Sakamoto , desu ga or I’m Sakamoto , haven’t you heard ? Is definitely one of the better comedies this season , ever been annoyed how harem MC are completely inept with girls and generally terrible at everything ? Well Sakamoto is what you’ve been looking for.
A direct adaptation of Sano Nami's manga by Studio Deen who have been very busy this season. I’m very tempted to say that Sakamoto makes up for all the mediocre shows that they’ve put out recently.
“Sophisticated, suave, sublime; all words which describe the exceedingly handsome and patently perfect Sakamoto. Though it is only his first day in high school, his attractiveness, intelligence, and charm already has the girls swooning and the guys fuming with jealousy. No one seems able to derail him, as all attempts at tripping him up are quickly foiled. His sangfroid is indomitable, his wits peerless. Will any of Sakamoto's classmates, or even teachers, be able to reach his level of excellence? Probably not, but they just might learn a thing or two trying…”
The story and humour and writing are all completely devoted to one idea , the idea that Sakamoto is the most perfect man alive. It never deviates into anything else , and that’s good , people tune in every week to see Sakamoto being the most amazing human alive and Studio Deen doesn’t fail to deliver.
The humour is quite niche and something that’d mostly be showcased as a funny quirk in a background character in your standard slice of life. It can be quite predictable , there’s a problem either naturally occurring or a jealous rival trying to ruin Sakamoto , Sakamoto perfectly avoids the problem and comes out on top.
Despite that there’s always the niggling sensation that maybe, just maybe , this time Sakamoto will be disgraced. It’s comparable to One Punch man as in every-time a bigger and more fierce enemy shows up there’s a minute of doubt in your mind, can he destroy it in one blow ? Though I’m going to go ahead and say Sakamoto is far more skilled than Saitama.
It employs a rather standard “ monster of the week “ style of story-telling with the 24 minute episode being split into two different scenarios.The problems Sakamoto has to overcome and how he does it are always unique and hilariously memorable. I mean , how could you forget someone sword fighting an angry hornet with a compass tip. Although Bee Movie did do it first.
Something I’m glad is making a comeback , and I’m going to credit it to Sabagebu Survival Game club, is the use of a humorous narrator. Who’s responsible for most of the shows catchphrases like , Stylish , Cool Cooler Coolest.
The OP is great and incorporates a beautiful comic-y visual style. The overall sound track is really well done , and is mostly jazz. Featuring saxophones , trumpets and drums.
The talented Hikaru Midorikawa( DBZ, DBZ Kai , Bleach,Naruto ) does a fantastic job bringing the character of Sakamoto to live and giving him the voice deserving of his grand personality.
The art-style is very cleverly thought out , taking the very serious and thick art-style that a lot of yaoi/ female orientated shows use and mixing it with these ridiculous scenarios. Direction and choreography are all focused and succeed on showcasing how amazing Sakamoto is. The director Shinji Takamatsu had previously worked on the hit parody series Gintama and you sense his knowledge of the parody genre seeping into Sakamoto.
It’s also the only show that can use sparkles effects and not have them come off as incredibly stupid.
Needless to say Sakamoto is a one of a kind character and massive fan-favorite of this season. He’s regal ,classy, graceful,skilled and mysterious the complete opposite of most male comedy protagonists and a perfect embodiment of suave humour. His design mimics that of male characters that are designed to appeal (mostly) to women , such as the characters in Free!
All the villains and eventual Sakamoto fanatics are hilariously entertaining and you have to admire how seriously they take their plots to ruin Sakamoto.
Everything Sakamoto does , Sakamoto does stylishly and the animators make sure you don’t forget that. Every movement is over-stated and followed by sparkles and and glitter effects. The variety of ways they show-case how impressive Sakamoto is , really is impressive and I get a chuckle out of imagining a room of animators discussing how to make eating rice stylish. I enjoyed how they stuck with the high quality style of animation where a lot of slice of life comedies simply resort to one or two key frames in high quality and then another scene done completely in the chibi sticker form. His expressions are always cool and sophisticated , including scream chibi would have ruined this visual part of the show. In my opinion.
If you’re looking for the coolest and most stylish comedy this year then Sakamoto , Desu ga ? Is the answer for your prayers. It took a simple idea and made it infinitely entertaining. Accompanied with a fitting and pleasing art-style and a soundtrack that shares the shows flair. Limited in side characters but I prefer their dedication to Sakamoto by making him the very clear focus of the show. Despite producing rather a stream of mediocre shows this season and in the past , as well as universally disliked adaptation , remember the uproar on Pupa ? The horror manga which fans complained was butchered by the studio. By not messing with the original material I’d say the studio gave Sakamoto the adaptation he deserved , showcasing how stylish he is in colour.
Now despite gaining a fairly large following , Sakamoto was simply released at the wrong time I think , having to compete with obvious big winners like , Boku no hero academia and Ace Attorney . I just hope that the producers have enough sense to stick with the show and give us another great season , at a more fitting time so more people will have the time and motivation to get inspired by Sakamoto.