Who does not know Akira Toriyama today? The master is mainly known for his ultimate work, dragonball, but also produced delirious little manga, with fun and interesting stories. In the 2000s, one book stood out from the others: Sandland. Bandai Namco Entertainment, Sunrise, AnimaAnd Kamikaze Douga have come together to produce a feature film. As of this writing, the film is still unscheduled in the West and is currently showing in Japanese theaters. We are in Tokyo and we had the chance to see it, that’s why we deliver our impressions, all without spoiler.
Sand Land was able to amaze us and hold us in our guts from start to finish.
You have certainly noticed it, but the CGI is ubiquitous today. Most animation studios use this type of rendering to design increasingly spectacular productions. Sandland does not escape the rule of modernity, and the teams designed all-3D characters and environments. So is it beautiful? Well let’s not beat around the bush, yes. If you saw Dragon Ball Super Super Hero, you have noticed an unevenness in the image that can disturb the peepers, to the point of making the viewer leave the film. For Sandlandthe visual atmosphere is sparkling, and we are surprised by the result so much some passages are explosive on a giant canvas. Sunrise and the teams around were able to deceive our retinas and make us feel a typed “cartoon” rendering with simple 3D. Well done ! The camera is positioned at strategic angles to intensify a strong moment in the image. During a slightly dynamic melee, it twirls slightly in all directions to transport us. In other words, we are totally under the spell of what we have been able to admire during these few minutes.
On the soundtrack side, we have tones that stick perfectly to the image. The universe revolves around desert environments, as well as the plight of humans and various creatures. Inevitably, we have tones that tend towards melancholy, with soft and slow notes. Of course, the latter intensify when clashes are exhibited before our eyes, or are agitated during escapades. A treat for the esgourdes! The voiceovers are excellent. The talented Tamura Mutsumi perfectly embodies the little demon Beelzebub. She has a little “mean” side to her voice which draws towards high tones. Laos, voiced by Kazuhiro Yamaji, has a more calm voice, more… depressive, fitting as it should with the personality of the old sheriff. Whether it’s one protagonist or another, a very good job was done by the actors. It’s flawless, so much the better for our eardrums.
In addition, the feature film takes up the main lines of the manga. Unsurprisingly, new passages are present, a simple sentence in the book then becomes an entire scene for a better understanding of the viewer. Small things have been deleted, certainly to highlight points that the reader has not necessarily grasped through the pages. At any rate, everything has been thought out so that we can easily understand the challenge of this odyssey. In addition, we had a concern about the unfolding of the story, which can seem slow in the book… You can breathe, the rhythm is good, the chapters follow one another without rushing too much, we don’t see the minutes go by, the film is so captivating. Finally, stay until the end, there is a little surprise after the credits.
To give you an idea, the first 15 minutes of the film (in Japanese) have been shared.
Important themes are addressed to highlight the importance of water, nature, and those who use these resources to benefit from them. Everything is brilliantly staged in a universe where men, watches and demons live together. Those who were at war then become allies to survive in this world oppressed by profiteers who have no scruples. You will understand, we had a great time with Sandland, who was able to amaze us and keep us in our guts from start to finish. Now we only hope for one thing, that a European distributor can have the rights to broadcast this captivating and magical adventure in our dark rooms.
Note : 4 out of 5 stars
You can buy the manga Sand land at €6.99 on Amazon.