English Dub Review: Sanda “Cyborg vs. Santa Claus”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Sanda confronts Oshibu before he can harm Fuyumura and Ono, but their battle is interrupted by a surprise guest.

OUR TAKE

On the sixth week of Sanda, my true love gave to me: six organ transplants, five wet dreams, four old man hugs, three detected lies, more supporting cast, and a buff Santa in his undies! We’ve got a Chris Cringle Crackdown as Sanda gets back his Santa powers, which seem to have returned to him by him embracing growing up, allowing him to gain a more complete Santa form that isn’t just undies. He actually looks more like a Santa superhero that kids will be able to look to as someone to rely on, as opposed to the one in briefs who would probably be put on a list to stay far away from kids. It also highlights the contrast between him and Oshibu, someone who is physically in his NINETIES but has used every trick in the book to appear young to the best of his ability and is enraged when anyone reminds him of his actual age. One embraces adulthood and aging and so is given strength, the other runs and hides from it and is made weaker by it. It’s a pretty strong foil that shows clearly how they will have to keep clashing, which we’ll no doubt see more of in the second half of the season.

That said, these rules about the Santa rules are continuing to get kinda goofy and tacked on as they go. Again, I’m not a stickler for realism in the show about a kid turning into Santa Claus, but this new stipulation about Santa Claus getting increased power from children believing in him BUT that showing best by having those children sleep is a bit of a puzzler. I’ve seen and enjoyed Elf with Will Ferrell, so I’m down for when believing in Christmas magic is what powers it, but sleeping in the middle of a fight scene seems a tad impractical and dangerous, especially when children are involved. Maybe they’ll work shop it for later, but we’ll see. We also meet Toyo Tetsudome, Oshibu’s superior and the chief director of the school, who embraces looking like a withering old hag but acts like a kid, which to Sanda seems like the perfect balance of the two. And lastly, Ono is back and safe as a student again, and is eager to pursue things with Fuyumura, though it seems Fuyumura still has Sanda on the brain, which may cause problems later. One fight ends, but another seems to be just beginning.