Manga Review: Sand Chronicles, Volume 9, by Hinako Ashihara

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: 2010

Volumes: 10.

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volumes: 1. 8. 10.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can the sands of time bury the pain of the past?

Reads R to L (Japanese Style). Can the sands of time bury the pain of the past?

What were our parents like at our age? We'll never really know... But now you can get a glimpse into the teenage years of the mothers of Ann, Daigo, Fuji and Shika. How was their destiny shaped? Plus, Ann's little sister visits Shika--and Ann's ex-fiancé!--in New York City.

Review:

I read this series back when it was being released in the magazines. And so I recently re-read the chapters, and got the chance to pick up the volumes. Thankfully, since the tenth and final volume is super hard to find, volume eight officially ends the main storyline, and the last two are mostly side-stories and extras.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this series. I didn’t know if it would get a nice, happy ending, if it would be realistic, or depressing. It could have gone any way at one point, honestly. But I’m happy with how it turned out. I like the ending that she finally reached, and I liked that she had a lot of time to grow and mature before it happened.

This volume had a lot of side-stories. There were interesting looks at what the main characters parents were like as teenagers, a realistic and odd take on them. Shika takes Chi to New York, where they run into Sakura, and I rather enjoyed that story. There’s an extra from when Fuji and Shika were little about presents.

I do hope to pick up the final volume when I can, but I’m satisfied with how this series ended, and I’m glad I finished it.