Ashihara Hinako - Sand Chronicles, vol. 04-05 (Eng. trans.)

[oyceter]

This was a good shoujo weekend for me; first High School Debut 9, then Sand Chronicles 5 (I read 4 a few months ago and never wrote it up).

Spoilers think about first love

So: Fuji disappears then reappears, Shika is in love with Daigo, and Ann and Daigo aren't doing so well. Oh dear.

This is one of the series in which I really am thinking about the fate of the couples after high school, first because adult Ann is our introduction to the series, and secondly because Ashihara treats her characters and situations so realistically that I can't handwave it away as I do for most manga. Most of my brain thinks, "Just how many childhood couples make it through high school?" but another part goes, "But! But... I want Ann and Daigo to beat the odds!"

I particularly enjoy the way Ashihara looks at the nuances in their relationship, from the idealizing haze of first love to Daigo's desire to save Ann and Ann's fear of being a burden. I like that Ann is not your standard genki shoujo heroine; her mother's suicide has scarred her in ways that we're still discovering, and I find her fear of her own dependence on Daigo especially realistic.

I have much less of an impression of Fuji right now, probably because I read volume 4 months ago. Part of it is because we're only seeing the beginning of his relationship with Ann, be it romance or friendship, and because the series is so Ann-centric, it's hard to get an idea of who he is when Ann herself isn't so sure.

I don't have the same problem with Shika, however. By all rights, I should be annoyed by her—I rarely cut the heroes much slack when they are jerks thanks to past angst. But we so rarely get heroines who act selfish and spoiled that I am enjoying this. Also, her thoughtlessness works with her characterization for me; she's still unsure of her place in the world, and she's trying the best she can to make herself important to other people and failing spectacularly. Even when she tells Ann about her crush on Daigo, Ann doesn't take her all that seriously.

And of course, the series is already thinking about all the characters' future; I loved the scene with both Ann and Daigo not knowing what to fill out for the future. I remember making plans for the future with someone and being completely lost when it didn't work out, and Ashihara captures that well.

Everyone who likes shoujo is reading this, right? Because it's really good, with a depth of characterization that reminds me of Yazawa Ai.

Comments

[laceblade]

I'm reading it!

[oyceter]

Yay! What do you think so far?

[laceblade]

I love it a lot so far. I feel like it could be close with Honey & Clover, for me. As much as Ann/Daigo is the OTP, I'd really like for the Tsukishima siblings to be happy, so I'm actually hoping that Ann/Daigo splinter so everyone wins. Of course, I'm kind of behind....I think I have about 6-7 issues of Shoujo Beat to catch up on, and I'm not sure which volume # that corresponds with.

[oyceter]

I knooooow! I want everyone to be happy without having to break anyone's heart, which seems impossible right now...

[lnhammer]

I have the first two volumes, but they languish on my TBR bookcase. I've been focusing on more ... light fare, the past couple months.

---L.

[oyceter]

Yeah, this does not make me grin in the same way High School Debut does (in fact, I was sniffling over v. 5). But it is very good when you are in the mood.

[bravecows]

I am desperate for Ann and Daigo to work it out! To the point that I am full of trepidation about reading the next volume. *covers face* Nooooo I want them to be together forever! And yet the main attraction of Sand Chronicles is that you don't feel that certainty; in fact it is all about that sort of uncertainty. It reminds me of Honey & Clover. *_*

[oyceter]

Me too! Me too! And yet, I'm like, how can it possibly work?

You are so right about the H&C connection, that is also what it reminds me of. Just people being people and making mistakes like people do.

[rilina]

I really like this one. It's grown on me a lot. I echo a lot of your thoughts above, but I actually am quite fond of Fuji. This is the sort of series where, sure, you root for the couple to work out; still, if they don't, I trust the series to tell that story successfully.

[oyceter]

I feel I was definitely more fond of Fuji in v. 4, but I don't remember a lot of what happened...

And yes, exactly what you say about rooting for the couple to work it out but completely trusting the series if they don't as well. I'm very much hoping she'll take it past high school.