MANGA REVIEW | "Sakamoto Days" - Vols. 15 & 16
It’s all starting to piece together. With Taro Sakamoto and his cohorts hot on X’s trail in Thailand, the reasons behind the organization’s crimes are slowly being revealed. And in the fifteenth volume of Sakamoto Days, the former hit man and his teammates get a big break. But to earn it, they’ve got to go through one of X’s toughest members.
Heisuke and ORDER member Hyo are the ones who have to deal with Kumanomi the magnet wielder. Her skills make her a truly terrifying opponent, as even her powdered magnets can deflect bullets and the like. Worse, Kumanomi can angle them in such a way that innocent bystanders could be harmed by the hero’s attacks. Not only does this situation frighten Heisuke, but it also causes him to freeze up in battle.
That’s when Hyo makes the ultimate sacrifice. He throws himself at Kumanomi, as she keeps attacking him with one fatal blow after another. But it’s Hyo’s kind heart that slows down her dangerous motives, and almost defeats her with the aid of the ocean. However, even after all that, Kumanomi proves that you can’t even keep a bad woman down!
Sakamoto Days then brings readers a face-to-face between titular hero and super villain. Within X/Uzuki is another old voice, once that takes both Sakamoto and Akira aback. To them, it’s like a ghost has come to haunt them, but they have no idea why it’s decided to side with evil. It ends with one ally captured, and a certain deer-masked enemy in Taro’s possession.
The fat supermarket worker has his spotlight stolen by his daughter Hana, who takes Kashima’s broken body to have it fixed. At first, it seems like an excuse for some much-needed laughs, especially when you see how Kashima’s makeovers look. But surprisingly, Kashima winds up opening up to the little girl, to the point where he realizes that somewhere, X’s true purpose has been lost. And then, the bombshell drops.
X’s grand plan is a terrifying one, and it could not only spell the end of the JAA, but cause the biggest terrorist attack in all of Japan. Taro wants it stopped, but ORDER has other plans. With very little ideas as to how to avert the attack, Taro has one tiny suggestion. The question is, will it work, or will it flop?
Volume Fifteen seems to set the stage for this big arc’s grand finale. Taro, Shin, Lu, may have something up their sleeves, but one-upping ORDER is a tough, erm, order. But this is Sakamoto Days, after all, and knowing these ex hit men-turned-grocery store staff members, even the tiniest of plans can result in the biggest of successes. Seeing as how fun and exciting things turned out this time around, I wouldn’t be too surprised if the trend keeps going at the speed of one of Sakamoto’s uppercuts.
VOL. 15 RATING:
VOLUME SIXTEEN REVIEW
There’s probably no cooler gunfight than when it’s between two snipers. Sure, close-up pistol action has its cool moves and killer techniques, but there’s a strategy involved when it’s two faraway combatants attempting to make that one big kill. Naturally, Sakamoto Days will find a way to pit two snipers against one another, in a way that’s both exciting and enticing. Volume Sixteen not only delivers that, but does so in spades!
It all starts with Sakamoto and Shin attempting to get into an assassination exhibition. Tickets are sold out, and the only way in they think is to donate something of Sakamoto’s to display. Alas, someone has placed in a fake Sakamoto gun, with only the same “The End”. That’s when Lu points out an auction for tickets on the black market, with the top bidder also being “The End”. Sakamoto, a man who’ll do anything to get the job done, gets into a betting war, but in the last millisecond, the computer is shot.
With the ability to take a shot eight kilometers out, Kamihate aims to assassinate Sakamoto. His reasons involve a hit that he seemingly took, only for Sakamoto to be the one to kill the target. In the exhibition is the art piece with proof that Kamihate didn’t do it, which risks the sniper of having his world record stricken. Fortunately, there’s a sniper on Sakamoto’s side: Heisuke.
Our allied sniper hasn’t had a big win in Sakamoto Days in a while, and this battle with Kamihate is exactly what the gunman needs. The two trade off impressive kill shots, all the while Heisuke deflects Kamihate’s bullets with a special piece of gear. Things get tricky when the public are in the vicinity of the shots, meaning that Heisuke has to think outside the box to both shoot and evade. All of this is captured with such phenomenal detail, thanks to author Yuto Suzuki’s knack for creating some truly badass fights.
The day of the exhibition opening arrives, with Sakamoto and Shin nowhere close to figuring out where the bomb is located. Crowds gather everywhere, as time runs out for the bomb to go off. That’s when a familiar face appears, and it comes high time for Sakamoto and his team to save everyone inside the venue. But can they do it without raising suspicion, or will this mission both figuratively and literally blow up in their faces?
Volume Sixteen of Sakamoto Days has a hell of a long-ranged gunfight. The battle between Heisuke and Kamihate is a highlight of this volume, as it shows the worth of the former and the intensity and humor of the latter. However, the biggest mission for Sakamoto and the gang is on now, with X watching from afar and others looking to make sure the bomb goes off. We may not know what happens next in Sakamoto Days, but it’s bound to be explosive (again, both literally and figuratively).
VOL. 16 RATING:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
