A gripping plot isn’t the strength of Sakamoto Days. But that’s fine. Some anime shine in other ways. Unfortunately, even ‘that‘ doesn’t quite hit the mark. What is ‘that‘, you ask? Keep reading.
The Plot? Nope.
A retired assassin starts a family, only to be hunted by his old organization. Sound familiar? That’s because it is. I could name at least ten movies with the same premise. John Wick, The Equalizer, Nobody. You get the idea.
But hey, Sakamoto Days doesn’t need a groundbreaking plot if it nails something else… right?
The Fight Scenes? Eh.
Surely, the fight scenes are what make this anime stand out? Well… not really.
The action feels rushed, the choreography is uninspired, and the impact is lacking. If we’re talking about hand-to-hand combat done right, look no further than Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. That’s the gold standard. Sakamoto Days deserves that level of animation. Instead, we get something that feels… half-baked.
The Stakes? What Stakes?
You’d think having an entire assassin organization gunning for you would create tension. Nope. Not here.
Sakamoto is so overpowered that his family is never in any real danger. He doesn’t even need to relocate. He just stays put, effortlessly taking down every assassin that dares to challenge him. It’s fun for a bit, but after a while, it becomes predictable and…dare I say… boring.
The Worldbuilding? Meh.
The lore? It’s barely there.
We get a handful of assassins with supernatural abilities. Some can read minds, others can change their appearances—but there’s zero explanation for any of it. Where do these powers come from? Are they exclusive to assassins, or do regular people have them too? If so, how does society react?
And let’s not even talk about the Japanese Assassin Association, because we know absolutely nothing about them except that they’re incredibly easy to defeat.
Final Verdict
There’s not much to dive into because there’s not much there. The worldbuilding is vague, the stakes are nonexistent, the fight scenes lack impact, and the plot is as deep as a kiddie pool.
With all the hype surrounding Sakamoto Days, I expected more. Sadly, it didn’t deliver.
Final score: 3/10.
