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While manga in Japan is often the creation of one individual who writes and draws the work, other people assist in the effort. Assistants, for example, fill in backgrounds of manga panels and do various chores. One key participant in the creation of manga is the editor, with multiple roles ranging from manager to creative support.
In our effort to gain more insight into Hinako Ashihara-sensei's Sand Chronicles, we interviewed the manga's first Japanese editor, who talked about the unique publishing format of Sand Chronicles, the inherent Japanese quality of the manga, and more. This editor, who worked at Betsucomi (the Japanese magazine that originally published Sand Chronicles), asked to remain anonymous, so that the spotlight would focus solely on Ashihara-sensei.
Real-world Shimane
As you might have guessed, Shimane is a beautiful
place. Check out some of the locations that have
inspired Ashihara-sensei's art.
Yaegaki Shrine: Ann tries her luck at Yaegaki Shrine's fortune-telling Mirror Pond.
Left: Ann and Daigo visit Izumo Taisha (Shrine), which is famous for bringing good luck and love.
Right: Nima Sand Museum: At the age of 12, Ann visits this museum with her mother and asks to buy an hourglass.
Ann and the gang live in the peaceful
Shimane countryside.
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Shojo Beat: What was the first sign from Betsucomi readers that Sand Chronicles was becoming popular?
Sand Chronicles Editor: Sunadokei [Sand Chronicles] had strong support from the readers starting with the very first chapter. Compared to Hinako Ashihara-sensei's previous works, the manga ranking results in the readers survey did well, and I recall that there were more fan letters for this series than for previous ones. That high reader support lasted for three years, right up through the final chapter, so that was great.
SB: Shojo manga is usually serialized in 30-to-40-page chapters. Sand Chronicles was different, right?
SCE: Yes we ran the manga in 100-page increments. It was a big adventure. It was a challenge for both the magazine and the creator. The editorial side fully expected that Ashihara-sensei would be successful in this unusual format. Besides, since the story proceeds in these complete chapters, it allows for a wide-scale drama to develop. Since this was neither standard serialization nor a one-shot format, it was a new challenge for us.
SB: For American readers, the physical setting, or locale, of Sand Chronicles is not familiar. However, we imagine that the region is meaningful for Japanese people—the way that setting an American story in Miami or New Orleans might be meaningful for American readers. What does the geographic setting of Sand Chronicles signify to a Japanese reader?
SCE: To explain Shimane prefecture, where the Sand Chronicles story is set, it is most concisely described as "the Japanese countryside." The manga's main character, Ann, was born and raised in Tokyo, but she moves to Shimane, which means she is way far away from Tokyo. For many city dwellers, Shimane is the "distant country," with a completely different culture, and that it is the image of "the countryside" itself.
SB: Are you surprised that Sand Chronicles has proved popular with English-language readers?
SCE: Since this title depicts sentiments and feelings that I thought might be unique to Japanese people, I was anxious if the manga would be truly understood and appreciated, so
I am surprised. But this title has a strong power to touch readers' hearts, and I feel satisfied, [knowing] that we could share these emotions.
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