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Oct 3, 10:22 AM
#1

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Nov 2011
130765
Loved the art style for this and you can tell the character designs resembles their previous work, Beastars.

Episode takes place over Christmas but it's anything but fun and joy for Shiori. I think this episode/show wants to evoke feelings with a darker and mature tone. VA did a wonderful job at showing those emotions. And getting stabbed like that really gives the ominous tone of the show so far. Shiori could be a complex character so I'd like to see character development from him this season.
Oct 3, 10:23 AM
#2

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Jul 2017
16882
Science SARU may be done with Dandadan for now, but another banger is around the corner: Beastars mangaka Paru Itagaki's completed series of Sanda!

yama's OP, as much as her voice has become prominent these days, this is a good OP all things considered, stylistic just like all Science SARU shows.


2nd year middle school student Sanda Kazushige's introduction of being targeted by his classmate of Shiori Fuyumura with a kitchen knife, any and all thoughts of his flow stem from puberty alright, thinking that the latter is into him. However, it's the spirit of their classmate of Ichie Ono who died 6 months ago, that gives part of this plot away, and the realization of abnormal pain on a snowy Christmas day, plus her spouting nonsense that he's Santa Claus's descendant that he did not wear their school's red jersey, the curse within his heart, both out of adolescence and growing puberty, becomes a striking point for Fuyumura to kill Sanda regardless on the hopes to find her good friend and give her a present. And sure, the family curse transforming Sanda into a burly old man, who can finally make her wish come true, is this instinct, or making a child happy?

But Sanda being yet the blurry old man, who, thanks to the Bratty Beans gummies he consumed when he was young, turning him back to normal, he's got a lot of things to contend for with this new realization. However, that's not the end of Shiori's claims, as she attempts to put him to the test by already having planted a bomb within the school's science lab as ther temporary classroom, seeing how he would react. Fake or not, Sanda has to take her word literally and think like Santa Claus...to force a kidnapping of Fuyumura on-site, which true to her words, she's a mature terrorist who still thinks of Ono. And when Sanda could not stop the bomb on time, it's more than just the colour red and the gummies that define Sanda, but he's also immune to fire as well.

Soushi Sakiyama's ED is simply good, vibes and all.

Yeap, this is giving Undead Unluck vibes alright, and I love that show from 2 Falls ago. Hopefully this does the same!
KANLen09Oct 3, 9:09 PM
Oct 3, 10:24 AM
#3

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Dec 2021
3672
Halloween is basically an irrelevant holiday. Let’s be real, once October hits there’s only one thing on our minds: Christmas. It’s never too early to get into the spirit right? And what better way of getting into that spirit... by killing your best friend? Yeah... maybe not. We might need to rethink that part, but that’s pretty much the gist here. Oh, and did I mention our main guy literally turns into SANTA FUCKING CLAUS after dying? Yeah... LOLLLL.

Honestly, only the mind behind Beastars could come up with something this wild. It’s a bit more toned down, sure, but still completely out of left field lmao. At least she went a bit realistic with the whole “Japan’s kid population isn’t exactly booming” thing. Gotta protect the little ones, so maybe let’s not stab each other from now on, okay ;)

Anyway, SARU absolutely knocked it out of the park here. They’re the main reason to watch, and honestly that’s more than enough. This already feels even more ambitious than Dandadan when stacked against their other shounen work. That Yooto(?) cut at the end was fucking mad.

Fun premiere overall, really excited for more.
Oct 3, 11:05 AM
#4
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Jan 2020
852
Interesting story and a different art style than usual, I'll watch any anime that Science Saru produces these days.
Oct 3, 11:51 AM
#5
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May 2021
3223
Start was alright and weird. Not expecting any great arcs from it, let's see how it goes
Oct 3, 12:11 PM
#6
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Sep 2015
8516
From the same creator as Beastars so it's not gonna be a conventional anime. Due to the nature of the story, this can only be aired in Fall-Winter season.

Talking about season, I love how I just can't assume this is a normal world. When Ono said Japan used to have 4 seasons I'm like "wait, so now it only has snow season?"

I could write a whole thesis on why I want to lick Santa's muscle, but Sanda is cute too. Any lucky one that get to married him will be in a "buy one get two" situation, I'm so envious!

Muscles are very hard to animated hand-drawn, but somehow Science Saru perfectly animate it without using 3D model technique, this is groundbreaking!
Oct 3, 12:26 PM
#7

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Jul 2016
3668
The Christmas man metamorphosis truly is the best kind of magical girl transformation.

Santa having innate fire resistance from the whole down the chimney thing is a concept I love way more than what's rational. Hope there's a sleigh or reindeer summoning ability tucked away.
Oct 3, 12:27 PM
#8

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Nov 2020
763
Amazing first episode!!❀️‍πŸ”₯🀩

Loving the character designs and the art style. Science Saru went full out with the animation.

After Dandadan last season, we got another peak 'Sanda' this season from Science Saru βœ¨πŸ’–πŸ’–

The plot is something fresh and the op by Yama is a banger πŸ’―β€οΈβ€οΈ

looking forward to the upcoming episodes..
Niwaka-SamuraiOct 3, 1:54 PM
Oct 3, 1:07 PM
#9

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Mar 2023
837
So Santa Clause teams up with the school terrorist
Oct 3, 1:18 PM
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Sep 2022
793
Just want to have a moment of silence for this poor anime falling victim to amazon prime πŸ˜”πŸ™
Oct 3, 1:21 PM

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Apr 2014
48
Wanted to give it a chance because Science Saru but uhhhh I think not. Too absurd for me (and the art style is painful) so dropping now

[Artist] • [Streamer] • [Writer]
Seasonal Anime Watcher!
Oct 3, 1:43 PM

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May 2018
12403
OK, I agree, this show is totally insane.
Now can we have more of it, please?

Niwaka-Samurai said:
Amazing pilot episode!

Is it really a pilot episode tho?
And no, not every first episode of a show is its pilot.
alshuOct 3, 1:50 PM
Oct 3, 2:12 PM
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May 2020
992
Ok this might be AOTY! Holy Transmutation Science Saru does it again with gusto! Ho Ho Ho!
Oct 3, 2:43 PM

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Feb 2017
2373
The premise and every single plot beat was ridiculous but seems like it'll be a fun time. Looks great visually too. Really like how they translated the kinda strange looking character designs from the manga to the anime. Especially like Fuyumura's design, love an androgynous weird freak girl.
Oct 3, 3:08 PM

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Jun 2012
735
buff uncle in his underwear
Oct 3, 3:10 PM

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May 2015
3196
This premiere was absolutely wild, but I can say that it was peak. The art style gives me a Tim Burton vibe if it was anime which is really cool.

Sanda's ability to misinterpret a situation is so magical it has to be Santa's instincts. Shiori's looking to be relentless FL in her goal of getting him to rescue Ichie. Stabbing your classmate and strapping a bomb to yourself is extremely gutsy.

I am looking forward to watching more over this fall season!
Oct 3, 3:21 PM
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Jun 2024
248
Mr_Sai said:
Just want to have a moment of silence for this poor anime falling victim to amazon prime πŸ˜”πŸ™

why is that a problem?
Oct 3, 3:26 PM
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Sep 2022
793
godzilla9637 said:
Mr_Sai said:
Just want to have a moment of silence for this poor anime falling victim to amazon prime πŸ˜”πŸ™

why is that a problem?

because if its not on crunchyroll and netflix then it will get forgotten very quick and left to rot
literally Nobody unironically watches anime on amazon prime Disney+ hulu and HBO max
People have been asking for panty and stocking to return for 15 years and when it did finally come out Nobody was talking about it because its on amazon prime
we got a spiritual successor to nichijou with CITY but Nobody talks about it because its on amazon prime

also dont use the "just pirate it" argument because the numbers dont lie that half of anime watcher are on netflix
Oct 3, 4:20 PM
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May 2022
576
art style felt fresh. very random but like silly anime in my diet
Oct 3, 4:27 PM

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Apr 2015
758
This was a really fun first episode, loved the character interactions. No idea how the story can go from here.
Oct 3, 4:34 PM

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Apr 2016
1288
Paru Itagaki's new series! I haven't read the manga so I have no idea what to expect
It's definitely really unique so far and definitely feels like Paru's style which I love, plus the production quality is amazing, I'm definitely looking forward to more of this one!
Oct 3, 5:02 PM

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Oct 2017
30244
Science saru and itagaki paru is the perfect combo.
Oct 3, 5:07 PM
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Oct 2020
4772
I feel like this should've aired in the winter season instead. I epected a wild first ep from Science Saru but holy wtf Santa? I mean Sanda?
Oct 3, 5:53 PM
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Dec 2024
976
Usually I'd say what a weird show but it's science SARU so it's a given lol
Oct 3, 6:11 PM
Deadhead

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Dec 2018
5341
Well it feels wrong watching a Christmas themed show in the spooky season, but I can’t deny how good it was lol, and hey it’ll hit even better once December rolls around so there’s that too. But man this is such a weird one tho, our boy Sanda becomes a ripped Santa when putting on something red, and that includes bleeding on a white shirt after getting stabbed lol, ngl I was kinda pissed at Fuyumura at first for going that far but turns out she was actually right and brought out Sanda’s power, also her reasoning hadn’t been revealed yet and that also made it more understandable. But it’s definitely clear this girl is unhinged af, like she actually strapped a bomb to herself to test out Sanda’s capabilities, that’s insane lol, but I can’t help but like her despite her wild tendencies.

I also want to mention the world is pretty interesting here, so seasons are a thing of the past and so is Christmas, maybe we’ll get some answers on how this happened later, for now tho it just adds more weirdness to the already absurd plot. And of course I can’t forget to mention this is a Science SARU production, I’m a bit surprised to see something from them right after Dandadan Season 2 but they were part of the draw for me to watch this, and it’s safe to say this is in good hands because the show is quite beautiful, I also really like the unique art style, and finding out this is by the mangaka of Beastars (which I need to watch), it’s interesting to see how they draw human characters, it’s a good style. Looks like this is gonna be quite the ride tho, I’m gonna be strapping myself in for this one!

And that OP and ED are an incredibly good pair, another great yama jam and Soushi Sakiyama is another case of “oops, all bangers”, I really loved the ED visuals too, that art is fantastic.
TheColonel76Oct 3, 6:19 PM
Oct 3, 6:45 PM
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Jul 2015
154
Well that was incredible, undeniably, unbelievably stupid, and I for one cannot wait to watch more of it
Oct 3, 6:46 PM
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Jul 2015
154
Reply to Mr_Sai
godzilla9637 said:
Mr_Sai said:
Just want to have a moment of silence for this poor anime falling victim to amazon prime πŸ˜”πŸ™

why is that a problem?

because if its not on crunchyroll and netflix then it will get forgotten very quick and left to rot
literally Nobody unironically watches anime on amazon prime Disney+ hulu and HBO max
People have been asking for panty and stocking to return for 15 years and when it did finally come out Nobody was talking about it because its on amazon prime
we got a spiritual successor to nichijou with CITY but Nobody talks about it because its on amazon prime

also dont use the "just pirate it" argument because the numbers dont lie that half of anime watcher are on netflix
@Mr_Sai I also love lying. And making things up.
Oct 3, 7:09 PM
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Apr 2023
29
damnnn, what a great episode. Strong kanada/trigger animation style!! Science Saru never disappoints
Oct 3, 7:19 PM

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Apr 2022
7914
not really a fan of itagaki's artstyle but the animation goes hard as expected so i'll stick around for that at the very least.
Oct 3, 7:34 PM
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Jul 2022
8
my only comment is... what?
Oct 3, 7:55 PM
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Feb 2020
247
now that was a great introduction to the story

it was so enjoying i started to feel this ep was 10 mins not 20, it was so fast, the characters are so good like sanda and fuyumura

the story is also interesting, looks like fuyumura's friend is killed as the police says but fuyumura says no way she's dead, and discovered sanda's secret ( that he can transform to Santa Claus ) and he will start to help her find her friend

the draw style is kind new and strange but I like it feels unique, the animation is so good and that's what we are used to from the studio that made dandadan

5 / 5 really enjoyed it and i wish that it continue with this level of enjoyment
Oct 3, 9:01 PM
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Sep 2025
4
so this is the sequel to santa's fairy tales
Oct 3, 9:23 PM
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Jun 2025
66
Reply to chekkit
Wanted to give it a chance because Science Saru but uhhhh I think not. Too absurd for me (and the art style is painful) so dropping now
@chekkit ¿?...........
Oct 3, 9:26 PM

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Feb 2025
507
My goats science saru at it again πŸ™πŸ™πŸ™
Oct 3, 9:55 PM

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Aug 2020
101
Reply to Mr_Sai
godzilla9637 said:
Mr_Sai said:
Just want to have a moment of silence for this poor anime falling victim to amazon prime πŸ˜”πŸ™

why is that a problem?

because if its not on crunchyroll and netflix then it will get forgotten very quick and left to rot
literally Nobody unironically watches anime on amazon prime Disney+ hulu and HBO max
People have been asking for panty and stocking to return for 15 years and when it did finally come out Nobody was talking about it because its on amazon prime
we got a spiritual successor to nichijou with CITY but Nobody talks about it because its on amazon prime

also dont use the "just pirate it" argument because the numbers dont lie that half of anime watcher are on netflix
Mr_Sai said:
we got a spiritual successor to nichijou with CITY but Nobody talks about it because its on amazon prime

nobody talks about it because it's poorly done (as far as i can tell from the first episode after which i paused the watching)
Oct 3, 10:02 PM
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Oct 2020
185
watsym said:
So Santa Clause teams up with the school terrorist

Excellent synopsis.
Oct 3, 10:07 PM
Offline
Oct 2020
185
Mr_Sai said:
godzilla9637 said:

why is that a problem?

because if its not on crunchyroll and netflix then it will get forgotten very quick and left to rot
literally Nobody unironically watches anime on amazon prime Disney+ hulu and HBO max
People have been asking for panty and stocking to return for 15 years and when it did finally come out Nobody was talking about it because its on amazon prime
we got a spiritual successor to nichijou with CITY but Nobody talks about it because its on amazon prime

also dont use the "just pirate it" argument because the numbers dont lie that half of anime watcher are on netflix

The host is irrelevant to me, no matter which one it starts with, it always spreads.

Yar-har, fiddle-dee-dee
Being a pirate is alright to be
Do what you want 'cause a pirate is free
🫑🏴‍☠️
Oct 3, 10:21 PM
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May 2022
23
This is so different , i actually love it a lot ,such a vibe with amazing animation
Oct 3, 10:32 PM
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Feb 2021
105
What the fuck am I watching LMAO 🀣
Fuyumura is way beyond the 5 stages of grief and is now a fucking sociopath lol, she's like "oh you won't wear the red jacket? well I can stab you and make your white shirt red", and then the bomb stuff too, holyshit she's a menace
The Santa stuff is really interesting, Sanda tried to conceal it bcs he considered it a family curse, but deep down there's still the instinct to protect children and grants their wishes, the henshin mechanic with red jacket and bratty beans, and immunity to fire bcs of chimneys lol
So far it's absurdly fun but idk if it will last for me, also not really a fan of the artstyle, though that fire scene at the end is crazy good
Oct 3, 10:38 PM

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Jan 2022
276
the manga has a low score, is that something to worry about?
γƒ˜γƒ«γ‚½γƒ³
Oct 3, 10:46 PM
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Oct 2017
328


subtle foreshadowing of some side character πŸ‘€

I gotta say, kinda fast pace for me to enjoy whatever is happening. doesn't really speak to me, the girl is a psychopath and the guy is a simp. it confused me that sanda was competent enough to lie in monologue and dialogue that it isn't a split personality, it's both sanda, he just doesn't know how to turn the "curse" on and off.

too early to judge but animation was very on point, especially yooto's part. loved him in YAIBA
Oct 3, 11:21 PM
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Oct 2024
1308
This was insane and I love this anime so far!!
Oct 3, 11:23 PM
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Jun 2021
39
"I can hear them, the jingle bells of liberation"
Oct 4, 12:38 AM

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Jun 2023
784
what the hell did i just watch xd
Oct 4, 1:05 AM

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Aug 2020
7996
interesting first episode

she was ready to almost kill him...
PLEASE STOP RATING!!!

less than 4 means that you don't know how to judge Anime / Manga!!!

best recom on https://www.instagram.com/otakuweek?igsh=em5kY3Q4NTVtNXlh

or Discord https://discord.gg/vbZrk64uH7

Oct 4, 1:33 AM

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Mar 2021
3398
Science Saru with another banger
Oct 4, 1:34 AM
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Oct 2019
4653
This is not for me.
Oct 4, 1:53 AM

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Aug 2023
101
Looks like we are having another crazy and absurd Science Saru anime this season, and it looks pretty promising so far!πŸ’―
Oct 4, 2:23 AM
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Nov 2018
292
This could be hilarious but they missed the chance. It was cringe instead. And the art is just meh.
Oct 4, 2:32 AM

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May 2021
1015
This is pretty unhinged, I like it XD
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