It has been revealed that the first 15 minutes of Akira Toriyama’s latest anime film, SAND LAND, will be release on Toho’s official YouTube channel on Sep 1, 2023.

Accompanying this exciting news is a special message and an illustration from the creator Akira Toriyama. The illustration features Swimmer’s Papa, whom Toriyama mentioned as his favourite character from SAND LAND.

A rough translation of the message can be read below:

To all of you who have already watched the movie “SAND LAND,” thank you very much!

You’re all amazing!

Although the attendance numbers are still growing, it seems that the reviews are quite positive, thanks to all of you wonderful people. This is all thanks to the hard work of the anime staff.

I was unexpectedly moved! Some people have especially praised the mecha-related aspects.

For those of you who haven’t seen it yet or are still undecided, don’t say you’re not interested,

Please give it a try!

Akira Toriyama

SAND LAND anime film released in the Japanese theatres on Aug 18, 2023.  The film is also showcased in IMAX, 4DX, and MX4D formats

Main voice cast includes:

• Mutsumi Tamura as Beelzebub
• Kazuhiro Yamaji as Rao
• Cho as Thief
• Satoshi Tsuruoka as General Are
• Nobuo Tobita as General Zeu

Toshihisa Yokoshima directed the anime, with Hayashi Mori in charge of screenplay.

Other staff members include:

• Direction Advisor: Hiroshi Kamishina
• Sound Director: Miwa Iwanami
• Music: Yugo Kanno
• Distributor: Toho

It was previously revealed that Sunrise, Kamikaze Douga and Anima are in charge of animating Sand Land. The staff claim that this project will adapt to express Sand Land in every possible way.

Sand Land is a short manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 2000, with its 14 chapters collected into a single tankobon volume, which released the same year in November.

It was serialized in North America by Viz Media in their English Shonen Jump magazine in 2003. It’s volume was later released in December 2003.

The plot of the manga is described by MAL as follows:

In a future world known as Sand Land, the one river that supplied the entire world had suddenly stopped, and the only source of water is from the greedy king’s overpriced water bottles. Demons and humans live together in a world of drought, until Sheriff Rao confronts Beelzebub in need of a demon on a quest to find the Phantom Lake, a river on which birds called Water Finches supply themselves. Though reluctant at first, Beelzebub goes along (thanks to a good bribe) and brings an older demon, Thief, with him to find the lake for the good of all creatures, whether demon or human.

Source: Comic Natalie