Christmas is one of the most celebrated world holidays in the winter, and while everybody has their individual traditions, there’s one story that everyone is familiar with – Santa Claus. The jolly gift-giving saint from the North Pole is mentioned in almost every household that celebrates the holiday, and he’s about to be reimagined in a way no one would expect.
Originally created by Paru Itagaki, creator of the highly underrated Beastars anime and manga, as well as being the daughter of Keisuke Itagaki, the creator of Baki, Sanda takes the classic holiday figure and turns him into a buffed-up action hero.
Why You Should Be Giving Sanda a Chance, Regardless of How It Looks
Sanda takes place in 2080, where the Japanese birthrate is on a sharp decline, and the country has placed strict control policies on minors that’s resulted in arranged marriages becoming a social norm, and preventing young people from sleeping as to not hinder their development. Christmas has all but disappeared, and the idea of ‘Santa Claus’ is long forgotten due to being sealed away.
One faithful December 25th, the protagonist of the series, Sanda Kazushige, has their ‘seal’ broken by a classmate, causing him to look like Santa Claus. Sanda discovers he can control this transformation by eating jellybeans to turn back into himself, or by wearing red to turn into Santa. Sanda’s classmate broke the seal in hopes that Sanda would help her search for their missing classmate, and to restore society’s belief in Christmas.
The series, admittedly, has a pretty ridiculous premise – but much like Beastars, tackles many of the sociopolitical issues plaguing up-and-coming generations. The manga has excellent characters, and the incredible writing style that Paru Itagaki pours into all of her work make Sanda an incredibly unique series that everyone should be reading. Plus, the anime adaptation will be handled by Science Saru, well-known for producing Devilman Crybaby and the upcoming animated adaptation of Dandadan.
