Sanda (manga) narrative location Japan
Sanda (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Paru Itagaki. It has been serialized in Akita Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion since July 2021, with its chapters collected in nine tankōbon volumes as of July 2023. The story takes place in the future, where the birth rate in Japan has been rapidly declining. The main character, Sanda Kazushige, is found to be the descendant of Santa Claus by his classmate, Shiori Fuyumura. Together, they attempt to find Fuyumura's missing classmate, Ono Ichie.Synopsis
Setting
The story is set in Japan in 2080. Affected by the declining birth rate, Japan has implemented a series of control policies for minors, including arranging marriage partners from infancy, not allowing children to sleep to slow down development, and needing to use the toilet separately from adults. Young people's social status is also higher than adults. Santa Claus has been sealed for a long time because of the curse, which makes the society think that Santa Claus has disappeared, and regard Christmas as an ancient custom or fictional legend.Plot
On December 25, when it was snowing, middle school student Sanda Kazushige's body seal was broken by his classmate Fuyumura Shiori, making him look like Santa Claus. Later, Sanda discovers that he can change back into his middle school form by eating jellybeans, or change into Santa form by wearing red. The reason why Fuyumura lifted the seal was that she hoped that Sanda would help find her missing classmate Ono Ichie, and also hoped that he would remind the society of Christmas.