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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It sort of reminds me of Way of the Househusband, but more family oriented. Still a super cute read and I'll at least read 2 more volumes.
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Tis the season for mangas about professional killers who have to adapt to a slice-of-life setting. I didn't care for Way of the Househusband; I was charmed by Spy x Family; now I am pleasantly ambivalent towards Sakamoto Days. This is the kind of low-intensity gag manga that is likely to draw oodles of platitude reviews, and skimming through Goodreads' top selection, that seems to be the case. "The perfect mix of action and humour." "A gag-manga done right." The shape of an idea without a lot of oomph behind it - that's Sakamoto Days. It's inoffensive, pleasing enough to read, but still feels like it is barely escaping the Garfield-comic-strip territory of Way of the Househusband.
For all the fun that comes with watching a super criminal run a general store, Sakamoto himself is largely unexpressive. I think the mangaka was going for a deadpan protagonist ala Saitama, but seems to miss that the simplicity of our favourite Bald Cape allowed him to be versatile in his emotional range. It may be hard to get a read on Saitama, but it's never hard to to conjure a reaction to him. Conversely, silent Sakamoto just doesn't have the same audience connection, especially with that monotone face and those blanked-out eyes. Throw in an undercooked family dynamic, and it's left to clairvoyant sidekick Shin to be the chief audience surrogate; a fine idea for anyone who isn't your everyday "FoR rEaL?" manga boy, and Shin hits those same predictable, cloying beats with clockwork regularity.
It all starts to gain a bit of texture at the end, as Sakamoto's hitman life and his family begin to cross streams in a more involving way, but the lasting impression is that this is more a manga of quirks than it is of substance. I didn't have a bad time, but this is a series that has too far to go in order to become the banger it is clearly striving to be. Certainly too far for me to wait and see if it gets there.
For all the fun that comes with watching a super criminal run a general store, Sakamoto himself is largely unexpressive. I think the mangaka was going for a deadpan protagonist ala Saitama, but seems to miss that the simplicity of our favourite Bald Cape allowed him to be versatile in his emotional range. It may be hard to get a read on Saitama, but it's never hard to to conjure a reaction to him. Conversely, silent Sakamoto just doesn't have the same audience connection, especially with that monotone face and those blanked-out eyes. Throw in an undercooked family dynamic, and it's left to clairvoyant sidekick Shin to be the chief audience surrogate; a fine idea for anyone who isn't your everyday "FoR rEaL?" manga boy, and Shin hits those same predictable, cloying beats with clockwork regularity.
It all starts to gain a bit of texture at the end, as Sakamoto's hitman life and his family begin to cross streams in a more involving way, but the lasting impression is that this is more a manga of quirks than it is of substance. I didn't have a bad time, but this is a series that has too far to go in order to become the banger it is clearly striving to be. Certainly too far for me to wait and see if it gets there.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is a cool story and the characters are cute, and if/when it becomes an anime I will definitely watch it, but I don’t feel the need to keep up with the manga.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
The first volume of Sakamoto Days is a great introduction to the series. We get to meet our key characters and their personalities leap off the page. While it’s called “Sakamoto Days,” we really see Sakamoto through the perspective of those around him. There are plenty of action sequences for people who like the theatrics, but most of it is a good-natured comedy. With the added element of a psychic assistant, it’s a refreshing take on the (now) classic bad guy turned family man trope.