Sakamoto Days Episode 3: Best Episode Yet of This Action Joy

Netflix released the third episode of the hit series Sakamoto Days, and it is the best one yet—the action and silliness are absolutely on point this episode. Sakamoto, Shin, and Lu find out that Taro has a huge bounty on his head (one billion yen) while the whole crime underworld tries to catch the legendary assassin.

Meet Nagumo

In the previous episode, we met Lu Shaotang, a Chinese girl with a great affinity for martial arts tai chi. The daughter of the Triad family is now joined with Sakamoto and Shin after the men helped her deal with two formidable assassins, Son Hee and Bancho. In this episode, titled 'Welcome to Sugar Park,' our grocery store trio meets another fellow assassin, Nagumo, a former associate of Sakamoto. The man is living across the street from Sakamoto's store, and after his interesting introduction, he warns Taro that he has a huge bounty on his head—one billion yen. It doesn't take long for the first assassins to arrive and try to eliminate the legendary assassin, but they never manage to accomplish the mission.

The crime underworld is raving about the bounty, and this is where we first learn of Dondenkai, a Japanese assassin agency that is monitoring the situation. They will try to catch Sakamoto unprepared and kill him. Meanwhile, Shin worries for Sakamoto, who seems quite content, but soon the wrench is thrown at his plans—he forgot the promise to take his wife and daughter to the amusement park for a Sakamoto family day.

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Sakamoto Family Enjoys Their Day at Amusement Park

Funnily enough, we're immediately taken to the Sugar Park, where Hanna and Aoi are enjoying their day, while Sakamoto carefully observes with his bodyguards Shin and Lu at the flank. We learn a bit about Shin's mind-reading powers, which he can control and read the minds of people in a 30-meter radius. He immediately spots an assassin acting as a janitor, and Sakamoto deals with him instantly. However, the danger isn't over yet. Another assassin joins the fray, and knowing the powers Shin has, he manages to go through his detection.

The duo of Lu and Shin joins the rollercoaster with the Sakamoto family, but also the assassin, waiting for a perfect moment to kill Taro. This is where Shin showcases his skill and power.

Shin Saves the Day

Shin notices the assassin is threatening the family and intercepts the attack, moving the whole fight away from civilians. Shin showcases his physical powers and skill in combat, which prove to be quite useful against the assassin, who, on the other hand, has something else to show—tricky poison knives that catch Shin off guard.

Interestingly enough, that poison assassin bestowed on Shin is actually homemade, and it makes Shin dizzy and not able to see properly. But the young assassin, once again, showcases his amazing fighting tool—his own intellect. The fight moves to Sugar Park theater, where Aoi, Hanna, and Sakamoto watch as the main hero of the park, Sugar Bunny, fights against his 'nemesis.' Shin uses Sugar Bunny as the disguise and fights the assassin, careful not to alert the civilians and Sakamoto family. When the assassin realizes Shin is actually kicking 'his butt,' we learn that Sakamoto has been helping the younger assassin in combat—he was guiding Shin during the fight, making him the extension of himself.

Shin, or rather, Sugar Bunny, wins the fight, and the audience cheers, together with happy Aoi and Hanna.

Conclusion: Great Fusion of Fun and Serious Moments

This was a very fun episode because it balanced the serious and entertaining themes really well. Of course, that is the main strength of the Sakamoto Days series, but seeing it animated, it truly elevated the whole episode. The assassin underworld is after Sakamoto, who doesn't want to expose his family to blood and murder, and seeing Shin and Lu helping him have a good day with his family is truly lovely to see.

Sakamoto, once again, showcases how cool of a character he is, but this episode was clearly a Shin show, where he presented himself as a skillful assassin who cares for his mentor Taro and his family. At the end of the day, it seems like Sakamoto truly extended his family by taking in Lu and Shin, the young duo who want to protect and help the lovely Sakamoto family, and that absolutely lifts the whole series.

Watch Sakamoto Days on Netflix.