On Tuesday, Disney+ Star Japan announced that the SAND LAND manga by Akira Toriyama will be adapted into an anime series named SAND LAND: THE SERIES, which would premiere in spring 2024 only on Disney+ Star’s “STAR Anime Series” programming throughout the world. Disney+ has also unveiled the anime’s main character design:
Unseen footage from the SAND LAND animation film, iconic sequences from the original manga, and a new tale by Toriyama will all be featured in the anime series, which will pick up where the film left off. Members of the film’s actors and crew will also be reprising their roles in the TV show.
The following actors are all set to return:
- Mutsumi Tamura as Beelzebub
- Kazuhiro Yamaji as Rao
- Chō as Thief
- Satoshi Tsuruoka as General Are
- Nobuo Tobita as General Zau
Hiroshi Koujina (Ryoma! The Prince of Tennis, The Vampire Dies in No Time, Grenadier) will once again serve as the anime’s directorial consultant, while Toshihisa Yokoshima (“Tales of Crestoria: The Wake of Sin,” “Amanatsu,” “Cocolors,” scenes from the Dragon Quest games) will direct.
Hayashi Mori (Cells at Work! Code Black, Drifting Home) is penning the anime series’ narrative, Yoshikazu Iwanami is again directing the sound, and Yūgo Kanno (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, Psycho-Pass, Ajin) is also creating the music for the series.
The Sand Land manga is a short story that Toriyama ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from May to August 2000. In November of 2000, Shueisha released a single volume of the manga in book form.
The English translation of the manga is published by Viz, and it explains what happens:
In the far future, war has destroyed the entire Earth, leaving only a barren wasteland where the supply of water is controlled by the greedy king. In search of a long-lost lake, Sheriff Rao asked the king of the demons for help…and got the king’s son, Beelzebub, and his assistant, Thief. Together the unlikely trio sets off across the desert, facing dragons, bandits and the deadliest foe of all… the King’s army itself! It’s travel adventure and tank action in this new story from Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball Z!
On August 18th, Japan welcomed the premiere of an anime film based on the manga. On July 22 during this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, the film had its global debut and will hit theaters in North America in 2024.
An action role-playing game based on the manga is being developed for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and PC (Steam).
