Genre: Romance/Drama
Rating: Teen+
Price: $8.99
After her parents get divorced, Ann Uekusa and her mother move from Tokyo to rural Shimane. Accustomed to the anonymity of city living, Ann can’t get used to the almost overbearing kindness of the people in her mother’s hometown. But when personal tragedy strikes, Ann discovers how much she needs that kindness.
One of the new additions to Shojo Beat magazine, Sand Chronicles takes you on a roller coaster ride through Ann’s life. From tragedy to first love, this series will really move you.
The story begins in the present, where we meet Ann packing. She is moving to America with her fiancée, and a young girl is helping her. In the process, an hour glass is dropped from a box, sparking Ann’s memory. We then go back in time to the winter when Ann and her mother moved back to her mother’s home in the country. Here, we follow Ann as she acclimates to country life and makes friends. Then, there’s a 1 ½ year jump to the summer and we follow Ann and her friends at a summer camp.
Being the winner of the Shogakukan Manga Award for Shojo, you would expect Sand Chronicles to be good. And it doesn’t disappoint. Instead of telling a linear story, Sand Chronicles shows the important moments in Ann's life. Some might not seem big, such as Ann having trouble getting used to the country. Others are life altering, such as when her mother commits suicide. Like a pendulum, the swing to each climax is slow and steady. You're given plenty of time to get to know the characters and become attached to them. This intensifies the emotion you feel when the climax is finally reached. Ashihara knows how to craft scenes masterfully to invoke powerful emotions in the reader. Twice this volume was able to bring me to tears just on the first reading.
Ashihara can do this because she has created characters that are easy to relate to. When we first meet Ann, she is 12 years old, her parents have just divorced, and she is forced to leave her familiar surroundings and friends for whats seems like a whole new world. It's a situation that many people today can relate to. She is very likable, a hard worker, and really cares for her mother. She is the character the audience must connect with to make this story work, and she does. Daigo is Ann's first friend. He's a typical boy, who lets his actions speak more for him than words, though he can also be thoughtless. A lot of the lighter moments in this volume come from Ann and Daigo. The potential for a love triangle is introduced with Fuji, the son of a local wealthy family. Ann gets a part job helping out there, and meets Fuji and his sister. Fuji is the opposite of Daigo. He is quiet, introverted and prefers reading by himself than playing outside. He seems to like Ann though, as he opens up to her some.
Ashihara’s art is simple and clean, befitting of the story she’s telling. There aren’t any bishis. All of the characters are normal looking and a little on the comic side at times. It fits very well with the story's more dramatic tone.
Overall, Sand Chronicles is a great coming of age story that will make you both laugh and cry. Ann’s strength and will to endure will touch you like few others. This is one title you shouldn’t miss out on.
10