I think I read a few pages of this online, but still surprised that the manga never got a re-release in the West.
My only knowledge of this series is the Beelzebub cameo in Dragon Ball: Multiverse, and playing 30mins of the Sand Land game demo.
I know Toriyama is notoriously popular for Dragon Ball, but I really hope that this series shines on his comedic side because his lighthearted storytelling was one aspect that made his stories feel so enjoyable.
There are so many fan projects that focuses on the edgy side Dragon Ball that it comes across as cringey, and Dragon Ball: Daima’s negative reception mainly stems from its goofy premise. I really hope the animation studio does this series justice.
Episode 1:
A fun start to a series. Nice (kinda) nods to media such as Mad Max, and that desert dragon sequence really gave off Dune vibes (which fits perfectly with Dune 2 just recently being released lol).
All the characters seem very fun, and the audition scene showcases them hilariously. But I do want to know more about the sheriff.
The animation is a bit of a mix bag. Sometimes it looks good, however there are times in which I wish they stuck with traditional 2D animation. The fight scene in the end did feel like it exposed a lot of the 3D animation.
One thing I noticed was how the world layout was similar to Toriyama’s Pink manga. Both worlds being set in a desert wasteland, where water is barely visible, and one of the main cast members is a sheriff. I wonder if this means that the King was responsible for all the rivers and seas drying up, and is in control of the climate hmm…
4/5
Episode 2:
Honestly not much really happens. It’s cool to see hints of Beelzebub’s strength, but really this is just like a filler ep.
The animation in the beginning was also a bit rough. You can see the motion capture in full effect, along with the purposeful chopped up frames - and all it does is make the series seem less animated. For example, Spider-Verse has moments where they have choppy frames but they also keep the 24fps for smaller movements.
The reveal of the plane carrying the water is making me question the theory of whether the king can control the climate, but we’ll see.
Kinda interesting that Commander Zhu has the same Kano mask and beret like that one Pride Trooper from Dragon Ball Super.
3/5
Episode 3:
Things are really kicking into gear now! Gaining background info about the sheriff and his wife really changes my view of solely seeing it as a gag anime. I noticed that his wife was playing a guitar, like how he was playing one during the intro - things are connecting here.
I’m also interested in Beelzebubs’ abilities, because they’re clearly hinting something just from that scene with him in the dark.
My main gripe with the episode is why the sheriff never chose to expose what the king and commander did to the water plantation people. I understand that it would just make the story shorter, and would cause people to switch sides, but surely there’s a way of writing it around so that he’d say everything and maybe people won’t believe him??
4/5
Episode 4:
Looks like the general is already switching sides, and maybe the swimmers will too. This felt kind of sudden, but I also recently heard that Toriyama wanted to end the series quickly do he didn’t have to keep drawing the tank lol.
The action sequences were good, but the running animation has the same problem that the The Flash (2023) has - if you’re showing a character running and the environment is panning fast, then make sure that the character’s movements are also fast otherwise they don’t have super speed, they have super distance.
3.5/5
Episode 5:
I got tired and forgot to immediately review this episode after watching it. I recall it being pretty decent, and I really want to see Are and Shiva reunite again. I’m hoping to see the full extent of Beelzebub’s true strength really soon.
3.5/5
Episode 6:
This episode really felt like a season finale. We got the reveal of Belz’s strength, Shiva finally getting his revenge on Zeu, and the water returning to Sand Land. I’m really curious as to what else is there next?
I know from now on it’ll be new stuff that never made it into the manga, so let’s see where it goes.
4/5
**
Episode 7:**
I see why they would only release the first episode for what we can consider to be season 2, so fans who have already read the manga get a tease of something new to come. But man, I really want to see where eps 8 - 13 leads.
I would genuinely consider this to be my favourite episode, and partially due to this being Toriyama’s latest work, and his narrative isn’t so restrictive to trying to corners now due to an animation studio doing the work for him.
I love the setup for what’s to come, Forest Land looks cool, the angel vs. demon looks almost as fun as Toriyama’s Go! Go! Ackman, and I want to know more about the history about the 2 lands.
5/5
**
**
(Mid Season) Overall:
This was a fun journey. There were a lot of things that I did not expect, like the story’s tone, the protagonist role’s between Belz and Rao, and the fast pacing of the series.
I really hope the animation is cooking with what is basically Toriyama’s 2nd last project. I’m also curious with what the game will do, like will it be just an adaptation of this story, something original???
Lastly… Beelzebub for Sparking Zero.
4/5
Episode 8:
So far this is going strong! I really like the dynamic between Belz and Ann, and them questioning Belz’s fiendish antics lol.
Even small things like seeing everyone (including Rao) having fun in the water really adds enjoyment to this episode.
My main nitpick, that ending was extremely abrupt, like it was unintentional. I really wanted to see Belz fight that angel (who I’m presuming is a fallen angel considering the lack of wings).
4.5/5
Episode 9:
I wasn’t really enthused by this episode. The 3D animation really shows off its issues through Bred’s movements.
The Swimmers kinda save the episode for me.
3/5
Episode 10:
They kinda relaxed the 3D on this episode, and it looked nice.
I’m so glad that we got the Angel’s backstory, and kinda surprising that his intentions aren’t as malicious as I thought it would’ve been. Pretty ironic that Lucifer of all people removed his wings lol.
The reveal of Lady Lilith as Belz’s sister is actually pretty cool, although I don’t think there were hints of that happening. I liked how her costume resembles Towa from Dragon Ball: XenoVerse, which ties with Lucifer’s design with Dabura.
4/5
Episode 11:
This episode wasn’t so bad, but nothing really happened until the end.
The ending really reminded me of one of the chapters from Go! Go! Ackman! when the angel decides to workout so he can beat up the demon. I love it when Toriyama's stories ends up being the inspiration for another.
3/5**
**
Episode 12:
I forgot to review to this episode because I got sick. I recall it being alright, and enjoyed Muniel’s Janemba styled transformation lol.
3.5/5
Episode 13:
What a way to end the series. It’s not incredibly mind blowing, but it’s satisfying seeing Belz get the one up on Muniel. And it’s nice to see Ann reunite with her mum. I would’ve liked to see how Lilith gets along with Belz and Lucifer in that family dynamic, or just learn why we Lilith never mentioned Ann to Lucifer. Introducing the king of Forest Land in the last episode is more odd than bold, some part of just thinks that he was meant to be in General Bred’s place or something.
So not only does Sand Land have a river but it has rain again, kinda like the ending of Toriyama’s Pink! I’ll never get tired of thinking about his past work.
4/5
Second half season score:
3.5/5
**
Overall:**
Although I have hammered in on episodes for the 3D animation, Toriyama’s vision has heavily carried this series. The mixture of a gag/serial really makes it fun to digest the series while exploring the characters within it. I doubt we’ll see these characters again, but man were they great.
Now I just have to wait for Viz to decide to reprint the original manga, and I also need to unbox the collector’s edition of the Sand Land Game and actually play it (for the past week my home has been having power outages, and I’ve been ill so it makes it that much harder to find time to play).
If Sand Land is this good, then I have high hopes for Dragon Ball: Daima!!
I think I read a few pages of this online, but still surprised that the manga never got a re-release in the West.
My only knowledge of this series is the Beelzebub cameo in Dragon Ball: Multiverse, and playing 30mins of the Sand Land game demo.
I know Toriyama is notoriously popular for Dragon Ball, but I really hope that this series shines on his comedic side because his lighthearted storytelling was one aspect that made his stories feel so enjoyable.
There are so many fan projects that focuses on the edgy side Dragon Ball that it comes across as cringey, and Dragon Ball: Daima’s negative reception mainly stems from its goofy premise. I really hope the animation studio does this series justice.
Episode 1:
A fun start to a series. Nice (kinda) nods to media such as Mad Max, and that desert dragon sequence really gave off Dune vibes (which fits perfectly with Dune 2 just recently being released lol).
All the characters seem very fun, and the audition scene showcases them hilariously. But I do want to know more about the sheriff.
The animation is a bit of a mix bag. Sometimes it looks good, however there are times in which I wish they stuck with traditional 2D animation. The fight scene in the end did feel like it exposed a lot of the 3D animation.
One thing I noticed was how the world layout was similar to Toriyama’s Pink manga. Both worlds being set in a desert wasteland, where water is barely visible, and one of the main cast members is a sheriff. I wonder if this means that the King was responsible for all the rivers and seas drying up, and is in control of the climate hmm…
4/5
Episode 2:
Honestly not much really happens. It’s cool to see hints of Beelzebub’s strength, but really this is just like a filler ep.
The animation in the beginning was also a bit rough. You can see the motion capture in full effect, along with the purposeful chopped up frames - and all it does is make the series seem less animated. For example, Spider-Verse has moments where they have choppy frames but they also keep the 24fps for smaller movements.
The reveal of the plane carrying the water is making me question the theory of whether the king can control the climate, but we’ll see.
Kinda interesting that Commander Zhu has the same Kano mask and beret like that one Pride Trooper from Dragon Ball Super.
3/5
Episode 3:
Things are really kicking into gear now! Gaining background info about the sheriff and his wife really changes my view of solely seeing it as a gag anime. I noticed that his wife was playing a guitar, like how he was playing one during the intro - things are connecting here.
I’m also interested in Beelzebubs’ abilities, because they’re clearly hinting something just from that scene with him in the dark.
My main gripe with the episode is why the sheriff never chose to expose what the king and commander did to the water plantation people. I understand that it would just make the story shorter, and would cause people to switch sides, but surely there’s a way of writing it around so that he’d say everything and maybe people won’t believe him??
4/5
Episode 4:
Looks like the general is already switching sides, and maybe the swimmers will too. This felt kind of sudden, but I also recently heard that Toriyama wanted to end the series quickly do he didn’t have to keep drawing the tank lol.
The action sequences were good, but the running animation has the same problem that the The Flash (2023) has - if you’re showing a character running and the environment is panning fast, then make sure that the character’s movements are also fast otherwise they don’t have super speed, they have super distance.
3.5/5
Episode 5:
I got tired and forgot to immediately review this episode after watching it. I recall it being pretty decent, and I really want to see Are and Shiva reunite again. I’m hoping to see the full extent of Beelzebub’s true strength really soon.
3.5/5
Episode 6:
This episode really felt like a season finale. We got the reveal of Belz’s strength, Shiva finally getting his revenge on Zeu, and the water returning to Sand Land. I’m really curious as to what else is there next?
I know from now on it’ll be new stuff that never made it into the manga, so let’s see where it goes.
4/5
**
Episode 7:**
I see why they would only release the first episode for what we can consider to be season 2, so fans who have already read the manga get a tease of something new to come. But man, I really want to see where eps 8 - 13 leads.
I would genuinely consider this to be my favourite episode, and partially due to this being Toriyama’s latest work, and his narrative isn’t so restrictive to trying to corners now due to an animation studio doing the work for him.
I love the setup for what’s to come, Forest Land looks cool, the angel vs. demon looks almost as fun as Toriyama’s Go! Go! Ackman, and I want to know more about the history about the 2 lands.
5/5
**
**
(Mid Season) Overall:
This was a fun journey. There were a lot of things that I did not expect, like the story’s tone, the protagonist role’s between Belz and Rao, and the fast pacing of the series.
I really hope the animation is cooking with what is basically Toriyama’s 2nd last project. I’m also curious with what the game will do, like will it be just an adaptation of this story, something original???
Lastly… Beelzebub for Sparking Zero.
4/5
Episode 8:
So far this is going strong! I really like the dynamic between Belz and Ann, and them questioning Belz’s fiendish antics lol.
Even small things like seeing everyone (including Rao) having fun in the water really adds enjoyment to this episode.
My main nitpick, that ending was extremely abrupt, like it was unintentional. I really wanted to see Belz fight that angel (who I’m presuming is a fallen angel considering the lack of wings).
4.5/5
Episode 9:
I wasn’t really enthused by this episode. The 3D animation really shows off its issues through Bred’s movements.
The Swimmers kinda save the episode for me.
3/5
Episode 10:
They kinda relaxed the 3D on this episode, and it looked nice.
I’m so glad that we got the Angel’s backstory, and kinda surprising that his intentions aren’t as malicious as I thought it would’ve been. Pretty ironic that Lucifer of all people removed his wings lol.
The reveal of Lady Lilith as Belz’s sister is actually pretty cool, although I don’t think there were hints of that happening. I liked how her costume resembles Towa from Dragon Ball: XenoVerse, which ties with Lucifer’s design with Dabura.
4/5
Episode 11:
This episode wasn’t so bad, but nothing really happened until the end.
The ending really reminded me of one of the chapters from Go! Go! Ackman! when the angel decides to workout so he can beat up the demon. I love it when Toriyama's stories ends up being the inspiration for another.
3/5**
**
Episode 12:
I forgot to review to this episode because I got sick. I recall it being alright, and enjoyed Muniel’s Janemba styled transformation lol.
3.5/5
Episode 13:
What a way to end the series. It’s not incredibly mind blowing, but it’s satisfying seeing Belz get the one up on Muniel. And it’s nice to see Ann reunite with her mum. I would’ve liked to see how Lilith gets along with Belz and Lucifer in that family dynamic, or just learn why we Lilith never mentioned Ann to Lucifer. Introducing the king of Forest Land in the last episode is more odd than bold, some part of just thinks that he was meant to be in General Bred’s place or something.
So not only does Sand Land have a river but it has rain again, kinda like the ending of Toriyama’s Pink! I’ll never get tired of thinking about his past work.
4/5
Second half season score:
3.5/5
**
Overall:**
Although I have hammered in on episodes for the 3D animation, Toriyama’s vision has heavily carried this series. The mixture of a gag/serial really makes it fun to digest the series while exploring the characters within it. I doubt we’ll see these characters again, but man were they great.
Now I just have to wait for Viz to decide to reprint the original manga, and I also need to unbox the collector’s edition of the Sand Land Game and actually play it (for the past week my home has been having power outages, and I’ve been ill so it makes it that much harder to find time to play).
If Sand Land is this good, then I have high hopes for Dragon Ball: Daima!!
