English Dub Review: Sakamoto Days “Sakamoto’s vs. The Lab”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

To rescue Lu, Sakamoto and Shin infiltrate a top-secret lab seized by assassins.  Meanwhile, in the prison cell, Lu meets someone from Shin’s childhood.

Our Take: 

Whenever a show attempts to focus on the supporting characters’ backgrounds, there’s usually a chance we’ll grow even more attached to them as it progresses.  Sakamoto Days, unsurprisingly, serves as another example of this narrative, as we delve deeper into Shin’s origin story while Sakamoto and Shin confront the drug-obsessed assassin Horiguchi.  Continuing where “Jurassic Bastard” left off, the episode explores more of Shin’s past and his experience in “The Lab,” as told by his former mentor, Asakura, who’s also in the same cell as Lu.  It’s revealed that Shin obtained his clairvoyance through a chemical he accidentally consumed while working as Asakura’s assistant.  But, of course, like clockwork, the people in the lab feared Shin’s ability, causing him to run away and become an assassin.  After how they treated poor Shin years ago, they better be glad he’s here to rescue them.

Like previous episodes, “Sakamoto’s vs. The Lab” offers plenty of action sequences that benefit from its graphic art style and direction, including Sakamoto and Shin’s confrontation with Horiguchi.  However, it also has character moments that elevate the show’s “The Lab“ arc to enjoyable and amusing heights, especially Shin, who accepts his clairvoyance as a part of himself despite others fearing him for it.  It also has a decent master-student relationship between Asakura and Shin that refers to previous projects with similar concepts, even if its sentimentality wasn’t always effective.  But, of course, the show’s humor continues to be the bright spot regarding its balance with the action, including Osaragi, one of the Order assassins, seeing Sakamoto as a cuddly teddy bear.  It further showcases that some assassins can have a sense of humor from time to time, even when they’re on the job.  With Sakamoto now battling Kashima, don’t be surprised if this arc concludes on a thrilling note.