Summary
WhenSakamoto Dayswas first picked up for adaptation, there was almost a frenzy as the significant number of fans of this impressive action manga hardly contained their excitement to see their favorite story animated. However, when the animestarted airing in 2025, there was a little bit of disappointment.
To be fair, theSakamoto Daysanime is a great show with good action, a fun protagonist and side characters, some good laughs, and an overall entertaining vibe. But, Yuto Suzuki’s manga is largely considered as the best action manga out of Shonen Jump right now, so the expectations for the show were much higher. That said, why is the manga so revered, and in what ways is it better?
Art
Suzuki’s Art Is Some Of The Best Around
Sakamoto Daysis a show about a former hitman who gave it all up to raise a family with his beautiful wife and how his past started to come back to haunt his new reality. That’s hardly a fresh take or a perspective not already covered in various other media and even anime likeRurouni Kenshinhave this.
However, what set the manga apart was the amazing art which was one of the biggest reasons it got as popular as it did. The art in the anime is a decent, but it is not the absolute beauty that the manga is. The artstyle for the anime seems to favor softer lines and a duller approach. While these in no way ruin it, it has been talked about as being inferior in that department to the manga.
Tonal Consistency
The Manga Tastefully Switches Between Tones Seamlessly
Sakamoto Daysis agenuinely funnystory and some of the characters are incredibly absurd. But, when the action begins, it is almost impossible to remember that there was a gag only a few pages ago. A character like Boiled who has a couple of idiosyncrasies but is also able to get into action mode when required really speak to this ability to switch tone within the story.
For this, Suzuki’s art even responds, becoming harsher and grittier for more action scenes while taking on a much more approachable nature when dealing with more comedic or slice-of-life moments. The anime doesn’t have this as the artstyle retains its look and feel regardless of what is going on in the story.
Comedy And Slice-Of-Life Moments
The Manga Lingered A Little Longer
Sakamoto Dayshas something of theKatekyo Hitman Reborn!in that it started out as a gag manga that turned more and more serious the longer it went on. This meant that there were several early chapters that had a bit more fun with the story and characters and were instrumental in establishing some things with the audience like the infamous ‘Sakamoto Family Rules’ and these were quite endearing to the reader base at the time.
The anime doesn’t do a bad job balancing action and comedy, but due to its pacing, it is unable to really settle into those softer moments which giveSakamoto Daysso much character. The anime briskly moves along to the action scenes to grab attention and this meant that a lot of the more slice-of-life moments were dumped in an episode making it feel less like fun and more like filler.
Character Depth
The Manga Could Spend More Time Fleshing Out Characters
Readers meet Taro Sakamoto as a 27-year-old who has already lived a very eventful life. Other characters such as Shin and Lu also havebackstoriesthat really flesh them out as characters. Due to the way the manga conveyed these plot points, they made readers feel closer to these characters and make them even feel more real and relatable.
The anime does show some of these flashbacks and explain why the characters are how they are, but without the same care and therefore it almost feels like a necessary inconvenience so they can get back to the fun action stuff.
Intensity
When Sakamoto Days Wanted To Get Serious, It Went Hard
This is a difference that is closely related to the art, but a lot of iconic moments in the manga which have become storied, did not have the same visual impact when they came along in the anime. The manga used these intense shots and moments to draw fans into the conflict taking place in front of them and remind them that thoughSakamoto Daysis a funny story with moments of levity, it is still fundamentally adangerous worldwith nasty individuals.
Iconic moments like the panel with Boiled and Taro sitting on a ferris wheel with the former all beaten and bloodied. The anime wasn’t bad when it represented this moment, but it did feel like it lost an edge in translation. The same can be said for the moment Heisuke aims a sniper rifle between Taro and Shin.
Fight Choreography
Some Of The Direction Left Something To Be Desired
Sakamoto Daysis not a world-class story by any means, but it more than makes up for it with some of thebest fight sequencesand flow that is in the manga industry right now. The way fights flow seamlessly across the page and Suzuki’s odd, but refreshing choice of angles, make Sakamoto fights absolute cinema.
The anime went for a more typical style which means that many of these fights are great but not unique. The fluidity of the manga didn’t translate as well to the adaptation and this is a bit of a shame. Many have been less than pleased with the direction for the anime, but there is hope that with a second cour on the way, it could do a much better job.
