The Sand Land movie will air in Japan on August 18, 2023. Sunrise, Kamikaze Douga, and Anima are collaborating to bring Akira Toriyama’s manga to life. To coincide with World Water Day (considering water’s importance in the work), the Sand Land Twitter account also revealed the first character visuals for the movie.
When Bandai Namco Entertainment first released a trailer for Sand Land, it was unclear what it was going to be. The trailer had referred to it as a “visual adaptation.” However, Bandai Namco had also expressed interest in developing it into a “full IP,” so the movie might not be the only new Sand Land content.
You can check out the new character visuals via the official Sand Land website. So far, they’ve released ones for Beelzebub, Thief, and Rao:
Sand Land focuses on the story of young demon Beelzebub in a desert world. Considering the climate and the drought affecting the planet, water is the most precious resource. However, a king has monopolized that supply. In order to get water, Sheriff Rao asked for help from the king of demons but the “help” came in the form of the king’s son Beelzebub, along with his assistant Thief. The manga was a short series that ran from May to August 2000 and there is a single book volume. Viz is the English distributor.
Sand Land will air in theaters on August 18, 2023. More information in regards to an international release will come out later.
