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(01-10-2025, 10:24 AM)Greg Wrote: Sakamoto Days. Jan 11
The concept is akin to The Way of the Househusband which I love - http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...p?tid=6241
Only here, Sakamoto is a mostly silent, overweight, convenience store owner with a wife and daughter. It’s told from his pupil’s perspective, who can read minds like in Spy Family. So derivative.
This is parsed by anime ultravi which neither of its predecessors have. The violence in those shows is more cartoonish ala looney tunes. This is more sanguineous.
I only watched the premiere. It didn’t grab me except for Sakamoto faintly reminded me of what PPFY might be if he was overweight and an ex-master-hitman (which he still might be - not ruling that out). There’s just something about Sakamoto’s demeanor that’s slightly yeti-esque, and I mean that in a positive way.
Not sure if I’m going to watch more, although eps are short. 3 are up at this writing, I’m assuming more will be released weekly.
Only D00M recommended to confirm my yeti/Sakamoto suspicions.
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I saw the first episode. I wasn't particularly moved by the show. The animation style was too over the top for me. Although I do like some of the themes. I don't know if I'll watch any more.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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I'm back in. It's an assignment. The makers of this show have developed some sort of VR experience, and I might be among the first to demo it. Den is looking into setting me up with this right out of the gate, early at the very first party, soon after I get off the plane. I won't be able to set down my luggage until later that night.
It's trippin me out - this game. Getting roped into some new VF experience involving a world of assassins sounds like the springboard for a campy grindhouse film. But hey. It's SDCC. Anything can happen.
I'm using watching this as an excuse to not work on some writing I should finish before SDCC. I'm like 4 eps deep now.
It gets better. Adding to retired megaassassin-turned-conveince-store-owner Sakamoto and his clarovoyant hitman fan boy, Lu Xiaotang joins the crew and balances it out. Lu is the orphan daughter of a mob family and a Tai Chi master with red hair and a long braid. And now the fights ensue. There's a huge bounty out on Sakamoto so a parade of colorful assassins come after the threesome as they try to protect Sakamoto's wife and daughter, as well as keep them in the dark because she's the reason Sakamoto retired; She made him promise not to kill again.
The fights are those exaggerated anime style fights, which can be an acquired taste. I love them because they're so cartoonish, which is exactly why the work. It's an element of classic cartoon Tom and Jerry ultravi, tossed together with a hyper color palette and wacky images. The fights keep improving. Lu has a drunken fight with a hawt assassin who gets chills in a Freudian way with ultravi and it is hysterical. It's mostly sweet parsed by these ridiculously sanguineuos images - literally piles of bloody corspes - and the chemistry between the threesome is funny.
So I'm down with it now. It's parallel to Way of the Househusband (which I still prefer because it spoofs the yakuza genre). Sakamoto Days is turning into its own thing, mostly due to Lu as the kawaii tai chi fighter. Also the daughter reminds me of Anna in Spy X Family.
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5 more eps to go. Should finish tonight.
I just can't shake the idea that Sakamoto reminds me of PPFY. I'm not sure if he'd be flattered by that, because they poke fun at his weight, but it's not him being heavy set that triggers me. It's something about his general attitude, plus he's always wearing that apron which reminds me of our AFS days when we all wore shop aprons.
Sakamoto can drop his weight in times of intense battle, and he returns to a lean, sexy fighting machine. That reminds me more of DM. Then he puts the weight back on when the fight ends. It's not explained well but it's a kinda funny trope.
Another character has joined the team, a crybaby sniper who can richocet bullets to hit his targets. He's simple minded and when Shin reads his mind, he just gets childlike drawings. Shin complains about this but it's pretty funny.
The uber-fights are so superhero anime. Very amusing.
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(07-23-2025, 02:31 PM)Drunk Monk Wrote: I just can't shake the idea that Sakamoto reminds me of PPFY.
It's the calmness and always watching....
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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Yea. That and the can of whoop ass he unleashes when necessary.
And the glasses too.
PPFY could totally cosplay Sakamoto. He'd just need the apron and a cup of instant ramen.
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Finished the 13 available eps. New ones are released every week.
That was entertaining once I got into the vibe of it. The hyper-anime fights are hilarious fun. I love how psycho the villains are and how ridiculous their hit man skills can be. The society of assassins is akin to Wick's world. It also has an overarching story arc and short eps, which makes it addictive.
D00M recommended.
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E14 was okay. I’m appreciating the vibe. Thar assassins are superhero level. Sakamoto can catch bullets with his chopsticks. Still funny, mostly for it’s over the top sensibility.
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Caught back up on this - new eps released weekly and I think I’m on 17 or so. It continues to be over the top absurd but it also continues to work on that level. The caricature of the assassin world is funny and continues to deliver its warped world view in an amusing way.
I really like Takamura, the old swordsman with ridiculous katana skills. He’s usurped Lu’s position as my fav character.
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Sakamoto & Shin try to infiltrate the JCC by enrolling as students, which means they have to be tested for acceptance. Some 300 applicants are on Kill Airlines with examiners and they’re all told to kill each other which results in a huge blood bath and introduces some new characters - a germaphone 14 year old boy who has katana blade sticking out of the heels of his boots and a pink haired gal that doesn’t know how to properly hold a full auto machine gun but boy can she sew. One of the examiners is an avante garde filmmaker and blows the plane in two to amplify the drama of the movie he’s making. Everyone who’s still alive figure out ways to safely land in the ocean after the free fall which is so painfully absurd it just must be accepted to move forward.
Missing Lu. She’s not in this story arc, which is like 3 eps deep already.
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Ah, yes. Sitting around the parlor and playing records on the Germaphone. I remember it will.
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Is that even a word? Feckn spelchuk.
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The assassin school exam continues with a game of flag (tail) capture. A new character is revealed - Akira Akeo, the daughter of one of the top 3 assassins of the previous generation (Sakamoto is another and there’s a third who has already proven amusing). Akira is super kawaii, and can sew tighter clothes to make a parachute while falling from a jet plane that split in half. She’s self conscious but when triggered, she’s a ridiculously fast killer that can cut victims down with her fingertips.
Plus there’s a new assassin examinee with a labubu-like stuffy fob of Sakamoto and she wields a crazy axe gun. She’s super psycho and I like her already.
Sakamoto & Shin are on opposite flag teams.
This show has really grown on me. It’s quirky sanguineous fun ala goofy anime style.
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E20 was meta funny because it had this otaku theme that worked as observant self parody. It centers around the newly inserted examinees: the first one is the funny otaku gal with the long axe/rifle; the second is revealed to be a VR bot. I enjoyed this ep a lot - good fights and the otaku tale elicited a good lol.
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E21 was just more anime battles with the VR bot. It's growing tiresome. Not enough funny in this ep.
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