In manga circles, Paru Itagaki is affectionately revered as a certified weirdo. Since her debut, the Beastars creator has built a reputation for crafting fearless, genre-bending stories that are unapologetically offbeat, exerting a magnetic pull that is bold and bizarre, yet impossible to tap the glass and see what wonders will never cease.

Science Saru , meanwhile, has quickly become an anime darling thanks to its own brand of visual chaos and thematic daring, with titles like Devilman Crybaby , Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, and Dan Da Dan on its glittering resume. So when these two creative forces collided for the newly released anime adaptation of Itagaki’s manga, Sanda , it was less a question of “Will it be weird?” and more “How weird are we talking?”

Turns out: v

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