Sakamoto desu Ga Episode 5 [ Pushing Sumo ]

The main story in Sakamoto today actually takes up pretty much the whole episode, which is a dynamic I prefer, and we resume the normal antics of Sakamoto. The most interesting thing about this show is just how weird Sakamoto is while still being seen as cool. Does Sakamoto inherently do things in such a cool way he makes them cool, or is it just because of his stoic nature and good looks that everyone is willing to forgive whatever he does and say it’s cool anyway? I can’t tell, sometimes I just derp, but who can’t love Sakamoto and his weird way of always coming out on top.

Remember the delinquent from before, Maruyama? Well, he is so traumatized by what Sakamoto did he is still taking it as a form of torture. Hayabusa, his much more attractive companion, takes it upon himself to challenge Sakamoto to a fight. Sakamoto of course has no real intention of going whatsoever and so Hayabusa’s lackeys spend all day stealing small objects from Sakamoto, who of course manages to do completely fine without them via his teacher’s terrible haircut and a marker on his socks. It doesn’t matter until they corner Kubota and shave his head, which really freaks him out and makes Sakamoto intent on retrieving his ‘identity’.

Then they play hardcore pattycake, or pushing sumo. Either way you put it, it’s absolutely ridiculous and they stand in the rain and fight with epic animation and very pretty faces. It’s worth mentioning in one of the two shorts surrounding the main story they show Sakamoto tearing off pieces of his shirt. He couldn’t just do that here? Both of them? Is polygamy legal in Japan? Anyway of course Sakamoto has some hilarious way of winning the fight and then they all go buy seaweed for Kubota and have a seaweed eating party. That’s not even the weirdest thing this show has ever done so I’m honestly not shocked anymore.

I am feeling slightly less entertained by all the antics in the show, but knowing Sakamoto’s way of winning will always consistently be weirdly amazing keeps me going. Who can hate a man who convinces a police officer they’re freakin dueling with patty cake (a western only concept so he clearly didn’t convince him of that, but I’m saying he did) or puts his face in clay when someone says ‘let me borrow your face’. Stay classy, Swagamoto.

Oki