Imagine if John Wick was the patriarch of a thriving household, that he offers up the hitman enterprise for good, and decides to turn into a shopkeeper — even gaining a little weight within the course of. That, in a nutshell, is the premise behind Sakamoto Days, a hit new Netflix anime that’s taking the streaming giant by storm (it’s #5 within the US at present) and which is based on the beloved manga written and illustrated by Yuto Suzuki that tells the story of “the ultimate assassin,” Taro Sakamoto.
In the story, Sakamoto is admired by different hitmen and feared by villains. One day, he falls in love and ultimately turns into preoccupied with very un-hitman objectives like marriage, fatherhood, and retirement. Fortunately — or, fairly, sadly for the dangerous guys — he nonetheless enjoys his superhuman power and ability. “When Sakamoto meets Aoi, the convenience store clerk, it’s love at first sight — and just like that, he retires,” Netflix explains about Sakamoto Days, the primary half of which is streaming proper now with the second half coming in July.
“Sakamoto gets married, has a daughter, opens a mom-and-pop store in a quiet town, and completely transforms … into a plus-size man. To ensure a peaceful life with his beloved family, the legendary ex–hit man bands together with comrades to face off against the looming threat of assassins.”
Nonstop murderer motion ensues from the chaos that follows, interrupting the bizarre lifetime of Sakamoto and his household. Those no-holds-barred battle sequences are one of many many causes the manga collection has captivated fans all over the world. Likewise, the way in which that Sakamoto questions the true that means of power in a world overrun by assassins — just like the particular power “The Order,” from the Japanese Association of Assassins.“ It’s sort of like how the High Table from the Wick movies, which clearly influenced the story and tone of Sakamoto Days, sends armies of paid killers after everyone’s favorite dog-loving hitman.
“When I first had the chance to read Sakamoto Days, I remember how electrifying the powerful action scenes were,” director Masaki Watanabe stated in a Netflix promotional interview. “Keeping that feeling at the heart of production, I (wanted) to take all the components unique to the screen — movement, color, and sound — to make Sakamoto Days a dynamic and fast-paced anime, while keeping in mind the humor sprinkled throughout the original.”
