive character the author has ever made in his career (not so much in this adaptaion however).
Speaking of action, fortunately, the action isn't that bad, despite what others think. True, it's not the best either since TMS doesn't have the best portfolio and staff for this kind of work, but the pacing, storyboard, and key scenes are fine in general. I get that people were expecting crazy talented animators for like every latest popular manga getting an adaptation but saying that the animation is terrible in Sakamoto Days would be a disservice to what the staff did for the anime. The anime is able to offer a somewhat equal frame of the creative action compared to its manga section. Of course, this kind of quality would be sustained for the next part of Sakamoto Days, but at least it's watchable and not butchered like last season's anime.
I'll try and make it simple as Sakamoto Days has consistently did in every episode.
Pros:
- Decent production and animation.
- Quick to get into with little downtime.
- Soundtrack is fine.
- Simple and easy to watch.
Cons:
- Meh characters, with only a couple to say that are decent.
- Comedy is mostly unfunny due to predictable jokes.
Overall, think of it as a nice break.
Thank you for reading and see you in Part 2.
Ba-Cii10
🔵Winter 2025. It was supposed to be another "hit" but something didn't work out, practically everything failed, the story is boring and bland, it's just an excuse for action that fails due to average animation. How this anime went without much attention is so pathetic that it's sad, but oh well... maybe it's a good thing, the second anime this season that would be overrated because of spectacular action scenes, it's already too much..... The plot... the killer retires and starts a family but one day his past reveals itself and he will have to face a horde of paid killers trying to kill him... that's it. Only thesecond part of the plot description is important, this series ignores half of its assumptions and focuses exclusively/mainly on action with supernatural elements and (not as much as you might expect) a comedy tone in a typical shounen formula that you've seen a million times in other series of this type.
Unfortunately, the action in this anime is just average in itself and the lack of a good story, characters and not using its own assumptions does not help it, and it could if more effort was put into writing this series.
This anime tells the story of a hitman who gave up his profession for his family, it is the central part of the story, but this anime ignores it, does not develop it and gives the impression that it could just as well be the story of an assassin who still actively works in his profession, has no family and spends his free time with friends from work.
This series is often compared to John Wick, but the assumptions of that film were even simpler than in this anime, so simple that the viewer did not feel that the rest of the story was omitted in favor of the action itself and it worked, the assumptions of Sakamoto Days are more developed after all, but for some reason this series forgets about it.
Family... It is the main motivation of the MC and it is bland, yes the wife and daughter of the MC are cute but they are also an irrelevant background, this anime does not build real family relationships, it wastes the chance to say something real, simple common truths about ordinary simple life, family, relationship or parenting in contrast to a life of crime, even though it has the opportunity to do so and the plot assumptions scream that it should look like this. The simplest fairy tales for children are able to convey some lesson and this anime has nothing even though family is one of the main elements of this series. Still focusing mainly on the action these things could be presented but this anime, in breaks from the action, decides to spend time on naive lessons like "do not kill under any circumstances" or "building relationships" with the MC's new friends who are also killers, they are also one of the most forced groups of friends I've seen in a battle shounen, strong bonds are built within a single episode which makes them come off unconvincing, this anime simply pretends that the characters have gone some way to becoming friends and does so only so that it can jump straight to the action.
Another thing that writes itself is the theme of the main character's transformation, but this anime again doesn't use it and makes Sakamoto simply boring and unbelievable, his path is I am a killer --> my wife asks me not to kill --> I don't kill and that's it (although this "not killing" is also presented here strangely and I don't know if it's the fault of the adaptation or the source material) seriously... that's all.
Despite being a legendary killer, Sakamoto doesn't stand out with anything except his strength and only serves as an empty action figure, although there is room in the plot for the theme of "killing for the greater good" generally even the simplest consideration of the reasonableness of the MC's rule about not killing would be a plus, but this anime decides to go the simplest route and not give the MC any real challenges apart from another characteristic but nevertheless boring opponent whom he defeats and returns to the starting point, and this opponent of course converts after being defeated by the MC and never returns to take revenge xD
As for "not killing", well... at some point the characters break the neck of the opponent but since the anime does not comment on it at any point it means that it is probably a shortcoming showing how much the creators do not care about their own assumptions xD
Someone may also say that it is just a loose comedy action so you can't expect anything more serious from it but despite being like that, it is also quite brutal at the same time, we see a lot of blood, images of quartered people and generally the mystery behind the killers' garbage seems to be something darker and more serious, combined with the fact that this anime is most of the time at the level of a children's fairy tale in terms of tone and complexity, it simply seems inconsistent but these more serious things that still exist in this series also give the impression that this series could have allowed itself to do more but did not and it works to its disadvantage.
It's time for action and well... the animation is simply average.
You can simply see that the movement of the characters is often slow, often even this movement is not really there, for example when the MC delivers a powerful punch.
We will not find in this anime really good and spectacular action sequences straight from jjk or praised in the context of choreography (at least in the first episodes) Ninja Kamui, it is simply not enough for a series that has nothing but these action scenes, that is why this anime is such a failure and everyone from fans of the original to new viewers are disappointed.
As for writing the action... there are a lot of stupid things like "not hitting the protagonists who just run forward and do not even try to avoid bullets"
or much more serious things like the world in which this action takes place.
This anime does not bother with logic and credibility, the strangest, most destructive things can happen in the middle of the city but the world will not react to it anyway, seeing that this anime does not go into total absurdity after all, such a lack of a functioning world is irritating.
I could also list the advantages of this anime but they are not important enough to change anything in particular so well....
Rating:⭐⭐⭐❌❌❌❌❌❌❌
Czj221
As someone who read the manga in preparation for the release of this show, I can only say that I'm disappointed. Knowing the course of the source material, it was easy to overlook how much was wrong with the adaptation (mostly because I was just excited to see it animated), but thinking about how this could be some people's first interaction with the Sakamoto Days story made me extremely sad. Putting aside how lackluster the animation was, the flow of the episodes just felt very disjointed, and the pacing was also quite strange. Still, there are some merits to its existence, I just hope thatseason two is able to deliver more than the first. Moral of the story though, just read the manga.
THE_OLD_ONE
Edit: Im assuming this comment was deleted because someone got offended. good maybe you learned something... The last episode of this show became a racist anime in (0.5) second’s. So the black guy and brown woman are both death-row inmates with the highest kill counts? 🖕🏿😑🖕🏿 The racist writers of this show can go F themselves. This anime literally has no substance or humor. Its so weird Japanese people picked up on the anglo-saxons brand of racism when Black people were not the ones who dropped a nuke on them or forced them into internment camps, brought plague and sickness to their island. Yet time aftertime its the most cartoonish depiction's of racist stereotypes toward anyone not japanese or white. Showing the failure of the Japanese education system and their adherents to revisionist history. As well as japanese subservience to imperialists capitalism. All the while simultaneously superficially obsessing over european and american white people like their not historically the most destructive, violent demographic on the planet, with no contest. It would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic but then again japanese culture has always been, perverted, appropriating, xenophobic, and racist. Just look at who they allied with during WW2, the fkn nazi. Its a known fact Japanese don't even teach WW2 history fully until college. Desperate to retain their passive image and forget the atrocities they committed. 🖕🏿😑🖕🏿
The characters are boring the plot is boring, the action scenes are stupid. Ive never seen a show try so hard and get nowhere in the sense of having no originality or substance. 2/10 animation 1/10 art style 1/10 character 0/10 plot
Cynthesia
A pretty entertaining but ultimately by the books show. Generally speaking this finds a better balance of comedy and action than most shows of this type, but doesn't commit enough to either to elevate it to great status. From the onset it's fairly obvious what kind of show you're going to get with Sakamoto Days. The whole "unassuming overpowered main character that wants to live a peaceful life" trope is tried and true, and so it's appeal is entirely dependent on the creativity of it's scenarios rather than anything else. For the most part Sakamoto Days manages itself well. The fight scenes utilize their environmentsvery well and aren't afraid to delve deep into the cartoonish side of things. Sakamoto always makes use of whatever happens to be around him in order to subdue the mobster of the week that's making an attempt on his peaceful life. However this is mostly kept for the first half of it's runtime as many of the fight scenes in the back end devolve into standard punch fests which is a bit of a letdown. The show is at it's best when they make use of the entirety of it's surroundings for maximum creativity.
The artstyle is very pleasing to look at. The colors are bright and pop out at you, there’s a kind of retro vibe to it’s aesthetics despite actually appearing quite modern. The animation is pretty good as well although fight sequences do have a tendency to overuse slow motion at times. It’s not as overwhelmingly flashy as a lot of shows but it still manages to present itself well. Again, the highlight of the combat comes down to the creative situations and usage of it’s environments. Interestingly, when it comes to CQC brawls the characters that are not Sakamoto are where the show shines. Lu in particular with her martial arts is very entertaining to watch. In comparison to Sakamoto, a lot of his attacks feel lacking somehow. When he isn’t using some kind of creative solution there isn’t a major weight to his blows, it’s only represented by the aftermath of what he’s done do we understand how powerful he is. This isn’t a major demerit but it causes some of the fight scenes in the back half to feel lesser than they could have been.
Another minor issue, and this one might just be because I enjoy slice of life a lot, is that we don’t really get to see the daily life of Sakamoto all that much. There are a few moments interspersed but they are rarely the highlight or worth noting. There’s a moment where Sakamoto takes his family to a theme park but the entire time is spent watching out for assassination attempts rather than highlight his relationship with his family. It feels like a decent amount of wasted potential to show why Sakamoto is so attached to his new lifestyle and could have been used to develop the relationship between him and the ever increasing cast as well. It’s clear that he does cherish his family above all else, but allowing them to have more screen time would have been appreciated.
There isn’t too much else to talk about with this show because it’s all so standard. Pretty entertaining but not substantial enough to slot in with the greats. You’ll know exactly what you’re getting with every episode and there’s little room for surprise. It doesn’t do much wrong but also doesn’t push itself hard enough to make itself stand out. A very whelming experience.
yasyaa
This anime is so cool! Unique and interesting. Simple but wonderful. A story about a hitman who’s willing to leave his job for the person he loves—so wholesome 😭. Sakamoto’s quiet personality really stands out. The art style and storyline are never boring, and the way the characters react to problems is really well done. The teamwork at Sakamoto Market when facing assassins after Sakamoto was so cool! Characters in this anime have a different power, so it's interesting. I can't wait for season 2! I think this anime is definitely worth recommending to others because it leaves such a great impression.
LegoC97
60-SECOND REVIEWS If this is the series Shonen Jump is betting on, I feel bad for them. It's obviously trying to parrot the success of Spy x Family, replete with psychic character, but missing the personality and heart at that series’ core. The plot is more slice-of-life and episodic, with several two-or-three-parters, revolving around a villain of the week and the typical structure of how Sakamoto will use his skills to get the characters out of danger. Completely fine a thing to structure your series around (I personally find it gets old fast, especially if you've seen similar shows with the same structure), except that the scenariosaren't always very interesting, well-written, or well-conceived.
The characters aren't particularly memorable or endearing and the situations they find themselves in mostly uninspired. You've seen a dozen shows with template characters exactly like these.
The animation is serviceable, but certainly not standout.
I imagine most people will find it perfectly watchable, but also perfectly forgettable. 6.5/10
BaseLion
Cour 1 felt like an absolute mess, where the tone felt all over the place. The gag comedy elements was boring, and the action sequences were uninspiring and lacking in impact. The show creators loves to spam slow-motions and wind effects at any chance they get, riddled with speed lines, which takes away any sense of speed the characters have when they're in combat. The story is...fine? There isn't anything about it that stands out. The synopsis in the MAL page is enough to tell you what happened so far in cour 1 - pretty boring. Hayashi's orchestral music in this show felt like he plagiarizedhis own previous work, resulting in no unique identity of its own. There's no distinguishable soundtrack, which was completely disappointing.
Another disappointing aspect of this show is the visual - it's absolutely unpleasant to look at. Bland background art, the filter on the character shadows which look like stains, and the overall color palette felt off.
Despite the director stating that this series would be all about family, this anime barely showed any sort of meaningful screentime of Sakamoto with his wife and kid. Instead, the director seemed to focus more on the goofiness, adding in original goofy tones which the source material doesn't have, thus resulting in a misleading tone, making viewers think the show is based on a source material that is a comedy first, and action secondary kind of series, which isn't even true.
Overall, felt like a forgettable seasonal anime. Fable, despite it lacking in animation, is much more enjoyable and miles better in terms of writing and comedy than Sakamoto Days, where the main draw of the series is supposed to be action. If you're seeking comedy and good writing or SoL or even action, this show isn't it.
ajw215799
I’ll be honest, I went into this not expecting to like it because there had been a string of overhyped Shonen Jump anime (Chainsaw Man, Kaiju No 8, Dandadan) so it was actually quite surprising when I ended up liking it. I’ll be honest, the plot doesn’t always work on a logical level, there are plot points, especially when it relates to organized crime, where it’s not really thought through. But other than that, this show is really at its best when it leans into the absurdity of its premise and fight sequences. It’s actually quite nice to see a series I didn’t expect tolike managing to surpass my expectations.
KANLen09
Sakamoto Days - Another Weekly Shonen Jump juggernaut...that quite frankly, hit and missed the mark. It used to be the case that for every work that came from big publishing companies, expectations would come high given its longevity in the respective magazines that these companies would helm from. Such is the case for Shueisha and Weekly Shonen Jump, where the likes of Hajime Komoto's Mashle: Magic and Muscles and Yuusei Matsui's Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi a.k.a The Elusive Samurai, both titles under Aniplex's backing of affiliated studios of A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks respectively, got the adaptation that they deserve, at least from decent to darn good.Not forgetting the likes of continuation series such as Riichiro Inagaki's Dr. Stone (which is TMS Entertainment's current Golden Nugget) and Jujutsu Kaisen (which will have MAPPA overworked till the end of the adaptation), for better or for worse, these works have stood out over the years as the anime adaptation serves as their rightful bread-and-butter treatment of retaining the hype from the original manga source materials themselves.
And then you have the stragglers who were also fighting for a piece of that hype pie, only to come out rather lacklustre in its adaptation. For Hitsuji Gondaira's Yozakura-san-chi no Daisakusen a.k.a Mission: Yozakura Family, there's Kentaro Yabuki's Ayakashi Triangle (which is an irony that Silver Link did the former justice and its sister studio Connect doing the latter dirty), and the absolute worst ones (to my memory) being Shuhei Miyazaki's Me & Roboco (dumbed down to a 5 min short) and the dumpster fire that is Kaiu Shirai's Yakusoku no Neverland a.k.a The Promised Neverland, which to this day, after 4 years, serves as the perfect example of how NOT to ruin a very highly prized work and decimate it to the ground.
So why this "beat around the bush" tactic? This is a good segue to describe the latest adaptation of one of Weekly Shonen Jump's most recently valued works: Yuuto Suzuki's Sakamoto Days...which, in the TL;DR fashion that I can best summarize it as is: a love-hate affair.
Let's get the good part out first: its insane balance of action and comedy that is worth enjoying. And it all starts from the titular MC himself: Taro Sakamoto, the unrivalled professional hitman of the criminal underworld, both feared and idolized by the many within the assassin profession itself.
And in the words of Bethel Music's "Love Came Down":
"Love came down and rescued me
Love came down and set me free
And I am Yours, I am forever Yours..."
...Sakamoto meets his OTP a.k.a One True Partner in the form of the convenience store clerk Aoi, enough to make a break out of his hitman profession by promising a future away from the Thug Life and live the life of an ordinary married man, with a child in tow. Thus, his retired hitman life is a reality...or so he speaks as hitmen continue to dwell on the loss of such an esteemed and respected figure that they start to rebel by putting a bounty on his head to capture him, dead or alive, for his misforgivings or nostalgia that badly wants him back in the profession. And therein sets the stage for "the man, the myth, the legend" that would shake up the criminal underworld once again, as Sakamoto would live (or die trying) to put all of his enemies to rest and maintain the harmony within his newfound family.
It's obviously clear that if you are a fanatic of action movies, Taro Sakamoto would be most similar to the likes of John Wick, and it's not a coincidence at all to think so. In fact, Yuuto Suzuki even mentions his being influenced by the big wigs of mangaka above him, the likes of Katsuhiro Otomo (creator of Akira), Takehiko Inoue (creator of Slam Dunk and Vagabond), and Hiroya Oku (creator of Gantz and Inuyashiki), plus famed director Christopher Nolan's works of films such as The Equalizer and the aforementioned John Wick, allowing him to have creative interpretations of Sakamoto being an obese but strong fighter (which this is influenced by the 1978 film Enter the Fat Dragon, a parody of Bruce Lee's 1972 film Way of the Dragon), whom may be looked down on or frowned upon that he could not exact his lethal assassin skills being a fatso. But through his ways of incorporating unexpected twists and surprises, Yuuto Suzuki makes Sakamoto a walk in the literate park for hitmen trying to bring him down, only for them to be dealt instant karma from unexpected ways to bank on the comedy aspect.
And it works wonders...except there's the elephant in the room for the other characters trying to sneak into Sakamoto's good graces. The Clairvoyant Shin Asakura being able to read minds with his esper abilities, though getting imaginatively killed by Sakamoto, is a running gag that, while it gets old very easily, its humour is still there. From the Chinese mafia, there's Lu Xiaotang, the airheaded but competent Drunken Fist Tai Chi master who's more of an annoying pest and a worrywart all at the same time. Rounding off the Sakamoto crew is the sniper hitman Heisuke Mashimo, coupled with his pet parrot Piisuke acting as his spotter. As you can see, outside of Sakamoto's character, therein lies the difficulty of diversifying characters, and while Yuuto Suzuki tried his best to try and incorporate everyone as the Sakamoto convenience store team, it still shows a rather blank state that needs the story to carry through its meat of the enjoyment factor. Not to mention that while Sakamoto IS the true MC of his story, the other characters have a part to carry theirs, and I feel that this effort (as of this 1st split-cour) is rather half-assed for the comedy while showing its weight in the action department. Even the antagonist parties of the JAA and its elite group of The Order, the adage of "too many cooks spoil the broth" is quite adamant here, and it needs every support from all aspects to prove why the manga itself is a showstopper. For now, it's just there, and much for amusement and intrigue.
Arguably the most detracting of the show's Achilles Heel would have to be the overall production itself. To be fair, there are expectations going into Weekly Shonen Jump adaptations (for the most part) transitioning onto the small screen, and while TMS Entertainment's animation is at least above average, there is the leverage based on director Masaki Watanabe's experience translating the manga into the anime. However, given his rather subpar track record, I'd commend that while he and his staff team tried their very best to be faithful to the source material (e.g. Episode 3's rollercoaster fight of Shin and Tatsu being animated through a 3D model using Clip Studio Paint and Adobe to incorporate a paper texture to enhance the action's visual style, as well as depict firearms as close and realistic as possible), the final product itself left a lot to be desired of an adaptation that looks like little to no effort was given at all. It's not horribly bad, but not great either.
The music...also is another mixed bag. While the VAs casted for the main roles (like Tomokazu Sugita who voices Sakamoto, who was originally arranged to be X's Kashima; Nobunaga Shimazaki voicing Shin; and Ayane Sakura voicing Lu) are great choices to help elevate characterization through sound, the OST is like an inferior version of Spy x Family (or otherwise, depict what you will) in every regard. Sadly, as much as I like Vaundy's songs, his OP here just doesn't do it for me (though the special Episode 7 ED song does work), and similarly with Conton Candy's ED which is just plain forgettable.
At the end of the day, while Netflix earns all of the regard for pushing their marketing to have Sakamoto Days licensed, which skyrockets the series into the list of Top 10 shows weekly, the show itself still has aways to go unfortunately. Don't get me wrong, it's still good and at times comedically hilarious, but I just don't think that the anime has hit its stride, not thus far yet. Maybe try to stick around when the 2nd split-cour a.k.a Part 2 comes back this Summer, and then come back again to judge the entire show as a whole.
Until then, keep your expectations muted.
Chuy_diazz
An anime that creatively adapts what many of us believed was impossible to replicate in an animated medium. Let's put aside the exaggerated hype that Sakamoto Days had before its premiere. The production managed to create something truly enjoyable with its own essence. They didn't try to replicate the pages of the manga, well, because they couldn't afford it, so they opted for more creative measures, but above all, ones that fit the style of the work. At first, you might notice that something is missing, whether it's more impact in the blows or speed in the movements; no matter what it is, you'll feel thatsomething is missing. As the chapters progress, this feeling will fade. The animation gradually improves; the improvement is minimal but noticeable, especially in those chapters where there is more action.
Sakamoto Days brings a rather interesting perspective to the table: that adaptation and animation are two different things. One of the most repeated complaints is that the animation seemed "low-budget," and it was compared to the big productions of the shonen demographic. This argument was frequently brought up to criticize the adaptation as bad. These two concepts need to be separated because, while they are necessary, they are independent of each other. You can have a great adaptation with terrible animation, and vice versa. Sakamoto's script did a great job understanding the characters, the world, and, above all, the simplicity of the plot. The anime doesn't try to be deep or serious; it just looks for an excuse to give us fights in various settings. The animation, while not at the level of MadHouse or Ufotable, doesn't mean it's bad. I mainly highlight the use of slow motion to play with the rhythm of the fights and give them a dynamism that the manga version lacks.
On the negative side, it's probably the ending. The show has a steady rhythm that the ending abruptly cuts off. The story ends as if there were still one more episode to air next week. This probably won't matter when you own both parts and watch it in one sitting, but when you watch it weekly, it's a point to keep in mind. An ending like this can kill inspiration for a weekly viewer and make you question whether it's worth continuing or not. Another thing is that if the feeling that something's missing persists, you won't enjoy the fights because you'll always be looking for what's missing instead of focusing on what it does have. I found myself skipping the action sequences in the first few episodes because I was looking for what the anime was missing. It lasted for me for two episodes, but for someone, it might last for more episodes, or even worse, for the entire anime.
Deruerueru
Sakamoto Days is a fun action comedy that's a perfect mix of both of its genres. The characters mix well together, especially as more new members join Sakamoto's little convenience store as the story goes on, bringing on their new quirks and jokes. Every member plays off of each other well; Sakamoto's deadpan expression and lack of reactions to the insanity of the world around him, Shin's "straight man" act, paired with his mind-reading and Lu's overall goofiness all make for a perfect trio. While there isn't much focus on the big story that's going on in the background, there still is one, which helpskeep you interested if the comedy doesn't stick with you.
The visuals are good, as is the voice acting and soundtrack.
If you're looking for a new action comedy, Sakamoto Days is 100% a decent pick!
gabu_rieru
A very basic anime, but entertaining. Sakamoto Days doesn't say much in its first season, just that it's an action and comedy anime that will only provide temporary entertainment for 20 minutes. It's honest with its proposal. The characters work for this proposal and everything is very easy to watch. Technically the anime is OK too, but it's not very demanding, nor is its direction. An anime by Jump usually delivers more, or at least tries to. Sakamoto Days is something extremely common and I honestly can't find any fault with it, but I understand those who watch it. There's not much to evaluate, it's actually difficult,but I think it's a positive anime overall and I recommend it.
It will probably start to really get going in its next season. I'm looking forward to it.
bossunhimeswitch
It was great to revisit the characters and the first story lines from the manga. I have dropped the manga but it was because I just lost interest in the arc at the time. These arcs reminded me why I read the manga for as long as I did in the first place. I think that the anime is a slightly better medium for the story as well. That said, this is by no means a boring story. The characters are interesting, weird, and easy to root for. The humor is genuinely funny and the action is engaging. I'm looking forward to season 2 andbeyond. I think that I just needed to experience this story animated to stick with it.
If you liked former Jump titles like Gintama or ones with adults casts, then you'll likely enjoy this anime. If you want something a bit more typical jump power building then you might want to look elsewhere.
patitopatito
Those who criticized the anime for its animation also have positive arguments in other aspects; the episodes were a huge disappointment in every way. I don't follow the manga, but this isn't just the adaptation's fault, as it only shows slight improvements in animation. Even so, the personalities were handled very well. Another thing I can praise are the villains — they had little screen time, but excellent designs and great expectations for the fights, even with the designs that many criticize. I don't know if they'll manage to fix things for the second season, but we shouldn't expect much based on what we've seen sofar :p
Alexis9
Overall pretty disappointing. I love the manga but this adaptation didn't really convince me, it's not awful but could have been MUCH better. Kinda feel bad to give this a 6 but it is what it is. The fights are the highlight of every arc but they didn't make them justice with the animation they felt stiff, colorless and look boring most of the times, hope it'll get better with the 2nd cour but I doubt it. The story it's pretty simple i admit but it's enjoyable and fun and the characters are loveable. In conclusion, just go Read the manga you won't regret it. The end.
