Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto

Episode 6

Halfway through its run, Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto delivers its most relaxed episode to date. While previous installments have adopted a gag-a-second approach, episode 6 devotes a fair amount of time to building atmosphere and gives its stories room to breathe. The results are decidedly mixed, with the first segment representing the show at its weakest and the second one serving as a fun, tightly-plotted entry in the Sakamoto saga.

Even by this show's standards, the first segment features a rudimentary setup. The story revolves around our hero consistently besting a trio of elementary school students at a series of seemingly inconsequential games. Of course, Sakamoto effortlessly excels at such time-honored childhood pastimes as stone-kicking and traffic line-walking. Aside from the stone-kicking scenes, this segment is surprisingly bereft of laugh-out-loud moments. The line-walking sequence has a couple of mildly amusing jokes, but its needlessly long length gave off the impression of padding, and for the first time, I actually found myself a little bored with this show. While it effectively conveys the distance Sakamoto and his followers are traveling, it starts to wear thin pretty quickly. Additionally, the three boys are the blandest guest characters the series has rolled out. Even though Sakamoto's other adversaries-turned-admirers are fairly one-note, they generally have defined personalities and clear motivations. Furthermore, the boys' reactions to Sakamoto's awesomeness weren't particularly inspired, especially when compared to first-rate comic foils like Kakuta-sensei and Maruyama.

Fortunately, episode 6's latter half is entertaining enough to make up for most of the first segment's shortcomings. This tale is largely presented through the eyes of timid shutterbug Fujita Megumi, who harbors a deep crush on Sakamoto and discreetly photographs him at every opportunity. When her latest photos reveal that Sakamoto is being haunted by a creepy-looking specter, she continuously tries to bring this to his attention, only to have her shyness win out every time. After all, telling him about the ghost would entail revealing her secret hobby. While I'd hesitate to call her complex, Megumi is one of the show's more three-dimensional characters. Her personality isn't shaped by a cartoonish quirk, making her one of the few characters with whom viewers can easily empathize. She's also likable enough that her obsession with snapping photos of Sakamoto without his consent doesn't seem as stalker-ish as it probably should. This segment also features an abundance of effective gags, most notably Sakamoto's humorous responses to the specter's attempts at catching his attention. Although being doggedly pursued by a supernatural entity would terrify a regular person, it doesn't faze Sakamoto in the least.

For a fleeting moment, I was worried the poltergeist would hold the key to explaining Sakamoto's superhuman abilities, but as it turns out, she's just another member of his growing fan club. Still, this confirms that the supernatural exists in this world, which isn't too surprising given the show's cartoonish nature. Not even the dearly departed can resist Sakamoto's charms.

This week, Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto truly saves the best for last. Although the first story is a bit of a slog, episode 6 finishes strong with a clever second half and amusing post-credits sequence. While Sakamoto himself is still a blank slate, his on-the-spot ingenuity and unshakably cool demeanor remain as entertaining as ever.

Rating: B

Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for over two decades.