‘Sakamoto Days’ Episode 2 Recap & Ending Explained: Did Sakamoto And Shin Save Lu Shaotang?

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Following a fun, entertaining pilot, Sakamoto Days gains momentum with its second episode, which reveals more about the past life of the titular assassin. Previously, the first episode of Sakamoto Days introduced viewers to the legendary assassin Taro Sakamoto, who left his bloody past to completely devote himself to his family—to his wife and daughter. Under the directive of their gang leader, one of Sakamoto’s former associates, Shin, a psychic, tries his best to convince the hitman to return to the fold – only to realize the life Sakamoto has is too precious for him to ever abandon for anything at all. Shin and Sakamoto eventually proceed to take down their former gang along with its leader, and Shin is given a job at Sakamoto’s departmental store. It is tough for the former assassins to keep their noses clean, as the duo finds themselves embroiled in a new conspiracy. The second episode also highlights precisely what caused Sakamoto to have a change of heart and turn his back on the life of an assassin. 

Spoilers Ahead


A Strict No Kill Rule Imposed By Aoi

The episode begins with Shin excitedly chatting with Sakamoto about his superior expertise in close quarter combat, as he was able to effortlessly take down their boss and his crew. Sakamoto’s wife, Aoi, overhears their conversation and questions her husband about whether he has gone back to his old ways once again. Because if that is the case, then Aoi will leave Sakamoto, as she has a strict no kill policy. Sakamoto vehemently denies having done anything of that sort, much to the relief of his wife. One aspect becomes quite clear: Sakamoto didn’t hide his past from his wife and won’t have to go through an emotional crisis caused by the probability of her becoming aware of it in the future—a trope that is often employed in narratives like this. 


Why Did Sakamoto Decide to Help Lu Shaotang?

Later on, Sakamoto and Shin go to Niikita Chinatown to get pork buns for Sakamoto’s family when the duo stumbles across a teenage girl, Lu Shaotang, who seems to be on the run from a group of gangsters. While Shaotang appears to be quite adept at martial arts and can take care of herself, she is soon outnumbered. Sakamoto decides to step in and escort Shaotang to safety. 

Shaotang is being chased on the command of the chairman of the Danshokai Corporation, who wants to get his hands on the secret safe where Lu’s father had his family riches stashed. Lu was entrusted with the key to the safe by her father when her family got cornered by Danshokai forces, and since then she has been trying to evade her pursuers. Unbeknownst to Shaotang, the Danshokai chairman had her parents killed in search for the key and desperately wants to obtain it by any means. After the gangsters fail to capture Shaotang, the chairman sends two dreaded assassins under his payroll—Son Hee and Bacho—to ensure the job gets done this time around. 

Sakamoto and Shin learn about Shaotang’s past, and afterwards, Sakamoto decides to help her, much to Shin’s surprise. Soon enough, Bacho and Son Hee show up, and Bacho sends Sakamoto flying by catching him off guard for a moment. Shaotang introduces Shin to the twin assassins, who are revealed to be sadistic psychos who like to play around with the severed heads of their victims for some reason. Anyway, Sakamoto is back in action and retaliates against Bacho’s first strike by sending him crashing through the surface of the rooftop where they were standing. The assassin duo reveals the predicament of her parents to Shaotang, and in her anguished state of mind, she tries to take them on—only to get stopped by Sakamoto, who forbids her from acting out of pain. Shaotang is genuinely surprised as to why Sakamoto is going out of his way to protect her, and a past memory floods back into Sakamoto’s mind, which viewers get to see as a flashback sequence. 

Before getting married to the love of his life, Aoi, Sakamoto had carried on his work as an assassin, while being in a relationship with her, without ever feeling the need to hide the truth. On one occasion during Christmas Eve, as Sakamoto met with Aoi, she refused to accept the gift he had bought for her with the blood money he’d received in exchange for taking so many lives. Aoi decided to leave Sakamoto forever and jumped from a significant height; fortunately enough, Sakamoto was able to save her using his skills. Aoi showed Sakamoto through example that the fear and anxiety he felt for her is what all people feel for their loved ones, and due to the very nature of Sakamoto’s profession, he has separated so many people from their loved ones through all these years. Aoi makes Sakamoto promise that to make up for his past actions, he will stop killing from now on and instead use his skills to save lives. Shin learns about the entire incident by reading Sakamoto’s mind and is brought to tears as he is moved by the bond Sakamoto and Aoi share with each other. 


Are Sakamoto and Shin Able to Save Lu Shaotang?

Sakamoto manages to defeat both Bacho and Son Hee, with Shin assisting him occasionally, and staying true to his words, he doesn’t kill the assassin duo, even though these sadistic scoundrels don’t deserve to be spared. Sakamoto, Shin, and Shaotang apprehend the Danshokai chairman, whom Shaotang beats into a pulp. Despite having all the reason in the world to justify killing this scumbag, Shaotang refuses to do so, honoring the memories of her father, who would have wanted her to live a happy and peaceful life instead of treading on the dark path of vengeance. Later on, Shaotang opens her family safe using the key, and amidst all the riches and family heirlooms, she finds a bottle of sake that her father planned to save to enjoy with Shaotang when she came of age. In his memory, Shaotang shows her gratitude with Sakamoto and Shin as she shares the sake with them, and the trio munches on the pork buns that got smashed up when they stumbled upon Sakamoto the first time. 

As Shin and Sakamoto return to their shop, Shaotang is revealed to have taken a job at the store as well, adhering to Sakamoto’s request she join on as the pork bun maker. Although thanks to her family riches, Shaotang doesn’t really need to work for a single day, she’d rather earn for herself than depend on her generational wealth. Accepting Shin and Shaotang as part of his family from now on, Sakamoto asks them to follow the no-kill rule as well. 

Sakamoto Days episode 2’s ending teases another conflict, as a team of secretive operatives, some of whom were even keeping a watch over Sakamoto’s shop, are seen discussing the hefty bounty of one billion yen on the former assassin’s head. The organization they are part of is simply denoted as JAA, and upcoming episodes will shed light on their motivation and activities. It probably could be an assassin organization that is trying to take down members who have turned their back on the underworld, like Sakamoto and Shin, for example. 


Siddhartha Das
Siddhartha Das
An avid fan and voracious reader of comic book literature, Siddhartha thinks the ideals accentuated in the superhero genre should be taken as lessons in real life also. A sucker for everything horror and different art styles, Siddhartha likes to spend his time reading subjects. He's always eager to learn more about world fauna, history, geography, crime fiction, sports, and cultures. He also wishes to abolish human egocentrism, which can make the world a better place.


 

 

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