Sakamoto Days review: An anime that offers a few moments but isn't wow

2.5/5

Story:

Once-legendary hitman Taro Sakamoto is now a family man. His aim is to protect his family while hitmen chase him. Can he manage that?

Review:

Sakamoto Days commenced with a promising start and despite its few good moments, this one died down too easily. Sakamoto, who was the master among hitmen and almost never lost in any mission, turned a family man. As they say, once a yakuza, always a yakuza. Thus, the minute Taro Sakamoto broke the promise and left his gang to become a family man, a bounty was put on him. Thus begins the chase between Sakamoto and a lot of hunters. In the midst of it all, Sakamoto meets his sidekick Shin, who is a mind-reader. As they progress on their journey, a Chinese martial arts expert named Lu joins them. They all come from the same thought process - protect Sakamoto's family at all costs.

The bounty hunters range from the bomb expert Boiled to invisible Seba, and our unbeatable trio manage to defeat them. They make everyone look the other way, since Sakamoto has a major self-imposed rule of no killing after turning a family man. Now, his priority is keeping his child happy. This sometimes involves fighting the bounty hunters and pretending it is all part of a skit to entertain the viewers. The story does get disappointing, but a character like Nagumo appears to entertain from time-to-time. He is the only charm whose presence leaves you constantly intrigued and charmed, only to entertain each time he appears.

The anime gives you a few moments of laugh and provides a lot of action, but is also easily forgettable, for it doesn't even offer an unforgettable VFX experience, apart from the story. The main reason, though, remains the story - it might appear fresh but was actually written ages ago. We have all evolved since, so it is not enough to keep you captivated. It is not as entertaining, nor is it fresh. Thus, liking Sakamoto Days through-and-through becomes tougher. The end to the series is also just a flashback of Naruto's Orochimaru, but not at that level. Thus, this one ends up looking like a disappointment. What works is Shin and Lu's backstory, but that is not explored in depth either. Thus, you might want to just skimp through this one.

Verdict:

Sakamoto Days is strictly a one-time watch only. It is not special or fresh per say, so it can be skipped too.