The world premiere of SANDA, the upcoming TV anime based on Paru Itagaki’s manga, drew an enthusiastic crowd during a special panel at Anime Expo in Los Angeles. The event featured the creator herself, Paru Itagaki (BEASTARS), Director Toshinori Shimoyama, and Producer Kohei Sakita. Though lead voice actor Ayumu Murase (Kazushige Sanda) could not attend, he greeted fans with a pre-recorded video message, wishing everyone a “blessed” time at AX.

Set in a dystopian near-future Japan where birth rates have plummeted, SANDA tells the story of a teenage boy who discovers he is a descendant of Santa Claus and must take up the mantle to protect children in a society where they’ve become a minority. According to Itagaki, this is her first series featuring human characters, making the experience of seeing her work animated especially meaningful.

“This was actually the first time I saw the episode,” Itagaki admitted during the panel. “It was really fun to see this strange little story come alive with so much action.” She humorously noted that scenes she had once drawn with seriousness now looked “a bit ridiculous” in animated motion, which drew laughter and cheers from the audience.

Live Commentary

Following the screening, Director Shimoyama and Producer Sakita provided live commentary on several key scenes, including the transformation scene and an explosive classroom sequence. Shimoyama described the challenge of adapting the manga’s static visuals into fluid animation, particularly when handling action sequences and the symbolic use of the color red.

Paru Itagaki shared that while drawing the manga, she imagined the scenes in a very grounded way, but seeing them animated, especially with dramatic camera spins and vivid effects, gave them a new, exaggerated life. “It’s wonderful and so much more than I had ever imagined,” she said of the explosion scene, noting how color elevated the original black and white panel work.

Q&A

During the Q&A portion, fans asked about the anime’s moody tone and where the team drew its stylistic inspiration. Shimoyama mentioned that in addition to the manga, the team took cues from post-war Japanese school settings, specifically referencing the Showa era for emotional weight and setting.

Itagaki cited The Wolfman, starring Benicio del Toro, as one influence behind SANDA’s dark yet dramatic atmosphere, especially in how horror and transformation are handled. “It’s pretty simple,” she added with a smile, “but I might have had a little crush on Santa Claus as a child.”

When asked about how the characters’ mannerisms were animated, the production team revealed they often acted out the scenes themselves, recording reference videos to guide the animators. “Whenever I draw Sanda, I make a macho pose,” said Shimoyama, drawing laughter from the crowd.

The panel also touched on the animation process, including the challenge of preserving Itagaki’s signature art style. This was especially important to her, as this marked the first time another artist adapted her hand-drawn characters into motion. “It was really heartwarming to see how closely they followed my style,” she said.

Live Drawing

In a special segment, Paru Itagaki performed a live drawing on stage, sketching a younger version of Sanda. As she inked the artwork, she shared insights into her creative process, like how she finds the most joy in putting finishing touches on a drawing, and that she uses both traditional and digital methods. While characters and foregrounds are done by hand, backgrounds and tones are often completed digitally with the help of staff.

Unfortunately, due to the LA air, Itagaki couldn’t complete the tone work on the drawing live, but the resulting piece still drew applause. “I always focus on the eyes,” she shared. “They have to show strength.”

The panel wrapped with a commemorative group photo featuring the creators and the entire audience holding up SANDA-branded towels. Despite a few technical hiccups, the energy in the room remained high throughout the event, and SANDA had just made a strong debut.

The anime is slated to air this October.