Sand Chronicles #7

Sand Chronicles 7 by Hinako Ashihara

As I was reading Sand Chronicles, I was reminded again how refreshing it is when shoujo series extend the time line of the story past high school. So many manga series end with high school graduation, but I like seeing the cast of Sand Chronicles as they move into the workforce. I think We Were There focuses on post high school life too, but for whatever reason I like reading Sand Chronicles when it comes out and then saving We Were There so I can read several volumes of that series in a row. One of the things I like about Sand Chronicles is that there are no easy fixes for the problems the characters have. Ann is in her 20s now. She has a job, and she is living with her father, new stepmother, and half sister. She’s alone. Her relationship with Fuji has ended, and she’s still haunted by the memory of her first love Daigo who she hasn’t seen in years. A chance encounter with an older businessman induces Ann to finally date someone else, but the man she has chosen has personality issues that would make a relationship with him disastrous. Ann, thinking of her mother, decides she has to do whatever she can to seize the chance for happiness.

The opportunity of a school reunion and Fuji’s advice prompts Ann to take the opportunity to see Daigo again. But Ashihara isn’t giving readers a happy ending just yet. Some people might say that the melodrama is drawn out, but I think it reflects an element of realism. Ann is still struggling with the aftermath of her mother’s suicide, and that event has shaped her personality in indelible ways. Reading her story is interesting because it is about the journey of a character who absolutely deserves happiness and peace, but who may be unable to accept changing her frame of mind in order to embrace these emotions. Ann is getting the message that she won’t find happiness unless she looks inside herself and pinning her hopes and dreams on someone else won’t work out. While she might have gotten this message intellectually, I’m not sure if she has the emotional capacity to change. I can sense this series moving in the direction of a concluding story arc, but it seems like there will be a few more volumes before the series ends. I don’t mind this at all, because I think Ashihara’s storytelling has grown since the series started, and I’m looking forward to the latter half of Ann’s journey.