Sanda's story is very much a unique and interestingly fun take on a typical 'coming of age' narrative where the setting itself takes place in a strangly skewed world and Japanese society where its cold in August and Christmas doesn't even exist, there also happens to be a age hierarchy which relies on a fear and trepidation of aging past your childhood (Ageism / Gerontophobia). By placing → using youth on a pedestal, every child and adult in this show must find their place within the very weight of this society while confronting its systematic issues and their own as a result of the trauma, cracks and confusion withstood with the different implications of such upon them, including Sanda and his unique circumstance while being suddenly relied on. As a result you have satisfying intermixing between the world and its cast when it all comes together.
Properness toward some of the main topics in this show is just a bit rare in anime, but it’s always fascinating to see. When an author like Paru Itagaki approaches these topics with such intricacy and paces itself well, it just happens to make perfect sense to the audience and their writing remains clear and intentional while achieving a well established level of nuance even when in the end its a story about Santa Claus at its center.
▶ VideoAlmost every scene is in constant motion featuring detailed and specific character expressions that shift the tone and heighten immersion. The show places a high importance on saturated foreground colors for characters and objects contrasted against somewhat less saturated, well detailed institutional backgrounds with anything different standing out a lot more. This technique makes everything pop perfectly cementing the sharp, cartoonish look of the cast while maintaining a sense of realism you wouldn't expect to blend.
▶ VideoAll the sound by Keiichirou Miyoshi is very punchy and crisp while the music by Tomoyuki Tanaka will very much switch from more chill electronic music all the way to distorted Christmas hymns and instrumentals with a decent variety of OSTS that are good listens, but too often the placement of songs were weird to me sometimes breaking focus and tension. All the voice cast members are great especially Umeka Shouji or Mariya Ise who both did a rather amazing job with their role as Shiori Fuyumura and Fumi all throughout this.
STORY - 9.5/10
VISUALS - 10/10
SOUND & MUSIC - 8.5
If you want a show that’s new and different to binge or if you're a fan of the author’s other animated works, Sanda is honestly worth your time. It consistently pushes boundaries with a thrilling sense of unpredictability, great animation with unique visuals and really good music to compliment a great experience that will constantly continue toward likely intriguing you doing its best to stay strange yet engaging.
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