Sanda, a New Santa Claus Anime, Announced By Dandadan Studio

Science Saru has become a noteworthy part of the anime world in recent years. Supplying fans with energetic stories such as Star Wars: Visions, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Devilman Crybaby, the production house has one of the biggest anime arrivals of 2024 on the horizon in Dandadan. Making serious waves at this year’s Anime Expo, the story blending the supernatural with the extraterrestrial is on its way to becoming the anime to beat this year. It appears that Science Saru is about to venture into some holiday territory as the studio has announced that it is working on a Santa Claus anime, Sanda. 

Sanda was originally created by Paru Itagaki, the creator of Beastars which is headed toward its final season that is arriving on Netflix later this year. First arriving in 2021, the series follows a young boy named Sanda who is living in a world that is struggling with a declining birth rate. Now in the sights of a classmate who wants to kill him thanks to a “curse” that he harbors, Sanda goes on a wild adventure as a result. On Sanda’s official website, creator Paru Itagaki stated the following, “I wanted to draw a manga where the characters move dramatically! That’s why I started this manga. That’s why I’m happy that it’s been made into an anime! I’m grateful to my readers and Science SARU.”

Santa Claus Anime is Coming to Town

Along with the confirmation that Science SARU would be bringing the story of Sanda to the small screen, the production house also shared a new visual that highlights what the upcoming anime adaptation will look like. The original manga ended its run earlier this year, so it’s anyone’s guess how many seasons the project will ultimately receive should it be a success. With Science SARU backing up the series, it’s about to be a holly jolly Christmas. 

An official website was created for the upcoming anime series focusing on Kris Kringle and released the following statement, “Itagaki Paru’s latest work, the unique Santa Claus hero action story “SANDA,” which has won numerous awards including the “Manga Taisho 2018” Grand Prize and four major manga awards, has been made into an anime! The animation will be produced by Science SARU, which has worked on notable works such as “Dandadan,” and has attracted a lot of attention not only in Japan but also around the world, such as the Golden Globe nomination for “Inu-oh” and the Shanghai International Film Festival Golden Jubilee Award for Best Animation for “Your Color.”

Want more developments on the anime iteration of Saint Nick? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest on the Science SARU production.