Sanda
SANDA
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
Synopsis
In a future where children are few and regarded as Japan's most valuable assets, Christmas has become a mere legend of the past. For the students of Daikoku Welfare Academy—a boarding school where they are educated, protected, and monitored—the mythical Santa Claus is a forgotten character of fiction. For the adults, Santa Claus is a very real menace that needs to be neutralized by the Saint Nick Pursuit Unit in case he makes an appearance. Shiori Fuyumura, a student of Daikoku Welfare Academy, is determined to find her best friend, Ichie Ono, who has been declared dead after being missing for six months. One morning, Fuyumura summons her fellow class representative, Kazushige Sanda, only to attack the unknowing boy. She is convinced that Sanda is the descendant of the infamous Santa Claus—the only person who can make her wish of finding Ono come true—and is determined to force out his dormant true self by any means necessary.
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 49 sampled reviews
What 49 viewers settled on.
Polarized
σ 2.07 · split reception
5.3 pts
Recommenders 8.5 · others 3.2
↓ 0.55
Running avg · Oct 2025 → Apr 2026
- 10 “The best way I can describe this is a coming of age story in a very delusional world that sees childhood as the best years of peoples lives :3 I love the idea of becoming a role model and growing...”
- 10 “Sanda is about a 14 years old that can turn into santa claus in a distopian world where children cannot be children. Can you grow up under control ? What does it mean to be an adult, to be a child,...”
- 9 “really great!! sanda is like a breath of fresh air honestly. i would mainly recommend watching it since i did try reading it but it didnt hit the same (sciencesaru once again doing the manga they...”
Watch Order & Related
Explore the Sanda universe
Cast
See all →Trailers & videos
See all →Gallery
See all →If you stay for this, you'll stay for these
See all →The community pairs this with
See all →Made by
See all credits →Production slate
- Format 12 × 24′ eps × min
- Total runtime 4h 48m all episodes
- Aired Oct 2025 – Dec 2025 Fall 2025
- Source Tv media type
- Rated R 17+ (violence & profanity)
- Ref. BS-26840 catalog
Produced by
- Dentsu Producer
- Mainichi Broadcasting System Producer
- Tohokushinsha Film Corporation Producer
- Akita Shoten Producer