Comics Beat had the chance to attend the SANDA panel at Anime Expo 2025. Based on the manga by Beastars creator Paru Itagaki, SANDA is being animated by Science SARU, and the premiere absolutely delivered.
The screening was met with nonstop laughter and some of the loudest audience reactions we’ve seen this year. Director Tomohisa Shimoyama expressed how thrilled he was to see fans enjoying the show. He praised Sanda’s voice actor for energizing the rest of the cast and shared behind-the-scenes insights with producer Kohei Sakita, especially about animating Sanda’s transformation. The team aimed to “use the best style of animation” to bring the manga to life, and Itagaki herself called the result “a bit ridiculous—in the best way.”
PC: Ollie Kaplan, via Comics Beat’s BlueskyItagaki said she especially loved seeing the explosion scenes in full color and found it “heartwarming” to see how another creative team interpreted her story. During the panel, the team also shared storyboards that highlighted the animation team’s stellar work.
Paru Itagaki, known for her privacy and signature chicken mask, rose to fame with Beastars and has won multiple awards. She is the daughter of Baki the Grappler creator Keisuke Itagaki. Her latest series, SANDA, is published in English by Titan Manga, with Volumes 1 and 2 available for pre-order now. Volume 1 will release on September 2, 2025, followed by Volume 2 on November 18, 2025.
Missed the SANDA anime premiere? You can still experience the manga that started it all, now available to pre-order through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Forbidden Planet (UK/Europe).
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Source: Bluesky
English (US) · 