Anime Feminist Podcast Discusses Paru Itagaki's Sanda
The retrospective frames Sanda as a messy but thematically rich work whose treatment of queer adolescence and systemic control resonates with current real-world debates about queer children's autonomy and the policing of education.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime Feminist.
The Anime Feminist podcast released a retrospective episode on Paru Itagaki's anime adaptation of her manga Sanda, recorded on January 29, 2026. Hosts Tony, Caitlin Moore, and Anime News Network contributor Sylvia discussed the series' themes of queer adolescence, body horror, and societal control. The conversation covered the show's depiction of puberty as body horror, the symbolic role of Santa as an idealized adult figure, and the controversial "trauma-free curriculum" concept. The hosts debated the series' ending, where the queer character Ono dies, with Moore arguing the death was narratively necessary to illustrate the deadly consequences of societal abandonment of queer children. Sylvia agreed, noting that recent queer anime successes allow room for darker narratives. Tony expressed frustration at losing the character he found most compelling. The group also discussed the villain Oshibu's plastic surgery horror design and hopes for a second season, including further exploration of queer identity and character Amaya's potential development.
The Anime Feminist podcast's retrospective on Sanda, recorded January 29, 2026, features three hosts who bring distinct perspectives: Tony and Caitlin Moore are both educators, while Sylvia writes for Anime News Network. Their discussion ranges from the show's use of body horror to represent puberty to the symbolic contrast between Santa (a child's idealized adult) and Oshibu (an adult's plastic-surgery-obsessed ideal of youth). The hosts spend significant time on the "trauma-free curriculum" concept, which they critique as an impossible and harmful approach to education that abandons children rather than supporting them. They note that the series' treatment of queerness, particularly through the lesbian relationship between Ono and Fuyumura, is complicated by Ono's death. Moore argues the death is thematically necessary to show how society discards queer children, while Tony wishes the show had explored the characters' rebellion through embracing puberty. The group also praises the show's unpredictable nature as characteristic of Itagaki's work, and express interest in seeing how season 2 develops characters like Amaya.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime Feminist Chatty AF 239: Sanda Retrospective (WITH TRANSCRIPT)