Just a few episodes in, Sakamoto Days has already introduced some fan-favorite characters. Lu Shaotang has become a part of the main trio, along with Sakamoto and Shin. She has been one of the most comic characters in the show.
But what was once introduced as a gag element of the anime is turning out to be a serious problem. Lu’s alcoholism was discovered in one of the early episodes, which is her showdown against Obiguro. But ever since then, it has been progressively getting worse.
Sakamoto Days is ignoring a huge problem regarding Lu
Lu Shaotang is the daughter of a Triad Family, which automatically translates to the fact that she has always been extremely powerful. But just like Sakamoto turns into a skinny form and Shin can read minds, Shaotang also has a weird power-up. She becomes stronger when she is drunk.
Shaotang is proficient in martial arts and also comes equipped with high alcohol tolerance. In fact, she descends from a line of people who could tolerate alcohol without any ill effects. While drinking does not impair her ability to fight, the anime has been upping her alcoholism bit by bit.
Every time Lu senses danger or is anxious about a situation, she resorts to drinking. Of course, she becomes significantly more dangerous, but it depends on the type of alcohol she consumes. She also switches her personality from sad to happy to angry, depending on how drunk she is. But, at this point, the series is simply justifying her alcoholism without giving her a chance to discover her power without it.
How far will Lu’s alcoholism be taken?
Lu has already depended on alcohol to take on her opponents in the Sakamoto Days anime. In the manga, she drains a bottle of 200-proof ethanol to overthrow Saw, an extremely powerful enemy. At one point, she even recalled that her grandfather drank alcohol lamp fuel, which would be otherwise lethal.
But by relying more and more on alcohol, Lu is preventing herself from actually powering up. Even the skinny form of Sakamoto is a result of his inability to accept his retired form, and eventually, he would have to give up on his skinny form. However, a similar solution to Lu is yet to be discovered.
There is bound to be a time when Lu runs out of higher and higher percentages of alcohol. Or she might not find anything similar while battling a dangerous hitman. What will she do then? She cannot keep relying on her Drunk Triad form forever. Thus, the series needs to find a way for her to solve this issue which ultimately prevents the growth of Lu as a character.
Sakamoto Days anime is available to watch on Crunchyroll, and the manga can be read on Viz Media.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
