Summary
- Shin and Lu have clashing perspectives but look out for each other, showcasing their contentious yet understanding relationship.
- Lu’s family history puts her in danger, but with Taro’s help, she is protected, leading to a new life away from her mob background.
- Episode 7 is a pivotal turning point for Shin and Lu’s relationship, deepening their bond through trust and empathy.
In Sakamoto Days, a retired assassin (Taro Sakamoto) employs two former criminals at his convenience store. First, he hires Shin Asakura, a clairvoyant assassin and his former work partner. Then, he adds Lu Shaotang to Sakamoto’s team. She’s a former mafia heiress with a knack for drunken fist kung fu. A better title for Sakamoto Days may be Taro’s Convenience Store for Rehabilitating Wayward Killers.
Shin and Lu have a complicated relationship. On the one hand, the two adopt very different mindsets regarding their work. Their clashing perspectives often lead to petty arguments. On the other hand, the two look out for each other. For instance, Lu drunkenly saved Shin from a gruesome chainsaw death in episode 4, “Hard Boiled.” Episode 7, “Jurassic Bastard,” gave Lu an insight into Shin that will deepen their friendship. But what does that mean for the future?
Related
Understanding the Appeal of Sakamoto Days
Sakamoto Days follows the life of a retired assassin, but what exactly makes this anime so entertaining?
Shin and Lu Met in Episode 2
Lu drops in on Shin and Taro while the duo shops at a local Chinatown market for meat buns in episode 2, “Vs. Son Hee and Bacho”. We don’t mean “drop in” colloquially. Lu literally jumps from a building and falls on top of Shin and Lu (smashing their recently purchased meat buns). This incident pulls Taro and Shin into a conflict regarding mafia ties and hidden treasure.
Lu wears the key to her family’s secret safe, a valuable collection of treasures that’s the target of many greedy clans – including the Danshokai family. The Danshokai assassinated Lu’s parents, making her the final loose end in the clan’s scheme to steal the safe’s contents. While the Danshokai’s first assassination attempt fails, the clan chairman, Wang, sends a pair of sadistic assassins on her tail to finish the job.
Taro Employed Shin and Lu at His Convenience Store
After Taro, Shin, and Lu shake the Danshokai’s trail, one would assume the duo would part ways from the Lu family heiress. However, Taro offers to protect Lu if she cooks fresh meat buns for his family once they get her to safety. Lu accepts this timely offer since the new pair of assassins, Son Hee and Bacho, ambush the trio shortly after.
Taro, Shin, and Lu’s confrontation with Son Hee and Bacho reveals plenty about the young pair’s contentious relationship. Lu and Shin speak frankly with each other, even though they’ve just met. For instance, when Lu looses her cool and barrels toward Son Hee, Taro holds her back and Shin says, “Moron. You can’t let them get under your skin so easy.”
Fortunately, Taro, Shin, and Lu take down Son Hee and Bacho. Furthermore, the trio convince Wang to call off the hit toward Lu, allowing her to access the hidden safe’s contents. This success enables her to move on from her mob background, leading to her employment at Sakamoto’s Convenience Store making meat buns. On her first shift, Shin asks why she needs to work if she has her family’s riches. In response, she says:
I can’t just sell off my family heirlooms like that. You dumbuss.
Naturally, Shin takes offense to that remark. Then Lu offers to call him a “dipshit” instead. It appears these two are bound to get under each other’s skin.
Shin and Lu Often Butt Heads
Shin and Lu often take shots at each other. They make a classic odd couple. Shin is a Type-A personality who values structure, while Lu is a loose cannon guided by her impulses. While the two can learn plenty from each other, they’ll have to get over their differences first.
The two constantly butt heads at work. For instance, Lu’s disorderly nature gets under Shin’s skin, whether she’s arriving to work two hours late, indiscriminately stuffing inventory onto shelves, or wearing his apron while cleaning messes. As for Lu, she can’t stand Shin’s micromanagement and controlling nature. In her words, “[she] can never relax around [Shin] ’cause [she doesn’t] know if [he’s] reading [her] mind or not.”
While Lu and Shin argue like it’s a competitive sport, they still look out for one another. Shin protected Lu from the Danshokai clan when the two were practically strangers. In turn, Lu’s drunken fist martial arts served as a life-saving distraction in episode 4, “Hard Boiled,” when she amused Obiguro so much that she ordered a henchman to not chop Shin clean in half with a chainsaw.
Related
Sakamoto Days Fans Want Eren’s VA on the Show
Sakamoto Days is still a topic of heated discussion, but a fan may have come up with a great idea.
Episode 7 is a Turning Point in Their Relationship
One crucial misunderstanding in Lu and Shin’s relationship is Lu’s fear of Shin’s clairvoyance. This misunderstanding reaches its boiling point in season 1, episode 7, “Jurassic Bastard,” when Shin and Lu are left to tend the store without the Sakamotos’ help. During an argument, Shin reads Lu’s mind without permission and responds with a passive-aggressive remark. In seconds, the pair pelts meat buns at each other.
When Lu confronts Shin and tells him why she can’t relax around him, Shin takes her words very personally and leaves the store (which is rather uncomfortable for Heisuke Masimoto, who observes the ordeal). Lu’s comment hits a sore spot for Shin that goes beyond their typical back-and-forth. As she ponders how her words affected Shin, Lu notices that she never saw Shin look so dejected.
Shaotang’s contemplation gets cut short when a group of men in hazmat suits enters the store looking for Shin. Unfortunately, Lu is wearing Shin’s apron, and the men abduct her without hesitation. While bound in the back of a van, Lu overhears her abductors speak about Shin while they drive to an undisclosed location:
Nobody would wanna hang out with a creep like that…Sounds like a sad and lonely existence to me!
Lu does not take that remark lying down. She kicks the man’s face in with force (and with her hands tied behind her back!) and proceeds to defend her new friend. This moment is significant for Lu because she realizes Shin did not choose to read minds. Furthermore, he deserves a fulfilling life like anyone else no matter his differences. As Shin and Lu empathize with each other, their trust and camaraderie will grow. While a romantic relationship seems unlikely, the two make a great team.