Another year had passed, and finally I’m now on my first review for this year, and it will be about an anime series that has both of my favorite genres—action and comedy! The thing about these genres together is that they really complement each other well because whenever things get too serious with action scenes, the comedy in it balances the mood, and that’s why it is one of the genre pairings I usually look forward to when I’m looking for an anime to watch. Speaking of anime series to watch, I already made a list of what to watch this entire month, and most of them are from anime that got released last winter 2025, and for today, I’ll start with an action comedy that captured my interest last year, which I unfortunately wasn’t able to get back once its airing got completed, and yeah—it’s Sakamoto Days.
Sakamoto Days is a shounen anime that was released last winter 2025, and its first part aired from January 11, 2025, to March 22, 2025, and later on the second one from July 15, 2025, to September 23, 2025. This 22-episode-long action comedy anime was animated by TMS Entertainment and was based on the shounen manga written and illustrated by Yuuto Suzuki. Like I’ve mentioned, I was supposed to watch this anime last year, but unfortunately my second-half schedule became so hectic that I was forced to drop a lot of hours that were supposedly for my leisure and relaxation. And so, for this year, I planned to bounce back and finish the series I didn’t last year, and that includes this anime series that has both an interesting premise and characters.
As usual, it started with an introduction of our main character—Sakamoto Taro, who was a legendary hitman known for his superb skills and unmatched prowess in the art of killing. He was both feared and revered by his fellow hitmen, but all of a sudden this legendary hitman retired. It turns out he fell in love and decided to leave his dark past all behind. However, his retirement wouldn’t be as smooth as he hoped it would be because a lot of hitmen were out to get him. Both allies and rivals stormed in his seemingly ordinary life now, hoping that they can get the old Sakamoto back. Yet he’s a changed man now, and he won’t kill anymore, but that doesn’t prevent him from subduing any of his attackers in the most brutal way possible.
The threats became more apparent as a bounty was put on his head and an unknown killer who leaves an X mark was on the loose. With his partner and hitman friends, Sakamoto vows to protect the town, the store, and the family he has—even if that includes sinking again in the muck that he once escaped from.
The thing about action comedy is that no matter how cliché the plot is, it doesn’t bore me at all. The plot wasn’t that unique; rather at first, I found it uninteresting because it was about a legendary something again who’s too perfect and ideal, but then came my favorite icebreaker, and that is when he converted! Unlike most of my otaku friends’ preference, I like Sakamoto better when he’s already chubby. Like Osaragi, I find him really cute and much more likable when he’s in his coach Anzai’s physique. Also, I definitely enjoyed its pacing and how it made sure I wouldn’t be bored. Of course, there are cliché episodes like the theme park—the famous theme park where action mostly happens. When I watched that episode, I immediately knew that something fun would happen, and indeed it happened. The sugar bunny scene was so entertaining and funny because I really thought that part was like a dead end for Shin, but it turned out he still had some tricks left.
I have mentioned that this anime has two parts, and both of them have eleven episodes, which aired in different seasons. The first season was heavily grounded on the life of Sakamoto after retirement and also the introduction of other characters, which is a pretty usual anime format. I have no qualms about that, but I kinda expected something more exciting, but still I guess I again expected it early because as soon as I got used to the cozy pacing of the first part, the second part kinda caught me off guard. Major fight after fight happened, and it wasn’t long before the main antagonist was unveiled. I didn’t expect that the revelation would be this early because I did expect that it’s somewhere in the middle of the second season. I guess I was wrong about a lot of my assumptions about this anime, but there’s something that came right, and it’s my expectation on its animation.
Despite the initial backlash I heard about its allegedly bad animation, I still assumed that its animation would be decently executed. Honestly, the animation wasn’t really that great as Demon Slayer or Violet Evergarden, but still it has its own charm, and I enjoyed it at most. It was able to emulate the mood and vibe I get from reading the manga, and for me that’s what really matters. As long as I still felt the essence of the characters I’ve read, it's fine to me. As for its art style, I like how it’s almost the same as the manga. Of course, the level of detail in manga is clearly indisputable—like, it’s indeed hard to animate Osaragi’s lacy dress, so it’s understandable they kind of toned down the details on it. Also, I liked how some shots look really good and cool, and I can’t help but admire them. Further, its soundtrack definitely elevated my viewing experience—not only taking the mood up a notch but also setting up the vibe even in its opening. I totally loved how Run Sakamoto Run sounds, like its tune is both familiar and new to me, and it definitely makes the opening hard to skip haha.
Overall, for me this anime is really an enjoyable one, not only because of the hype I get from its action scenes but also because of how fun most of the scenes were. I haven’t read most of its source material, but judging by its visuals there, I can understand why some fans are expecting more of the animation. Like I said, it wasn’t an excellent animation, yet nevertheless it’s still enjoyable and fun to watch. So, will I recommend it? Yes, I can...however, don’t expect much uniqueness in it because there are really a lot of familiar tropes and concepts that I’ve seen in other shounen anime here. But if you have no problem with that, and plus if you’re up for a fun and thrilling anime with cool hitmen, then maybe this review is your sign to watch Sakamoto Days!
Before I end this up, I'll share with you its trailer, so—
Have you watched this anime already? Or you still haven't even tried it yet? Well, if you have something to share, then feel free to use the comment section below. And that's all for now minna-san~ I hope you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne!
All of the pictures were screenshots I took while watching its anime.
