Sakamoto Days

Netflix’s adaptation of Yuto Suzuki’s Sakamoto Days was without a doubt one of, if not the, most anticipated anime series of 2025. Now, as the Winter 2025 anime season reaches its end, the first part of this hit Netflix series has concluded, and with a second part soon to follow, fans want to know, ‘is Sakamoto Days the next big thing?’. Well, today we’ll be talking all things Sakamoto Days, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.

We’ll be keeping this review spoiler-free for the most part, so feel free to read through before making your decision on whether or not Sakamoto Days is the show for you. There are so many anime shows these days that fans claim are going to re-shape the state of the industry, it can be difficult to know which shows are actually worth your time. Well, as you can probably tell from the star rating above, this is not the most glowing review of this series, so let me explain myself. Time to get into the review.

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Sakamoto Days Review

Image by Netflix

Before we get into this review, let me clarify – I wanted to adore Sakamoto Days. The series was one of my most anticipated 2025 anime shows, and ever since it was announced, I kept a keen eye out for any and all sorts of trailers or teasers. I love shonen, and some of my favourite shonen series ever blend together action and comedy flawlessly – I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for more news on that 3rd Year Class Z Ginpachi-Sensei spin-off of Gintama. However, while I love a fun shonen that doesn’t take itself too seriously, for a show to succeed in my book, it still needs to do something a little more than just make me chuckle on occasion. Sakamoto Days is a fun show, the kind of series you’d watch to pass the time when there’s nothing else on TV, but through its lack of any sort of groundbreaking, innovative, or even particularly engaging storytelling, it loses a lot of its charm as the episodes roll on.

The plot of Sakamoto Days is a fairly simple one – a retired hitman settles down to work in a supermarket alongside his family in pursuit of a peaceful life, but former enemies come knocking after he becomes an assassination target himself. A simple central storyline is not exactly an issue for a series by default – some of the best shows build on basic plots by allowing their characters and set-pieces to do the heavy lifting. However, Sakamoto Days’ runs into a real problem when it comes to bearing the load for the show, as no particular aspect is strong enough to carry the show past, or even just to, the high expectations that fans of the manga had set for it.

The character work in Sakamoto Days is, to be blunt, less than stellar. We start the show with Taro Sakamoto himself, his family, and Shin Asakura. While Taro Sakamoto’s generally silent demeanor is helpful for comedic moments, it does little to benefit him in the way of character development, and his wife, Aoi, is little more than a plot device for Taro to need to hide the assassination attempts on him. Shin starts out as a fun character, but loses his steam a little as the show goes on, which is also the case for the characters that join the cast in the later episodes. Sakamoto Days follows a structure wherein Shin and Taro meet characters around their town, and for some reason, those characters become very quickly endeared to them and end up working in their store. The formula is effective at quickly growing the series’ cast, but it often ends up feeling clunky and lacking in substance. These characters are close to each other because the show tells us they are, not because we see any actual growth in their relationships on screen.

Image by Netflix

On top of this, the show seems to struggle to manage its relatively small cast of characters as the show goes on. The greatest example of this, and one of the show’s cardinal sins, is the gradual fade of Lu Xiaotang to the background. When she’s first introduced, Lu is one of the show’s most electrifying characters. The orphaned daughter of a crime boss, Lu is not only competent in combat, but also has a fairly fun dynamic with Taro and Shin when they first meet her. Unfortunately, shortly after her introduction, it feels like the series wants you to forget about her all over again, favouring the dynamic between Taro and Shin, and letting Lu tag along like a wonky third wheel. I have plenty of critiques for this series, but the diminishment of Lu’s role in the story, at least this season, is the only thing in this show that genuinely irritates me.

Let’s talk about some good things, just to break up this non-stop stream of criticism! The Sakamoto Days manga is known for its blend of comedy and action, and though the action is a little less than incredible (we’ll talk more about that shortly), the comedy is one of the series’ stronger suits. The anime makes use of some running gags that really enhance the viewing experience. In particular, I really enjoy the gag where Shin can read Taro’s mind and sees him mentally killing him over and over, and Lu’s drunkenness is also very funny, even if it is sometimes sloppily used to move the plot forward. There’s a generally humorous vibe to the series that makes it enjoyable to watch, and the use of these running gags adds to that experience.

The series also makes use of some really fun set-pieces, as all of the assassination shenanigans go down. The theme park episodes early into the show were the highlight of this for me – watching trained hitmen go head to head in a theme park environment was a very fun time. However, the action is just as important as the comedy is for this show, and unfortunately, the former was lacking a little in comparison. Plenty of fans of the original Sakamoto Days manga have expressed their ire at TMS Entertainment’s animation this season, feeling that their work lacked the style of the manga, and it’s not hard to see why. The animation isn’t bad, per se, but just thinking about how much better this series could be if the animation was stepped-up is enough to give any manga fan a headache. The show has potential, but it falls just short of the mark in all of the important areas.

Image by Netflix

Now, as I begin to wrap this review up, it’s time to get a little pretentious. I’m all for a fun show – not everything needs to be serious to be good. However, there are some really intelligent, moving ideologies just begging to be explored in Sakamoto Days, and yet, the series barely scratches the surface in terms of doing so. This is a show about assassins – just thinking about how much the anime could explore questions of morality, the mental effects of such a job, the entitlement that a retired hitman has to a peaceful family life – there’s so much that could be explored, and simply isn’t. Exploring these things wouldn’t even necessarily take away from the comedic, light-hearted vibe the show is going for – just look at Spy x Family, a comedy-action anime that also deals with the world of spies, assassins, and telepathy (wow, there’s a lot of similarities here). Spy x Family manages to be a joyful romp for the most part, but also takes time to explore the real heartfelt, meaningful messages that come to the viewers’ minds.

Perhaps that’s the biggest issue that Sakamoto Days has after all – an issue of identity. The series feels like a Saturday morning cartoon, but leans away from that identity by showing violence and gore on occasion. So then, perhaps it’s intended for a more mature audience – however, it pushes that identity away by refusing to entertain exploration of some of the show’s darker, more adult themes. The final option is for the show to craft its own identity, but unfortunately, it isn’t able to do so due to weaknesses in the character and action departments. Ultimately, Sakamoto Days ends up feeling like a show destined to be lost in the crowd, and, in perhaps the most scathing criticism I can muster, ends up feeling a little like a downgraded Spy x Family.

There’s a potentially promising future in store for Sakamoto Days, but for now, this season did very little to stand out for me. What did you think of this season of Sakamoto Days? Did you enjoy Netflix’s take on this hit manga, or are you one of the many discontented fans who were hoping for a more efforted adaptation of Yuto Suzuki’s work? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading!

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Where to Watch Sakamoto Days?

Image by Netflix

You can catch all episodes of Sakamoto Days streaming exclusively now on Netflix – the series is set to return to Netflix for its second part this summer, in July 2025.

See also: Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25 Review

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