It has been announced that Toshihiko Seki and Hiroaki Hirata will be appearing as voice actors in the TV anime "SANDA," based on the manga by Paru Itagaki, known for "BEASTARS." Seki will play Hifumi Oshibuchi, the 92-year-old principal of Daikoku Aid Academy, where the main character, Kazushige Mita, attends. He is obsessed with looking young and has undergone repeated plastic surgery on his entire body. Hirata will play Saburo Yagyuuda, the ace of the Red Coat Special Investigation Team, a specialist in capturing Santa Claus.
The theme song artists were also announced, with singer Yama performing the opening theme "Adult Chick Children" and singer-songwriter Soushi Sakiyama performing the ending theme "Diary."
The main visual featuring the main character, Mita, and others has been released. The striking visual features Santa Claus smashing through glass as if to break through a hopeless future, while Daikoku Aid Academy and its principal, Hifumi Oshibu, who is extremely protective and keeps the children under his control, tower in the background. The main promotional video, set in a world where children are thoroughly controlled, also features Santa Claus whose curse is lifted by a wish, and has been released on YouTube.
Seki commented, "Among the works of Itagaki Paru, 'SANDA' is one that I was really interested in. Among the characters that appear in his works, Ooshibu Hifumi has an outstanding personality. I wanted to take on the challenge with a fresh feeling so that I could vividly express his unique existence. Please look forward to it!" In relation to the work, when asked, "What would you like to ask Santa Claus for?", he replied, "If there was a Santa Claus like the one in this work, every Christmas would be exciting (laughs). But if there really was a 'Santa Claus', I would like him to promise us a future where children all over the world could live in peace...maybe?"
Hirata commented, "Although I'm a character who appears midway through the series, I was warmly welcomed and had a great time recording. Recently, there aren't many productions where we go out drinking after filming, but in this production, everyone was a big drinker and I was dragged out until late at night every time. I'm counting on you, Murase!" When asked, "What would you like to ask Santa Claus for?" he said, "I've lived for over 60 years, but I'm still a mass of greed and evil thoughts. I would like to be able to become the kind of person who can say, 'I don't have anything else I want to ask for.'"
Yama commented, "What does it mean to become an adult? Just getting older doesn't necessarily make you an 'adult'. The same is true in reverse; I don't think that being young makes you a child. Carrying pain in secret is weakness, fragility...and struggling with it alone may be a symbol of the clumsiness of not facing reality. I thought there was virtue in continuing to grow older while maintaining that fragility. But over the past few years, I've gradually started to open up to people close to me, and through music."
"The boundary between me and others remains the same, but there is a part of me that I become aware of through my interactions with others. I don't think of myself as an adult, nor do I want to remain a child, but I'm sure people have both traits at any age. I'm not stubborn about either, nor am I good or evil, but I've realized that I want to believe in someone. That also means believing in myself. I'm writing this for anyone else who is in the same boat, torn between the two. I would be happy if it reaches them."
Sakiyama commented, "I felt a deep sympathy for Ichie's inner conflict as she wavers between being an adult and a child, and so I wrote the song. I am repeatedly moved by the sight of Ichie taking action with many voices in her heart, even as there is no right answer and each person's sense of justice clashes. I hope you will enjoy the song along with the anime."
"SANDA" is a manga serialized in "Weekly Shonen Champion" (Akita Shoten) from July 2021 to July 2024. It is a unique "Santa Claus" hero action story set in a near-future Japan where children are overly protected in an era of extremely low birth rates. The anime is directed by Shimoyama Tomohisa, who also directed "Yurei Deco" and "SUPER SHIRO," and produced by Science SARU. Ayumu Murase plays Mita Kazushige, and Tochi Hiroki plays Santa Claus. It will begin airing on October 3rd on the late-night anime slot "Animeism" on MBS, TBS, and other stations.
*Staff (titles omitted)
Director: Tomohisa Shimoyama▽Series composition and script: Kimiko Ueno▽Music: Tomoyuki Tanaka (FPM)▽Character design and chief animation director: Masanobu Ishiyama▽Art director: Hitoshi Higaki▽Color design: Saori Goda▽Director of photography: Hikari Ito▽Editing: Kiyoshi Hirose▽Sound director: Keiichiro Miyoshi▽Animation production: Science SARU
*Cast (titles omitted)
Mita Kazue: Ayumu Murase ▽Santa Claus: Hiroki Tochi▽Fuyumura Shiori: Umeka Shoji▽Ono Ichie: Anna Nagase▽Amaya Isshi: Yuki Shin ▽Fuyu Erhu: Misato Matsuoka ▽Oshibu Hifumi: Toshihiko Seki▽Yagyuda Saburo: Hiroaki Hirata
