SANDA

Episode 9

The greatest compliment I can give the SANDA anime is that it manages to be interesting and deeply affecting even in its weaker episodes. Episode 9 is another setup episode. Here, SANDA receives a cool-looking power-up, Namatame's sad backstory is revealed before the big confrontation against her and her classroom of murderous misanthropes, and the points of friction in Fuyumura's and Ono's situation have come to a head. While these developments, especially Fuyumura and Ono's growingly tumultuous relationship, are deeply affecting and brilliantly executed, I found myself more excited for the next episode by the time credits rolled than enamored with this one.

SANDA's training with the visibly aged Tetsudome is both striking and reinforces the show's ideas about maturity and what it means to be an adult. Her regaining her youth to drive home the point that she is still a capable person despite her age was both surprising and perfectly acted in both the subbed and dubbed versions of the show. I'm not sure if Masako Nozawa and Barbara Goodson are doing a younger voice for the character in this scene or if they cast new voice actors, but either way, both versions of the character capture how her voice would age over time.

SANDA also learns in this scene that being an adult means navigating where to compromise your values for the sake of a greater good, and I love that the show has been so consistent in its framing of adulthood as equal parts self-sacrifice and the social obligation we hold for other people. That being said, the payoff for this scene is a new transformation for SANDA's Santa Claus persona, and I can't jive with this power-up considering how fast and loose the show has played around with its logic previously.

Tetsudome's backstory, revealing that the adult she killed was her sick mother, was similarly striking, but also felt a bit like padding. I appreciate that SANDA is really driving home how unrealistic beauty standards can drive a person insane, but it feels like the work has already explored this idea with the character of Principal Oshibu. I understand and agree that Tetsudome's character needs to be fleshed out a bit more before her fight with Santa, but this being how we get there feels like a bit of a hat on a hat.

The final act, with Fuyumura and Ono no longer being able to ignore how the two are in wildly different places regarding their sexuality and attraction to each other, is also well executed but feels similarly overwrought. None of the ideas present in this scene are new, and even as Morgan Berry does a great job conveying Fuyumura's desperate need for her to return to her previous relationship with her friend, this doesn't feel like an escalation of previously established story beats. Sure, it's effectively driving the point home, but that point has already been well established, and I'd rather see SANDA trend towards a payoff.

Of course, when a less-than-eventful episode is still this well animated and performed, it's hard for me to be too disappointed. Fingers crossed things liven up in the next episode, though.

Rating:

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As a lapsed Catholic and fan of hot dudes, Lucas DeRuyter was born to review SANDA and similar works. You can get into the holiday spirit with him on his Bluesky account, and read through his naughty and nice list by visiting his portfolio. When he isn't spreading holiday cheer, you can find him contributing to ANN's This Week in Anime column.

SANDA is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.