SAND LAND: THE SERIES

Episode 12

This entire episode is one giant action set piece as Beelzebub deals with Muniel while the others fight Mecha-Bred with the tank. One of these fights is excellent. The other… not so much.

Let's dive into the latter first. The Muniel fight is rather boring. We know that Beelzebub can only use the power of darkness once he's mad enough/injured enough. And Muniel, despite his giant ego, isn't all that strong—even at full power. So basically, it takes Muniel holding Ann hostage for him to do enough damage to Beelzebub that the demon prince can use his true power—and at that moment, the fight is over. Now, sure, as you would expect from Akira Toriyama, Muniel does get a second form—but that's a fight for the next episode.

Meanwhile, the fight against Mecha-Bred is a fun one. Our heroes are massively outgunned—even with the tank. Bred's mecha suit comes with missiles and an unblockable laser weapon. However, Ann, in control of an army of drones, can constantly reorganize the cargo bay they're fighting in—leading to a shifting battlefield that our heroes control. Ultimately, it takes everything in our hero's arsenal to win—including Thief's stealth and the Picchi stun gun. The fight ties the entire story together by showing that our heroes have learned from their experiences—and know-how and when to put that information to good use.

Though action is the main focus of this episode, we're once again given a bit more character development for our villains. Muniel is so self-centered, so sure that he is the hero, that he sees killing thousands of innocent civilians as perfectly fine because some in their government are friendly with demons. His narcissism has transformed into a full-on god complex where he believes he will be the god of a new world (that he will create at the point of a giant gun).

Meanwhile, Bred is still fooling himself into thinking that he is in control of the situation. He thinks he is the hero his nation needs—that he can use the super weapon responsibly—even as he allows Muniel to use it to kill an entire city's population. He knows it is wrong but also knows that a power struggle with Muniel would cause a civil war at best—so he compromises again and again. He has long since lost control but feels so close to his goal it would be foolish to step back now.

It's tragic because when General Zeu was in control of Sand Land, Forest Land was under threat. He was likely correct that his military buildup was the only reason the greedy Zeu didn't attack for even more water sources. However, the times changed, and he couldn't change with them. But while Bred was unable to do this, he found himself fighting someone who had—someone who had thrown away outdated prejudice and had done what was right for his people. And that is why he was defeated by an old man and an even older demon.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• How much chaos does Muniel have to cause before Heaven notices something is up? I mean, he's been gone for ten years and stole powerful weapons. Now he's trying to kill millions. You'd think they'd step in at some point. He's not really good for angel PR.

• I keep waiting for Ann to use her powers—she absorbed the darkness too, after all.

• Gotta love Rao lying to Ann that he had a plan so that she would save herself—only to win the fight anyway. What a legend.

• I can't help but feel Muniel getting bigger is just a way to make it easier to punch him in the stomach so he throws up the jars with Lucifer and Lilith inside.

SAND LAND: THE SERIES is currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.