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Sanda Anime Reveals New Promo Video, October 3 Debut, World Premiere at Anime Expo

The staff of television anime of Paru Itagaki's SANDA manga revealed on Friday the show's October 3 debut, world premiere at Anime Expo, second teaser promotional video, and more cast.

Anime Expo will host a world premiere event on July 4. Manga creator Paru Itagaki, director Tomohisa Shimoyama, and Science SARU producer Kōhei Sakita will attend the premiere. The event will include a live drawing session by Itagaki and a screening of the first episode.

The anime will star (including previously announced cast members):

• Ayumu Murase as Kazushige Sanda
• Hiroki Tōchi as Santa Claus
• Umeka Shōji as Shiori Fuyumura
• Anna Nagase as Ichie Ono
• Yūki Shin as Hitoshi Amaya
• Misato Matsuoka as Nico Kazao

The anime will debut on October 3 and will air in the "Animeism" programming block on TBS, MBS, and BS-TBS.

Tomohisa Shimoyama (Yurei Deco, Super Shiro) is directing the anime at Science SARU, and Kimiko Ueno (Delicious in Dungeon, Ranma 1/2) is supervising and writing the series scripts. Masamichi Ishiyama (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off) serves as the character designer and chief animation director, and FPM's Tomoyuki Tanaka (Superflat Monogram) is composing the music for an animated series for the first time.

Titan Manga will release the manga in English starting in September, and it describes the manga:

In a near-future Japan, Christmas has faded into myth, and the birth rate has dropped so dramatically that children are now the most precious commodity. Society has artificially extended adolescence to preserve their youth, and traditional holidays, like Christmas, are a mere legend of the past.

Volume 1 of SANDA introduces Sanda Kazushige, a middle-school student who unexpectedly becomes entangled in a strange and dangerous mystery. When his classmate, Fuyumura Shiori, accuses him of carrying a curse that could help find her missing friend, Ono Ichie, Sanda's life takes a dramatic turn. Together, they embark on an incredible adventure to unravel the truth behind Ichie's disappearance and uncover the hidden magic of Christmas itself.

As they delve deeper into the mystery, the duo faces external threats and internal challenges—questions about loyalty, courage, and the power of belief. Along the way, they confront the true meaning of friendship, trust, and the possibility of magic in a world that has all but forgotten it.

Itagaki (BEASTARS) launched the manga in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine in July 2021, and the series ended in July 2024. The 16th and final volume shipped in Japan on October 8.

Source: Press release