Disney+ has announced Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s new project this week. While everyone was expecting some news related to the Dragon Ball franchise, Toriyama gave us an alternative that we can enjoy until something related to canon Dragon Ball comes up (not Daima).
While the hype for Sand Land is not that big, it’s still a great story to look forward to. If you are still new to the manga world, or if you haven’t ever read any manga, you might not know about Sand Land and the history behind the making it.
So, in this article, we are going to cover the release date of the Sand Land anime, its plot, and why Akira Toriyama decided to work on it. So, let’s begin with how Sand Land was made in the first place.
How Sand Land Was Made?
On May 9, 2000, Akira Toriyama released his new work, Sand Land, which ran till August 8, 2000, in Shonen Jump Magazine. It has only one volume. Toriyama worked on it without any assistance, which means both writing and illustration are done by him.
Sand Land started gaining popularity in Japan since, at the time, Dragon Ball was on hype, so fans couldn’t help but check out his other work. Toriyama thought of making a short story on an old man and his tank.
However, when it came time to draw, he had several difficulties showcasing it on paper since it wasn’t going how he imagined it to be. The designs were so bad that he thought of removing the tank from the story, but since he already added the tank to his story, it was too late to change anything.
So, at the end of the day, he had to go with what he had. Even though Toriyama didn’t like it, the readers started appreciating him for such a detailed art style.
Sand Land Plot
Sand Land is set in the far future, where war has destroyed the entire Earth, leaving only a Barren Wasteland. The supply of water is controlled by the greedy king, and the people of Sand Land live without water.
One day, an old Sheriff asks the king of the Demons to help him find the elusive Phantom Lake, a source of pure water that could save Sand Land. The king sends his son, Beelzebub, and his assistant, Thief, to help the sheriff, and so the Story begins.
If you are still curious to know about the story, you can check out Sand Land Manga, which is easily available on any E-Commerce website, or you can read it online on Viz. It has only 14 chapters, and the first three chapters are for free on viz.
Despite its shortness of only 14 chapters, the readers really enjoyed the manga when it was released in 2000 since it has the classic Toriyama vibe shown in typical checkpoints and lots of humorous elements.
The anime has all the elements that make Toriyama’s work so popular: action, adventure, humor, and heart. All the characters from the anime are well-designed using CGI, just like what we saw in Dragon Ball Super: Superheroes movie.
When & Where Sand Land Anime Series Will Release
Sand Land anime was already released as a film on August 18, 2023, in Japan. So, instead of releasing it worldwide, they have decided to release it as a series in Q2 of 2024 (Spring 2024). Since its runtime is 106 minutes, we can expect a 4-6 episode series.
As the series is being licensed by Disney, it will be released on Disney+.
Is Sand Land Anime Worth Waiting for?
Well, after reading the first three chapters of the manga, I can say that the story has a good plot and characters that will keep us entertained throughout the story. And since it has already been released in Japan, we have some reviews from fans who have already watched it.
According to reviews on the internet, it seems like Sand Land has a simple storyline, which is interesting to watch, and Toriyama’s fans are going to love it for sure since it has everything that people look for in Toriyama’s work, Though some also say that the animation is not that good since it’s made in CGI.
