A review by lordenglishssbm
SAKAMOTO DAYS 1 by Yuto Suzuki
3.0
Solid overall, though it has its highs and lows, and the quality tends to go down whenever it decides to take its premise seriously. The fight scenes are a bit too frequent but they manage to be fun whenever Suzuki decides to use them to tell a joke rather than play it all straight for pathos (he does the latter from time to time, and it never really works). The comedy works very well, and some of the individual punchlines are fantastic.
It's weird. I can see why Suzuki didn't want to go for a plotless gag strip, and he does get something out of story's progression: A structure he can use to evolve the jokes and throw his characters into different situations. There was probably a neater way to do this, one where we didn't end up with a main villain who feels completely out of place and whose quirky subordinates are much more fun. If nothing else the first thirty or so chapters-before the main plot kicks into gear-are a joy. The jury is still out on whether or not what comes after is ultimately worth a read, because it's an ongoing series. My assessment of its current state is that I wouldn't call it bad, but it seems to be moving towards its weaker aspects, and I find that concerning.
It's weird. I can see why Suzuki didn't want to go for a plotless gag strip, and he does get something out of story's progression: A structure he can use to evolve the jokes and throw his characters into different situations. There was probably a neater way to do this, one where we didn't end up with a main villain who feels completely out of place and whose quirky subordinates are much more fun. If nothing else the first thirty or so chapters-before the main plot kicks into gear-are a joy. The jury is still out on whether or not what comes after is ultimately worth a read, because it's an ongoing series. My assessment of its current state is that I wouldn't call it bad, but it seems to be moving towards its weaker aspects, and I find that concerning.