So you've had a rotten life, you're dominated by a race of beast men that would just as soon kill you as look at you. Everything you hold dear seems meaningless because the most important person in your life was killed trying to change the world. What would you do? If it were me and I had access to the power to destroy the world, well, I would use it and do just that. I would destroy the world.
World destruction is what Morte, our heroine, has on her mind. She is a 16 going on 17 hellion who is known as the "World Destruction Committee". She has possession of the "Destruct Code", a mysterious black crystal ball that is rumored to have the ability to change everything on the planet to sand. The problem is that no one really knows how to use it.
Morte finds herself on the run, being hunted by the "World Salvation Committee", a band of Beast Men that are out to stop Morte from ending their existence. Personally, I would want to stop her too. Her travels bring her in contact with a young man, Kyrie Illunis, who is all about blending in and just trying to survive by his wits. There is also one other companion Morte makes, he is a small Bear, Taupy Topla. a member of the Hero's Guild. Taupy has an annoying habit of saying "kuma" at the end of every sentence. Kuma in Japanese means bear. These three are thrown together and become the "World Destruction Committee". It becomes Kyrie and Taupy's goal to try and stop Morte from destroying the world but they find themselves more preoccupied with staying alive than stopping Morte from doing anything.
Extra's
Sands of Destruction: the Complete Series provided some unique extra's that I found to be hilarious and worthy of comment. Typically there are only Textless Songs and Trailers provided in DVD releases, but for this release we are given a series of 4 interviews with some of the leading Characters, Taupy, Morte, Naja and Agan. The vignettes are funny little interviews with the characters as if they truly existed. The characters are placed in a contemporary setting and given personalities very similar to movie stars with all the poor character flaws we have come to expect. The interviews add an extra dimension to the appreciation and skill of the creators of this series and I must applaud them for their efforts.
Overall
Knowing that this series is developed by Sega, I had a feeling that it would feel more like a game than like an anime series. Of course there is a long history of games becoming anime and vice versa, but all too often the anime production is a major letdown because it tends to concentrate on the action sequences rather than the emotional interaction between the characters and any real character development. Much the way that the Sonic franchise has been produced. In the case of Sands of Destruction the character development was strong enough to carry it through the 13 episodes. There was honest bonding between the characters and even a fair amount of development of the antagonist from the "World Salvation Committee" that made them more sympathetic and allowed for an odd yet interesting relationship with our heros.
As I worked my way through the series I began to understand the dichotomy that was unfolding. At every corner I began to see the juxtaposition of the contrary nature in this pleasant anime. The action was straight on, but the nature of the characters bent the mold and provided a complexity to the show that became the real strength behind it. The most obvious opposite was Taupy, the cute little bear who just happened to be as tough as nails and much less than cute. With this obvious juxtaposition the other counterbalances in the rest of the cast began to unfold. These opposites continued to play until the very end of the series and the ultimate contradiction is revealed.
I'm not saying that this series is without flaws, The short run of only 13 episodes put pressure on the series to take short cuts where a bit more exploration would have been nice. The overarching context of the beast men being the dominant species is inherent throughout the series and the reason why Morte is bent on world destruction is well explained, but there could be more historical discovery of the relationships Humans have had with the Beast Men and why things have come to be. There is also a bit of mythology brought to the series that could have been given more explanation or development.
All in all I found this little series to be very palatable and entertaining. The action and settings are all about RPG gaming, but the relationships of the characters is all about humanity. I am sure there are a few gamers out there that would find this series more than just a little entertaining and there are anime fans that might only see the gaming aspect to the series. I would suggest that everyone give this one a chance. It manages to hit the high points at just the right time.
ComicsOnline gives Sands of Destruction: the Complete Series 3 out of 5 excreting Sand Whales.
