From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sand Land (サンドランド, Sando Rando
?) is a short manga series authored by Akira Toriyama
that appeared in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine
during the summer of 2000.
After Sand Land completed its run, all fourteen
chapters were collected into a single tankōbon that was released on November 11,
2000.[1]
Sand Land was later serialized in North America by Viz Media in the United
States Shonen Jump magazine, spanning twelve issues in
2003. Viz released a graphic novel of the series on January
21, 2004.[2]
Creation
and conception
Toriyama, the series creator, intended for Sand Land to
be a short story about a man and a tank that he wrote for his own
enjoyment. Once it came time to draw the tank, however, Toriyama
had difficulty getting it to look as he had envisioned it. Although
he became frustrated to the point of wanting to remove the tank
from the story, he had already devised the plot and thus was forced
to put up with it.[3]
Plot
After enduring years of natural disaster and war, the world of
Sand Land is left without its main supply of water; the river that
provided water to the country dried up long ago. With the greedy
king of the land's personal water supply becoming increasingly more
expensive for the citizens of Sand Land to buy, the people begin
robbing one another for water and money. Sheriff Rao, tired of the
king's greed, approaches the demons of Sand Land for help in
searching for a new water supply. Demon prince Beelzebub and his
friend Thief agree to join Rao.
Soon after their quest begins, their car breaks down and they
are forced to steal a tank from the king's army. This attracts the
anger of the king and he mobilizes his forces to stop them. Sheriff
Rao, a former legendary general of the king's army, is able to
quickly deal with all of the current army's attempts to hinder
their progress. Once they reach the supposed water supply at the
end of the now dried up river bed, they find a lake that now acts
as the king's private reserves. With the water sealed away behind a
dam to give the king a monopoly over water, Rao, the demons, and
those sympathetic to their cause tear it down. With the water
returned to the world as a result, the king's oppressive rule is
brought to an end.
Characters
- Beelzebub (ベルゼブブ, Beruzebubu
?) - The main protagonist, Beelzebub is the son of Lucifer and thus the "Prince of
the Underworld", he is usually referred to only as "Prince" by his
fellow demons. Beelzebub (named after the biblical demon of the same name) lives in
relative harmony with the humans. Although he regularly steals
water from them, he only takes as much as he and his fellow demons
need to survive. Joining Sheriff Rao in his journey to give him
something to do, Beelzebub lends his enhanced sight and demonic
strength to fight against the king.
- Sheriff Rao - An elderly man, Rao seeks to
free the people of Sand Land from the king's pocket. Formerly known
as General Shiba, Rao disappeared after his forces died years
earlier trying to destroy a weapon on the king's orders. As he
travels with Beelzebub and Thief, he learns that the weapon was
actually meant to produce water. Regretting what he was tricked
into doing, Rao sets out to bring down the king and help those
whose family died due to his actions.
- Thief - An expert at stealing and one of the
wisest of demons, Thief is recruited by Beelzebub to accompany them
in searching for water. He gains an affection for driving during
their quest, and often fights with Beelzebub for turns driving
their tank.
- General Are - Rao's replacement in the king's
army, Are is the son of one of the men that died trying to destroy
the supposed weapon. Although he actively pursues Rao to avenge his
father, he joins Rao in bringing down the king after learning the
truth surrounding his father's death.
- King of Sand Land - The current ruler of Sand
Land, the king makes great profit by selling bottled water at high
prices. He tries to eliminate Rao to make sure nobody finds out
about his personal water supply or the water-creating machine he
had destroyed. After water is returned to Sand Land, he is forced
by Rao to give his wealth to the people.
- Commander Zeu The true antagonist of Sand
Land, Zeu is the aging commander of the King's forces. Due to his
failing body, Zeu is confined to a floating robotic lift. He was
the one who ordered the attack on the Picchi people, who were
creating a machine to produce water, to both rid himself of Shiba's
disobedient tank brigade and the threat to the king's monopoly. He
uses the king as a figurehead to rule Sand Land.
Reception
Sand Land has been called a light story that, while not
necessarily deep or memorable, does well to explore the fictional
world and the unique characters that inhabit it. Despite Toriyama's
complaints about designing the tank, the art style is praised as
being highly detailed, imaginative, and of more consistent quality
than Toriyama's previous works (Dragon Ball).[4]
References
- ^
"SAND LAND" (in Japanese).
Shueisha. http://www.s-book.com/plsql/com2_detail?isbn=4088730399. Retrieved
2007-11-07.
- ^
"Amazon.com: Sand Land (Sand
Land Series): Books: Akira Toriyama". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Sand-Land-Akira-Toriyama/dp/1591161819/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3051329-8603224?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194474641&sr=1-1. Retrieved
2007-11-07.
- ^
Toriyama, Akira (2003). Sand
Land. Viz Media. pp. 1. ISBN
1-59116-181-9.
- ^
McElhatton, Greg (2004-04-05). "Sand Land". Read About
Comics. http://www.readaboutcomics.com/2004/04/05/sand-land/. Retrieved
2008-05-28.
External
links
Viz Media
Wikis
Quiz
Search
