REVIEW: ‘Sakamoto Days’ Episode 8 — “Sakamoto’s vs. The Lab”

Sakamoto Days Episode 8 is another high-octane, exciting, and action-packed episode. It shines more light on Shin’s past and showcases what members of The Order are capable of. While the episode lacks impact regarding animation and narrative, it is still entertaining in many ways.

The episode starts with Heisuke promising a crying Hana to find Sakamoto and Shin and Lu meeting Asakura, the lab’s director. It finally explains how Shin (Nobunaga Shimazaki/Dallas Liu) got his powers through Asakura.

The short flashback is heartwarming and shows how Shin has always cared about people through his defacto family and has always had pride in his powers, even if people around him are uncomfortable with them. The scene does a great job of showing Shin’s personality and mental fortitude. However, it does so without revealing who his parents are or explaining why he was left alone in a lab, which is a bit disappointing and feels like a missed opportunity.

Shin’s backstory shines while Lu’s story falters. 

Like in previous episodes, Lu (Ayane Sakura/Rosalie Chiang) is still quite useless and adds nothing to the narrative. She’s devolved from an often belligerently drunk gag character used for comic relief to a damsel in distress in this arc. Recent episodes have notably stripped her of her strength as a fighter and uniqueness and now display her as the group’s weak link.

Sakamoto (Tomokazu Sugita/Matthew Mercer) and Shin’s fight with the mad scientist escalates to Mad Horiguchi using a syringe that scrambles Sakamoto’s brain to mistake friend for foe. This presents a unique challenge for the two, which they solve through the brilliant idea of using Shin’s psychic abilities and Sakamoto’s strength while exploiting a hole in the villain’s plan.

While the fight between the three characters lacks the spectacle and choreography from TMS Entertainment seen in previous episodes, it makes up for it with humor and cleverness. Shin and Sakamoto’s quick thinking, wit, and excellent ability to sync up are displayed beautifully in this fight, making them succeed yet again.

Sakamoto Days Episode 8 is much more action-packed than previous episodes, as Sakamoto and Shin run into even more enemies right after their first big fight. Sakamoto tells Shin how dangerous The Order is and how he should run if he ever meets one of them before running into his old teammates, Shishiba and Osaragi. They fight Kashima, the leader of the hitmen, before deciding to let Sakamoto handle him.

Sakamoto Days Episode 8 introduces a new villain.

The scene shows how Sakamoto and The Order are still on good terms, with Shishiba and Sakamoto exchanging pleasantries and Sakamoto giving his regards to the rest of the team. Their conversation cements the fact that despite leaving his old life behind him, Sakamoto still has friends, even if their lives are now completely different. The scene also shows what the members of The Order are capable of as Osaragi alone kills two tough-looking goons with one swing of her colossal metal saw blade.

However, while the scene succeeds at making it known how dangerous The Order can be, its way of showing it is pretty lackluster. Just two frames of violence from one of the pair are not nearly enough to display their strength or be engaging to viewers. Kashima is the most creepy villain in the anime so far due to his interesting design. His stitched body, detachable limbs, and artificial bones make him the most unsettling villain in all the right ways.

The final fight between Shin and Seba, on the other hand, is underwhelming. Their short bout only boils down to Shin narrowly avoiding Seba’s invisible attacks with his psychic abilities, saved by Heisuke at the last moment. Their combat is far from entertaining as it is extremely one sided, lacks visual appeal and good choreography, and Shin looks like an animal trying to get out of a trap the whole time. However, with Heisuke’s introduction, it’s safe to assume the actual fight will take place in the next episode.

Overall, Sakamoto Days Episode 8 is a mixed bag. While the first fight scene is creative and entertaining, the others pale in comparison. However, while the narrative is lacking in many ways, the entertaining first half makes the overall experience passable.

Sakamoto Days Episode 8 is streaming now on Netflix, with new episodes every Saturday.