https://blacknerdproblems.com/sakamoto-days-pilot-review/

Let’s start off with a tangentially related fact: Netflix has managed to cultivate an aggressively comprehensive anime library over the last few units of time. As far as Winter 2024 anime, they gave us the simuldubs of Dandandan, and Ranma ½, as well as one of the most thrilling historical fiction animes I’ve seen in a minute, Orb: On the Movement of the Earth. Over the last year, I watched Hajime No Ippo: The Fighting and Captain Tsubasa, to say nothing of how they started 2024 with Dungeon Meshi (which you may know as Delicious in Dungeon). It’s impressive that I watch more of anime on Netflix than on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and HiDive (that said, Crunchyroll is where I still get my One Piece fix as well as Solo Leveling and things like, and I’m not quite as familiar with HiDive’s library like my friend Carrie, and Hulu’s Medalist is making a really strong play but that’s a different article).

Based on the pilot, Sakamoto Days is going to continue that trend because it is so much fun and is going to be a perfect weekend watch harkening back to good old Saturday morning cartoons in the best way possible.

The basic premise of Sakamoto Days is that a legendary hitman, Taro Sakamoto, fell in love and gave up being a hitman to be a convenience shop owner and loving husband. However, when you’re that good, you’re not exactly able to leave, so Sakamoto still occasionally has to deal with hitmen. For example, Shin, a hitman with inexplicable ESP, who is the main instigator in the pilot episode.

Right from the introduction and the OP, one of the first things that jumps out is that Sakamoto Days feels like it has more in common with anime from two to three decades ago than its contemporaries. While it’s premise and sensibilities are in line with series like Spy x Family (another series with inexplicable ESP and an assassin living a normal life, except with a spy) and The Way of the House Husband (Yakuza turned doting husband), its aesthetic feels different. While watching, my immediate benchmarks were Black Lagoon for the clean gun animation and Full Metal Alchemist, mostly because Shin reminds of Edward Elric (it’s the blonde hair, the kneeling poses, and exaggerated facial expressions).

Hell, in a slightly different timeline, The Legend of Taro Sakamoto would have been a beloved early 2000s action anime that could have kickstarted a whole genre, not unlike John Wick. But instead, we live in the one where Sakamoto Days is about a guy who really loves his wife who has impressed onto him that he needs to help which he is also insisting upon impressing upon anyone willing to listen.

Watching Shin, the telepathic assassin, try to eliminate Sakamoto and ensuing shenanigans is just straight up joyful. It’s this wonderful tale about how sometimes you meet your heroes and have your life changed for the better. It’s about the fact that a simple boring life is worth protecting. It’s embracing the very 2020 trend of built in Anime Music Video energy. The dub cast was phenomenal between Kirk Thornton’s narration, Matthew Mercer’s Sakamoto, and Dallas Liu’s Shin, and honestly a good dub is a very good sign. It shows investment and belief in a series.

If it’s not clear, I like this series a lot and I think Netflix has another hit on their hands. I had picked up the manga last year and fell off quickly due to the nature of life, but after watching the pilot, I immediately hopped on the Shonen Jump app to pick up where I left off because I was so invested in the life of a man who just wants to exist and also happens to be skilled in several kinds of combat. We got ten more episodes in part 1, and we’ll get part 2 in July. It’s gonna be a really fun time y’all.

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The post 2020s Sensibilities with Early 2000s Aesthetics: ‘Sakamoto Days’ Pilot Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.