Sakamoto Days Overcomes Baki Hanma and Dandadan to Become Netflix’s New Crowned Possession
Sakamoto Days quickly clibled Netflix’s ranks, only to be impeded by Squid Game 2.
Over the years, Netflix has realized the potential that anime has. After featuring hits like The Seven Deadly Sins, Violet Evergarden, Kakegurui, Devilman Crybaby, and more, its latest major release is Sakamoto Days. But no one could have imagined the impact Sakamoto Days would have.
Sakamoto Days is a popular manga whose anime adaptation is one of themost anticipated Winter 2025 releases. At the time of writing this article, only two episodes of the anime have been released on Netflix, yet it has drawn a bigger audience base than any of the previous Netflix anime debuts.
Sakamoto Days Is One of the Biggest Anime Releases on Netflix
Sakamoto Days anime has broken quite a few records and has quickly become one of the most-watched anime on Netflix since it premiered on the platform. In just its debut week, the anime brought in 8.6 million views. It quickly climbed the ranks and became the #2 non-English show. In fact, its performance might have been even better if it did not coincide with Squid Game Season 2, the mammoth K-Drama. Still, Sakamoto Days’s performance is brilliant, given that it is ranking #4 overall across all genres.
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The previous record-holder anime on Netflix was Baki Hanma, whose second season grabbed 6.0 million views during its debut. But no one could have imagined that Sakamoto Days would be able to outperform Dandadan, the single greatest Shonen hit of the Fall 2024 anime season. Dandadan received 4.3 million views, and Dragon Ball Daima took fourth place with 3.2 million views.
Both Dandadan and Dragon Ball Daima were non-exclusive series on Netflix, which has definitely affected their views count. Thus, going forward, Netflix will definitely target streaming exclusive anime like Sakamoto Days.
Controversies Surrounding the Sakamoto Days Anime
While Sakamoto Days anime has already become a worldwide hit, it is not free of controversies. The biggest issue the series is facing at the moment is the lack of suitable animation. Fans had expected that Sakamoto Days would receive better treatment at the hands of TMS Entertainment; however, its animation quality has another tale to tell.
Fans are of the opinion that the action scenes of the anime have suffered quite a lot. The actions and moves have been simplified, and the choreography in the manga has not been properly interpreted in the anime. Another allegation is that the series has overly simplified the art in the manga.
Of course, the animation cannot be compared to series like Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen, but fans expected it to be somewhere near Dandadan with its production quality. Some of the problems also feel like extreme nitpicking, but in general, fans hope that the upcoming action scenes in the anime are done justice to.
