Sakamoto Days Review by CocoSensei

If believe the hype was a show, it would be Sakamoto Days. This anime blends jaw dropping action, perfect comedic timing, and heartwarming feels into 22 well crafted episodes that make you long for more. The basic story is, renowned hitman Taro Sakamoto gives up his career for the woman he loves and becomes a convenience store owner. But you can only run so far from the past before it catches up to you. Now with a bounty on his head, Sakamoto has to fight to protect his family and everything he holds dear. I loved this show from start to finish. Immediately it jumps right into the story and the action. We have found family elements, super over powered shenanigans, and one of my all time favorites, the “I love my wife” trope. Now of course the villain story underneath it all hasn’t been fully fleshed out just yet. We are definitely left with more questions about this underworld of assassins and the villain’s true power. But speaking anime only, I like how the show is progressing and overall the story is promising. Now let’s get into some specifics without too many spoilers.

From the beginning I love how we meet Sakamoto. He has gun in hand, cigarette in mouth, glasses tinted, and is just giving full white haired character energy. His charisma fully embodies the title of “legendary hit man”. He is EXACTLY who he thinks he is and I’m here for it. We’re immediately met with action and you just know you’re in for a good time. But just when it’s getting good we see Sakamoto go into a convenience store and meet a beautiful clerk. In a hilarious montage we see him immediately lose his cool, fall in love, and retire. And I have to say I love his wife and daughter. His wife runs a tight ship and made him promise to stop unaliving people or she’d divorce him. He fell in line real quick, as he should. All is well for a while until one day in walks Shin Asakura, the clairvoyant. This leads to a domino effect that puts Sakamoto’s peaceful life in jeopardy.

Shin is definitely one of my favorite characters in the show. His energy, fan girl-ness, and wit make him a really great support. Honestly I’m most interested in his character arc more than anyone. In just 22 episodes his development has been extremely promising. The idea of him thinking he even had a chance to take down Sakamoto is wild. But he needed that moment to truly realize what mattered. Once he left the organization and started working at the store, I really loved his eager little brother dynamic with Sakamoto. The growth in his character when he realizes he doesn’t want to just rely on Sakamoto anymore but truly be an asset and become stronger, is when the fun really begins. With Sakamoto being so legendary, we forget Shin can hold his own too. Being a clairvoyant is a great power to play with in anime. I really love how they have him locking in and seeing the future now and using it to his advantage when fighting. In the second part of season one he really starts to get his shine and I love that for him.

Another character in this dysfunctional yet beautiful found family is Lu Shaotang. She’s the daughter of a Triad family and a good fighter in her own right. I love her and Shin’s back and forth. They’re a great way to cut the tension in the show. But I will say I kind of expected more from her. Her fights are okay but they leave me eager for the scene to change. Right now her drunken fist style feels extremely one dimensional and more gimmicky than anything. I hope she can get her own character development in the future. But if I’m honest her character is starting to feel like an after thought. Low-key newcomer Akira Akao is giving what I thought Lu would give, if that makes sense. Yet with all that said, I do want to taste the meat buns she makes.

But you know who really has been stealing the show for me? Yoichi Nagumo and The Order. I love quirky, over powered group shenanigans. Making a group full of the top assassins to maintain order is already pretty intimidating. At first you think The Order will end up being a major antagonist to Sakamoto and the gang but they tend to be morally gray throughout the show. Every member is super interesting and you easily see how formidable they are. Osaragi is giving black widow realness and Shishiba is hilarious. I’m curious to learn about their past and see how their characters develop. And I don’t think I’m alone in saying Sakamoto and Nagumo’s friendship is one of my favorite connections in the show. Nagumo is definitely an agent of chaos and those type of characters always add a bit of whimsy and fun. We already got some small flashbacks to their days as students but I hope we get more soon.

Speaking of, the main villain has been revealed and is named Kei Uzuki, code named Slur. Slur is absolutely terrifying and his persona definitely gives off threat. From what we know so far, he was a student in the same class as Sakamoto and Nagumo. Slur and his associates are shown to be cunning and ruthless. His associates, Gaku and Kashima, are the secondary antagonists of the show. Kashima and his deer head definitely leaves an impression. And so does him having 70% of his body modified with heavy weaponry. But even with all that he still somehow seems like less of a threat than Gaku. Gaku is an even kill and nonchalant cutie with a demeanor that is as cold and detached as Slur. He’s frustratingly strong and honestly he steals every scene he’s in. I assume once we enter into the final fights Shin will be the one who fights him. I really like those 3 as the antagonist group. I’ve always been a big fan of well written villains so I’m hoping they don’t disappoint me in the future.

Although the second part of season one just came out, I can’t wait for more episodes. The action is fantastic and leaves you on the edge of your seat. The funny and heartwarming moments between Sakamoto with his wife and daughter give me life. And the villain’s main plot points seem to be promising. Overall I think the show is a 8.5/10. It’s not life changing yet but it’s a still solid Shonen.