SAKAMOTO DAYS Episode 1 released today on Netflix, and the premiere was a solid adaptation for the Shonen Jump hit. The trailers had had me concerned that its style of animation might not be the right call. However, I found the first episode to be as enjoyable as reading the first chapter of the manga, which is what it covered.
TMS Entertainment is not particularly known for outstanding animation, but the action moments in this episode were adapted well. It started with a scene of a young Taro Sakamoto facing a bunch of opponents and easily taking them down in cinematic fashion. This set the stage for his current state, and the introduction had the perfect comedic effect, only hindered by the fact we already saw it numerous times in the trailers.
Taro is still an incredible powerhouse, though, and this is shown appropriately. From catching bullets with chopsticks to being to knock out people with a single punch, the legendary hitman has still got it. The action scenes were simple but effective, and it was really clear just how overpowered our protagonist is compared to the other characters introduced so far. Also, his love-at-first-sight moment was adorable.
The comedy is the driving power of the story, and those moments were also adapted faithfully. The little kid messing with the mad customer made me laugh, as well as his later encounters with Shin. Speaking of Shin, his character was also introduced in a great way. He’s a fan of Taro, yet he has to follow the organization’s orders and tries to take out his idol.
That obviously backfires, and him offering his life felt really powerful. No wonder Taro decided to take up his guns and go save him, though I did wonder why he worked for such a low-tier boss in the first place. It might make sense if he’s just some random division leader or something and there’s many bigger players involved, but at this stage it seems like Taro Sakamoto should never have taken any order from the guy in this episode.
I’m curious about Shin’s psychic ability and whether it’s based on reality or if he can literally just read minds. If that’s the case, there’s no doubt there’ll be a lot more interesting abilities from future characters, and I have no doubt Taro will be able to overcome them all. Taro being voiced by Tomokazu Sugita was a brilliant call, and his rare lines were still a lot of fun.
Overall, I found SAKAMOTO DAYS Episode 1 to be a solid adaptation of a great manga. While there wasn’t anything spectacular, it was still strong all throughout and I’d be happy if the entire run maintained this quality.
Images via Netflix
© Yuto Suzuki, SHUEISHA / SAKAMOTO DAYS Production Committee
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