English Dub Review: Sakamoto Days “Kanaguri”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

It’s every assassin for themselves as the exam takes to the skies.  While Sakamoto impresses fellow candidate Akira, Shin takes on the germaphobe Mafuyu.

Our Take:

As expected, the show’s “JCC Exam” arc got off to a strong start with its anime interpretation of “Fight or Flight”.  Although both concepts were equally enjoyable for different reasons, Sakamoto Days provided a more engaging rendition of the “assassins on the plane” scenario through its animation style and action sequences, at least in my opinion.  This signaled promising signs of another successful arc that’ll wrap up the overall season, especially with what this week’s episode has to offer to wrap up the exam’s first stage.  One of whom is Kanaguri, an administrator of the JCC exam and a famous movie director known for his authentic hitman films.  Given my love of cinema, Kanaguri seemed to be my type of assassin worth looking up to, or so I thought.

Kanaguri is not only passionate about the art of filmmaking, but he’s also very deadly with his camera-like laser and a clapper that’s as sharp as a knife.  Of course, his ambition and dangerous skills are what caused the exam to move from the plane to the skies, with the survivors being forced to use their quick thinking to survive the fall.  This is where the young assassin rookie introduced in the previous episode, Akira, comes into play.  Though not as highly skilled in fighting as others, Akira compensates with her sewing skills, which helped her and the others survive their plunge into the ocean.  

This moment further highlights Akira as another suitable supporting character worthy of allying with her new mentor.  Additionally, Oshun Ramirez effectively conveys Akira’s timidness and anxious personality through her vocal performance.  It’s unclear what her true identity is at the time, given her impressive sewing capabilities. However, narrative-wise, she’s part of the reason “Kanaguri” delivered a high-octane finale of the exam’s first stage, along with its animation style.  If the first part of this dangerous exam is this extreme, I’m very eager to see what the JCC has planned for the remaining ones.