Yuto SuzukiRecensioni

The entrance exam is finally over, but only one member of Team Sakamoto wins entry while another has to sneak in in disguise. The academic setting does not cause much slow-down in action.

This volume finally made clear for me some of the reason and appeal of X the Slur's bloody campaign against Japan's assassin society. He's still not a very good villain, but at least his henchmen have the flare he lacks.

The entrance exam for the assassination school is still underway, so there's still plenty of over-the-top action as the potential students play a deadly game of tail tag. And X has his henchmen intrude in the proceedings.

I have to say, X, the Slur -- in addition to having the worst name -- is perhaps the most underwhelming villain any manga series has tried to foist on me. It's a good thing I like Sakamoto so much, because his nemesis is a big zero and adds nothing to the story.

Ugh. Last volume's cliffhanger was a tease quickly put on hold and set aside as we instead are given a "back to school" story arc with Sakamoto and Shin taking the deadly entrance exam for an assassination classroom. It's really silly, but then, silly is when this series is at its best.

A mediocre outing of wall-to-wall fights. First against the last of the death row escapees, and then on to the next stage of X the Slur's master plan. At least next volume promises a final boss confrontation between Sakamoto and Slur. If only I were the slightest bit impressed with Slur and could find it within myself to care . . .

What I thought was going to be a long arc about Lu Xiaotang actually ended quickly as the new arc is about some death row escapees trying to take out a bunch of Japanese assassins for a bounty offered by the big baddie, Slur. Lu and Shin get the spotlight for a bit before ceding the floor to Osaragi.

So not a lot of Sakamoto or humor, but plenty of over-the-top action and thrills.

Binge alert: I fell behind on this series and four more on deck for this week.

While I can see this getting old quickly for myself, there’s some charm here. The found family vibes are heavy; Sakamoto collects dangerous hitmen like candies. He’s fighting to protect his relatively mundane life and each character who adds to it is wholesome. The action scenes are relatively good. You can always understand what’s happening.

I'll read volume two.

I gotta say, I started to get a little bored as the multi-chapter arc about Shin's origin went on a little too long with its one-note cyborg villain and his invisible ally. Thank goodness a one-off chapter about a bathhouse assassin brought the humor and energy levels back up to where they had previously been.

But now we're going to get another long arc about Lu's backstory, and I only hope it doesn't bring the energy right back down again.

A paintball contest goes humorously awry for Sakamoto and Shin when a real sniper shows up. And it sets into motion a series of events that lead to an origin story for Shin's telepathy. Fun action comedy.

This is an interesting read. There are parts that really annoy me like the fat phobia, but other parts are just so interesting you must keep turning the pages. From the first few pages with all the guns you would think this would be ultra-violent, but since Sakamoto’s wife hates killing, no one dies, but justice is served. Sakamoto is a retired assassin who takes on new challenges and new charges. This book is very much a mix of John Wick and Mr. Bean. It’s wacky, deadly, but has a lot of heart and one really roots for Sakamoto, his wife and his found family.

Sakamoto and his ex-assassin allies try to keep his wife and daughter in blissful ignorance as they enjoy a day at the amusement park while assassins converge there to cash in on the high price on Sakamoto's head.

The goofy, over-the-top humor kept me engaged even as the author tries to build a deep, dark mythology in the midst of the lunacy.

And is it my imagination, or is the assassin duo Boiled and Obiguro visually inspired by the Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis characters in Kalifornia?

At this point, is every other manga and graphic novel about assassins?

Here's a humorous spin where the once ruthless killer has retired to run a convenience store and become an obese family man. Of course, his past keeps catching up to him but he faces it adroitly despite his weight and a no-kill code imposed by his wife. He even acts as a vigilante, protecting the peace of the community that his very presence keeps disrupting.

I didn't plan it, but this tale of a doting husband and father made for a good Father's Day read. I do wish the humor was a little less Looney Tunes, obeying some laws of physics and biology, but I still had a fun time and am looking forward to future volumes.

***read via MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA (app on tablet)***
Before reading: I have a soft spot for (ex-) assassins. There is a reason why I keep watching movies with Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, etcetera....

After reading: it's a fun read!


***Chapters:***
Days 1: The Legendary Hit Man
Days 2: Sakamoto Family Rules
Days 3: Officer Nakase and the Mysterious Hero
Days 4: China Invasion!
Days 5: Vs. Son Hee and Bacho
Days 6: Nagumo
Days 7: Welcome to Sugar Park!

***read via MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA (app on tablet)***
Before reading: I have a soft spot for (ex-) assassins. There is a reason why I keep watching movies with Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, etcetera....

***Chapters:***
Chapters not in Tankōbon Volume Format
Days 17: Heisuke Mashimo
Days 18: Versus Sniper
Days 19: Fight
Days 20: Invisible Highway
Days 21: Let's Go to the Museum!
Days 22: Jurassic Bastard
Days 23: Asakura and Shin
Days 24: Assassins x Science
Days 25: Science Bastard
Days 26: Order
Days 27: Sakamoto's Vs the Lab
Days 28: Top-Notch
Days 29: All Aboard
Days 30: Quiet on the Train
Days 31: See?
Days 32: Bathhouse Mode

***read via MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA (app on tablet)***
Before reading: I have a soft spot for (ex-) assassins. There is a reason why I keep watching movies with Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, etcetera....

***Chapters:***
Days 8: Showtime
Days 9: Boiled and Obiguro
Days 10: Hard-Boiled
Days 11: Sakamoto vs. Boiled
Days 12: Source of Strength
Days 13: Video Rental
Days 14: Stealth Mission
Days 15: Initiation
Days 16: Department Store War