Sanda Series 1

Back when Sanda made its debut on Amazon Prime, I recognised a potential hit, giving it the First Thoughts treatment and noting some stylistic similarities to Tim Burton's gothic works via the series' stylish character designs and quirky sense of humour. So the question is - did it live up to expectations?

Well, let's start by covering the premise - in a world with a low birthrate, the county;s youth is it's greatest treasure. Such is the prominence given to children that they are placed in an institution and coveted - sleep is limited to slow down ageing, crimes against adults, even murder, is considered a minor reprimand offence at best and futures are mapped via arranged marriages. It's a fascinating concept, especially given the cratering populations of many countries across the globe, Japan and the UK among them. 

The friendship between Fuyumura (right) and Ono drives the narrative.

The concept of Santa Claus, a hero of children everywhere, has almost faded out of memory, but one child still believes - the tomboyish Shiori Fuyumura has lost her best friend, Ichie Ono, and through her research deduces that fortune has seen fit for her to share a class with Kazushige Sanda, a descendent of Santa Claus who's power can be activated by making Sanda wear red. Of course, the easiest way to achieve that is to knife him and have the dormant power that runs through his veins activated by covering him in his own blood. This all takes place in the opening minutes of episode 1. 

From here, more classmates are drawn in and we get our group of school-aged misfits fighting the shady powers of the institution that houses them - it's all a bit Buffy the Vampire Slayer in terms of a "scooby-gang" construction, but it works as the show makes each member someone worth watching. They even end up with an older mentor figure in Saburo Yagiuda who, while initially sent to execute Santa Claus, becomes protective of the young man when he realises how alike they are.

What makes Sanda a fascinating show is not the insane fights with a buff Santa Claus (though there are many of these) or the stylish animation, but instead the human drama of children who are deified by crazy faculty (embodied by a ghoulish headmaster Hifumi Oshibu), the bizarre rules on their upbringing and the instilled fear of becoming an adult - seeing this world through the eyes of children warped by social modelling is just mesmerising. It's also heartbreaking, as they have no real freedom, their school surroundings little more than a farm where their entire lives are mapped out by the state.

Initially more of an antagonist, Niko soon becomes a compelling and sympathetic character.

While Sanda is a perfectly able leading character, struggling with his curse and taking responsibility for the welfare of children around him, as any Santa must, it's the supporting cast that really stand out. Take Niko Kazao, Sanda's thrill-seeking and wild fiance, who wants to experience all she can before the weight of adulthood lands upon her. Any other anime would just make a joke of her, the tsundere girl forced into a pairing with Sanda who makes his life hell while he longs for Fuyumura, but instead we see Niko mature into a fully-rounded character. Initially not caring if Sanda's heart wanders so long as they're married in the end, she begins to develop genuine feelings for Sanda and starts to mature because of it. Far from a comedy nut-job, she's finds her heart beating for the brave but suddenly elusive Sanda, the boy she always took for granted now moving away from her. The relationship between the two is a genuine hook that, from her appearance in episode 5, became the main focus of the show for me.

Likewise Fuyumumura also starts to understand her true feelings toward Ono and why she's so driven to find her friend. It's all beautifully constructed and played out, the wacky hi-jinx taking a backseat to genuine human drama.

Fumi Namatame is delightfully nuts.

Any good vs evil show is only as good as its villain, and Oshibu is an absolute delight. He's voiced wonderfully in the English dub by Lucien Dodge, a smarmy, superior narcissist who is obsessed with his own youth, having undergone so many surgeries he's left with a rictus grin and many scars that appear when he's stressed, only his hands give away his true age. Powerful, charming and contemptable, he makes a wonderful foil for Santa, who for all his awesome power, struggles to match the experience of this powerful old man. Likewise, his pawn, Fumi Namatame, the young girl of class 10 that's intent on murdering Sanda, has far more about her than just being an evil hit-girl. Full credit to the author for making her every bit as pitiable as the rest of the cast.

Hifumi Oshibu - what a magnificent bastard!

I won't spoil more - this is a distinctive anime for all the right reasons. It's been touted as a competitor to DanDaDan for wacky action, but I don't think they're running the same race. Yes, they're both offbeat, but deal with very different situations and operate on different planes stylistically. What they do well is compliment each other - safe to say that if you enjoy one, you'll find much to enjoy in the other. 

I had an absolute ball with Sanda - I wasn't sure after the first episode because the premise was so abstract, but once I settled in, it became a must-watch on each day of release. Series one feels like the end of an arc rather than series - it's downbeat but also sets up each of the relationships to advance beyond the tragic ending for one of the characters.