Sand Land: The Series

Here is my review of this anime in 2024!

Story (9)
The story is about an organization that manipulates the water in the sand land. Then there is a Beelzebub that cooperates with human to get back those fresh water for everyone.

Art (8)
The art in this anime is very good! I like how they anime the anime in 2.5 dimensions. it's looks like in dragon ball super movie.

Sound (9)
All the sounds that they used were suitable and adjusted to the animation.
...
Character (9)
The main and supporter characters are very memorable since they have their unique personality.

Enjoyment (8)
It's very enjoyable to watch this movie in 2024.

Overall (9)
It's recommended to those who love action, adventure, and comedy anime!

One of Toriyama's most dramatic works is finally adapted and extended!
Sand Land, being short, is a raw and exciting story full of the mangaka's classic humor.

Humans and demons coexist, although distanced by their mutual hatred, more than 50 years of drought could end them, until a Sheriff decides to put an end to it by making a deal with the demons to find a source of water that, according to legend, It would be so big that it would return water to all of Sand Land. BUT beyond the horizon, there would be mysteries and interests about water and war, which our protagonists would face. ... A story with many values ​​about caring for water, prejudice, teamwork, camaraderie and of course, remorse and redemption (you will surely love General Shiva, the goat).
If we wanted to summarize the intentions of the story, I would say that the movie is an extended version of the original manga, the series is an extended version of the movie, and the video game is an extended version of the series. xD

This series brings the sand land movie divided in the first 6 chapters. The remaining 7 is the continuation with a new arc in which Toriyama participated a lot (including the video game). This part is very good and you get attached to the new characters like Ann and Lilith, also we discover that there are angels, some of them very resentful... An arc full of action, even Satan himself participates! And the ending, although somewhat predictable, was very acceptable and concludes Beelzebub's journey to become stronger.

Animation: Many are not fans of CGI, but it was generally maintained with very good CGI during all chapters, there are also 2D scenes in flashbacks or important events very well done in the second arc, a decent quality for a series. Both for those who read the manga and those who didn't, this is your chance to see the extended story of this wonderful world left to us by the author.

A simple but fun story with some pretty heavy themes of guilt and discrimination if you peel back the curtain a bit.

A couple convenient 'heres this power I've had all along, even though I've never shown it before' to fix the situation' moments - but they're far from egregious. The story knows exactly what it's trying to be and does it well.

The edition of the extra arc from the original manga was a welcome addition from the late & great Toriyama. May be rest in peace.

A fun show for fans of Toriyama's work, but nothing revolutionary. If you go into it expecting as much, you'll ... have a good time. 7/10

I have always liked the manga and it was great to see such a good anime adaptation of it. I never managed to get around to watching the movie so I was glad that the first half of the series was the original story. I also really enjoyed the addition of the Forest Land arc as the second half of the series. True to Toriyama's storytelling skills, the characters were engaging, funny, and felt fully realized. The back story lent to motivations and underscored actions. The ending was satisfying. I think that animating the story also helped it and made it more engaging than the ... manga was.

If you enjoyed the manga or enjoyed other Toriyama series, then you will likely enjoy Sand Land. You might also enjoy it if you like dystopian stories where people fight against power. If you don't like any of that, then you probably won't like this series.

10/10 - This score is based on my enjoyment with the show, not meant as an objective value of the quality, although I will say as an objective score it's pretty much up there as well, in my opinion.

First up, it's a 3D anime done right and the animators have utilized the advantages of the animation style very well during action scenes. Toriyama's cartoonish style translates well into the visuals/textures and while it can all get a little game'ish occasionally, I think it looks great. Unlike the vomit inducing visual disaster of Trigun Stampede, the frame rate and animation is smooth throughout.

Sand Land is a ... timeless adventure show and shounen of old, it's full of wonder, fun and well rounded characters with easy to understand morals without being shallow and fun storytelling that varies in themes from lighthearted to some fairly dark stuff.

Probably the single best thing is that the one season contains two main stories without dragging anything out, with so much going on that it's never boring. It's like being back in the 90's again where the quality is the focus, sans the brain dead marketing that keeps trying to milk an adaptation for as long as possible. This is, in my opinion, something you should get on hard media and pass on to the kids and their kids, I really think this is an instant classic.
That means that my bias is also in play, that this is a review based on my dissatisfaction with most anime made today that rely too much on irony, tropes and narcissistic drama, while Sand Land is wholesome, relies on visual gags and whimsy.

I had to force myself to not binge the episodes, it's too good of a mood enhancer to waste in a single setting.