English Title: Sakamoto Days
Japanese Title: サカモトデイズ
Director(s): Watanabe Masaki
Screenwriter(s): Kishimoto Taku
Studio: TMS Entertainment
Released: 2025
Part 1 Runtime: 11 episodes, ~24m each.
Starring: Sugita Tomokazu, Shimazaki Nobunaga, Sakura Ayane
Based on the ongoing manga of the same name by Suzuki Yuto that began in 2020, the story follows retired hitman Sakamoto Taro as he lives or attempts to live an ordinary life. I have not read the manga so the review is purely of the anime.
The premise is inspired by the likes of John Wick, The Fable and Spy Family. Sakamoto was a “legendary” hitman feared by the underworld. Then he fell in love and got married, retiring to run a convenience store.
Now, a few years later and overweight, his former associate Shin comes looking for him. Shin is under orders from his mob boss to eliminate Sakamoto for quitting as that is against the rules.
Sakamoto repels Shin’s attack and later takes care of the mob with Shin joining the family. This is an effective way to introduce Sakamoto’s present-day condition and skill. Despite being overweight, he is still highly capable although the “family rule” imposed by his wife forbids killing. The only problem is that Shin seems a little too amateurish initially even though there is no need to reduce his skill level to make Sakamoto look good since the latter is just that good.
A little later, a young lady who comes from a Chinese mafia family Lu Shaotang also joins Sakamoto, the three forming the character triad.
Now that Sakamoto has surfaced, assassins start gunning for him. Shin and Lu with their backstory are also convenient ways to bring in more conflict.
The action is obviously highly stylized and fantastical. Whilst Shin reloads his pistol regularly, our heroes and villains, to varying degrees, have insane strength and speed. They may also have the ability to leap great distances.
Other fantastical elements include Shin being a psychic which is a convenient way to expose Sakamoto’s thoughts as well as a source of comedy. Sakamoto may be banned from killing but there is nothing stopping him from thinking about it so there are flash cuts showing that.
Generally, the pacing is fast and measured. It hits its beats and moves on. There are occasional flashbacks but the narrative does not get bogged down in them. For example, it wisely does not dwell on Sakamoto’s journey to quitting, especially when this has been done many times already. Sakamoto falls in love with Aoi who gives him a good reason and he gets it.
As implied by the title, the narrative follows Sakamoto’s daily life. Given the premise of “he is now a target”, there is a bit of a “villain of the week” feel. Behind the relatively minor villains is a big bad so this gives the series a focus. Although not intended to the slice-of-life, there can be more of that to balance the fantastical action.
Visually, there is a gritty and pastel texture, particularly in the environment and backgrounds. It arguably suits the genre but ultimately is a matter of personal taste. Sakamoto with glasses and without a mouth resembles Dilbert. On balance, it can be more consistent but it’s not so jarring that it ruins the viewing experience.
The voice acting is solid across the board and along with decent visuals and sound makes this a solidly produced series.
The introduction of colorful villains and even allies as the plot progresses can seem a little cheesy but it is true to the genre. It avoids being cheap about it since it does have an overall arc and the narrative expands on how the world of assassins works, a little like how John Wick tries to elaborate on the mythology. As a comedy, it could have more laugh-out-loud moments but it’s still mostly a fun show.
Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list so you get each new Opinyun that comes out!
댓글