Sanda Vol 3 Review
Creator: Paru Itagaki
Letterer: Bensidi Ayoub
Translation: Motoko Tamamuro & Jonathan Clements
Editor: Louis Yamani
Designer: David Colderley
Publisher: Titan Manga
Price: $12.99
Release Date: May 19, 2026
Principal Hifumi Oshibu has a problem. The state has charged
him with safeguarding the children in Daikoku Welfare Academy. In this era of
low birth rates, the government segregates bathrooms according to age. Children
wear unisex school uniforms. And due to the protective drugs coursing through
their bodies, they never sleep.
Yet one of his former students has slept. And after one
night of sleep, Ichie Ono ran away ashamed because she had reached puberty.
Even though she's snuck in occasionally, Hifumi Oshibu tried to hold a funeral
for her. And knowing that Santa Claus is also lurking around his school, he
laid a trap. But Saburo Yagiuda of the Saint Nick Pursuit Unit didn't capture
Santa Claus when he appeared. And before he destroyed the funeral, Santa
appeared as a nude, muscular man reminiscent of a Greek god.
Now, all the children worship Santa Claus as a god, and are
thinking about puberty. Can Saburo Yagiuda capture Santa Claus before Hifumi
Oshibu condemns him to an early death? And what will the government do when
they realize that Hifumi Oshibu has lost control of Daikoku Welfare Academy? Let’s
leap into Sanda Vol 3 and see!
Story
Shiori Fuyumura is regular in her habits. The girl rarely
smiles. She brings explosives to dangerous situations. And Fuyumura does her
laundry at the same time each day. But when Hitoshi Amaya and Kazushige Sanda
wonder why she's taking so long, they discover that Ichie Ono has returned to
the school. And they find Principal Oshibu standing over the girls. Sanda has
had trouble transforming into Santa Claus lately. He has struggled to accept
that he is a child and an adult. Yet when he finds the girls in danger, he
sheds his boy form and becomes Santa Claus, the children's protector.
In Sanda Vol 3, Sanda wants to cling to his childhood. But
just as one night of sleep transformed Ichie Ono, Sanda is growing more
comfortable with life as a grown-up. So far, he has protected his friends with
his imposing size, his impressive musculature, and his explosive
transformations. He has also proven adept at fleeing danger. Yet when Santa
Claus must fight to protect children from danger, he recognizes he needs to
learn how.
In this future of declining birthrates, Japan is trying to
preserve its shrinking population. While the government imposes its ideology on
society, it exerts strict control over the adolescent period of people's lives.
The government recognizes that children are full of energy, creativity, and
enthusiasm for life. Yet they are more prone to act on their anger, or even
kill out of curiosity. Recognizing this, the government protects them by not
punishing them for killing adults. Yet the rules that protect the children from
aging also protect the adults from children with an inclination to kill in
Sanda Vol 3.
Art
Shiori Fuyumura has never felt like she belongs. And unlike
her fellow students, she sleeps every night. Although she towers above them,
her body exhibits no signs of puberty. When she meets Ichie Ono, Fuyumura
recognizes that her friend has grown taller. Yet Paru Itagaki’s art reveals
that Ono has matured in other ways.
Like the Incredible Hulk, Kazushige Sanda’s transformations
into Santa Claus have often ripped his school attire from his body. But when
Sanda rushes to protect Fuyumura and Ono from the Principal, Hitoshi Amaya,
topples a container of tracksuits on Sanda. The red clothing transforms around
his adult body, giving Santa Claus a sporting look with a characteristic red
hood in Sanda Vol 3.
Bensidi Ayoub places dialogue in balloons of varying sizes
and shapes. Dialogue enlarges and emboldens as situations grow fraught, while dotted
lines surround lowered voices. Thoughts fill jagged cloud balloons, shine
inside burning suns, and hover before characters and backgrounds. Sound effects
accompany battles, bodily enhancements, and Niko Kazao teaching Sanda to see
women in their proper light. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Do we improve with age? Or, despite increases in physical
strength, do the traumas we experience as we age weaken us? Principal Hifumi
Oshibu believes that children represent the epicenter of Human evolution. So
while he tries to preserve them in their state of perfection, he sacrifices his
Humanity to maintain the illusion of youth in Sanda Vol 3.
Rating 9.4/10
To look inside see my preview of Sanda Vol 3.
For what happened last time, see my review of Sanda Vol 2.
For how this series began, see my review of Sanda Vol 1.
