Sakamoto Days Anime Faces Production Struggles, Says Staff

Only a month has passed since Shonen Jump’s hit action-comedy series, Sakamoto Days, made its way to TV screens. The anime started off strong, but recently, it has faced widespread criticism—particularly for its handling of the manga’s signature high-octane action sequences.

Behind the scenes, the production appears to be plagued by chaos. In fact, over 23 studios were credited in Sakamoto Days’ latest episode—a sprawling production effort reminiscent of Studio MAPPA’s infamous over-reliance on outsourcing. This is an absurd number, raising concerns about the anime’s overall consistency.

Satoshi Sakai, who worked on action design in the recent episode and has previously contributed to “Attack on Titan” and “Bleach: TYBW”, revealed that certain scenes were left unfinished, only completed to a certain extent due to tight deadlines.

“For the fourth episode of Sakamoto Days, the action storyboard and the layout for the battle scene in the second half were done to a certain extent,” Sakai stated. His words clearly highlight the increasing pressure on staff, leaving minimal time for refinement.

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To make matters worse, Cour 2 of Sakamoto Days is scheduled to air just three months after Cour 1, leaving little room for production improvements. Netflix, the licensing partner, is also partially to blame, as its full-season completion policy requires an entire season to be finished before airing—allowing for earlier dubbing.

Adding to the controversy is the studio selection process for Sakamoto Days. Reportedly, the studio was finalized as early as 2021, when the manga was still in its comedic “slice-of-life” phase.

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At the time, the studio competition, led by TMS Entertainment, did not prioritize an action-focused production team—a decision that now clashes with the manga’s evolution into a battle-heavy narrative. Had the decision been made later, Sakamoto Days could have landed a far better studio suited for its action sequences.

While Sakamoto Days’ animation isn’t technically poor, with a more action-focused team and better scheduling, it could have been significantly stronger. For now, the adaptation feels like a missed opportunity for a series with breakout Shonen Jump potential.

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