Sakamoto Days’ Twist-Filled Opening is The Perfect Introduction to The Series

Amidst exciting releases like season 2 of Solo Leveling and the final season of Dr. Stone, one particular anime that is already beginning to stand out is Netflix and TMS Entertainment’s Sakamoto Days. Though Sakamoto Days’ opening theme by Vaundy was met with mixed opinions prior to the anime’s release, the series is shaping up to be quite a hit regardless, and its brilliantly deceptive opening sequence in Episode 1 is all the introduction fans need to the series.

Sakamoto Days’ anime is finally here and the series looks even better than fans could have ever dreamed, starting strong with a stunning introduction to the legendary hitman Taro Sakamoto in his prime at the very start. Though plucked straight out of the manga, almost scene for scene, the anime adds its own unmistakable flair to the scene, enforcing the sharp contrast between Sakamoto’s past and present self even better than the manga did with its distinct animation style, color grading, and just the right amount of original content.

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Sakamoto Days’ Anime Gives Its Protagonist the Coolest Introduction

As far as main character introductions go, Taro Sakamoto surely has one of the most memorable ones as of late, with the opening scene brilliantly conveying just how intimidatingly strong Sakamoto used to be in his prime within the span of only a few minutes.

Visually, the scene easily stands out from the rest of the anime owing to its Western neo-noir feel. From the dramatic low lighting and long, slanted shadows to the dynamic action and the spurting blood of Sakamoto’s enemies, everything about the scene is highly stylized. The scene paints Taro Sakamoto as quite a John Wick-like figure in his prime, only to turn expectations upside down mere moments later as Sakamoto meets his wife and settles down.

The animation, and even the aspect ratio itself, notably shifts as this shift takes place in Sakamoto’s life, subtly conveying not just through the narration but also the visuals just how much Sakamoto’s life has changed since.

Nonetheless, stunning as it may be, it is doubtful whether the anime will be making use of this style of animation again as the series progresses. For now, fans can only hope that the rest of Sakamoto Days‘ anime continues to be just as stunning as this first episode was and that the series continues to similarly enrich the source material.

Sakamoto Days is available to watch on Netflix.