Title: Sand Land
Volume(s): 1
Creator(s): Akira Toriyama
Format: Unflipped; Right-to-Left
Publisher: VIZ, LLC.
MSRP: $7.95
Genre(s): Action
Rated: All Ages
Akira Toryima may be known mainly for his popular series “Dragon Ball,” but he actually has created a lot of different other series in his career. His first series “Dr. Slump” was a huge success that led to the creation of “Dragon Ball,” he created some artwork for famous games like “Chrono Trigger” and the “Dragon Warrior” series, and he created many short lived (But sometimes fun) comics that were usually only 1 book long. When Viz decided to launch “Shonen Jump” they decided to include a short series that could easily be replaced in a year to make way for a new series. But what would they choose? What short series would attract the average joe? Say, “Dragon Ball Z” is still at the height of its popularity, and it can't last forever, so lets pick up a short series by Toriyama and mark it as “From The Creator of Dragon Ball Z!” And hey, look at this thing called "Sand Land!" It's got cool demons, some fighting, and they are on a journey somewhat, lets pick this one up!
The plan was perfect...although considering all of the short series Toriyama has created, I'm questioning if “Sand Land” was REALLY the best choice they had! The story is simple, at sometime in a future war the Earth was destroyed, leaving the planet as nothing more then a mere desert. The Earths water supply is controlled completely by the greedy king, who over charges for the water he sells, and few people can pay the high prices he asks for. For this reason, humans and demons fight each other for their water, and everyone lives like savages. However there is a rumor that a phantom lake exists somewhere in the dessert, and if that lake can be found, it would bring an end to the kings monopoly on the water. But no one knows how to find it, and no one dare try. Well, almost no one.
Sheriff Rao is sick of the kings monopoly on the water, he also despises him for something the king did to him in the past, and he intends to find that lake for himself and the people. However he needs help, and the only creatures on the planet that can help him are the demons. However will the demon king help a human? Kind of, the king decides to send two other demons to help Rao in his quest! The old demon Thief, and the demon kinds son Beelzebub. With the help of these two demons, will Rao be able to find the legendary phantom lake? At first it sounds like “Sand Land” is going to be a fun ride while it lasts. It has an original premise, a few conflicts, and three totally individual characters to play off of. In short, it has all the elements of a good story, they just don't seem to come together as well as they should.
For starters this series may be only 13 chapters long, but it feels like it's 27 chapters long. With something as simple as finding a lake this series tends to drag on without much grace. The characters play off each other great, they just don't play off each other enough. And the fight scenes are decent, but they just don't feel like they were planned out enough. And you learn a few things about the characters, but you never REALLY know them! See what the problem is yet? This thing is short, but its short AND long at the same time! You never truly get the feeling that anything is actually happening, and the premise of the story feels like it could be a 3 book series, yet the narrative can't quite seem to make the story work for 1 book.
In short, this book is a disappointment as it starts out promising, but for some reason it never quite gets to the point of being good. This may be a good harmless read for kids, but anyone over the age of 9 may be bored. Disappointing. I think Viz could have picked a better short story by Toriyama to include in “Shonen Jump.”
- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -