Image: TMS Entertainment
Their recent enemies include an invisible guy, a mad scientist, and a dinosaur skeleton
Lu ends up getting kidnapped by a bunch of dumb scientists who mistake her for Shin in the latest episode of the Sakamoto Days anime. Despite the comedic effect of the mishap, we get to see a glimpse of Shin’s childhood, which is far from happy. But the main attraction of this episode was definitely the weird enemies that popped up during Shin and Sakamoto’s efforts to free Lu.
Spoiler warning: major plot points ahead
The bizarre villains Sakamoto Days is known for have already started appearing
From the very beginning, Yuto Suzuki’s original manga has been an action-comedy, with the two genres blending together in perfect harmony. This episode was a perfect example of that as some hazmat-suit wearing men kidnap Lu from the store after mistaking her for Shin (as if the long braid isn’t a dead giveaway). They realise their mistakes soon after Lu scolds them for badmouthing Shin. Thankfully, Sakamoto and Shin are able to track them and start chasing them down on a motorcycle. It’s revealed that these kidnappers are from the research facility where experiments were conducted on Shin to make him a psychic.
The next part of the anime does justice to the manga as we see Sakamoto and Shin expertly take down some of the kidnappers. One of them, called Seba, turns out to be the problem. Unlike the others, Seba can somehow turn invisible, which he uses against the two former assassins and leaves them behind. They leave with Lu, and we find out that a man in a deer mask is behind this operation. Sakamoto and Shin reach a museum, which is the front for the research facility. The two purchase dinosaur masks to hide their faces.
The movie references in this episode are wholly entertaining
Bizarre opponents stop them again as two bears attack them. Just as they recover from the double bear attack, a dinosaur skeleton (Night at the Museum, anybody?) starts trying to kill them with its bony tail. Unfortunately, Sakamoto’s dream of taking the moving dinosaur as a pet for Hana is crushed as he’s forced to destroy it. But I personally enjoyed seeing Sakamoto absolutely decking the massive beast skeleton with his bare hands. The mildly improved animations also did wonders for the overall feel of the episode. It also does justice to the name of the episode ‘Jurassic Bastard’, a throwback to the Steven Spielberg masterpiece.
Speaking of dangerous experiments, Shin meets the people who were in charge of the lab he grew up in. It turns out that they’re not terrible people, but the assassin organisation which controls them now is. Lu meets Shin’s adoptive father in a cell. The scientists try to hide Shin and Sakamoto after meeting them. However, Mad Horiguchi, the crazy and creepy scientist in charge of the floor ultimately finds them. He injects Shin with something that causes him to talk gibberish, which is another comedic addition that improves the experience. The ending of this episode felt extra special with Vaundry’s new theme song ‘Somebody Help Us’. Shishiba and Osaragi's appearance at the end has upped the stakes for everyone.
Overall, I enjoyed this episode of Sakamoto Days a bit more than the previous ones. Although the animation could still be improved, I’ll take a win where I can get one. The comedic elements in this latest episode also elevated the overall experience and reminded me why I love the manga so much. Hopefully, they’ll give Shishiba and Osaragi the treatment they deserve when the duo ultimately unleash hell. The next episode is coming out on Saturday, 1 March, 2025.
You can check out our Sakamoto Days review collection to keep track on what’s happening in the anime.
