‘Sand Land’ brings a story of restoring a wasteland, where water scarcity has turned lives upside down. Whatever remains is held tightly by the king who only seeks to make money out of it. This causes a man, Rao to stand against him by searching for a new water source.
On his way, he joins hands with the demon prince Beelzebub and his partner Thief. Their quest is waylaid as they run from the king’s army and other creatures they encounter.
On Friday, TOHO released a new 90-second trailer for the ‘Sand Land’ anime film. The trailer also reveals the theme song for the film, which is “Utopia” by imase. This is imase’s first song for a film and was specifically written for it. ‘Sand Land’ is slated to premiere on August 18.
The video has a slower pace and shows a bunch of new footage from the film. New characters are also shown, like the King, Satan (Beelzebub’s father), and Papa (Leader of the Swimmers) with his sons Pike, Shark, and Guppy.
imase commented that it was a dream come true to sing for Akira Toriyama’s work as he grew up watching ‘Dragon Ball’. The emerging singer also mentioned that he was born a week after the release of the compiled ‘Sand Land’ volume. He jokingly calls Beelzebub his ‘classmate’ as both imase and the manga are 22.
The main cast has been revealed by the anime staff which is listed below:
| Character | Voice Artist | Other Works |
| Beelzebub | Mutsumi Tamura | Alice (The Ancient Magus’ Bride) |
| Sheriff Rao | Kazuhiro Yamaji | Henry Henderson (Spy×Family) |
| Thief | Chō | Brook (One Piece) |
| General Are | Satoshi Tsuruoka | Gennai Hoshimiya (Big Order) |
| General Zau | Nobuo Tobita | Ken Wakashimazu (Captain Tsubasa) |
| Satan | Akio Ōtsuka | Gouhin (BEASTARS) |
| King | Chafurin | Kuraudo Ōishi (When They Cry – Higurashi) |
| Papa | Tomokazu Sugita | Gintoki Sakata (Gintama) |
| Pike | Koji Yusa | Brain Unglaus (Overlord) |
| Shark | Hiroyuki Yoshino | Franky Franklin (Spy×Family) |
| Guppy | Masafumi Kobatake | Nozomi Takamiya (The First Slam Dunk) |
The manga is made of a single volume comprising 14 chapters. Akira Toriyama wrote and drew the art. The following staff members are involved in the anime adaptation:
| Position | Staff | Other Works |
| Director | Toshihisa Yokoshima | Cocolors |
| Script | Hayashi Mori | Cells at Work! Code Black |
| Music | Yūgo Kanno | Psycho-Pass, Ajin |
| Animation Production | Sunrise | City Hunter, Cowboy Bebop |
| Animation Production | Kamikaze Douga | Cocolors, Batman Ninja |
| Animation Production | Anima | Tales of Luminaria the Fateful Crossroad |
‘Sand Land’ looks simple in its storyline, yet the diversity of the characters, the immaculate design and color, and the animation make it a treat for the eyes. The tone seems to be darker than ‘Dragon Ball’ and reminds me of ‘Trigun’. Being a compact story, it looks worth the price.
About SAND LAND
‘SAND LAND’ is a short manga series by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from May to August 2000 and was collected into one tankōbon volume in November 2000 by Shueisha.
A CGI anime film adaptation was released in August 2023, and an original net animation (ONA) series will be streamed worldwide on Disney+ and Hulu in Q2 2024. An action role-playing video game developed by ILCA and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment is set to be released in April 2024.
The story is set in a war-torn future where only a barren wasteland is left and a greedy king controls the water supply. It follows the demon king’s son Beelzebub, his assistant Thief, and Sheriff Rao on a quest to find a long-lost river. The trio encounters many foes on their adventurous journey, including the greedy king’s army.
Source: Official Website , Comic Natalie
No Comments on New 90-Second Trailer for ‘Sand Land’ Movie Highlights Theme Song