Release Date
26-07-2025
Every couple of years, theanimecommunity rallies in anticipation around a certain kind of adaptation, blending intense action with silly/wholesome comedy,and typically centered around one OP lead. These are anime likeOne Punch Man,Mob Psycho 100, orSpy x Family(let’s be real, Yor is scary powerful), and now,Sakamoto Daysis the latest action show to receive similar hype.
Based on the manga by Yuto Suzuki, this shōnen series follows the titular Taro Sakamoto, once the greatest assassin in the world but who left that life behind once he met the love of his next. After getting married and having a daughter, Sakamoto has put on some pounds and owns a convenience store, only to find his past catching up with him and putting his cozy life at risk.
Not Another Retired Assassin Story
It’s aJohn Wickbackstory but with a much less tragic inciting incident.
Much of the logline is familiar, but its nuance is found in the presentation, something quickly evident in just the trailers. Compared to the striking and conventionally attractive appearance of Sakamoto in his former prime, his portly appearance as a loving father creates such a charming dichotomy. The fact that he retains much of his frightening proficiency at combat only adds to the comedy.It’s aJohn Wickbackstory butwith a much less tragic inciting incident.
Sakamoto (CV: Tomokazu Sugita) has made enemies and the bounty on his head is hard for the denizens of the criminal underworld to resist. Whether his former rivals and partners are in it for the money or simply don’t believe he’s truly out of the game, they’re gunning for him. And because Sakamoto’s wife Aoi (CV: Nao Touyama) makes it clear that if he kills again, their marriage is over, he needs to get… creative about how he incapacitates his foes.
A Killer Convenience Store Staff
Thankfully, he’s not alone and will progressively be joined bya who’s who of fellow assassinsturned allies and coworkers at the convenience store. Shin Asakura (CV: Nobunaga Shimazaki) is Sakamoto’s old partner - a young hitman with psychic powers. Next is Xiaotang Lu (CV: Ayane Sakura), an affiliate of the Triad, and Heisuke Mashimo (CV: Ryouta Suzuki), a low-ranking assassin and sniper with a pet parrot named Piisuke.
The Staff Behind Sakamoto Days
The Director and Writer
Sakamoto Daysis being animated by TMS Entertainment, the same studio behindLupin III,Dr. Stone, andUndead Unluck, to name just a few. Its director, Masaki Watanabe, has been a recurring director on theBattle Spiritsseries at Studio Sunrise and Bandai Namco Pictures, and he was also an episode director on2022’sDragon Ball Super: Super Hero. His other credits include theCode Geass: Akito the Exiledmovies and the 2006 adaptation ofBartender.
The writer behind the adaptation is one Taku Kishimoto and if you’re not familiar with the name, you’re undoubtedly familiar with his work. He is a remarkably prolific screenwriter in anime, credited with series composition on recent shows likeBlue Lock,Ranking of Kings, and evenThe One Piece, Wit Studio’s upcoming remake of the worldwide sensation. Kishimoto also penned the adapted screenplays forMoriarty the Patriot,Haikyuu, andErased.
Behind the Art and Music
You Moriyama serves as the character designer for the TV anime, and his resume is particularly impressive. Throughout the 2000s, he was a key animator on projects like 2004’sMonsterand the first-everNarutomovie. He was an assistant to director Takeshi Koike on the character designs behind hisLupin IIImovies and even did background art for Koike’s 2009 cult hitRedline. Perhaps most exciting, he was the director of 2018’sMegalo Boxand its sequel from 2021.
Moriyama might not be in the director’s chair here, but his resume spells good things for the artwork. An animation director hasn’t been credited yet, but it would be awesome if it was him. Speaking of artwork, Yukiko Maruyama is the art director, coming hot off the heels of her work onMy Hero Academia’s latest season, the thirdOverlordmovie, and season 3 ofKonoSuba.
Maruyama isn’t the onlyMy Hero Academiaveteran on the staff, however, as the soundtrack will be composed by Yuki Hayashi,whose career we delved into back in February. Hayashi’s inspirational blend of epic orchestra, intense rock music, and a broad blend of genres besides has cemented him as one of the anime composers out there right now. No matter how hard the animation will work to build hype, the music will work just as hard.
Only One Month to Go
The anime will be split into two parts, the first of which will be premiering on January 11 while the second will air in July. It’s been reported that combined, the TV anime’s first seasonwill be 22 episodes total. Netflix is streaming the series worldwide.
Fans of the manga have been eager to seeSakamoto Daysadapted for a long while, and for many, the trailers have been everything they could have dreamed of. Diving into the staff behind the adaptation only makes the adaptation even more exciting, even at the cost of making the next month that much more painful to slog through in the meantime.
Sakamoto Dayswill be available to stream on Netflix starting January 11.
