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Sakamoto Days

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Sakamoto Days
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Taro Sakamoto (front) and Shin Asakura (back)
Genre
Manga
Written byYuto Suzuki [ja]
Published byShueisha
English publisher
ImprintJump Comics
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Jump
DemographicShōnen
Original runNovember 21, 2020 – present
Volumes20 (List of volumes)
Novel
Sakamoto Days: Koroshiya no Method
Written byRenka Misaki
Illustrated byYuto Suzuki
Published byShueisha
ImprintJump J-Books
DemographicMale
PublishedApril 4, 2023
Manga
Sakamoto Days Holidays
Written byTetsu Ōkawa
Published byShueisha
MagazineSaikyō Jump
DemographicShōnen
Original runJuly 4, 2024 – present
Volumes1
Anime television series
Directed byMasaki Watanabe [ja]
Written byTaku Kishimoto
Music byYuki Hayashi
StudioTMS Entertainment
Licensed byNetflix
Original networkTXN (TV Tokyo)
Original run January 11, 2025 – present
Episodes4
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Sakamoto Days (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuto Suzuki [ja]. It has been serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump since November 2020, with its chapters collected in 20 tankōbon volumes as of January 2025. It is simultaneously published in English by Viz Media and the Manga Plus online platform.

The story revolves around Taro Sakamoto, a retired legendary hitman who has settled into a quiet and mundane life as a family man. However, his peaceful life is disrupted when former enemies and colleagues from his hitman days come seeking revenge. To protect his family and loved ones, Sakamoto must use his exceptional combat skills to face off against a variety of adversaries while trying to maintain his ordinary facade.

An anime television series adaptation produced by TMS Entertainment premiered in January 2025, with a second cours set for release in July of the same year.

By December 2024, the manga had over 7 million copies in circulation.

Plot

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See also: List of Sakamoto Days characters

Taro Sakamoto used to be an unrivaled hitman, earning legendary status in the criminal underworld by being feared by some and idolized by others. One day, however, Sakamoto fell in love at first sight with Aoi, a convenience store clerk. In order for them to date, Aoi gave him the ultimatum that he must quit being a hitman and never kill again. Sakamoto agreed, and after his retirement they started dating, got married, had a daughter named Hana, and eventually opened a family-run convenience store of their own in a small suburban town.

Several years later, Sakamoto has settled into his humble life, but also grown portly as a result of his relative inactivity despite still being immensely powerful. The world of hitmen eventually locates him, and many soon attempt to target the Sakamoto family, either seeking revenge or resenting his retired status. Now, with the help of three other former criminals who become employed at the store under Sakamoto—clairvoyant hitman Shin Asakura, orphaned crime boss daughter Lu Xiaotang, and sniper Heisuke Mashimo—Sakamoto must protect his family (or die trying) against the criminal underworld, all while maintaining Aoi's no-kill policy.

Production

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The idea of pairing up Taro Sakamoto with a character that can read minds allowed for insight into the character's motivations and for comedy to flourish since Suzuki intended for Sakamoto to be a more quiet and reserved character. According to editor Soushiro Ishikawa, Suzuki focuses on readability while creating action scenes and his background in Nihonga style of painting allows him to create interesting layouts. Suzuki is heavily inspired by action films such as The Equalizer and John Wick series. Suzuki and Ishikawa would hold meetings every week in person in order to discuss how to progress the story but after the COVID-19 pandemic they hold meetings online.[2]

Media

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Manga

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See also: List of Sakamoto Days chapters

Sakamoto Days is written and illustrated by Yuto Suzuki [ja]. Suzuki first published a one-shot titled Sakamoto (SAKAMOTO-サカモト-) in Shueisha's Jump Giga on December 26, 2019.[3] Sakamoto Days debuted in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump on November 21, 2020.[4][1] Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on April 2, 2021.[5] As of January 4, 2025, 20 volumes have been released.[6]

The series is simulpublished in English by Viz Media and the Manga Plus online platform.[7] Viz Media started releasing the volumes in print on April 5, 2022.[8][9]

A spin-off manga by Tetsu Ōkawa, who has worked as an assistant on the main manga, titled Sakamoto Holidays, started in Shueisha's Saikyō Jump on July 4, 2024.[10][11] The first tankōbon volume was released on January 4, 2025.[12]

Novels

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A novel adaptation with an exclusive story by Renka Misaki, titled Sakamoto Days: Koroshiya no Method (SAKAMOTO DAYS 殺し屋のメソッド, Sakamoto Deizu: Koroshiya no Mesoddo, lit. 'Sakamoto Days: Killer's Method'), was released under Shueisha's Jump J-Books imprint on April 4, 2023.[13][14]

A spin-off novel with exclusive episodes also written by Renka Misaki, titled Sakamoto Days: Koroshiya Blues (SAKAMOTO DAYS 殺し屋ブルース, Sakamoto Deizu: Koroshiya Burūsu, lit. 'Sakamoto Days: Assassin Blues'), was released on December 4, 2024.[15][16]

Anime

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In May 2024, it was announced that the series would receive an anime television series adaptation produced by TMS Entertainment. It is directed by Masaki Watanabe [ja], with scripts by Taku Kishimoto, character designs by Yō Moriyama, and music composed by Yuki Hayashi. The series premiered on January 11, 2025, on TV Tokyo and its affiliates, and will run in two split season cours, with the second cours premiering in July 2025.[17][18][19][20] The opening theme song is "Hashire Sakamoto" (走れSAKAMOTO, lit. 'Run, Sakamoto'), performed by Vaundy,[20] while the ending theme song is "Futsū" (普通, lit. 'Normal'), performed by Conton Candy.[21] Netflix licensed the series for a worldwide weekly streaming release in the same month.[22][23]

Episodes

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No.Title [24][25]Directed by [a]Storyboarded by [a]Chief animation directed by [a]Original release date [26][b]
Part 1
1"The Legendary Hit Man"
Transliteration: "Densetsu no Koroshiya" (Japanese: 伝説の殺し屋)		Masaki Watanabe [ja]Masaki WatanabeMasaki Hinata [ja]January 11, 2025 (2025-01-11)
Taro Sakamoto was once the most feared hitman in the criminal underworld, being practically unstoppable no matter how difficult the job was. However, after encountering Aoi, a convenience store clerk, he fell in love at first sight and left the underworld to marry her. Many years later, Sakamoto has opened his own convenience store which he operates alongside Aoi and their daughter Hana, and grew overweight. One day, clairvoyant hitman Shin Asakura tracks down Sakamoto to his store, having been ordered by a gang boss to convince him to return to the underworld or kill him. Shin attacks Sakamoto but quickly realizes that despite Sakamoto's physical appearance, his hitman skills are still as sharp as ever. Sakamoto defeats him but spares his life, letting him go after treating him to a family meal. Seeing that Sakamoto is happy with his family life, Shin returns the gang boss and turns down the job. Sakamoto, who had been secretly tracking Shin, intervenes and helps Shin defeat the gang. Afterwards, Sakamoto hires Shin to be a clerk at his store.
2"Vs. Son Hee and Bacho"
Transliteration: "Bāsasu Sonhi・Bachō" (Japanese: VSソンヒ・バチョウ)		Akihiro Saitō, Masaki Watanabe
& Yoshihiro Nishio		Masaki WatanabeYukiko Ban [ja], Masaru Shindō
& Masaki Hinata		January 18, 2025 (2025-01-18)
Shin proves to be an effective store clerk, being able to use his clairvoyance to figure out what customers need. He also learns that Aoi heavily disapproves of Sakamoto's former life as a hitman and has threatened to divorce him if he ever returns to that life. Sakamoto and Shen then head to the local Chinatown district to purchase some meat buns, only to be interrupted when they encounter a young girl named Lu Xiaotang fighting off a group of thugs with her martial arts skills. Sakamoto helps Lu escape, and she explains that she is the sole survivor of her mafia clan that was wiped out by a rival clan in order to claim a treasure room key in her possession. Sakamoto offers to help Lu in exchange for her baking some replacement meat buns when a pair of assassins hired by the rival mafia clan attack. During the fight, Shin is able to read Sakamoto's mind and finds out that he made a promise with Aoi never to kill anybody again, and to instead make up for his violent past by helping others. Sakamoto is able to defeat both the assassins and rival mafia clan, leaving them to be apprehended by the authorities. Lu opens the treasure room and finds out it stores the single most valuable treasure of every family head, with her father leaving behind a bottle of sake he planned to share with Lu when she came of age. Since Lu has nowhere else to go, Sakamoto hires her as the store's meat bun cook. Meanwhile, the JAA puts a bounty on Sakamoto's head for one billion yen.
3"Welcome to Sugar Park"
Transliteration: "Shugā Pāku e Yōkoso!" (Japanese: シュガーパークへようこそ！)		Yoshihiro NishioMasaki Watanabe & Akihiro SaitōMasaki Hinata, Yukiko Ban
& Yoshinori Deno		January 25, 2025 (2025-01-25)
As Shin and Lu start getting used to working together in the store, one of Sakamoto's old hitman acquaintances and master of disguise Nagumo arrives and warns Sakamoto about the JAA's one billion yen bounty on his head. Pizza deliveryman-themed hitman Pizza Nakajima then attempts to attack Sakamoto but is easily defeated while the Dondenkai hitman office spies on the entire ordeal. Sakamoto reveals he is aware of their hidden camera and warns them against coming after him before destroying the camera. However, despite his wishes to lay low, Sakamoto remembers that he promised to spend the day with Aoi and Hana at the Sugar Park amusement park. Shin and Lu take it upon themselves to protect Sakamoto so he can focus on his family, and working together are able to thwart Janitor Hitman Kurii Ning. However, another hitman, Tatsu, is able to evade Shin's clairvoyance and gets within striking distance of Sakamoto on a roller coaster before Shin realizes his mistake and throws both himself and Tatsu off the ride. Shin ends up being temporarily blinded by Tatsu's poison, but he is able to successfully fight back and defeat Tatsu by reading Sakamoto's mind as he observes the fight and mentally coaches Shin.
4"Hard-Boiled"
Transliteration: "Hādo-Boirudo" (Japanese: ハードボイルド)		Yoshihide IbataYoshihide IbataYoshinori Deno & Miyako KamiyaFebruary 1, 2025 (2025-02-01)
Sakamoto interrogates Tatsu, who corroborates that the bounty was placed by the JAA, the Japanese Association of Assassins. He then asks Sakamoto if he was part of The Order, a legendary group of assassins that is considered an urban myth. Sakamoto refuses to answer, but Tatsu guesses that he is right. Sakamoto decides to let Tatsu go, which surprises him. Tatsu then encounters the assassin pair Boiled and Obiguro, who are also after the bounty. Meanwhile, Sakamoto, Shin, and Lu spend the rest of the day at the park with the family, with their final stop being the haunted house attraction where Boiled and Obiguro have set up their trap. Boiled is able to separate Sakamoto from the others while Obiguro captures Shin, Lu, Aoi, and Hana and keeps them hostage. Boiled relentlessly attacks Sakamoto using a rocket powered gauntlet and explosive balls to keep the upper hand, venting about how he greatly respected Sakamoto and believed they were friends during their time at the JCC assassin school, only to feel betrayed when he found out Sakamoto never truly cared about or even remembered him. As he is beaten down, Sakamoto finally remembers Boiled through the time he showed him the chemical composition of the gunpowder he uses for his explosive balls and gauntlet. Sakamoto then revives himself, with his body no longer fat and returned to his original hitman form, so he can fight Boiled with his true capabilities.

Other media

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A promotional video for the manga's eighteenth volume, starring Saori Izawa [ja] in the role of a store clerk, was released on August 2, 2024.[27]

A smartphone game developed by Goodroid, titled Sakamoto Days: Dangerous Puzzle (SAKAMOTO DAYS デンジャラスパズル, Sakamoto Deizu: Denjarasu Pazuru), is set to be released in Q2 2025.[28]

Reception

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By October 2022, the manga had 2.2 million copies in circulation;[29] over 4 million copies in circulation by November 2023;[30] over 5 million copies in circulation by May 2024;[31] over 5.5 million copies in circulation by August 2024;[27] and over 7 million copies in circulation by December 2024.[32]

The series ranked sixth on the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2022.[33] Manga author Hiromu Arakawa recommended the series with a comment featured on the obi of the sixth volume.[34] Sakamoto Days was nominated for Best Print Manga at the 2021 Next Manga Awards. It placed sixth out of 50 nominees, but won the U-Next Prize.[35] The series was nominated for the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category in 2022.[36]

In a review of the first volume, Katherine Dacey of The Manga Critic recommended the series, praising its art and fight choreography. She ended her review with: "If some of the later chapters aren't as tightly executed as the first, Sakamoto Days nonetheless achieves a good balance between character development and karate-chopping."[37] In a positive review of the first volume, Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network wrote that the "first volume is, for the most part, a lot of fun" and that "[i]t establishes a good cast of characters [...] has an entertaining premise, and it's executed well."[38]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Production staff information is taken from the ending credits of each episode
  2. ^ The first two episodes released simultaneously on Netflix Japan, while subsequent episodes are released a week before their televised broadcast and international streaming release. As such, the episode table uses the latter dates.

References

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  1. ^ a b c 最強の殺し屋が突然引退して...ジャンプのコメディアクション「SAKAMOTO DAYS」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. November 21, 2020. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  2. ^ "2024 Manga Picks Editor Interview Vol. 3 - Sakamoto Days". Manga Plus. Shueisha. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  3. ^ 週刊少年ジャンプ増刊 （2020年2月号） - ジャンプGIGA 2020 ＷINTER (in Japanese). Books Kinokuniya. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  4. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (November 8, 2020). "Shonen Jump Launches 2 New Manga, Including New Series by Toriko's Shimabukuro (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "SAKAMOTO DAYS 1" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "SAKAMOTO DAYS 20" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  7. ^ Hazra, Adriana (November 21, 2020). "Viz Media, Manga Plus Publish Sakamoto Days Manga in English". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Mateo, Alex (July 9, 2021). "Viz to Release Demon Slayer Spinoff Manga, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, Alice in Borderland, More Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  9. ^ "Sakamoto Days, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  10. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (June 2, 2024). "Sakamoto Days Manga Gets Sakamoto Holidays Spinoff Starting on July 4". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  11. ^ 坂本たちが平和な商店街を目指し奔走「SAKAMOTO DAYS」スピンオフが最強ジャンプで. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. July 4, 2024. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  12. ^ 坂本が平和な商店街を目指して町おこし、スピンオフ「SAKAMOTO HOLIDAYS」1巻. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 4, 2025. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  13. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (October 16, 2022). "Yūto Suzuki's Sakamoto Days Manga Gets Novel". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  14. ^ SAKAMOTO DAYS 殺し屋のメソッド (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  15. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (October 28, 2024). "Sakamoto Days Manga Gets New Spinoff Novel". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  16. ^ SAKAMOTO DAYS 殺し屋ブルース (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  17. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (May 27, 2024). "Sakamoto Days TV Anime Confirmed for January 2025 Starring Tomokazu Sugita". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  18. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (July 31, 2024). "Sakamoto Days Anime Unveils More Cast Members, Confirms Netflix Streaming". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 31, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  19. ^ STAFF&CAST. sakamotodays.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 12, 2024). "Sakamoto Days Anime's Video Unveils Opening Song, January 11 Debut, 2-Part Run". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  21. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 21, 2024). "Sakamoto Days Anime Reveals More Cast, 2nd Promo Video". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 21, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  22. ^ "Sakamoto Days Coming To Netflix Globally January 2025". TMS Entertainment. July 31, 2024. Archived from the original on August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  23. ^ Hudspeth, Christopher (July 31, 2024). "In SAKAMOTO DAYS, Meet the Greatest Hit Man of All Time". Tudum. Netflix. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  24. ^ "Sutōrī | Terebi Anime "Sakamoto Deizu" Kōshiki Saito" STORY | TVアニメ『SAKAMOTO DAYS』公式サイト [Story | TV Anime "Sakamoto Days" Official Site]. sakamotodays.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  25. ^ "Watch SAKAMOTO DAYS | Netflix Official Site". Netflix. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  26. ^ "On'ea | Terebi Anime "Sakamoto Deizu" Kōshiki Saito" ON AIR | TVアニメ『SAKAMOTO DAYS』公式サイト [On Air | TV Anime "Sakamoto Days" Official Site]. sakamotodays.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 28, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  27. ^ a b 「SAKAMOTO DAYS」の世界観を表現した、伊澤彩織出演の実写ムービー公開. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 2, 2024. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  28. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (December 9, 2024). "Sakamoto Days Anime Gets Smartphone Game in Spring 2025". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  29. ^ 坂本商店【SAKAMOTO DAYS公式】 [@SAKAMOTO_STORE] (October 31, 2022). /ご応援感謝！㊗️累計220万部突破❗️ 11/4㊎発売 #SAKAMOTODAYS 9巻の見本本が到着❗️\ 不気味に微笑む虎丸が目印！🐯 帯にはなんと『#呪術𢌞戦』芥見下々先生からの推薦コメント&描き下ろしイラストが...‼️ ありがとうございます！🙇 帯裏には人気投票の応募券も...‼️ ぜひチェックしてください！ (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved November 26, 2022 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ 坂本商店【SAKAMOTO DAYS公式】 [@SAKAMOTO_STORE] (November 2, 2023). ⛓️#SAKAMOTODAYS 14巻本日発売！⛓️ 皆様のおかげで累計400万部突破‼️ いつもありがとうございます！🙏 (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved November 6, 2023 – via Twitter.
  31. ^ SAKAMOTO DAYS：「ジャンプ」話題作がテレビアニメ化 杉田智和が"元・伝説の殺し屋"坂本に 2025年1月スタート. Mantan Web (in Japanese). May 27, 2024. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  32. ^ 『SAKAMOTO DAYS』初のスマホゲーム2025年春に配信 事前登録の受付スタート. Oricon News (in Japanese). December 9, 2024. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  33. ^ 書店員が選んだおすすめコミック2022、第1位は龍幸伸「ダンダダン」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  34. ^ 「SAKAMOTO DAYS」6巻帯に荒川弘の推薦コメント、古賀葵ら出演の新ボイスコミックも. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 4, 2022. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  35. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (August 24, 2021). "Kaiju No. 8, Oshi no Ko Win Next Manga Awards Web, Print Categories". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  36. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 2, 2022). "Chi, Blood on the Tracks, Sakamoto Days, More Nominated for 68th Shogakukan Manga Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  37. ^ Dacey, Katherine (May 19, 2022). "Sakamoto Days, Vol. 1". The Manga Critic. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  38. ^ Silverman, Rebecca (April 24, 2022). "Sakamoto Days GN 1 – Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.

Further reading

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