Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone! For my post this time, I decided to do something quick: Itsudatte My Santa!. (Really, I should have done a piece on something like Toradora!, but going to chalk that up to lack of foresight and a busy season.) This OVA is a quick two episodes that you can watch last minute, though really only the first episode is necessary. Let’s discuss, shall we?
Few Issues…
Going to start by saying, this is not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. The pacing is set to probably around mach 7, give or take. Right at the start, you’re basically smacked with all you need to know to understand what is going on, and what the story is about. It’s pretty jarring. Just… don’t dwell on it, okay?
The characters are pretty shallow also, with Santa (not Santa Claus, mind you) being bitter about the holiday. The exact reason I’m a bit unsure on, as it seems to depend on when you ask him. Sometimes, it’s because he was born on Christmas Eve and was named “Santa”, other times because his parents were never home for the holiday (and, by extension, his birthday).
Mai, our resident “Santa Claus”, just wants to bring him happiness and be believed in, but also falls in love with Santa for some reason. Plot holes galore here, but they basically had one episode to work with. I’d be curious how this played out in the manga. There’s other characters, technically, but it’s hard to call them worth mentioning. Why? Well, that brings me to my next point.
What be Plot?
The first episode is the only episode, out of two, that follows the manga’s plot. The second episode is just added for the OVA. I’ll actually give them kudos for having a joke episode three preview at the end. But yeah, the second episode introduces a few more characters that are just there to serve the random plot they made for the episode.
The second episode’s plot doesn’t really make much sense either. Mai is basically stuck with Santa, and then we cut to a beach episode, seemingly during the summer. It really feels like one of those obligatory swimsuit episodes and just kind of silly overall. Either way, you can omit this second episode entirely and still get everything you need out of the plot.
Not All Bad, Though
So again, masterpiece? Definitely not. But, it’s not all bad. It’s a nice, quick watch for Christmas, and it kind of has some emotion to it. You feel bad for Santa being left alone every year, then happy for him by the end. And I’m always a sucker for any romance, even if it is a bit convoluted. That being said, it does always seem to hammer home how I’m still single… You know what, fuck that raijuu.
As an added bonus (or a minus, depending on your opinion), this is definitely not PG-13. I can see why they had to recall the original release. In case you’re wondering, I’ll just say we have a shower scene and a transformation sequence. Yep. Walking away now.
Conclusion
Let’s wrap this up. Would I recommend Itsudatte My Santa!? Mmm… Maybe. It’s only like half an hour of watching, unless you want to watch both episodes. Since it’s not a huge time investment, it’s all right, and it definitely fits the bill for Christmas. Probably more than every other anime (at the cost of actual plot).
If you’re looking for something good, you’d be better off watching something like Toradora!, or something else from this list. But, if you’re just looking for something Christmas-related, it’s the eve of, or a bit of corny humor, this will probably suffice. Well, that’s it. See you guys in the new year!