Sand Chronicles, Vol. 2

砂時計 [Sunadokei] #2

by Hinako Ashihara

Can the sands of time heal all wounds?

Twelve-year-old Ann and her divorced mother move from big city Tokyo to her mother's rural hometown. As the years pass, Ann learns to trust and depend on her new friends--Daigo and aristocratic siblings Fuji and Shika. But when Ann moves back to Tokyo to be with her father, will she be able to maintain a long-distance relationship with Daigo?

Just when Ann has adjusted to life in the countryside--and even has a boyfriend!--her father invites her to move back to Tokyo. Now she must choose between a father she hardly knows and a young man she is just beginning to know. But she soon discovers they aren't the only ones vying for her affections!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Young Adult, Shojo, Graphic Novels, Comics, Slice Of Life

200 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 2003

About the author

Pseudonym of Ritsuko Matsumoto, Japanese manga artist.

Debut with "Sono Hanashi okotowari shimasu" in 1994 on Bessatsu Shoujo Comics.

Japanese name: 芦原妃名子

Reviews

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/pQREVpbRfpY

I think volume two was even more compelling than volume one, and volume one was already compelling!

Ann is written in such a realistic way that her emotions really wrap around you and pull you into her story whether you want to be or not. While she seemed to heal and be carefree, having her Dad come back into her life really revealed some of the inner turmoil I think her heart has been having for a long time but didn't realize.

Daigo and his amazing self KNEW there was something up. He knew her struggle if she should stay or go to live with her Dad in Tokyo. I really admire his character and how he didn't encourage or discourage Ann from making a decision to go to Tokyo. I can't imagine how hard it was for him in to watch Ann struggle and then decide to leave, but still, he continued to remain ever-supportive. I really really love characters like him and truly hope all will be well for him and Ann's relationship!

BUT THAT ENDING!!

I did NOT appreciate that at all, Fuji!! My heart is definitely hurting for him because it's obvious he is really struggling, and I WANT him to have peace in his heart. However, I don't agree with his actions, and just like please don't let this be a problem later on…*nervous laughter*

Another wonderful volume!

[bow down to our ace king victor vale · Rating 3 out of 5]

excuse me
what the fawk was that ending ?? uhm ?? UHM?? fuji. my dude. i was rooting for you. we were all rooting for you. so. ….WHY? for WHAT?? 😭
i am not ok.

also, i rlly love the art and character expressions for this manga like!! literally so good, the artwork and the covers are just so beautiful imo 🤧. besides That Ending, i rlly liked the other contents in this volume, my favorite being the moments between ann and her dad. i think the manga rlly shines when focusing on such topics and showing the nuanced relationship btwn ann and her father. i also liked the cute scenes of her w/ daigo as well 🥺🥺 they’re precious

new drinking game! take a shot everytime ann cries LOL 🍻 girlie is rlly going through it, she cries more than me and that’s saying something

AND LMAO WHEN SHE SLAPPED THE DOCTOR HAHA

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I began reading manga (which was only two months ago), I never expected to read something that was truly touching. I thought it would all be fun and cute. This series changes my mind completely about the type of manga I like. Sure, I enjoy reading funny manga like Special A or cute manga like Fruits Basket, but I enjoy reading manga with a realistic story line and deeper meaning much more. It’s just better that way. That’s what this series was for me and I can only hope I’ll find more like it.

The artwork is a little muddier than I like. I’m more partial to defined drawing, rather than the scratchy drawing so often found in shoujo manga. I think it’s meant to give a more dreamy quality, but I just find it a bit on the annoying side. Since I liked this series so much, I’m willing to put that complaint aside.

The character development in this series is just unreal. I didn’t think manga was capable of that kind of thing. I couldn’t have been more wrong in that assumption. Ann’s development throughout the series is heartbreaking and incredibly realistic, considering her age. She goes through so many of the screw-ups and indecision that comes with being a girl in her teens or early twenties. I felt that I could relate to her throughout most of the series because I have gone through a lot of the same things. Daigo has a tendency to be a little more hard-headed, but it definitely the more mature of the two. He makes no secret of his complete devotion to Ann, even when she’s too messed up to realize what’s in front of her. He’s unwavering and therefore a more static character. However, this doesn’t hurt the series, as it is about Ann growing up, not Daigo. The situation Fuji and Shika find themselves in is a little more dramatic. They too are developing characters and both do a lot of growing up. Their search for their true identities is one that gives the series a bit more intrigue. They both learn a lot they didn’t know about themselves along the way.

This is certainly the best written manga I’ve come across. If you’re into manga, or are thinking of trying it out I highly recommend this series. It’s definitely girly shoujo manga, but it’s got a great story.

[Kaylin · Rating 5 out of 5]

We focused more on romance in this book which made me like it better. I loved it so much and I would really recommend this series to manga romance lovers out there! (also, they’re sixteen now soooooo)

Fuji’s emotions are more expressed in this book towards Ann and we now know that he definitely likes Ann. We also focus more on him throughout this book so yay! We learn some dark family history and I feel bad for him and I hope he gets out of the dark hole he’s currently stuck in. (idk ... that was cringey haha)
Okay... at the end of this book FUJI KISSES ANN!!! She has a boyfriend (Daigo) but he kisses her. I don’t know who to ship her with anymore so please help meeee...

Overall, this was a great book and I really enjoyed it. After Orange (other manga), I couldn’t find another good romance manga after...now I’ve found it!

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Read as part of the 25 Days of Manga challenge for December 2020.*

I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I CALLED THE LOVE TRIANGLE!

This series feels like it's really set itself up to be angsty and dramatic and truth be told, while I don't mind that, I'm really at a loss for where I think this might be going, especially given the way the series opened.

[An · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

[Alex2739]

Well… am I surprised by the love triangle? No…(common I’ve read enough shōjo manga to know…) but, do I like it? Absolutely not.
Oh man, that’s not going to go well .. (╯︵╰,)

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time passes, and relationships change. Ann and Diago have yet to find their way properly, when Ann's father shows up and she's faced with more hard choices. I had a hard time liking Ann's father for the reasons he gave for not being there. Where is the grief over his actions (shouldn't there have been some?)

But I still love the format, and the depth of emotion that is hinted at. This is a gentle manga, soft and slow and beautiful in its own way.

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 brought up to 4/5 as while it’s still great but the topics it covers like illegitimate children and long-distance relationships are far less interesting to me compared to the first volume. The book mainly focuses on Ann and Daigo which I found to be the weakest part of this volume. It wasn’t bad but the focus on a long-distance relationship isn’t as hard-hitting as the melodrama of the first volume. This volume’s melodrama comes from the focus on Ann’s father and Fuji. I found the time spent on both of them to be the highlight. Ann’s father feels realistic and to see such a poorly talked about character from Ann’s mother’s side (and Ann herself) to be revealed to be taking the brunt in silence is a strong and compelling idea. Fuji has the least focus of the topics in this volume but I think he is also given the best scene in this volume which is when he meets his father and is disappointed. The focus on him unkempt face, the skeezy dialogue of the father, and shots to the dirty plate at the restaurant to highlight Fuji’s view of his father was excellently done!
As this is the second volume we get to see how Ashihara plans to tackle the chronological nature of the story. I appreciate that important stuff like Daigo becoming Ann's boyfriend happens off screen. It shows a commitment to the "snapshot" approach Ashihara seems to be taking to the series. It makes sense not all the important stuff happens during the view time we have Ann and the gang each time period we get. You can tell Ashihara has development and growth and relationship changes happen off-page and she is able to show it on-page in a smart and not up-front "tell dont show" way which we can really see in Ann's new treatment to Fuji in this volume
I don't know how I feel about the ending. On one hand Fuji kissing Ann was bound to happen. But it feels like it's being done moreso to keep up melodrama than add anything. I don't know. Hopefully it takes it in an interesting direction like Fuji liking Ann since she is nice to her regardless of how he was born as shown by her dialogue about sakura trees and it leads into a larger arc of loving oneself regardless of one's origins.

[WendyTheOwl · Rating 5 out of 5]

volume 1->10 (no spoilers)
FR
Pour commencer l'année 2023; j'avais envie de me relire quelque chose que j'aime, une lecture doudou.
Alors, clairement, ce manga ne peut techniquement pas entrer dans cette catégorie réellement, parce que on parle notamment de suicide. Mais c'est une lecture très nostalgique pour moi.
Je l'avais découvert à un moment assez compliqué pour moi, et bizarrement, j'étais tombée totalement amoureuse de l'histoire, malgré la difficulté, malgré les personnages dont je ne supporte pas forcément ce qu'ils.elles disent/font.
Et malgré les défauts, malgré ce que moi, je n'aime pas...
C'est toujours un coup de coeur. Je suis toujours amoureuse.
Mon avis n'a pas changé. Je n'aime toujours pas les mêmes choses. Et j'adore toujours les mêmes choses.
Je ne peux pas le recommander à tout le monde, au vu des sujets. Mais si vous pouvez gérer les cw, n'hésitez pas !

ENG
To start the year 2023; I wanted to re-read something I like, a cuddly reading.
So, clearly, this manga cannot technically fit into this category really, because we are talking about suicide in particular. But it's a very nostalgic read for me.
I had discovered it at a time that was quite complicated for me, and oddly, I had fallen totally in love with the story, despite the difficulty, despite the characters of whom I don't necessarily support what they say/do.
And despite the flaws, despite what I don't like...
It's always a crush. I'm still in love.
My opinion has not changed. I still don't like the same things. And I still love the same things.
I cannot recommend it to everyone, given the subjects. But if you can handle the cws, don't hesitate !

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 2nd volume of The Sand Chronicles breaks the myth that all 2nd books are always the weakest installment (I know I can't compare this manga to other volumes yet, but it has set the bar higher). In this installment, Miss Hinako Ashihara makes the characters' past and future collide in the present. What they've left behind and what they plan in the future seem to give the characters a reason to fall, but Ann, Daigo, Shika, Fuji, and the other side characters show how youth comes with stubbornness. And that stubbornness can sometimes be their secret weapon to keep pushing forward despite all storms that fate throws at them. I am excited to jump to the third volume.

[Yuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as Ann settles down in the countryside with her friends and even a boyfriend, her father comes to give her an offer: come move in with him in Tokyo with him. Ann struggles to accept or decline her fathers offer. Here, she has her boyfriend, her friends, her grandma, but she also has the life lasting memory of her mom's suicide. In Tokyo, she won't have her friends, but she will have her dad. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
This book displays and portrays the obstacles throughout life. Long distance relationships. Complicated relationships. It shows us what we someday have to face.

[.·:*¨ × Shannon♥Stelena&Bamon&Sydrian × ¨*: · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story with quite an intricate web. I like the illustrations except the character's feet are always disproportionate. It's a distraction.

[Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5/5

[ReadingFrog · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. It’s relatable. It feels real. I feel like I’m back in high school with Ann. It’s bringing back memories, both good, bad and cringy lol

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and interesting! This novel introduces the love triangle. I don't own all of them so I do wonder who she ends up marrying.

[MarinaNiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deja ya de maltratarme emocionalmente, maldito manga!!!!!

[a · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapter 3
Chapter 4

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars

[Mohammed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine your generational trauma being so powerful you pull both a faithful and loyal country bumpkin twink boyfriend AND A FATHERLESS NEPOTISM BABY HOE WITH FAMILY ISSUES >:\

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Viz manga app, ch 3-4. Welp I was waiting for that to happen.

[estrelladmiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

PERO FUJI Q HACESSS

[Remna M · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot is thicken! Like, I am seriously loving how complex the story is getting and learning more about each character.

[Spudpuppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally some good food

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about Ann and Daigo’s relationship. I also feel uncertain about Fuji’s feelings toward Ann (and honestly the whole friend group, too). Like the first book, it’s gorgeous and written perfectly. Definitely recommend!

[Amanda Setasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this manga series honestly, but I really enjoyed the twist they threw in at the end of this volume. Definitely going to continue reading!

[Ana Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

He de decir que no sé si voy a aguantar que la relación de An y Daigo se rompa :/
Que en el tomo han estado bien, pero se ve a leguas que la distancia va a poder con ellos y encima sumale al Yuji este o como se llame. Que haces besándola bro? Lo tengo cruzadisimo no me escondo.