English Dub Review: Sakamoto Days “Have a Nice Flight”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Sakamoto decides to infiltrate his alma mater to get more intel on X.  But first, he must conquer the sky-high requirements of the JCC entrance exam.

Our Take:
The ultimate battle between Sakamoto and Slur continues, as Sakamoto seeks to find out more about his former classmate, who has gone into hiding following his attack on JAA.  Accompanied by Shin, Sakamoto strives to take a trip to the JCC in hopes of finding clues about Slur’s dangerous motivations.  But, of course, since this is the assassin world, after all, getting into the JCC is no easy feat.  To access this school, Sakamoto and Shin would have to take a transfer exam, which has them boarding a plane full of seemingly innocent “passengers” and stealing their special bullets as part of its first stage.
Regarding its premise, “Have a Nice Flight” immediately reminded me of “Fight or Flight”, featuring Josh Hartnett battling assassins on a commercial airline.  While their situations differ from one another, they share a similar adrenaline rush derived from fighting in a closed-space environment while soaring a thousand feet in the air.  That movie was a fun time despite its narrative flaws, in case you’re wondering.  However, with the anime’s animation style, the episode managed to crank the fun meter of the dilemma up a notch, as Sakamoto and Shin confronted distinct yet menacing assassins to pass the exam. Well, except for the young rookie assassin, who was more apologetic and friendly than dangerous.
Regarding the fast-paced action and animation, “Have a Nice Flight” signifies the start of another thrilling adventure for the former assassin-turned-family man and his clairvoyant partner.  The most notable example of the former is Shin’s confrontation with a teenage assassin named Mafuyu Seba.  Despite him being a germaphobe, Mafuyu is incredibly skilled with his reflexes and hidden weapons, though they’re not enough to overcome Shin’s clairvoyance.  Witnessing Sakamoto kill people with a pen was amusing, mainly because of its callback to John Wick murdering assassins with a pencil.  However, I can’t ignore how much Shin has grown regarding his abilities and determination, with his battle against Seba highlighting the animation’s detailed and swift stylization.