Overview
- Long-time manga enthusiasts express concerns regarding the animation quality and production practices of Sakamoto Days.
- Reports suggest rushed production timelines may stem from the involvement of multiple animation studios, raising quality concerns.
- Fans share mixed feelings, noting both their disappointment over production speed and some positive aspects in the adaptation.
Table of Contents
Recently, Sakamoto Days has been releasing its episodes exclusively on Netflix, rapidly gaining recognition as one of the platform’s standout anime offerings. However, it is not without its criticisms.
While newer viewers appear to be thrilled with the adaptation, long-time fans of the manga have expressed significant concerns regarding its animation quality. Anticipation struck a chord prior to the anime’s launch, with many fans highlighting that the action sequences revealed in trailers seemed stiff and did not meet the high standards set by both the manga and other Shonen Jump series. Such feedback may have dissuaded some potential viewers during the show’s initial airing.
Even with ongoing discussions, many fans still find the action sequences somewhat lacking, though it’s not severe enough to deter the larger audience. Recently, however, more serious concerns have emerged related to the overall production environment of the series.
Indicators of Rushed Production
A post from a user on X (previously known as Twitter) indicates that the most recent episode credited an alarming 23 different studios for production. Although the user’s account is currently private, screenshots of their observations have circulated on Reddit. Typically in the anime industry, studios may outsource certain production tasks, but an excessive number of collaborating studios often implies a disorganized schedule. This can lead to overburdened animators who struggle to meet deadlines.
Moreover, Netflix’s request for TMS to finalize the episodes in advance—allowing for simultaneous dubbing and release—should ideally have alleviated some time pressures. However, fan sentiment leans towards the belief that this arrangement might have inadvertently expedited the production process, sowing doubts about the series’ quality, particularly with part two scheduled for a July 2025 release.
According to another post on X, the selection of TMS as the animation studio followed a competitive bidding process, where numerous studios presented preliminary content to secure the project. While the user claims reliance on an interview as the source of this information, a lack of supporting details renders verification impossible. Nonetheless, this competitive selection is not unusual in the anime industry:
SAKAMOTO DAYS anime – competitive process – studio competition took place around summer 2021 – TMS submitted something like a PV – the decision was finalized the following year Source: producer interview pic.twitter.com/tfqkSF0fdt — ari (@iceedays) February 3, 2025
Fan Reactions
The response from the fanbase has predominantly been negative regarding the allegations of production mismanagement. A commenter on Reddit noted:
Other fans joined in, expressing sentiments such as:
“The anime industry is a legit slop factory; all the execs care about is pushing out episodes as fast as possible.”
Another remark reflected similar concerns:
“They should have really taken their time… With increasing demands, it seems the decision to finalize the project back in 2021 meant not assigning a skilled action team to the production. This explains a lot!”
Despite the valid criticisms, some fans have acknowledged the strides the production staff achieved under apparent constraints:
“Sakamoto Days is quite decent if you can overlook the production’s compositional flaws and sub-par visuals. The choreography may falter, but Tetsuya Ishikawa’s action design somewhat salvages the overall presentation.”pic.twitter.com/bzPZIkbHzb — Baleygr (@Baleygr086) January 11, 2025
Currently, Sakamoto Days is accessible for streaming on Netflix, available in multiple languages both dubbed and subbed. Notably, episodes in Netflix Japan are released a week ahead of the global versions.
Sources: Reddit and X/Twitter
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