Sakamoto Days - Episodes 1 and 2

So, I should probably start these reviews with a little disclaimer: I'm currently all-in on the Sakamoto Days manga – I've been reading it non-stop since its debut in 2020. While the series isn't quite among my absolute favorites in the current Jump lineup, it's undoubtedly an entertaining manga that I enjoy weekly, and overall I've had a lot of fun with it. Over this time, a sizable readership has also built up, especially among Shonen Jump fans in the West, and the demand for an anime adaptation has been building for some time now.

After a long wait, the folks at TMS Entertainment have finally delivered an anime version – and Netflix has picked it up for its streaming program. Not only is the series getting significantly more emphasis than many other anime offerings, but it's also intended to appeal to a broader audience, not just die-hard anime fans.

With that in mind, it goes without saying that the pressure is immense to land a hit – but has what's been delivered so far lived up to the hype?

So far, I'd say: mostly yes. The premise of the series is very simple: Taro Sakamoto was once the most feared and revered assassin in the underworld, until he fell in love and decided to leave his life of crime behind.

Now he spends his days quietly running a small convenience store – together with his wife Aoi and his daughter Hana – until the day a telepathic hitman named Shin shows up, appearing with an order from his superiors: either Sakamoto should be brought back into the assassin life, or, because he wanted to quit, he should be killed for his exit.

However, as Shin soon discovers, just because Sakamoto is a little out of shape doesn't mean he can't snap his neck six ways to Sunday. And when Sakamoto decides not only to spare Shin's life, but even offer him a job, Shin becomes an employee in Sakamoto's store. Later, we see him make a similar offer to a mafia heiress named Lu Xiaotang – and both are taken into his "no-killing" family on the condition that they strictly adhere to this rule. Unfortunately, the underworld has no intention of letting Sakamoto live a peaceful life, and all sorts of hitmen now have their eyes on the hefty bounty that's been placed on him.

That's a pretty successful setup for an action-comedy, and as far as the comedic side is concerned, the series has made a really good impression so far. The timing of the jokes in the first two episodes is solid, and the show manages to perfectly stage small gags – such as the many visions of Shin imagining Sakamoto killing when he tries to read his thoughts, or Sakamoto's visible panic at the thought that Aoi might divorce him if he kills someone.

The dub also comes across well so far. Initially, I was a little worried because many of the announced voice actors come from live-action productions – because these talents don't always convince in voice acting – but Dallas Liu manages to portray Shin as sincere, so that I can understand his decision to leave his old life behind and live with Sakamoto's family. Matthew Mercer, on the other hand, is by no means unknown in the anime world and does a great job of conveying Sakamoto's uncompromising attitude towards Shin, which makes their dynamic consistently funny. I'm a little ambivalent about Rosalie Chiang as Xiaotang, as she seems a little stiffer compared to the rest of the main cast – but she does a solid job in the scenes where Xiaotang reminisces about her parents. She may grow into her role more in the coming episodes.

I also appreciate that some of the lame jokes about Sakamoto were toned down in the dub, as these are among the weaker elements of the early part of the story. They haven't completely disappeared, but they've become more bearable. However, I'd like to reserve final judgment until we hear more from the cast – but at the moment everything seems pretty solid.

Sakamoto Days Episode 1 isn't flawless, but it shines through with its wholesome story.

I assume that it's precisely the action sequences of this action-comedy that you all want to judge – and as far as that part of the show is concerned, I'm torn. In the months between the announcement of the anime and its broadcast, there was controversy among fans that such a highly anticipated Shonen action title was entrusted to a less action-focused studio like TMS, rather than Madhouse or MAPPA – and the footage from the early trailers didn't look particularly inspiring.

As a casual reader of the manga, I was a little worried about what we'd be getting here, but so far the results seem more or less okay – not spectacular, but by no means a complete disaster. Masaki Watanabe may not be a high-profile anime director, but he's been in the business for a long time, and that experience is reflected in his scenes.

The action sequences do an excellent job of conveying how comically superhuman Sakamoto is – whether he's deflecting bullets with a candy or overwhelming a group of henchmen with his incredible agility, he always appears as an unstoppable force of nature. The animation isn't particularly fluid, but the action is consistently well-staged, and any shortcomings are compensated for by clever cuts and impressive impact frames.

Of course, the difference compared to other high-profile Jump adaptations like Jujutsu Kaisen or Kaiju No. 8 is quite stark, and I understand fans who are disappointed that this series hasn't received the same production quality. On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said I didn't also view the current trend of high-profile battle shonen adaptations with mixed feelings – because these aren't without their problems either, whether it's in terms of pacing or the enormous pressure the animators are under.

Between trailers showing plenty of material from later episodes and the fact that there's a same-day simuldub here, you can at least assume that the production is on track and probably not under horrendous time pressure. If the choice is between something like this and a stunning but so poorly timed production where animators have to watch their studio fall apart, this would be the lesser of two evils.

Frankly, having grown up with popular Shonen adaptations that were often produced more mediocrely than current ones, this series is at least a few levels above that. Although it could certainly look better visually, I don't think that will have too much of an impact on its overall popularity. I admit that I would be much more critical if the manga were among my absolute Jump favorites – and should the production visibly decline, I will not hesitate to voice my displeasure. Until then, however, I'd like to avoid dwelling too much on what it isn't.

All in all, though, I had a lot of fun with these first two episodes. It was nice to see the more comedic elements of the story come to life again, and I like the "found family" dynamic between Sakamoto and his protégés.

The series also succeeds in presenting Sakamoto as a sympathetic protagonist – behind his gruff exterior is a guy who cares about the people around him, as evidenced by the fact that he doesn't hesitate to help Shin and Xiaotang, even after the latter almost tried to kill him.

Since these elements are central to what makes this series what it is, I'm very pleased that they've been retained, and hopefully this spirit will be preserved even as the plot heats up. In any case, I'm curious to see how well this adaptation handles the gradual transition to a more action-oriented plot – so far this aspect doesn't seem overwhelming, but it's enough to keep me entertained despite the lack of spectacular moments.

Maybe it won't be a blockbuster, but if it stays the course, I hope that fans and newcomers alike will get their money's worth.