MANGA REVIEW | "Sakamoto Days" - Volume Nineteen
It’s not often I read a Shonen manga and leave feeling confused. First, Slur was fighting Taro Sakamoto and company. And now, they’re working together? Hasn’t Sakamoto Days always been about taking down Slur and the hit that was placed on Taro? A side-change takes time to fully come together, so seeing it all occur so quickly in Volume Nineteen gave my brain a little whiplash.
Of course, Sakamoto Days doesn’t take the easy route when it comes to villains changing their tune. Instead, we discover that Slur/X/Uzuki has a bunch of split personalities. And one of them just so happens to be Akao, Taro, and Nagumo’s fallen comrade. Once she comes through his body, the fighting stops, with even Sakamoto in shock over what he’s witnessing. A dead friend, fully come back through the mind of another.
That’s when you find out the reason behind this whole story happening. A hit’s put on Taro, Taro kills X, and Akao can finally rest in peace. It’s mental gymnastics trying to put it all together, so naturally it left my head spinning. However, Taro’s solution to the whole problem — Slur staying in Akao mode — is the only thing that really makes sense here, and even that’s a stretch!
Thankfully, we’re given a breather from the mind game stuff when Order member Takamura arrives. And let me just say that what occurs may just be Yuto Suzuki’s best visual work to date! The back and forth between Takamura and the reunited original Order trio is so damn mesmerizing to read through its chapters. From the perfect sword slices and the various weird things Taro uses as weapons to a moment when Takamura sharpens his blade using gunfire is presented in such a gloriously violent way! Honestly, this is what we signed up for when Sakamoto Days first began!
But it all leads to what could be a real pot-stirrer. Now the Order has, erm, orders to take down X, Taro, and Nagumo, who are the prime suspects of the museum incident. Because of this, it appears former allies Shishiba and Osaragi will now be seen as enemies, unless Taro finds a way to talk them out of killing them. Needless to say, the world’s about to become a deadlier place for Sakamoto and his family.
Speaking of family, Hana’s birthday arrives, and Taro wants to deliver his daughter a cake. But with Order surrounding the grocery store and the new hit on his head, getting there won’t be simple. It becomes a chase to bring some birthday cake to a precious cinnamon roll of a daughter, and it all ends in a moment that — while framed humorously — makes me feel bad for Taro. The former assassin just wants to be there for his kid, and the fact that he can’t even complete that sort of task is very heartbreaking!
Volume Nineteen of Sakamoto Days left me feeling odd. While the fight with Takamura is the series’s best, it’s been bookended with some very confusing narrative choices. Maybe it’ll make sense later down the road, but for now, this volume of Sakamoto Days has just left me saying, “Huh?”
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
