Sanda Anime Prime Video Review: Strange, Wild, Wonderful

In manga circles Paru Itagaki is lovingly revered as a certified weirdo. Since its debut, the… Beasts The creator has earned a reputation for crafting fearless, genre-bending stories that are uncompromisingly unconventional and exert a magnetic pull that is bold and bizarre but makes it impossible to knock on the glass and see what wonders will never cease.

Science SaruNow, it’s quickly become an anime favorite thanks to its visual chaos and thematic daring with titles like… Devilman crybaby, Stay away from Eizouken, And Dan Da Dan in his glittering resume. When these two creative forces came together for the newly released anime adaptation of Itagaki’s manga, Sandait was less about “Will it be weird?” and more “How strange are we talking?”

It turns out: very. Sanda doesn’t just flirt with the bizarre – it tries to freak out Nightmare before Christmas by driving stakes into a snowbank and daring to declare himself the new cross-holiday anomaly.

A chaotic mix of Christmas spirit, slasher horror and gag comedy. Sanda delivers all of this at a breakneck pace that feels like opening every door on an Advent calendar at once, revealing a fresh, unhinged surprise with every scene in the premiere episode.

Sanda It centers on a middle-faced middle school student named Sanda Kazushige (Ayumu Murase), whose unhappy, mundane life takes a sharp turn when his crush, Shiori Fuyumura (Umeka Shoji), discovers his bizarre secret: He can transform into a burly Santa Claus whenever he gets “red at him” – a loophole she relishes in exploiting. by stabbing him.

What unfolds is a chaotic mix Shazam And Santa Clauswhich reveals that, as a descendant of Saint Nick, Sanda carries a hereditary curse and is magically forced to grant the children’s wishes whenever it starts to snow (and the above conditions are met).

Shiroi’s wish isn’t a twisted, Yandere-coded romance with Sanda – it’s a heartfelt request to help her find her missing friend Ichie Ono (Anna Nagase), who is presumed dead. With Sanda’s help, Shiori hopes to reunite with Ichie in time for Christmas, fulfilling a promise they once made.

To test Sanda’s resolve as Shiori’s reluctant, underwear-clad Santa superhero, her first outing involves foiling a school bombing (she’s the mastermind behind it). All of this is beautifully accompanied by the gentle, menacing hum of Christmas carols.

Visually, Sanda is considered one of the most eye-catching curiosities of the fall season, both bizarre and alluring. Itagaki’s flair for offbeat rom-coms and instantly readable character designs shine through, with each character expressing their personality from the moment their face appears on screen (which is especially helpful given the brisk pace of the premiere episode!).

From oversized googly eyes and twitching, bulging pupils to jagged silhouettes and completely different body types – every design –Brilliantly implemented by Science Saru’s Masamichi Ishiyama– seamlessly reinforces the series’ razor-thin line between horror and slapstick, where every glance thrown can be a threat or a punchline.

What’s more, SandaThe bold use of red, spread across the scenes like a visual siren, enhances its unusual charm and takes the viewer’s eye into a world still full of secrets. As the story delves deeper into Santa’s cursed lineage, wish-fulfillment compulsion, and surreal dream logic, each crimson accent feels like a breadcrumb, guiding us through a holiday dream and a murder mystery that has only just begun to unfold.

Because of course there is a crime story brewing underneath Sandais a clueless premise. If Beasts What it taught fans: Paru loves a good crime novel and scenic long walks through her enchanting, imaginative stories.

But for all its aesthetic excess, Sanda’s ensemble embodies the rough, chaotic charm of classic ragtag anime misfits, such as those in Akira Toriyama’s Dr. Slump or Rumiko Takahashi’s Urusei Yatsura. Based on the few screenings of its premiere, with its selection of quirky “what’s going on?” characters, every kinetic interaction, comedic or menacing, is made to pop with just as much unpredictable delight to match the stunning visuals.

Itagaki may be classified as an eccentric creative manga character, but she doesn’t get enough credit as a deeply funny and emotionally stirring storyteller who knows how to create worlds that tickle your nerves, pierce your heart, and scratch your brain. And Sanda seems poised to reveal its own dark secrets, episode by episode.

It also doesn’t hurt that Science Saru’s adaptation reinforces and inverts this ethos Sanda to a series that feels tailor-made for Adult Swim’s Toonami anime block. It’s refreshingly unorthodox and hilarious, and just unsettling enough to keep viewers tapping their fingers to see what happens next. And if it’s the premiere, viewers are in for a chaotic, captivating ride.

Sanda is streaming on Prime Video.

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