From Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Anime is more popular than ever, and while the biggest names are currently taking on the classic shonen tradition, e.g Demon Slayer, Jujutsu KaisenAnd My Hero AcademiaThat all changes thanks to an out-of-shape retired hitman. Sakamoto days is another story of a legendary killer forced back into the criminal underworld, but what the anime and manga it’s based on gets Law means accepting the absurdity of the situation. Even years after his retirement, Taro Sakamoto is a dangerous man, but he will not break the promise he made to his wife not to kill anyone.
Just when Taro thought he was out
Creator Yuto Suzuki took inspiration from the action films of the last decade, including The equalizer And John Wick When he wrote the story of Taro Sakamato, who decided to hang up his guns, he was dating Aoi, an employee who made it a condition of their relationship that he never kill again. In Sakamoto days In the first episode, Taro’s quiet, ideal life as a grocery store manager is shattered by ghosts from his past, forcing him to take up arms, but he is joined by the store’s employees, who also happen to be his former killer protégé Shin heard. Shin has the strange ability to read minds, particularly Sakamato’s, which is helpful since the former assassin doesn’t have much to say and prefers to keep to himself.
In practice, Shin’s mind reading is similar to Anya’s Spy x familywhen she reads Loid and Yor’s minds to know what they are thinking but would never say it out loud. Sakamoto Days particularly scores with Taro’s expressionless stare, while the other, far more expressive characters appeal to him, especially his family, who are strangely accepting of his former life. The way Aoi, Shin, Hana (Aoi and Taro’s six-year-old daughter) and in the second episode Lu, a young woman on the run from assassins, play against Taro is the perfect mix of characters, and already it made the series a hit.
Anime’s next big hero
Sakamoto days appears weekly on Netflixwith new episodes premiering every Saturday. Right now you can’t consider it as binge-watching, but once you start watching, you’ll want to keep going until you reach the end. Millions of viewers agree that the first episode achieved the impressive feat of debuting as the third most popular show on Netflix that day, an unprecedented feat for the first episode of an original Anime. This makes sense considering the manga has sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
My Hero Academia is coming to an end soon, Demon Slayer goes to the cinema, and Jujutsu Kaisen is preparing for the final season, which will leave a big gap in the anime program. Sakamoto days is an unlikely sequel, but the humor, shooting and well-realized characters ensure it has everything it needs to be a huge success. It remains to be seen whether the first season will maintain the momentum, but with the second season already scheduled for July, which adapts an even more action-packed story arc, we’ve only begun to see Sakamoto’s true power.
Sakamoto days is now streaming on Netflix, with new episodes every Saturday and a second season in July.
