©板垣巴留（秋田書店）／SANDA製作委員会The opening and ending animations of Santa Claus action anime SANDA have been unveiled on its YouTube channel ahead of the series’ October 3 JST premiere.
The opening animation is storyboarded by Abel Góngora, who previously oversaw DAN DA DAN Season 1’s opening and directed the Scott Pilgrim Takes Off series (Góngora co-directed DAN DA DAN Season 2 as well). It features a limited color palette focusing on a striking combination of red, white, and black (or various shades thereof) and presents a textured aesthetic to the illustrations.
The ending animation showcases illustrations and color scripts by Sophie Li, who also worked on the color scripts for DAN DA DAN. This section offers a series of poignant scenes of daily life, marked by quieter and more diverse colors compared to the opening.
The opening theme is yama‘s “Adultic Children,” while the closing theme is Soshi Sakiyama‘s “Diary.”
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SANDA is adapted from the manga by Beastar‘s Paru Itagaki, which began serialization in Akita Shoten’s Weekly Shonen Champion in 2021 and published its 16th and concluding volume in October 2024. Prime Video holds exclusive global streaming rights and describes the storyline as follows:
In a near-future Japan characterized by ultra-low birthrates, children are cherished yet monitored. Santa is deemed dangerous and is banned. On a snowy December 25th, middle-schooler Kazushige Sanda, a descendant of Santa, is approached by classmate Fuyumura who asks him to locate her missing friend, Ono. “Santa, please find my friend.” To shield children from adults, Sanda resolves to become Santa and confront the adults.
Titan Books initiated the English publication of the manga earlier this month.
Staff
• Director: Tomohisa Shimoyama (Yurei Deco)
• Series composer and scriptwriter: Kimiko Ueno (Ranma ½ remake series composer and co-scriptwriter)
• Character designer and chief animation director: Masamichi Ishiyama (Yurei Deco Episode 9, 10, and 12 sub-character designer)
• Animation production: Science SARU
Cast
• Ayumu Murase as Sanda
• Hiroki Tochi as Santa Claus
• Umeka Shoji as Shiori Fuyumura
• Anna Nagase as Ono
• Yuki Shin as Hitoshi Amaya
• Misato Matsuoka as Niko Kazao
• Toshihiko Seki as Hifumi Oshibu
• Hiroaki Hirata as Saburo Yagiuda
Source: SANDA anime YouTube channel
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