Content warning: please note that this post contains discussions of suicide.

I usually try to keep things relatively light in these headers, but today I want to dedicate the thread to Hinako Ashihara, the mangaka of Sand Chronicles, whose death was announced on Monday. Reports indicate that the cause of death was suicide. I encountered Hinako Ashihara’s work last year, and to say that it changed me would be an understatement. I’ve hesitated to write about it in a header in the past because I wasn’t sure how to describe a work that moved me this much. Today, to honor Ashihara in my own very small way, I want to try.

Sand Chronicles is a coming-of-age shoujo manga that begins when the main character, Ann Uekusa, moves to the countryside with her mother, who dies shortly after the move. The story follows Ann from childhood to adulthood as she experiences loss, friendship, love, heartbreak, graduation, evolving family dynamics, and workplace demands; all of this while trying to grapple with her mother’s death and the fear that she may be headed down a similar path. Beyond the astounding fact that Ashihara never shies away from depicting the highs and lows of growing up (including a refreshingly honest and matter-of-fact discussion and representation of menstruation), the story also examines how people react to/try to understand depression and suicide. The story is primarily told from Ann’s perspective, but we also get other character’s perspectives at times as they struggle to understand and help Ann (and her mother). While some of the subjects covered in this manga make for difficult reading at times (content warning: suicide and suicidal thoughts and behaviors), I always felt like I was in good hands. If you are extremely spoiler averse, you may wish to skip the following footnote, but it also serves as a further explanation of the content warning that I think is potentially important for some readers1Ann’s mother died by suicide, and while nothing explicit is shown regarding her death it can still be difficult to read. Her mother’s death is also something that Ann frequently recalls in the manga and wonders about. Later in the manga, there are also depictions of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and there is a depiction of a suicide attempt.

Ann feels like a living, breathing character jumping off the page, and reading her story was truly inspiring. I felt like I was standing next to Ann, cheering with her, crying with her, loving with her, and fighting alongside her. Around the time I read the manga, I was having a particularly difficult time, but I took comfort and strength from this story and these characters. With the above content warnings in mind, I highly recommend you seek out this manga if possible. It’s available on the Viz Manga app, so it is very accessible. Here are some panels that I think highlight the artistic qualities of the manga (without spoiling anything):