With Sakamoto Days episode 8, the series digs into its first real flashback. Flashbacks are the go to emotional hook for an anime to fill in gaps and build emotional payoff. The look back and Shin’s childhood is an attempt to do this for the esper as well to mixed results. The Lab arc is deep in its next phase and is juggling this flashback between three different fights. Sometimes the modern amine method efficiency works against itself and this week’s Sakamoto Days episode is a perfect example.
A case for a little bit more filler
While there’s a lot of value in modern anime production not dragging out fights or conversations to pad out their runtimes, there are trade offs. In this episode, they take the form of being a little bit too efficient. Shin’s flashback is contained entirely in the first half of the episode, for the purposes of the other Lab members finally apologizing to Shin. However, that flashback has to share the same space with the fight against Mad Horiguchi. As such, neither really get the weight they really should have.
Some of this is in the staging – the flashback plays out entirely before cutting back to the fight, so the two narrative threads are kept separate. This is despite them having an intrinsic narrative connection. It’s almost as if there is a checklist of things from the manga and that’s all the show has room for. This episode also squeezes in Shishiba and Osaragi running into deer head Kashima and fighting, then Sakamoto tagging in while Shin runs into Seba.
If you’re going to be a deer guy, be creepy
Speaking of Kashima, he’s really remotely as threatening as his manga counterpart. His design is pretty faithful (once again, possibly to a fault) but it made the journey to animation without a sense of dread. Kashima is a zealot of Slur’s organization, completely willing to put everything on the line and kill whoever he needs to. It can be seen briefly in his desire to present Sakamoto’s body to Slur, but it lacks any kind of weight. Perhaps this is an issue of hindsight, the manga has long since gone past this character being a threat, but the anime shouldn’t be using that particular information at this stage.
That isn’t to say the episode doesn’t have anything worthwhile. Sakamoto Days episode 8, much like the rest of the series, always clears the average bar. The actual fight with Mad Horiguchi has a wacky element that recalls the higher points of “Welcome to Sugar Park” and last week’s episode. These sequences that have a healthy amount of humor have been the strongest parts of the anime. It’s possible that this is even why the portrayal of Kashima the way that he is.
Ultimately, Sakamoto Days episode 8 really needs more room to breathe. More focus on Shin’s origin and his team up with Sakamoto would make a stronger episode. Instead the emotional payoffs are just one more thing on the checklist to stay on track with the adaptation. I know it’s a bit controversial to say, but we could use just a little fluff and filler, as a treat.
Sakamoto Days airs Saturdays on Netflix.
Featured image ©Yuto Suzuki/SHUEISHA, SAKAMOTO DAYS PROJECT, Netflix
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'Sakamoto Days' - "Sakamoto's vs. The Lab - 5/10
5/10
Travis Hymas is a freelance writer and self appointed Pokémon historian out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Known to be regularly obessive over pop culture topics, gaming discourse, and trading card games, he is a published critic featured on sites such as Uppercut and The Young Folks.
