The contrast of opinions about the anime adaptations of Sakamoto Days and Dandadan tells us that adapting a manga is more than animating the story and the characters. Rather, it’s about honoring the work of the mangaka by preserving its spirit.
The adaptations that ace this are lauded by the fans, Dandadan being a prime example, and the ones that fail are subject to harsh criticism, like Sakamoto Days.
For ardent followers of manga, an anime adaptation is more than just a simple transfer of medium. They insist on adaptations to be accurate processes that capture the essence of the manga and translate it into a different medium for viewing.
Dandadan is a yardstick for a faithful adaptation
When fans heard the news that Dandadan was going to receive an anime adaptation, several of them were wary about it and wondered if the new medium could fully capture the anime’s bizarreness and aesthetics, but Science SARU, the studio behind the project, exceeded their expectations by giving them a faithful and accurate adaptation.
Every frame of Dandadan truly reflected the passion and effort that the studio had put into adapting the mangaka’s artistic flair, and fans loved it. When the panels were silly, the anime expressed it fully, and when the manga got serious, the anime reflected the same seriousness, impressing everyone.
Dandadan was the most watched anime on Netflix between July and December 2024, with 96.5 Million Hours (19.6M views) Watched
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The adaptation was so good, that according to a Reddit post, Netflix released a report about the watch trends of people, and Dandadan was the most-watched anime on Netflix between last year’s July and December.
Sakamoto Days can take a page out of Dandadan’s book
While Dandadan was lauded for its sincerity in adapting the manga, Sakamoto Days on the other hand was subjected to severe criticism from its fans for doing a mediocre job at translating the manga into the anime.
I read the manga and here are my thoughts
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With every episode, fans are complaining that while the animation of the series is subpar and faded, the series in itself seems to lack the “kick” that the manga contains, and with Season 1 coming to an end, they have pretty much accepted the fact that the anime has failed to capture the unique style of the manga.
Fans have also accused the makers of omitting scenes from the manga that, if added, would have given the characters more depth. A good example of this is the manga plot where Taro stops a bus to save his wife, showing how much he cares about her.
With all the issues that the fans are having with the adaptation, they are not sure if they would even like for the anime to come back with a second season. And this does not mean that there isn’t a good amount of hype for the second season, because there is.
Fans do want a second season, but they are just not sure if they want to see TMS Entertainment be the one to continue the adaptation.
The only way TMS Entertainment can hope to satisfy the fans by making Season 2 better, is by listening to them and trying to be sincere in terms of capturing the spirit of the story. Understanding the mangaka’s intent, and being faithful to the source material is the way to go, and Dandadan has already proved this with its success.
Sakamoto Days and Dandadan are available for streaming on Netflix.
What makes Sakamoto Days exceptional is precisely the quality that critics dismiss most: Sakamoto Days’ greatness lies in its deliberate choice to be ordinary — a creative commitment that separates it from the bombastic shonen titles fans unfairly use as a benchmark.
Frequently asked questions
Which studios animated Dandadan and Sakamoto Days?
Dandadan is animated by Science SARU, the studio the article credits with a faithful, tonally accurate adaptation. Sakamoto Days is animated by TMS Entertainment (distributed worldwide on Netflix), the studio whose handling of the series the article and many fans criticize.
Why does the article say Dandadan fuels the criticism of Sakamoto Days?
The article’s view is that a manga adaptation succeeds by preserving the source’s spirit, matching its silly and serious tones alike, and that Science SARU’s Dandadan did exactly that. Because it set the bar so high, fans judge Sakamoto Days harshly for its faded animation and omitted character moments, such as the manga scene where Taro stops a bus to save his wife.
What is the Netflix viewing figure the article cites for Dandadan?
The article states Dandadan was the most-watched anime on Netflix between July and December 2024, with 96.5 million hours watched (about 19.6 million views). This streaming success is used as evidence that a faithful adaptation can resonate widely with audiences.
