‘Sakamoto Days’ episode 6 review: “Heisuke Mashimo”

Despite the previous episode teasing the series’ larger plot, Sakamoto Days episode 6 gets back to the single episode slice of life of its earlier episodes. “Heisuke Mashimo” introduces the titular sniper in a wacky showdown that adds paintball as a clever twist, if only briefly. Most notably is likely that the critics who are desperate for some more detail on the action scenes do actually get that this week. 

Meet Heisuke

Heisuke is yet another goofball to add to the collection of lovable goofballs that make up the staff of Sakamoto’s. He does stand out in a couple of fun ways – he’s even simpler than the sheltered Lu and has an adorable animal companion. The way Heisuke cares for his small bird, including training him to assist with sniper operations and spending most of his money on bird seed, is immediately enduring. The ease in which Sakamoto tricks him early on is an extremely funny bit that also reminds us that Sakamoto is not just skilled physically.

That said, Heisuke’s simplicity is also an advantage. He gives off so much non-threatening energy that he effectively infiltrates the Sakamoto family even with them knowing his intentions. It sets up the now very familiar hard cut to a cool thing happening, in this case Heisuke showcasing his natural talent as a sniper. There’s been criticism of this shot in particular going around (thanks again to Netflix airing this series a week behind for no reason) and I find it a bit unfair. The actual animation of Heisuke racking the shell behind Shin and Sakamoto’s head is great, actually. The issue is the hard cuts. 

Flat action is conscious choice

In fact, it is very clear at this point that the hard cuts are a stylistic choice. There’s tons of reasons to do something like this; including ones that aren’t budget saving. However, efficiency really does seem to be the motivation here and efficiency tends to be a priority when budget is a heavy factor. To be clear, this is not inherently bad. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I would prefer lesser quality anime in exchange for better working conditions. There are plenty of ways to make something hit a high quality without being Jujutsu Kaisen. I just am not sure the way Sakamoto Days is going about it really works. 

Sakamoto Days episode 6 is a perfect demonstration of the weaknesses of this particular choice of execution. Outside of the very cool sequence in which Sakamoto shatters Heisuke’s rifle at a distance with a pebble, there isn’t much to say about the episode. Heisuke is funny, but his story doesn’t carry a ton of weight. The punchlines are all at the top of the episode. In the manga, it’s clear the tension Heisuke’s talents cause is supposed to carry this short story. The anime just cannot meet that challenge with completely flat action.

What can be said?

As a result, there’s not much really to say about the episode. It’s serviceable thanks to consistency and a couple of funny moments. However, it’s not anything special and frankly difficult to even write about. If you didn’t know from the OP that Heisuke is clearly going to be sticking around, you might even want to call this “filler,” something I hate using these days as a term. Sakamoto Days has been a hit with audiences just discovering the story, but it’s going to need to put a little bit more elbow grease in to keep their attention.

Sakamoto Days airs Saturdays on Netflix.

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Featured image ©Yuto Suzuki/SHUEISHA, SAKAMOTO DAYS PROJECT, Netflix