Sand Chronicles, Vol. 2

Sand Chronicles is a shoujo manga series that isn't just for teens. And, in fact, one might get more out of it the older one is. It's the story of Ann, who moves to a rural part of Japan when her parents divorce. A framing technique is used at the start of the story, with the adult Ann looking back on her life. Thusly, the story is structured like a series of recollections and snapshots in time. It induces strong nostalgia in me for those days--the me I was, the things I did, the people I used to see every day--and I think a distance of some years from one's adolescence is required for that kind of wistful retrospection to flourish. As regards the story itself, I really love both chapters included in this volume. In the first, Ann must decide whether to remain in Shimane with Daigo and her friends or to return to Tokyo to live with her father. The depiction of her divided loyalties and struggle to decide is very well done and I was impressed by how much of an emotional response the conclusion to the chapter provoked in me. In the second, the love triangle that's been developing since the first volume gets explored. I really like that neither of the boys involved is an easy shoujo stereotype. One is more reserved than the other, but there are no fiery hotheads involved. Seriously, y'all. Read this manga.