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Check out why Crunchyroll's The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Ep. 1: "Maomao and Maomao" was a welcome (and promising) return for the anime.
Posted in: Netflix, Review, TV | Tagged: anime, sakamoto days
Sakamoto Days Season 1 Ep. 1 "The Legendary Hit Man" Hard Not to Love
Netflix's Sakamoto Days Episode 1: "The Legendary Hit Man" was a phenomenal way to start and left us hooked on what the season has to offer.
The first episode of Netflix's Sakamoto Days, "The Legendary Hit Man," was a phenomenal way to start the season. It was a great introduction to the characters and lifestyle. It also had beautiful and crisp animation, and I am already hooked and looking forward to more episodes.
We start with getting to know about Sakamoto and his past. He was an exceptional hitman revered amongst colleagues and feared by his enemies. And we get to see why. The anime definitely does not shy away from violence or gore, but it does not take away from the story or the overall aesthetics. We find out he left his line of work after falling in love with Aoi, a convenience store clerk. Sakamoto retires and builds a family with Aoi. It was short and yet so sweet to see how he became a retired dad version of Sakamoto in just a few years. I am already here for it and I already love this little family.
We see his past has come back to offer a new return with the face of a former colleague and clairvoyant, Shin. He follows Sakamoto around all day as he helps everyone in town with mundane tasks, showing off agility and grace that has not gone away over the years. Shin seems very surprised that someone as gifted as Sakamoto is stuck in this life and asks him to return to the hitman world, which Sakamoto declines. But we immediately see the ugly side of things: Shin is shortly tasked with killing Sakamoto by his boss. All For leaving the hitman world without permission.
Shin then turns back around to carry out his mission, unsuccessfully. He is quickly beaten by Sakamoto and passes out. Shin wakes up at Sakamoto's home, has dinner with him and his family, and realizes why Sakamoto initially gave up his life for his family. Not many words were needed, but I love how the intent kept coming through. It was such a tender family moment, and even Aoi realized Shin's reaction, which cemented his decision to face his boss.
We see Shin asking for Sakamoto to be forgiven and asking for his life to be taken instead. His boss agrees to the exchange, but thinks to himself about it being a foolish idea that will not change anything. This was all the answer Shin needed, and he proceeded to face off against the boss and all the hitmen. It turns into a bloodbath, and Sakamoto shows up to save Shin. Turns out Sakamoto had bugged Shin's gun and heard everything that happened. I loved that Sakamoto had his hidden gun lair. But even more so, I liked how things ended. Sakamoto did not need to hear Shin's words and just gave him an apron. It was so adorable, even with its violence, that my heart could not take it. I am very excited to see how Sakamoto and Shin will deal with the repercussions of this.
Sakamoto Days S01E01 "The Legendary Hit Man"
8.5/10
The first episode of Netflix's Sakamoto Days, "The Legendary Hit Man," was a phenomenal way to start the season. It was a great introduction to the characters and lifestyle. It also had beautiful and crisp animation, and I am already hooked and looking forward to more episodes.
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