REVIEW: ‘Sakamoto Days’ Episode 4 — “Hard-Boiled”

Sakamoto Days Episode 4 provides some exciting moments and even more of the wacky humor the series is known for. It does a great job of being entertaining while revealing more about our protagonist’s past. The episode introduces two new assassins, Boiled and Obiguro. The two have a noticeably odd yet funny dynamic: Boiled is a loud musclehead with a surprisingly big heart, and Obiguro is a crazy lady who secretly has a thing for him.

After the opening credits, Sakamoto Days Episode 4 resumes where the last ended.After winning their fight in the previous episode, Shin (Nobunaga Shimazaki / Dallas Liu) finally gets his antidote from Tatsu. Being forced, Tatsu revealed that a company named Dondenkai hired him. He also reveals that he is part of the Japan Association of Assassins, and Shin explains how the association manages professional assassins like him and Sakamoto.

Tatsu then asks Sakamoto (Tomokazu Sugita / Matthew Mercer) if he is part of the mysterious group “The Order,” as rumors have suggested, and takes Sakamoto’s silence as a yes. The group leaves Tatsu behind, and he frees himself out of his bindings. In the next scene of Sakamoto Days Episode 4, Shin reveals that due to the side effects of the antidote, he can’t read minds and advises Sakamoto to leave the amusement park.

Back-and-forth comedy steals the show in Sakamoto Days Episode 4.

Meanwhile, Tatsu gets approached by Boiled and Obiguro, who tell him they’ll be taking over his failed hit on Sakamoto. Through some internal monologue, Tatsu reveals that despite their silly demeanor, Boiled and Obiguro are seasoned assassins who have killed over a hundred men. While not much happens, the first few minutes of Sakamoto Days Episode 4 provide some amusing moments thanks to the peculiar duo. Their back-and-forth and contrasting personalities are hilarious and fun to watch.

Sakamoto’s group tries to enjoy the park while watching out for his family in Sakamoto Days Episode 4. They decide to visit a haunted house and are attacked by rookie assassins disguised as zombies. However, Sakamoto quickly dispatches them while his family is still oblivious.

Meanwhile, Boiled and Obiguro are watching the group with hidden cameras. Obiguro brings up Sakamoto and how he and Boiled used to be friends, but Boiled takes offense and claims they weren’t. This triggers a flashback scene showing Boiled and Sakamoto as teenagers who don’t look remotely like teenagers during their assassin training.

Despite his attempts to be friends with Boiled, Sakamoto was never interested and always acted cold, revealing he had the same persona even when he was young. It’s hard not to feel bad for Boiled as he puts his heart on his sleeve only to be mistreated. The flashback provides a good bit of insight into Sakamoto’s past and the inner workings of how assassins operate. It does this humorously and entertainingly without relying on exposition. The scene before the flashback with Boiled and Obiguro also showcased unique lighting and line art with highly detailed outlines of the characters in Sakamoto Days Episode 4.

Boiled easily becomes a quick favorite addition to Sakamoto Days Episode 4.

This is the first time the anime has featured this type of aesthetic, and it is admittedly the best-looking part of the episode. Everything else from TMS Entertainment leaves a lot to be desired.

As the family progresses through the haunted house in Sakamoto Days Episode 4, Sakamoto and the others defeat many grunt assassins. Lu (Ayane Sakura / Rosalie Chiang) gets drunk to overcome her fears in the haunted house and quickly becomes a liability. Boiled and Obiguro then ambush the group. Boiled sends Sakamoto flying to the other side of the building while the others are separated by Obiguro, who knocks out Sakamoto’s wife and daughter.

Boiled finally confronts Sakamoto and asks if he remembers him. Sakamoto, unsurprisingly, says he doesn’t, and the two begin to fight. Meanwhile, Obiguro overpowers a drunken Lu and captures Shin. She tells Lu that she has to hit her every ten seconds, or Shin will start losing body parts, but Lu, still very drunk, says she can’t and gives up.

Sakamoto and Boiled continue battling it out in Sakamoto Days Episode 4, but Boiled is surprisingly dominating the fight with his explosive balls and rocket-powered punches. While bragging about these tools, Sakamoto remembers Boiled in his youth and how lame he thought he was. After taking a beating, Sakamoto decides to take the fight seriously. The episode ends with Sakamoto weirdly getting skinny again, ready to go all out.

Sakamoto Days Episode 4 is by far the funniest yet, as it is packed to the brim with hilarious hijinks. From the peculiar assassin duo to the drunken Lu and the oblivious mother and daughter, the episode doesn’t disappoint with its funny moments. Though short and not as impressive as the last episode, the final fight scene was still engaging due to its outrageous nature. Overall, the episode is highly engaging and provides something to look forward to in the next episode.

Sakamoto Days Episode 4 is streaming now on Netflix, with new episodes every Saturday in January and February.

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