When information of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s sudden passing hit social media, I discovered myself watching a black-and-white {photograph} of the legendary artist. Toriyama’s iconic work has at all times been instantly recognizable, a captivating calling card that defines all the pieces from Chrono Set off’s larger-than-life sprites to Dr Hunch’s splendidly expressive manga panels. But regardless of following Goku’s adventures with wide-eyed adoration as a child, I spotted I’d by no means really seen an image of the person who introduced me such pleasure.
Rising up within the UK within the ‘90s, Dragon Ball Z was a world away from all the pieces else on British tv. From its quirky mix of humour and machismo, to its intoxicating depiction of interplanetary journey and slickly choreographed struggle scenes, it was a spectacle that enraptured myself and tens of millions of different youngsters. It’s a kind of uncommon pop-culture phenomena that transcends the medium that birthed it. Ask millennials now, and even individuals who “don’t like anime” will smile wistfully on the point out of Frieza and Trunks. As glad reminiscences of Krillin, Goku and Vegeta course by means of my head, the load of the expertise that we’ve misplaced begins to sink in.
Fortunately for us mourning manga followers, there’s one final morsel of Toriyama left to savor—Sand Land.
Enter Sand Land
Revealed in the identical legendary weekly manga serialisation that birthed Dragon Ball, Shonen Bounce, 2000’s short-lived Sand Land was considered one of Toriyama’s final authentic creations. Tailored right into a 2023 characteristic movie, that 2023 film has now been break up up into Sand Land: The Sequence for Disney + and Hulu, with extra unseen footage sprinkled into the combination to pad out the OVA into an anime. Whereas the primary seven episodes retell the story of the unique 2000s manga, the upcoming second season tells an all-new follow-up story, which seems to be the ultimate story penned by the late Toriyama.
Half Mad Max, half Dragon Ball, this desert-set journey affords a suitably Toriyama twist on the publish apocalypse, telling a dystopian story a couple of mischievous demon prince and his oddball band of misfits with the type of heat and humour that made Dragon Ball so beloved.
Happening in a mysterious future the place people and demons coexist, it’ll shock you to be taught that mankind has totally wrecked our as soon as luscious planet, reworking a as soon as resource-abundant house right into a everlasting desert. With water now scarce, what little stays is hoarded by the King and hocked for big revenue, plunging each the parched people and demons right into a determined state of perennial warfare, robbing one another for what few drops of water stay.
As befits the person that outlined the JRPG together with his artwork for Chrono Set off and Dragon Quest, Sand Land seems like a mismatched RPG social gathering embarking on a grandiose journey. Determined and with little water for both the native human city or to quench the thirst of the demon’s secret lair, the martial arts-loving demon prince Beelzebub and grizzled human sheriff Rao reluctantly be part of forces to fend off the Royal Military and observe down a rumoured hidden spring.
An RPG-worthy, map-roaming journey
There’s an actual good-time, road-trip really feel to Sand Land, as these pair of pure enemies and their demon stooge, Thief, clumsily roam the huge and harmful desert looking for water for the populace. There’s a shocking quantity of political intrigue, too, with some cleverly executed plot twists and revelations lending a delightful quantity of emotional weight to what initially seems like a considerably frivolous story. As our band of lovable misfits commandeer Royal Military tanks, beat up opportunistic bandits and narrowly keep away from gargantuan sand dragons, Sand Land expertly blends lofty themes of environmental disaster and big wealth inequality with jokes about hair spray, video video games and, er, Santa Claus.
Very like the unique Dragon Ball then, that is very a lot a jovial journey of misfits. The spotlight on this specific forged of Toriyama oddballs? A troupe of outlaws referred to as the swimmers. This gaggle of ruthless but barely clueless aged bandits inexplicably put on nothing however swimwear—full with forehead-hugging goggles—as they roam the fully water-devoid, arid desert. There’s greater than a touch of Grasp Roshi and The Ginyu Pressure to those lovably cringey speedo-wearing freaks, and their more and more absurd makes an attempt to thwart Beezlbub and Sheriff Tao are pulled off with the type of eyebrow elevating allure that solely Toriyama may handle.
Due to the unique manga’s brevity, Sand Land tells a refreshingly back-to-basics story, sidelining Dragon Ball Z’s obsession with energy ranges in favour of a rollicking good time. From thrilling tank-on-tank warfare, to an insectoid showdown that feels grin-inducingly harking back to the Z warriors’ battle towards Nappa’s Saibamen, it’s a delight to look at playful motion weave effortlessly between a thought-provoking story of environmental disaster and unchecked capitalist greed.
From demonic characters which have greater than a whiff of these iconic Dragon Quest monster designs, to a navy that owes quite a lot of royalties to the Purple Ribbon Military, this intriguing creation seems like a best hits tour de pressure of Toriyama’s work. It’s these pleasant throwbacks to earlier Toriyama creations that makes watching Sand Land really feel so bittersweet.
The result’s a heart-wrenching reminder of the expertise that the world simply misplaced. From its snappy pacing to professional mix of motion, political intrigue and bizarre jokes, it’s a piece that cements Toriyama as an artist that must be simply as treasured within the pop-culture pantheon as Hiyao Miyazaki.
Whereas numerous creators have tried to match the spirit of his seminal shonen, Sand Land serves as a reminder of the distinctive allure that programs by means of each body of Toriyama’s tales. Whether or not you observe down final yr’s pleasurable 90-minute standalone movie, or choose to dive into the prolonged collection break up throughout seven episodes, Sand Land is a desert-spanning delight. As I stare again at Toriyama’s smiling black and white face on my timeline, I take consolation in understanding that Toriyama’s fashionable output nonetheless feels simply as magical as Dragon Ball did within the Nineteen Nineties. Thanks for taking me again to my childhood as soon as once more, Mr Toriyama—see you on Snake’s Means.
