Sakamoto Days Season 1’s Part 1 is streaming now on Netflix with its action-packed pitch. Part 2 premieres July 2025. Warning: This article contains spoilers.
When Sakamoto Days landed on Netflix in January 2025, it arrived with a tantalizing pitch: a retired assassin turned convenience store owner, juggling family life with a past that refuses to stay buried. Adapted from Yuto Suzuki’s hit manga by TMS Entertainment, this 11-episode first cour promised a fresh spin on shounen tropes—blending John Wick-style action with absurd comedy. Now, with its finale, “Casino Battle,” streaming as of March 22, 2025, it’s time to take stock. Does Sakamoto Days Season 1 deliver on its potential, or does it fold under the weight of its own ambitions? As a critic diving into the series and its reception, I’d argue it’s a mixed bag—a charming, flawed gem that shines in moments but trips over its pacing, animation, and a finale that feels more like a pit stop than a victory lap.
The Setup: A Recipe for Shounen Success
The premise alone hooks you fast. Taro Sakamoto, once the underworld’s most feared hitman, has traded bullets for baby bottles, running-opera-style living a quiet life with his wife Aya and daughter Hana. Voiced with deadpan cool by Tomokazu Sugita, Sakamoto’s stoic heft anchors the show, contrasting beautifully with his bumbling protégé Shin (Nobunaga Shimazaki) and the fiery Shaotang (Ayane Sakura). This trio’s chemistry is the heart of the series, delivering laughs and warmth amid the chaos of their past catching up. Early episodes lean into this balance—action-packed set pieces like the Lab arc’s bloody showdowns paired with slapstick gags, like Sakamoto’s grocery store heroics. It’s a tone that feels unique, a shounen that doesn’t take itself too seriously yet hints at darker stakes with the shadowy “Slur” and his assassin network.
For casual viewers, it’s a breezy ride. The humor—think Shin’s earnest flailing or Sakamoto’s deadpan problem-solving—lands more often than not. When the action kicks in, it’s a visual treat, with standout moments like Episode 8’s team-based brawls showcasing the gang’s unstoppable synergy. At its best, Sakamoto Days feels like a love letter to teamwork and found family, wrapped in a package that’s equal parts absurd and endearing. It’s easy to see why the manga’s 8 million-plus circulation fueled hype for this adaptation.
The Cracks: Where the Adaptation Falters
But peel back the surface, and the flaws emerge. Animation quality has been a persistent thorn in the side of this adaptation. Where the manga dazzles with dynamic paneling and intricate fight choreography, the anime often feels stiff—relying on static frames or underwhelming cuts that sap the energy from key battles. Compared to the fluid spectacle of contemporaries like Jujutsu Kaisen, Sakamoto Days can feel like a slideshow, a letdown for fans expecting top-tier shonen polish. It’s not a total wash—the Lab arc and fleeting finale moments flex some muscle—but consistency eludes it.
Pacing is another Achilles’ heel. The season crams in story beats at breakneck speed, glossing over manga moments that flesh out the world and characters, yet it also drags in detours that feel extraneous. This uneven rhythm peaks in the finale, but it’s a thread throughout—rushed buildup meets meandering tangents, leaving the narrative stretched thin. Manga loyalists have felt this sting most acutely, lamenting excised content and a failure to capture the source’s escalating intensity. For every viewer charmed by its lighthearted vibe, another sees a pale shadow of what could’ve been.
Episode 11: “Casino Battle” – A Finale That Folds
Then there’s the finale, Episode 11, “Casino Battle,” which aired March 22, 2025. After a season teasing high-stakes showdowns—cybernetic killers, invisible assassins, the looming Slur threat—logic suggests a climactic brawl to cap things off. Instead, we get a casino caper that’s more side quest than sendoff. Sakamoto, Shin, and Shaotang weaponize their skills for a gambling spree, outsmarting rigged games with mind-reading poker plays and reflex-driven roulette wins. It’s a fun premise, and the trio’s antics—Shaotang’s kung-fu flair, Shin’s earnest fumbling—spark chuckles. A late fight, scored to the iconic Sakamoto theme, even delivers a burst of stylish action, with fluid frames of cue-stick beatdowns and sharp kicks.
Yet, as a season closer, it’s a letdown. The stakes—winning big to keep the trio intact—sound dire but lack tension; the tone stays too breezy to sell the danger. The plot hinges on Wutang, a new face whose backstory with Shaotang adds fleeting depth but overshadows the core cast. His bet drives the episode, flashing back to a generic tale of childhood friendship gone sour, but it’s too thin to carry emotional weight. Worse, it stalls progress on Slur’s mystery, resigning the finale to setup for Season 2 (slated for July 2025) rather than resolving anything here. A late villain tease injects some intrigue, but it’s too little, too late—more cliffhanger than closure.
Pacing falters here too. The episode starts strong, builds to a mid-point showdown with Wutang’s goons, then meanders through exposition and lukewarm gags. The animation redeems itself in spots—the casino’s glitzy flash, Hong Kong’s grimy detail, a fast-food joint’s surprising gore—but it can’t mask the anticlimactic vibe. This isn’t a disaster; it’s watchable, even fun in its mediocrity. But for a finale, it’s a shrug—a filler episode masquerading as a milestone.
The Bigger Picture: Reception and Reflection
Fan and critic reactions mirror this push-pull. The show’s charm—its characters, its humor—earns praise, often landing a 7 or 8 out of 10 for sheer entertainment. Some hail it as a sleeper hit, a quirky antidote to shonen bombast, with Netflix’s global reach boosting its profile. Others, though, can’t shake the disappointment. Animation gripes dominate chatter, as does frustration over cut content and a slow-burn plot that stops just as it heats up. The finale amplifies this split: one camp enjoys its breezy tease for Part 2, while another decries its abrupt halt, craving resolution over setup.
As a critic, I land in the middle. Sakamoto Days Season 1 is a flawed gem—bursting with heart and potential but hampered by execution. Its highs (the Lab arc’s chaos, the trio’s rapport) hint at greatness; its lows (shaky animation, erratic pacing) drag it back. The finale encapsulates this tension—amusing yet underwhelming, a promise of more rather than a triumph now. It’s a 7/10 ride: solid, not spectacular, with an ending that leaves you intrigued but unsatisfied, like a roulette spin that doesn’t quite hit the jackpot. Season 2 could elevate it—or cement its stumbles. For now, it’s a gamble still in play.