Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto

Episode 8

The latest Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto is probably the closest this show will come to a “serious” episode. Sure, there are still plenty of gags scattered throughout, but by Sakamoto standards, this was downright dramatic. In addition to being Sakamoto's least jokey outing to date, episode 8 marks the first time the show has sustained a single narrative from start to finish. (Episode 5 came close, but it featured a couple of bookend skits that didn't tie into the main story.)

With Gakubun High gearing up for this year's cultural festival, all the students are getting into the festive spirit—even Hayabusa and his fellow delinquents. However, when Fukase, the hitherto-unmentioned head of the third-year delinquents, overhears Hayabusa singing Sakamoto's praises, he sets his sights on taking our hero down.

Unfortunately, unlike the cookie-cutter antagonists who came before him, Fukase actually possesses some measure of competence. After enlisting the aid of Sakamoto's two disenfranchised classmates, the villainous Fukase frames Sakamoto for sabotaging Class 1-2's festival display and promises a 10,000-yen reward to any student able to apprehend him, giving way to a frantic campus-wide chase. Of course, this being Sakamoto, he eventually figures out a way to use this ordeal to his class's advantage—though not without a little help from some enemies-turned-friends.

While the single story is sustained well throughout the episode, there aren't as many laugh-out-loud moments as usual. This is largely due to the story's (comparatively) serious tone, as well as the presence of Fukase himself. Unlike the series' other antagonists, he shows no trepidation before setting his schemes into motion and displays no degree of remorse by the end of the story. His first onscreen act is threatening to disfigure Hayabusa, making it clear that this guy means business. The only remotely humorous aspect about Fukase is the fact that he's rumored to be a twice-divorced thirty-something who's been held back in high school for well over a decade due to sporadic attendance. This is basically the only thing that makes him feel like a part of the show's world and not stick out like a sore thumb. Then again, the goal here is probably to introduce a master villain that actually manages to instill feelings of unease in the viewer and give Sakamoto a run for his money, and in that respect, the show has succeeded.

All things considered, watching Sakamoto go toe-to-toe with someone who's immune to his charms made for a fun watch. Because Fukase is a cut above the cartoonishly incompetent adversaries he's used to going up against, Sakamoto has to work for his happy ending this time around. He actually comes off as genuinely fearful at several points, and he's only able to achieve victory with the help of his classmates and Hayabusa. Furthermore, his determination to clear his name indicates that Sakamoto might care more about his peers' approval than his detached persona often indicates.

Time will tell if giving Sakamoto a worthy rival was a smart move. While many other comedies have benefited from the introduction of an overarching plot, Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto does amazingly well without any significant continuity. So far, Fukase's menace is intriguing, but his introduction may ultimately wind up taking away from what made this simplistic, bizarre series so appealing in the first place.

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.