Sakamoto Days anime review

Brief anime review of anime show Sakamoto Days featuring Tarou Sakamoto, a former professional hitman and his mind reader young partner Shin.

Tarou Sakamoto was the greatest contract killer known within the guild—feared by criminals and admired by his fellow assassins—until one day, he decided to retire and to dedicate himself to family life alongside his wife who met one day in a convenience store. 

He is now overweight, has a daughter and is the proprietor of a small, modest shop; however, it seems he has not entirely retired from his former life, for he still retains his touch and killer instinct.

A former partner known as Shin Asakura, who greatly admired him, decides to seek him out and tracks him down to the shop. He attempts, without success, to persuade Sakamoto to return to the organization; yet, drawn in by Sakamoto's tranquil, family-oriented, and carefree lifestyle, he ultimately gives up and renounces his own life as an assassin as well.

Now Shin works as an employee at the store for Sakamoto. One of Shin's peculiarities is that he can read people's minds. This gives him an advantage over his enemies as an assassin, allowing him to anticipate their intentions; however, sometimes—when reading Mr. Sakamoto's mind—he sees himself dying at his hands, usually by means of a single pen rather than a knife.

One day, they encounter a young woman named Lu Shaotang on the street, who was being chased by the mafia. Sakamoto decides to help her in exchange for her cooking Chinese pork buns for him and for sale at the shop. Lu is very skilled in martial arts. Later, we see that Lu also ends up working as another employee alongside Shin for Mr. Sakamoto.

From that point on, Mr. Sakamoto's days once again become filled with life and adventure—for now, the Assassin's Guild has placed a bounty on the head of Mr. Sakamoto, who had previously remained off the organization's radar.

This causes assassins to converge on the shop. Some are inexperienced newcomers merely trying to snatch the title of "best assassin" from Mr. Sakamoto but others are really serious and are a real threat. Mr. Sakamoto must now uncover who is truly responsible for putting a price on his head.

This conflicts with Mr. Sakamoto's family life, as he has vowed never to kill again or revert to his old ways as an assassin; consequently, he tries his utmost to conceal this side of himself from his wife and daughter. However, as the number of people hunting Mr. Sakamoto grows, his wife comes to understand the necessity of uncovering who is after her husband.

Personal comment:

The anime is extremely entertaining. The plot—specifically the slice-of-life storylines and the fights are incredible. It is amusing to watch how Mr. Sakamoto's portly figure allows him to execute lethal moves, and how, after a strenuous fight, he slims down—only to quickly regain his original physique by eating any food.

The first part of the anime consists of 11 episodes; it also has a second part, as well as a second season. Some people consider this show similar to Spy x Family but only time will tell.