English Dub Review: Sakamoto Days “Slice Slice Dance”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

While X and Gaku invade the JAA, a lone ORDER assassin stands in their way.  Amid the chaos, Sakamoto discovers the shocking truth about X’s identity.

Our Take:   

As usual, the series doesn’t hold back on moving from one epic battle to the next, keeping the momentum at a respectably steady pace.  Following Sakamoto’s showdown with Apart on top of the Tokyo Tower, the former assassin and his team wasted no time in heading down to the JAA Kanto branch to confront Slur.  However, this latest battle is more personal than the previous ones.  The reason is that the assassin killer’s true identity has finally been revealed as Uzuki, one of Sakamoto’s old JCC classmates, resulting in Sakamoto getting caught in a battle of strength, both in terms of skills and mental acuity.

Unsurprisingly, Sakamoto Days is no stranger to providing awe-inspiring spectacle through its animation style and the characters’ impeccable skills, regardless of its stakes.  However, “Slice Slice Dance” happens to favor both personal stakes and spectacle, as Sakamoto is forced to fight his former classmate.  Of course, there’s also the matter of Slur’s formidableness in pushing Sakamoto’s mentality over the limit by mentioning what he’d do to Hana.  Considering the no-kill policy from Aoi, this moment further highlighted Slur’s formidable presence in the series.  More importantly, it demonstrated Sakamoto’s inner conflict between living a normal life with his family and resorting to his assassin ways to protect them, without letting those methods consume him.  Fortunately, Shin is around to help Sakamoto realize what is truly important.

“Slice Slice Dance” certainly doesn’t hold back on its thrilling and stylized action sequences, particularly Sakamoto’s battle against Uzuki and Takakura’s impeccable skills.  However, what sets this bar high is how the action is balanced with its stakes, as Sakamoto must confront his past while retaining his promise to Aoi.  Additionally, the episode showcased more of Shin’s guilt of being a burden to Sakamoto until Sakamoto helps him realize his role in his family.  That alone further demonstrated the heartfelt bond between Sakamoto and Shin, which blended seamlessly with their oddball chemistry, a dynamic that would continue to play a role in Sakamoto’s personal showdown against his old classmate.