But before we get to the emotional climax of the series, we need one more battle against Oshibu. This is… what? Round three? Round four? The point is, I don’t want to keep tussling with this creep. If Sanda ever gets a sequel, I don’t want Oshibu to pull a Dr. Robotnik or Sigma and become a recurring boss for the series. I want a story that makes actual progress. I want to move beyond the confines of the school. I want to see what the rest of this dystopian world looks like. I want to understand how this world functions. But is this something that the mangaka even wants to do? Or are they attached to the school setting like the average anime series? Unfortunately, this bout against Oshibu isn’t the final battle. We’re not actually trying to free this school from Oshibu’s clutches. Rather, if Sanda/Santa somehow manages to win, Oshibu will agree to reinstate Ono as a student. So the plan is for all of them to continue coexisting together on this campus? Honesty, I don’t get it.

Once again, Fuyumura comes to Sanda/Santa’s rescue, but this only breaks the initial deadlock between him and Namatame. For round two, Sanda/Santa decides to confront Namatame as his kid self. Why the change in tactic? Well, his logic is simple: if Santa can’t fight back against a child, then surely a kid can. We get this discussion between the main characters about how kids can be violent to each other, but when adults do it, it’s called abuse. I dunno, man. I don’t think you can say that when every other anime features schoolyard bullying in some form or fashion. Sounds to me like kids can be pretty abusive too.

Y’know, I honestly never expected Niko to like Sanda. They were arranged to be married by the state, so I guess I assumed she didn’t have a choice in the matter. Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t. It’s also possible she just fell for him overtime. But why? And when? It’s not like they’ve spent a lot of time onscreen together. Has she liked him from before the events of the story? Or is it because he’s a little more attractive now that he’s tapped into his Santa alter ego? Or maybe this is just something I’ll never understand, because I’m not a big proponent of arranged marriages to begin with. Ultimately, I suppose I underestimated Sanda. In fact, he likes the kiss so much that he goes back in for seconds. Hell, he practically tries to suck her face off. What better way to celebrate the “peak of youth” ceremony, huh?

As soon as the episode starts, we see the director giving Santa tough love by breaking one of his fingers, and telling him how he’ll die if he continues to hesitate against foes like Class 10’s Namatame. Basically, if he wants to grow up and become an adult, he’s going to have to be able to make tough decisions like… uh, punching and kicking women and children. Wait, I feel like we’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere. Look, the point is that he can’t hesitate in the midst of battle! Yeah, that’s right! Well, her advice makes perfect sense in a shounen battle anime, but what are we? Are we in a battle anime? Is it Santa’s destiny to save the world through direct combat? I sure hope not. Luckily, the next story beat allays my fears a little.

When we last left off, Santa was trapped in a room full of the infamous Class 10 students, i.e. naughty children who have all committed murder. A few of them might as well be serial killers. Unfortunately, this Santa — not our Santa who isn’t quite so debilitated by his transition to anime — must always grant a child’s wish regardless of their nice-or-naughty status, so our hero was about to lose both his thumbs to a little girl. Luckily, Fuyumura arrives just in the nick of time — get it, ’cause he’s St. Nick! — to spare us any yakuza-like dismemberment of digits. Fuyumura’s excuse for blowing up the door is that everyone needs to tie their shoe laces. Um, right. Why do we need an excuse in the first place? I mean, I guess it doesn’t hurt to have one, but does it even help? Maybe Class 10 won’t go after her now because they’re stupid enough to believe her excuse? Shrug, I’m just spitballing.