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Before the 12-episode season is even concluded, Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san has already demonstrated that it will be yet another lowbrow ecchi riddled with issues. That’s not to say that I have a problem with lowbrow ecchi anime in general, as a well-executed one can provide some genuine fun on top of hot scenes. However, Takamine-san has two main issues that are simply too glaring to justify any better of a rating.

Firstly, what is this plot? Not the core concept of “girl who can rewind time by changing her underwear”, but the fact that this show 1. doesn’t do nearly as much with such a bizarre ... and funny premise as it could, and 2. seems to be trying to force a “wholesome” romance between two of the least likable MCs I’ve seen in recent memory. Shirota is even more of a spineless, pathetic loser than the wimpiest romance MC you can imagine, and Takamine is an uptight, manipulative bitch whose only redeeming quality is being hot and who threatens Shirota with a false rape accusation (!!!) to get him to be her servant. And yet, somehow, this anime expects us to believe that these two are forming a genuine, wholesome, and non-abusive relationship. These kinds of shows require some suspension of disbelief, of course, but that is an extremely hard sell.

Secondly, the animation and visuals leave a lot to be desired, to say the least. Sometimes it looks okay, but if you’re paying any attention several quality control issues and inconsistencies will jump out each episode, from weird faces, to janky or stiff movement, to blatant animation errors. There are also a lot of shots where the proportions of the characters (especially Takamine) look very odd, but in fairness that may just be following the manga’s artistic choices. A show that’s intended to be mindless eye candy needs to at least get the “eye candy” part right.

If it somehow manages to make itself more compelling in the next few episodes I will gladly revise my review, but I doubt that will happen. In the meantime, though, this is an anime you shouldn't feel bad about skipping.

Sakamoto Days is the textbook definition of a just-below-average show. Not offensively bad, but near everything it could be praised for has been done better by other anime and it will be largely forgotten once a few years are behind it. This wouldn't be such a problem if not for the immense online hype surrounding this adaption that convinced me to give it a watch in the first place. I sat down expecting a top-tier action-comedy with amazing fight scenes, which made the mediocre product I received that much more disappointing. Indeed, I kept watching weekly with a gradually diminishing hope that I would eventually ... see what was so great about Sakamoto.

The plot is nothing we haven't seen before: "hardened assassin has to balance their dark past with domestic life and defending their family". Sakamoto Days doesn't do anything particularly interesting with this concept, other than Sakamoto involving two other sidekicks who are aware of his origins and abilities, one of whom can read minds. The episodes are, well, episodic, and most of the smaller story arcs can be arranged in any order without any real consequence. The "serious" episodes feel low stakes and forced, and like they don't have any real consequences that affect the main cast. Anime like Spy x Family and even Way of the Househusband have executed this concept far better (WotH had at least a clear idea of what type of show it was and what it was trying to do).

The animation is probably the biggest letdown here. Nothing stood out to me as bad, and there were some cool moments, but it wasn't anything to write home about either, which is a major issue for a property whose main draw is the fight sequences. Also, the artstyle overall felt a little "off", for a reason I can't put my finger on.

The characters are likable but archetypal and don't have any real depth to them. We don't have any real reason to care about these characters or their motivations until we get a backstory exposition dump shoehorned in. Speaking of motivations, the characters are so nebulously defined that I finished the anime only yesterday and have already forgotten what the key motivation of each character outside of Sakamoto is (protecting his family). Character designs are fine, I like Sakamoto's face and Lu's hair in particular, but they're nothing special. I also should note that I watched it in English, and while the voice acting is good in general, I found Lu's English voice to be somewhat annoying.

In genera, while Sakamoto Days has its moments and isn't totally devoid of good things to talk about, it is ultimately an incredibly mediocre anime and I can't honestly recommend it to a general audience. Your time is probably best spent watching one of the many other action-comedy shows that do their job much better.