©Courtesy of Netflix
Trying to rob Taro Sakamoto’s convenience store would be a very bad idea. He is older and pudgier than he was in his prime, but the retired assassin’s skills and reflexes remain lethally sharp. Sakamoto went legit to marry the love of his life, but he can still administer a heck of a beatdown in Sakamoto Days, the anime series adaptation of artist-writer Yuto Suzuki’s hit manga, produced by the TMS Entertainment animation studio, which premieres today on Netflix, with new installments releasing weekly.
Back in the day, Sakamoto was a lot like Leon the Professional or John Wick. No matter how many henchmen he had to mow through, he always completed every job. Shin Asakura would know, because sometimes he was there too, providing the back-up Sakamoto never really needed. Nobody could match Sakamoto’s deadliness, but at least Asakura’s mind reading ability makes him a difficult target to hit (since he sees his opponents’ intentions).
The two old colleagues have an awkward reunion in the opening episode, “The Legendary Hitman,” because Sakamoto is Asakura’s latest assignment. He must either bring Sakamoto back into the fold, or make his unsanctioned retirement permanent. Even with his telepathic powers, the younger hitman cannot overcome his former pseudo-mentor, which means trouble with the shadowy criminal syndicate for them both.
©Courtesy of Netflix
Fathers of anime and manga fans should appreciate the Sakamoto Days franchise, because it shows to their otaku kids that older guys with “dad bods” still have the moves and the guile to outclass the younger, less-disciplined generations. In fact, Taku Kishimoto’s adaptation of Suzuki’s manga celebrates the joys of marriage and fatherhood in weird but endearing ways. Through Asakura’s visions, viewers vividly see how much more rewarding Sakamoto finds life as a workaday husband and parent than his solitary years as a hotshot hired killer.
Arguably, fans of the Spy x Family franchise will find it shares a strong kinship with Sakamoto Days, in terms of tone, as well as subject matter. In both cases, seemingly “normal” civilians secretly engage gun fights, brawls, and other assorted death-defying feats, but they are grounded by a strong family unit. Furthermore, the two series are also distinguished by a good-natured sense of humor, which not infrequently incorporates slapstick physical gags. (Plus, they both coincidentally feature a telepathic character.) Based on the first two episodes provided for review (the second of which is still under embargo) Sakamoto Days is consistently funny, yet the stakes are always high.
©Courtesy of Netflix
As fans would hope and expect, series director Masaki Watanabe and the animation team retain Suzuki’s distinctive character design for Sakamoto. His blank, reflective spectacles give the former assassin a drolly inscrutable look, while his doughy body adds considerable comic spectacle (in the Kung Fu Panda tradition) to the many over-the-top cartoon fight scenes. Although Sakamoto rarely speaks, he quite cleverly communicates with Asakura (whose powers he fully understands) by picturing images, often incredibly vivid threats of grave bodily harm, in his mind’s eye.
So far, Sakamoto Days has a knack for warming hearts while kicking backsides. It also directly compares to the manga-anime-live action franchise The Fable, which similarly focuses on a reformed hitman who agrees to cease and desist all killing. However, the jokes are gentler in Sakamoto Says (but that is not necessarily true for the street-fighting). That formula of ingredients produces winning anime results, perfect to watch with a cup of noodles from your local convenience store. After all, comfort food goes well with comfort viewing. Easily recommended for fans of any of the previously referenced anime/manga franchises, Sakamoto Days starts streaming today (1/11) on Netflix.
©Courtesy of Netflix
Grade: B+
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Here’s the trailer of the film.