In time for Christmas FUNimation has put out a pair of fun and lively OVAs from Ken Akamatsu, the creator of both Love, Hina and Negima.  Itsudatte, My Santa! contains only two half hour shows but they both have so much humor and wacky action that it's well worth picking up.

Some parents are incredibly cruel, even if it is unintentional.  Take the folks of this show's main character.  Since he was born on December 24th, they named him "Santa."  To make matters worse they left him while he was still young when their jobs took them overseas and haven't seen him since.  The only time he talks to them is on his birthday when they apologize once again that they won't be able to make it back home this year.  Is it any wonder that he grew up to hate Christmas?

One December 24th Santa is sitting by a huge lit Christmas tree in a public square when a cute girl pops up and introduced herself.  Her name is Mai, and she wants to spend the night with Santa.  No, not like that, but to take some time to convincing him that Christmas is a fun time of year.  Mai is so interested in Santa because she's actually Santa Claus.  Well, a Santa in training.  She hasn't graduated yet, and she doesn't even have all of her powers.  If she can get Santa to believe in her however, she'll mature into a full-blown Santa.  Poor Santa doesn't want to have anything to do with this possibly insane girl, no matter how plucky and enthusiastic she is.

In the second episode, Mai is spending a nice relaxing summer with Santa when her sister Mai Mai shows up, along with her nemesis, Shally.  Shally has always been smarter, faster, and better than Mai, and now she's been assigned to the same district as Santa's friend.  With only one Clause being allowed in every area, Mai has until Dec 24th at midnight to leave.

These were fun, light shows that are very enjoyable to watch.  They are sort of like stand alone episodes of Love, Hina.  There's a lot of wacky action, a little bit of fan service, and a lot of humor thrown in for good measure.  The plots are a bit too simplistic, I still think Santa's parents are jerks for basically abandoning him although he comes to terms with it once he discovers what they've been doing over seas, and there's a lot that doesn't make sense (Mai has 6 months to say goodbye??) but it's easy to overlook that since the shows are so light and enjoyable.  Make sure to stay tuned through the credits to see an important plot point after episode one and a hilarious "next episode" preview after the second installment.

Audio:

The show comes with the original Japanese audio as well as an English dub, both in stereo.   I would have preferred a 5.1 track, especially during some of the more energetic scenes such as the sleigh ride at the end of the first episode or the magic contest at the beach at the beginning of the second, but the stereo track served well.  The actors on both tracks did a good job and the sound effects were at an appropriate level.

Video:

The programs are presented with a 1.78:1 ratio and the disc is anamorphically enhanced.  The picture looks good with bright vibrant colors and nice deep blacks.  There is a little bit of aliasing, but this is a minor problem.

Extras:

Ziltch.  Nothing extra here.... move along.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this disc.  The program is short and sweet but a lot of fun.  The prefect Christmas gift for the anime lover on your list, it's well worth picking up.  Highly recommended.