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Sakamoto Daysepisode #9 closed out its biggest arc yet on a largely satisfying note, and it left plenty to be excited about for episode #10 and beyond. Despite the usual shortcomings of the anime, including a surprisingly baffling one, it was another in a string of surprisingly competent episodes, and it gives hope that the anime’s first half will end on a high note.
Sakamoto Daysepisode #9 picked up where episode #10 left off withTaro Sakamotofighting Kashima and Shin and Heisuke fighting Seba. With Kashima’s cybernetics and Seba’s invisibility, both of them were appropriately tough opponents for Sakamoto’s group, but sure enough,Sakamoto’s group, after a lot of back and forth, were ultimately victorious in their toughest fights yet. Overall, episode #9 did a great job of closing out the arc while setting up future story beats, and it will be great to watch them play out in episode #10 and beyond.
What Time Sakamoto Days Episode 10 Releases
Sakamoto Days Episode 10’s Release Schedule
As with previous episodes,theSakamoto Daysanime streams exclusively on Netflix, which can be accessed through the app or directly through the website. Assuming there are no delays,Sakamoto Daysepisode #10 will premiere on Saturday, March 15 at 6:30 AM Pacific Standard Time (PST), 9:30 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST), and 2:30 PM Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and it will be available for streaming in both English and Japanese as soon as the series premieres.
Sakamoto Days Episode 8 Review: A Stylish Continuation Of The Anime’s Biggest Arc
Sakamoto Days Episode 8 In Review
Sakamoto Dayscontinues its latest and biggest arc with episode #8, and it’s holding up surprisingly well. Visually speaking, while the action in episode #8 still wasn’t great all-around, most notably, and unfortunately, in Shishiba and Osaragi’s debut action sequences, there was a surprising amount of consistency in the animation compared to previous episodes, with Sakamoto’s fight with Horiguchi looking surprisingly good by the show’s standards.Sakamoto Days’ productionhas never been as good as it should have been, but overall,Sakamoto Daysepisode #8 is easily one of the anime’s best-looking episodes, to date.
Where episode #8 truly shone, of course, was with its story content. Not only did the arc continue to give Shin a lot of development through Asakura’s flashback, but the characterization of Shishiba, Osaragi, and even Kashima did wonders to quickly make them entertaining characters, and Heisuke’s big hero moment was the perfect way to close the episode out, as well.Sakamoto Dayshas reached the point where the writing can make up for many of its visual shortcomings with episode #8, and fortunately, episode #9 did a great job of keeping that going.
What Happened In Sakamoto Days Episode 9?
Produced By TMS Entertainment; Directed By Takatoshi Suzuki
Sakamoto Daysepisode #9, “All Aboard”, picked up where episode #8 left off with Heisuke arriving at the Lab and lending Shin a hand against Seba. At first, Seba’s quick thinking and clever use of his invisibility technology let him easily overwhelm Heisuke, and it seemed like Heisuke would soon be killed. However, Heisuke used a trick shot to trigger the sprinklers, making it possible for Shin to figure out where Seba was, even while he was invisible, and thanks to that,Shin, with help from Heisuke, finally defeated Seba and continued his search for Lu.
Back with Sakamoto, while Kashima had a wide variety of attacks thanks to his cybernetics, Sakamoto had just as varied an arsenal from weaponizing all the random things he had on hand like a lead pencil and a coaster. Eventually, the two ended up fighting on a train, and while Kashima initially thought he had defeated Sakamoto,Sakamoto once again took on his skinny form and overwhelmed Kashima with relative ease. Kashima was finally defeated, and with that, Sakamoto was free to call Shin and warn him that Kashima set off explosives set to destroy the Lab.
Back at the Lab, Shin finally reunited with Lu and Asakura, but they soon had to split up again to save as many people as possible before the Lab was blown up. When Shin was by himself,Shin had a sudden encounter with Slur who, surprisingly, simply walked past him and said to give Sakamoto his regards, implying a shared history between them. None of that was followed up on, however, and after the scientists all thanked Shin and showed that they still cared about him, Sakamoto’s group returned home, and everything was back to normal for the time being.
Did Sakamoto Days Nail Its Villain’s Biggest Scene?
How The Sakamoto Days Anime Handled Slur’s Introduction
Slur’s full introduction was a major moment in theSakamoto Days’ manga, and the anime’s handling of it was something of a mixed bag. Visually speaking, while it lacked much of the overall craft that made the manga’s take on things worse, the anime still did a good job of highlighting Slur’s menacing character through the sudden change in the art, and the accompanying score perfectly went along with that, as well. Overall,Slur’s introduction, while not perfect, was far better than was to be expected fromtheSakamoto Daysanime, and that was great to see.
Narratively, however, Slur’s introduction was changed rather bizarrely. The anime changed things so that Shin and Asakura separated after Shin heard the thoughts of two people in separate locations as opposed to two people in the same direction, and that’s a problem because later events in the manga suggest that scene was foreshadowing Slur hasving dissociative identity disorder with a personality based on his and Sakamoto’s old friend, Rion Akao. In short,Sakamoto Daysruined one of the biggest pieces of foreshadowing involving its main villain, and it’s unclear why that happened or how it might be salvaged.
Sakamoto Days Closes Out Its Biggest Arc Yet With A Bang
A Great End To Sakamoto Days' Best Arc
Sakamoto Daysfinally closed out another major arc with episode #9, and overall, it was great to see. For episode #9, specifically, not only was it another episode with surprisingly good and consistent animation from start to finish, but the comedic elements of Sakamoto’s fight, combined with the great resolution to Shin’s arc, made it plenty fun to watch on a narrative level, as well.Sakamoto Daysepisode #9 was another episode of the anime with a surprisingly good combination of writing and animation, and even if it still isn’t the best, it’s nonetheless great to see.
As for the overall arc, it’s also plenty deserving of praise. The development of Shin’s character and the set up for plot points with Slur and the Order made for the anime’s strongest writing to date, and with a surprisingly strong string of animation from start to finish,Sakamoto Days’ Lab arc is easily the anime’s best arc to date when it comes to both the writing and the animation. The past few episodes ofSakamoto Daysare easily the anime’s best offering, and hopefully, what’s left of the anime will be just as good to watch, if not better.
Be sure to watchSakamoto Daysepisode #10 when it releases on Saturday, March 15.
Sakamoto Days
Cast
Sakamoto Days centers on Taro Sakamoto, a former top-tier hitman who has traded his life of crime for a peaceful existence running a convenience store. Despite his attempts to leave the underworld behind, Sakamoto’s past catches up with him as old rivals and dangerous enemies reappear, threatening his newfound tranquility. Forced to defend his family and business, Sakamoto must draw on his lethal skills while navigating the humorous and unexpected challenges of balancing his ordinary daily life with the chaos of his former profession.
