© Paru Itagaki (AKITASHOTEN) /SANDA Project

Now we’re talking! After two episodes that largely felt like set-up, SANDA’s tenth episode is once again going full tilt into the sociopolitical commentary and madcap plot developments that make the show so good. While a big part of its effectiveness is how the audience is put through the uncomfortable minutiae of being a young person in a world where that existence is even more scrutinized, it’s amazing to see this anxious stew begin to boil over.

Grounding the episode in Yagiuda’s floundered childhood and his current attempts to make up for it reminds the audience from minute one that SANDA is, ultimately, a story about a bunch of young people navigating their youth and trying to grow into the best versions of themselves. Everything is so big in SANDA because navigating conflict, relationships, forming an identity, and finding our limits are all things that feel world shattering when you’re a young person exploring these things for the first time. This was easily felt in SANDA and Nico’s time together at the festival that serves as the backdrop for this episode.

SANDA navigating his first kiss was a great encapsulation of how this show so keenly explores the emotionality of being an adolescent. Supposedly, Santa isn’t supposed to fall in love and doing so will make his heart explode. This, apparently bogus, bit of mythos serves as a great means for SANDA to learn that a big part of being a more complete person is learning what you want for yourself and from other people, and accepting that it’s okay to be selfish. The execution of this scene, with it being a complete surprise to both the viewer and SANDA and the juxtaposition between SANDA experiencing this as himself and his idealized version of adulthood in Santa Claus, was also incredible. Everything about this scene was striking and captured the feeling of those identity shifting moments that define young adulthood.

The beginning parts of SANDA’s encounter with Namatame and the other murderous students is also as fun as it is inspired. SANDA’s refusal to actually fight these children and instead hug them into submission is both a really entertaining development, and one that cuts to the show’s core ideals on adulthood. By refusing to attack and enduring theirs, SANDA is engaging with this fraught situation on his own terms and striking a balance between what he has to do and the morally correct thing to do. This is one of the biggest struggles most people face in their adulthood and this is a ridiculous and entertaining way to literalize this struggle.

While only featured briefly in this episode, I once again want to shout out the vocal performance of Morgan Berry as Fuyumura. The way Berry brings anxiety and indecision into a cool character like Fuyumura through voice cracks and more panicked exclamations is both striking, and helps drive home how Fuyumura and Ono are growing further apart. Even if the past few episodes of SANDA were perfectly enjoyable, it’s great to see the most audacious show of the season firing on all cylinders again.

**Rating: **

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. *