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The final episode of the first cours of the anime adaptation of Yuto Suzuki’sSAKAMOTO DAYSwas, in many ways,lacking the kind of impact that one would expect from a finale. However, that doesn’t mean it was a throwaway episode either. After helping Lu Wutang escape from the mafia and making him one of the main crew, the former consigliere reveals that he may not know exactly who “Slur” is, but he tells Sakamoto about four prisoners on death row who may have escaped their capital punishment, and that he has reasons to believe that those four convicts are now in Japan.
No time is wasted in introducing them:four heinous criminals with hundreds of murder victimsand four distinct ways of getting their work done. Who are they, and just what do they want?
Introducing the Death Row Prisoners
The Eccentricity of SAKAMOTO DAYS Characters On Full Display Once More
InSAKAMOTO DAYSEpisode 11, Wutang reveals to the rest of the gang that one of his underworld contacts, who is a corpse dealer, told him about four different murder cases in Japan, in which the victims were met with very strange, gruesome deaths. One body was found completely flayed, while another was crushed into a tiny little ball. Another was riddled with holes, and the last was completely eviscerated. It turns out that ata maximum-security prison somewhere in Southeast Asia, there were four convicts on death row who supposedly had their capital punishment served, but the aforementioned modi operandi were telltale signs that they somehow faked their deaths and escaped from prison. As Wutang described these four gruesome discoveries, the series presents the perpetrators:
The criminals had no issue with being in public and standing out, as seen by how they could meet up with Kashima in a place as conspicuous as a WcDonald’s. Kashima was ordered by “X” to hire these death row convicts to kill Sakamoto and his allies.Kashima, a lover of life, would rather not have to work with such uncouth characters; individuals who kill for the enjoyment thereof and nothing else.
This is highlighted by the four murderers' departure, with Minimalist telling Kashima it’ll only take a month for them to take down the current targets, and that he must deliver his next hitlist by the next month, or else the four will go on a rampage in Japan. It is very likely that their names are based on their preferred killing method, with Minimalist being the clearest one, and “Dump” being the least clear-cut. Apart definitely pulls his victims apart (probably looking for more pickles), while Saw is probably the one who flays his victims, leaving Dump with the last remaining MO: perforation.
– Apart, SAKAMOTO DAYS chapter 38
The Sakamoto Response
Back to the Video Rental For Reconaissance
When they hear about the deranged murderers now on their tails, the Sakamoto family very quickly decides to find out as much as they can about the enemy so they can take them on. They head to the video rental place where Sakamoto got the information on the Dondenkai, and pick out a film in the psycho-horror section to get more clued-up on their new enemies.
The video provides a clear understanding of whose MO is which, and a little more on the warped psychological circumstances of not just Apart, but the rest of the death row prisoners. While the first cours ofSAKAMOTO DAYSmight have had mixed feedbackfrom disappointed fans looking for more groundbreaking animation production, the second cours will definitely be far more intense than the first was.
SAKAMOTO DAYS is available onNetflix. The next cours is set to air in July.
