Sand Land

Sand Land (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from May to August 2000, and was collected into a single volume in November of that same year. Sand Land was first serialized in North America by Viz Media in their English Shonen Jump magazine in 2003, then later released in one graphic novel in December of that same year.

A CGI anime film adaptation co-produced by Sunrise, Kamikaze Douga, and Anima was released in August 2023, while an original net animation (ONA) series was released worldwide on Disney+ and Hulu from March to May 2024. An action role-playing video game adaptation, also titled Sand Land, was released in April 2024.

Plot

After enduring years of natural disaster and war, the world is left without its main supply of water; the river that provided water to the country dried up long ago. With the greedy king of the land's personal water supply becoming increasingly more expensive for the citizens of Sand Land to buy, the people begin robbing one another for water and money. Sheriff Rao, tired of the king's greed, approaches the demons of Sand Land for help in searching for a new water supply. Demon prince Beelzebub and his friend Thief agree to join Rao.

Soon after their quest begins, their car breaks down and they are forced to steal a tank from the king's army. This attracts the anger of the king and he mobilizes his forces to stop them. Sheriff Rao, a former legendary general of the king's army, is able to quickly deal with all of the current army's attempts to hinder their progress. Once they reach the supposed water supply at the end of the now dried up river bed, they find a lake that now acts as the king's private reserves. With the water sealed away behind a dam to give the king a monopoly over water, Rao, the demons, and those sympathetic to their cause tear it down. With the water returned to the world as a result, the king's oppressive rule is brought to an end.

Characters

• Beelzebub (ベルゼブブ)
• Beelzebub, named after the biblical demon of the same name, is the son of Lucifer and the prince of demons. Generally referred to only as "Prince" by his fellow demons and nicknamed "Beelz" by Rao, Beelzebub tries to live in relative harmony with the humans. Although he regularly steals water from them, he only takes as much as he and the demons need to survive. Simply joining Sheriff Rao out of boredom, Beelzebub lends his enhanced sight and demonic strength to fight against the tyrannous king. By basking in moonlight, Beelzebub can absorb the "power of darkness," which he can unleash to temporarily boost his strength and demonic powers.
• Rao (ラオ)
• An elderly man and sheriff of a small village, Rao seeks to free the people of Sand Land from the king's pocket. Formerly known as General Shiba (シバ将軍), he is in truth a legendary tank commander believed to have died 30 years ago along with his forces while destroying a mysterious weapon produced by the Picchi on the King's orders. Rao learns from Beelzebub and Thief that it was not a weapon, but a machine to produce water. This information prompts Rao to right his wrong by bringing down the king and help those whose families died due to his actions. He is a skilled tonfa fighter.
• Thief (シーフ)
• Thief is reluctantly recruited by Beelzebub for his expertise at stealing and his great wisdom. He often fights with Beelzebub for turns to drive the tank and frequently complains about the constant danger the group faces. He dresses in a Santa Claus costume when thieving. Despite looking and acting like an old man, Thief claims he is not that much older than Beelzebub.
• General Are (アレ将軍)
• Rao's replacement in the king's army, Are's father died during the raid against the mysterious weapon. Initially, he actively pursues Rao in order to avenge his father. However, once he learns the truth about the mysterious weapon, he joins Rao in bringing down the king. His tank is unique compared to others in the tank brigade, as it is equipped with a more powerful artillery cannon.
• General Zeu (ゼウ大将軍)
• The true antagonist of Sand Land, Zeu is the aging commander of the king's forces. Due to his failing body, Zeu is confined to a floating robotic lift. He ordered the attack on the Picchi people, the creators of the water-producing machine, to both rid himself of Shiba's disobedient tank brigade and the threat to the king's monopoly. He uses the king as a figurehead to rule Sand Land. Ultimately, Are shoots and kills him with a tank cannon blast.
• King (国王)
• As the current ruler of Sand Land, the king makes enormous profit by selling bottled water at high prices. He tries to eliminate Rao to make sure nobody finds out about his personal water supply or the water-creating machine he had destroyed. After water is returned to Sand Land, he is forced by Rao to give his wealth to the people. A cowardly hedonist, the king cares only about maintaining his power and profits and is quick to abandon his people when Sand Land is threatened by the flying fortress Garam.
• Lucifer (サタン)
• King of the demons and Beelzebub's father. Cold and strict, he does not concern himself with the affairs of humans and possesses immense power. Despite his attitude, he cares for his people and agrees to let Beelzebub journey with Rao because of the potential benefit to demonkind.
• Papa (パパ)
• The muscular leader of the Swimmers (スイマーズ), the self-proclaimed "greatest criminals in Sand Land", and father of the other members.
• Pike (パイク)
• A skinny member of the Swimmers who wears a necktie with no shirt and a cooking pot as a helmet. He has superhuman eyesight and can draw incredibly detailed and accurate sketches from memory.
• Shark (シャーク)
• A skinny member of the Swimmers who wears a blazer with no shirt and a wide-brimmed hat. He can run at superhuman speed.
• Guppy (グッピー)
• An extremely large and fat member of the Swimmers. He carries a large hand cannon.
• Ann (アン)
• A character from Sand Land: The Series and the Sand Land video game. She is a mechanically-savvy girl from Forest Land who recruits Beelzebub and company to help save Forest Land from Muniel and Bred.[7] She is later revealed to be Forest Land's princess and a half-demon as her mother, Queen Lilith, is Beelzebub's older sister, making Beelzebub her uncle.
• Muniel (ムニエル)
• A character from Sand Land: The Series and the Sand Land video game. He is the main antagonist of the game and the second half of the series. He is an angel who proclaims to be the hero of Forest Land. Originally a low-ranked archive clerk, Muniel steals a staff that creates lightning clouds and a demon-sealing urn and descends to the mortal realm without permission, intending to purge the world of demons. His hatred of demons is intensified when he confronts Lucifer, who effortlessly tears off his wings and flicks him into Forest Land.[7]
• Bred (ブレッド)
• A character from Sand Land: The Series and the Sand Land video game. He is a general for Forest Land who serves Muniel despite skepticism of his actions.
• Lilith (リリス)
• A character from Sand Land: The Series and the Sand Land video game. The Queen of Forest Land and Ann's mother. Lilith is Lucifer's eldest daughter and Beelzebub's older sister. She has the same demonic powers as her father and brother and usually disguises herself as a human.

Production

Following the conclusion of Dragon Ball in 1995, Akira Toriyama created short stories and one-offs. However, he decided to write one more work that would be his last, and in which he would put everything he had.[9] He intended for Sand Land to be a short story about an old man and a tank that he wrote for his own enjoyment. However, he had difficulty drawing the tank and, as he insisted on drawing everything himself, soon regretted it. Although he became frustrated, Toriyama had already devised the plot to involve the tank and thus grudgingly went through with it.[10]

While he personally preferred lighthearted content, he was aware most readers did not, and therefore tried his best to tone down the light parts and make it a serious story. However, Toriyama said he ultimately ended up prioritizing his personal preferences and should have thought about the readers more.[9] He inked the manuscripts on paper before scanning them into a computer and using software to paint in solid colors and apply tones.[9]

After drawing the pages for Sand Land, he lost the pen holder that he had used since before his debut. Toriyama later quipped that this was the reason he hardly drew any more manga.[9] Looking back on the series 23 years later, he found that his drawing ability and energy were incredible at the time it was made.[9]

Media

Reception

External links

• (2023 anime film)
• (2024 animated series)