SAND LAND: THE SERIES
SAND LAND: THE SERIES
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SAND LAND: THE SERIES

8.1
Yr 2024
Rt 24m
Status Ended
Animation Action & Adventure Sci-Fi & Fantasy Comedy
Your Verdict
Unrated

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Series Brief

Overview

Sand Land is a mysterious world where demons and humans eke out an existence in a barren desert wasteland. In hopes of replenishing their water supply, Fiend Prince Beelzebub, a demon named Thief, and a human named Sheriff Rao team up and embark on a journey in search of the Legendary Spring.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 83 /100

Sand Land: The Series received glowing praise from critics, who celebrated it as a fitting, bittersweet farewell to the legacy of late creator Akira Toriyama. Reviewers lauded the show as an incredibly fun, upbeat, and faithful adaptation of the original manga, praising its blend of humor, depth, and bombastic sci-fi adventure.

While critics noted that the series isn't quite as action-heavy or absurdly high-stakes as Dragon Ball Z, they highlighted its charming, lovable characters and amusing hijinks. The show's heartwarming message and engaging narrative make it accessible and satisfying for both casual anime viewers and dedicated shonen fans.

Despite the enthusiastic reception, some reviewers lamented that the series flew under the radar upon release, attributing its lack of broader mainstream blockbuster status to minimal promotion from streaming distributors. Nevertheless, critics overwhelmingly agreed that the anime is a hidden gem deserving of a wider audience.

“This upbeat sci-fi adventure satisfies and amuses with its depth and humor.”

“One final masterpiece from ‘Dragon Ball’ creator Akira Toriyama”

“Perfectly captures Sand Land’s bombastic energy and why it deserves to be checked out by even the most casual of anime fans.”

“Sand Land: The Series should have been one of the landmark blockbusters of 2024, but it came and went very under the radar...”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Hulu
US
Disney Plus
CA • UK
Why fans love it

Sand Land: The Series leans into the aesthetic and pacing of classic shounen manga. The animation balances the harsh geometry of a steampunk desert wasteland with the character design of a demonic underworld. It keeps the stakes grounded in a simple scarcity, following a trio of unlikely allies as they traverse a parched landscape in beat-up tanks and improvised vehicles.

While the story incorporates supernatural elements and martial arts choreography, the tone remains light and rhythmic. Mutsumi Tamura anchors the perspective as the lead, capturing the friction between demons and humans scavenging for resources. It is an exercise in world-building that values the journey across shifting dunes over complex lore, framing the search for a legendary water source as an opportunity for gear-heavy desert combat.

Production Board

Crew

Associate Producer
Osamu Taniguchi Tetsuro Satomi Jumpei Mizusaki
Original Music Composer
Yugo Kanno
Art Direction
Yuji Kaneko
Mechanical Designer
Kimitoshi Yamane Takehiko Hoashi
Producer
Tasuke Sasaki Masayuki Hirano
Editor
Shun Tokuda
Executive Producer
Makoto Asanuma Nao Udagawa
CGI Director
Naoyuki Shigekawa
Character Designer
Akira Toriyama
Original Story
Akira Toriyama
Series Composition
Hayashi Mori
Theme Song Performance
Reo Uchida Natsuki Fujimoto Ryoto Ohara AAAMYYY
Other
Hiroshi Koujina
Sound Mixer
Takayuki Yamaguchi
Sound Director
Yoshikazu Iwanami
Sound Effects
Yasumasa Koyama
Series Director
Toshihisa Yokoshima
Director of Photography
Yuki Kawashita
Music Producer
Shunsuke Matsuda
Color Designer
Nagisa Abe
Signal Match

Similarity

Where SAND LAND: THE SERIES overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

martial arts supernatural steampunk based on manga demon desert shounen anime original net animation (ona)
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
March 20, 2024
Status
Ended
Episode Runtime
24 minutes
Origin
JP
TMDB Votes
65